I’ve been in the maintainence phase all week, but haven’t done any cardio, only weights. I’m thinking of starting HIIT again soon, but am wondering if I should raise my calories at all when doing energy systems work. I’m eating around 3000 now, and in the past HIIT makes me hungry as he;ll. I don’t think I’d be able to stay at 3000 on HIIT days. I’m thinking about waiting until after my first carb-load to start a cardio program again, as then I will begin the mass phase and will be able to eat more. Any advice?
I have a question, I also posted in the steroids section before anyone freaks out.
I’ve been following this diet for about a year now, with good results. Ran a couple cycles this year, worked great. I would like to try out IGF-1 LR3, but am concerned about it since I don’t eat carbs 5-6 days a week, depending. Does anyone have thoughts on this?
[quote]JohnnyChainsaw wrote:
I have a question, I also posted in the steroids section before anyone freaks out.
I’ve been following this diet for about a year now, with good results. Ran a couple cycles this year, worked great. I would like to try out IGF-1 LR3, but am concerned about it since I don’t eat carbs 5-6 days a week, depending. Does anyone have thoughts on this?[/quote]
I have been having some thoughts on steroids with this diet too. Since insulin is a transport hormone, and you very, very little of it during the week your testosterone soaked blood and muscles don`t get nutritions fast enought.
Again at least from hormone point of view AD is not good died when on steroids. This diet is targeting increased testosterone and GH production during the week, but when you are on steroids, you have high level of testosterone anyway, and body is producing almost none; AND you are lacking very important transport hormone insulin (and hence also IGF-1 as level of this one is proportional to insulin levels).
Now, I am not an expert in biochemistry but this is MY UNPROVEN OPINION. I will put it to the test from first week of october on, when I will do one cycle.
There is one good thing though. Your body will be already used to AD when you get off the cycle and muslce maintainance and definition phase should be easier.
I should Ask ybout this at some Mauro’s site, but I am not paying 25$ just to ask this little question. So if anyone of you has an account on one of these pages, quote this message and ask of their opinion.
But now to answer JohnnyChainsaw’s question…
IGF-1 is also aminoacid and glucose transport hormone. But unlike insulin, IGF-1 shifts fuel utilization from carbohydrates to fat within the muscle cells themselves. Consequently you will need less carbohydrates (idealy for AD). But here is also a risk!!! It may dengerously lower your blood sugar, so you could (theoretically) have a hypoclycemic shock (this is what diabetics have when they administer too much insuline which dengerously decreases blood glucose).
So IGF-1 could be a perfect steroide when having AD, and with aditional administration of testosterone (other steroids that raise testosterone levels) gains should be even greater. Although, if not using aditional steroids yor body would continue to produce its own testosterone.
Beware: IGF-1 with conjunction of high levels of testosterone (like when on anabolic steroids) can cause a serious side effect of largening your heart muscle.
I am not going to quote references as I didn’t learn this during some research, but through general learning.
Of course I could be totaly wrong with this (I am not a biochemist, remember but a physicist who is not working in this area of study) so consider yourself warned.
Thanks to toogoodlookin’ for the link to the carb-up study. Jeepers, though, it stated that I should be getting in 720-900 grams in the first 24 hours, which is about double what I was planning for tomorrow.
Also, the movement from high GI carbs and simple sugars to more complex ones is interesting, and worth contemplating. The 70/15/15 ration of carbs to protein and fat is a bit different to the AD recommendations, as well, I think. I don’t usually track these things too closely on the weekend but may see how it goes - especially if it means losing fat while eating carbs.
As to the cardio, I don’t have to worry as my walk from my house nicely takes care of that - steep uphill with bags on the way home - but, that said, if I didn’t have that, I would be doing something as I agree that it’s a good idea. I am still toying with adding some sprints in when an opening in my training cycles around.
What are other opinions about the article that tgl posted?
[quote]wenzi wrote:
Thanks to toogoodlookin’ for the link to the carb-up study. Jeepers, though, it stated that I should be getting in 720-900 grams in the first 24 hours, which is about double what I was planning for tomorrow.
Also, the movement from high GI carbs and simple sugars to more complex ones is interesting, and worth contemplating. The 70/15/15 ration of carbs to protein and fat is a bit different to the AD recommendations, as well, I think. I don’t usually track these things too closely on the weekend but may see how it goes - especially if it means losing fat while eating carbs.
As to the cardio, I don’t have to worry as my walk from my house nicely takes care of that - steep uphill with bags on the way home - but, that said, if I didn’t have that, I would be doing something as I agree that it’s a good idea. I am still toying with adding some sprints in when an opening in my training cycles around.
What are other opinions about the article that tgl posted?[/quote]
That article was geared towards this type of diet strictly for fat loss while maintaining good training. The AD recommends only 10% protein during the carbload and higher fat, which runs more risk of fat spilling over compared to the suggestions of this article. The purpose of low protein on the AD is to utilize it better when it’s reintroduced so just judge for yourself how you want to carbload according to goals.
[quote]allNatural wrote:
wenzi wrote:
Thanks to toogoodlookin’ for the link to the carb-up study. Jeepers, though, it stated that I should be getting in 720-900 grams in the first 24 hours, which is about double what I was planning for tomorrow.
Also, the movement from high GI carbs and simple sugars to more complex ones is interesting, and worth contemplating. The 70/15/15 ration of carbs to protein and fat is a bit different to the AD recommendations, as well, I think. I don’t usually track these things too closely on the weekend but may see how it goes - especially if it means losing fat while eating carbs.
As to the cardio, I don’t have to worry as my walk from my house nicely takes care of that - steep uphill with bags on the way home - but, that said, if I didn’t have that, I would be doing something as I agree that it’s a good idea. I am still toying with adding some sprints in when an opening in my training cycles around.
What are other opinions about the article that tgl posted?
That article was geared towards this type of diet strictly for fat loss while maintaining good training. The AD recommends only 10% protein during the carbload and higher fat, which runs more risk of fat spilling over compared to the suggestions of this article. The purpose of low protein on the AD is to utilize it better when it’s reintroduced so just judge for yourself how you want to carbload according to goals.[/quote]
I see,
i always thought that high carbs and medium fat were a no no, was told that high insulin with a large amount of fat can increase BF ?
Please don’t gun me down i’m always learning from others.
Cheers
Back to total caloric intake:
It’s funny, I am currently going through this issue. According to Doc D, at my weight (only 165, but working on it going higher) I need a little under 3000 cals/day.
I’m still hungry at 3000 cals/day, and people advised me to up the cals…which I did. 3500-4000/day. In a single week, I saw more midsection fat accumulate…not sure about LBM…but to be fair, the fat has trimmed up substantially in the last few days…
so now I guess it’s back to 3000/week per the book?
Does anyone have thoughts about circumstances when we should up the cals?
Hope this is not confusing to you all.
[quote]AlphaDragon wrote:
I’m still hungry at 3000 cals/day, and people advised me to up the cals…which I did. 3500-4000/day. In a single week, I saw more midsection fat accumulate…[/quote]
Throughout this thread I remember it being said that situations like yours usually point to too much cho on the weekdays I believe. Is it possible you’re eating hidden carbs somewhere? Especially if you’re hungry at one overall level and gaining fat at a higher level with the same macro breakdown. I’m definitely still learning myself and others I’m sure could give more. I gotta tell ya. One of the greatest things about this deal so far for me is the fact that I’m never hungry and actually forget to eat at work sometimes. The sweet tooth has been utterly extracted. No craving for sweets whatsoever which is tantamount to the parting of the Red Sea in my case.
–Tiribulus->
[quote]mitjab wrote:
JohnnyChainsaw wrote:
A lot of stuff I’m not qualified to comment on…[/quote]
However please go back a page or three where Disc Hoss posted some detailed study results demonstrating the insulin stimulating effects of amino acids which though certainly not as pronounced as with carbohydrates may put your mind at somewhat greater ease about insulin and the AD.
–Tiribulus->
[quote]Tiribulus wrote:
AlphaDragon wrote:
I’m still hungry at 3000 cals/day, and people advised me to up the cals…which I did. 3500-4000/day. In a single week, I saw more midsection fat accumulate…
Throughout this thread I remember it being said that situations like yours usually point to too much cho on the weekdays I believe. Is it possible you’re eating hidden carbs somewhere? Especially if you’re hungry at one overall level and gaining fat at a higher level with the same macro breakdown. I’m definitely still learning myself and others I’m sure could give more. I gotta tell ya. One of the greatest things about this deal so far for me is the fact that I’m never hungry and actually forget to eat at work sometimes. The sweet tooth has been utterly extracted. No craving for sweets whatsoever which is tantamount to the parting of the Red Sea in my case.
–Tiribulus->
[/quote]
Thanks Trib.
As for sweet tooth…I have none currently.
Hidden Carbs…I have read that a few times, but thought I was safe.
That is unless the “free veggies” really aren’t free. Let’s say something has 8 cals of carbs and 6 from fiber…Hoss said we can eat all of the “free veggies” we want, but if the difference is 2 cals (8 total carbs -6 fiber=2 carbs), then that could be it, I guess. I was under the impression (from a post from Hoss) that we could eat all we wanted of:
Cauliflower
Lettuce
Mushrooms
Asparagus
Broccoli
Other than that, I have no idea where they are coming from…coffee (no sugar/milk)??
Any thoughts? Any help is appreciated.
…just my 2cents:
If you find yourself still hungry, try upping the fats and adjusting the proteins to compensate; remaining at your target cal levels.
Here’s where the adjusting, customizing, and tweeking come into play on the AD.
Fats tend to satiate -or make you feel full -and they also supply our energy (Double Bonus!) so you’re sure to ‘feel better’ with more (healthy)fats in you too.
This is where the AD is superior to other “diets” in my opinion.
You needen’t “feel” like you’re cutting because you’re able to maintain such high energy levels and the feeling of being full so much of the time.
Of course your actual mileage may vary.
But give it a shot (if you haven’t already)
peace
[quote]AlphaDragon wrote:
Tiribulus wrote:
AlphaDragon wrote:
I’m still hungry at 3000 cals/day, and people advised me to up the cals…which I did. 3500-4000/day. In a single week, I saw more midsection fat accumulate…
Throughout this thread I remember it being said that situations like yours usually point to too much cho on the weekdays I believe. Is it possible you’re eating hidden carbs somewhere? Especially if you’re hungry at one overall level and gaining fat at a higher level with the same macro breakdown. I’m definitely still learning myself and others I’m sure could give more. I gotta tell ya. One of the greatest things about this deal so far for me is the fact that I’m never hungry and actually forget to eat at work sometimes. The sweet tooth has been utterly extracted. No craving for sweets whatsoever which is tantamount to the parting of the Red Sea in my case.
–Tiribulus->
Thanks Trib.
As for sweet tooth…I have none currently.
Hidden Carbs…I have read that a few times, but thought I was safe.
That is unless the “free veggies” really aren’t free. Let’s say something has 8 cals of carbs and 6 from fiber…Hoss said we can eat all of the “free veggies” we want, but if the difference is 2 cals (8 total carbs -6 fiber=2 carbs), then that could be it, I guess. I was under the impression (from a post from Hoss) that we could eat all we wanted of:
Cauliflower
Lettuce
Mushrooms
Asparagus
Broccoli
Other than that, I have no idea where they are coming from…coffee (no sugar/milk)??
Any thoughts? Any help is appreciated.[/quote]
Very cool thread. I want to start the AD in mid-November. I’m currently coming off the Get Shredded Diet (Calories are up to 2400 from 2000 and still losing fat), increasing the calories by 100 every two days. Despite the low calories and all the pills to swallow, I loved eating nothing but meats/cheese/nuts/veggies for 13 days and eating a ton of carbs on the 14th day. Although the supplements may have had a lot to do with it, I was far more satisfied than when I was eating more calories but more daily carbs. The AD seems to take a somewhat similar approach, but with far more calories, more frequent carb ups and less supplements. Sweet!
I have some questions:
-
It seems very important to regularly time the carbup every week, but my days off work are completely random. If I sometimes have to wait 8-12 days before I can get a day off to carbup, will this make the diet less effective?
-
I frequently donate blood platelets. A rehydrating solution containing 10 grams of dextrose is fed into my vein. Would that knock me out of a fat burning state, or is it ok as long as I count it in my 30 carb allowance?
Thanks!
[quote]ChrisAaron83 wrote:
I have some questions:
- It seems very important to regularly time the carbup every week, but my days off work are completely random. If I sometimes have to wait 8-12 days before I can get a day off to carbup, will this make the diet less effective? [/quote]
You can schedual your carb-ups wherever you want them. Just make sure to get one good full day of carb eating a week. I don’t think it will hurt you too much to go over a week without carbing up.
[quote]
- I frequently donate blood platelets. A rehydrating solution containing 10 grams of dextrose is fed into my vein. Would that knock me out of a fat burning state, or is it ok as long as I count it in my 30 carb allowance?
Thanks![/quote]
Count that into the 30.
With regards to someone asking about the potential dangers of mixing fat and carbs on the carbup…
I think this has been discussed before but the reason we are still providing some fat for our body is to allow it to run off the same energy source it has run off of (fat) for the duration of the carbup. This way gycogen is being restored and we are still running off fat and not storing that much.
With regards to vegetables that one can eat as many as they want…
I know some might disagree but I don’t like when people go and give permission to do things like this. I could be wrong, but I believe it is possible to eat enough broccoli to go over 30 grams of carbohydrates (even minus the fiber). I still think you should make sure your serving sizes are such that your daily intake puts you under 30.
Finally with regards to the length of time in between the carbup…
I think this is a good topic that hasn’t been investigated much, especially by those who are trying to lean out with this diet. Doing an 8-10 days of low carb with a carbup following might be a great option for those who want to try something different. This format is used by those on ketogenic diets and I don’t see why it couldn’t be used on a diet such as this. As long a workout intensity isn’t suffering too much I’d say try it out.
Carbing up every 8-10 days sounds like a good try for me.
I’ve been on diet for about 5 weeks going into my 4th carbup and I still haven’t seen much fat loss.
Although my arms and chest have gotten bigger and the fat has remained the same around my stomach. I hate this shit. The rest of my body looks good, except for a pouch of fat around my belly - I am a FFB.
I’ve been real good about keeping carbs below 30g’s and the weekend carbups aren’t crazy at all. Lots of pasta, bread, beans, etc. Some fruit pebbles, but I think I may be sabotaging myself by drinking about 8 cans of sprite a weekend - love Seagrams 7 and some sprite! So this weekend I’m going to go to Sprite Zero or something…
Oh yeah, my diet mainly contains a lot of chicken thighs, eggs, heavy cream, little smokies, olive oil, and bacon. I only eat steak about 1 time a week due to my grocery budget, but I eat ground beef about 2x a week.
In the book the doc suggests eating lots of steak…does anyone think that by eating more red meats it might help with dropping the fat?
I’m eating roughly 3,000 - 3,300 calories a day which is what my baseline should be, so I can’t seem to figure out why I’m getting a little more muscle but the fat hasn’t dropped yet.
Wow . . . lots of action picking up on the AD thread . . . glad to see so many others joining the foray.
With regards to the suggestion/question in prolonging the low-carb timing to 8-10 days, I would suggest against this for a couple of reasons.
No matter your body composition goals, the CHO ups are very important. If weight training, and I will assume we all are, glycogen stores do still need to be actively replenished. Without this replenishment, performance will most likely suffer and body comp goals will be compromised. As you can see from the interview with Lyle McDonald, he specifically details that after 3 days of low-carb eating with activity our glycogen stores are depleted. This is not great for high-intensity activities like weight training that rely on glycogen.
Secondly, for those of us looking to achieve maximum fat loss, we must manage our leptin balance to ensure our body does not slip into starvation mode while we diet at below maintenance level calories. This is the principle behind traditional refeeds but it is far more important with a diet like the AD.
Finally, it is essential to recognize that insulin is a very powerful anabolic element that we need to not only manage, but take advantage of. The CHO ups are structured the way they are to maximize the positive effects of insulin release while minimizing its fat accumulation effects. Supressing those benefits makes little sense.
While I appreciate that the prolonged low carb approach leaves you looking drier and leaner, don’t be fooled into believing that is entirely a result of fat loss. Stick to the diet protocols for at least a couple of months until you get used to them. Once you’ve come that far, you’ll understand the way your body reacts to different foods and cycles. It’s just one of those weird situations where you’ll know when you know.
Cheers,
Sasha
[quote]uv_deth wrote:
Oh yeah, my diet mainly contains a lot of chicken thighs, eggs, heavy cream, little smokies, olive oil, and bacon. I only eat steak about 1 time a week due to my grocery budget, but I eat ground beef about 2x a week.
In the book the doc suggests eating lots of steak…does anyone think that by eating more red meats it might help with dropping the fat?
I’m eating roughly 3,000 - 3,300 calories a day which is what my baseline should be, so I can’t seem to figure out why I’m getting a little more muscle but the fat hasn’t dropped yet.[/quote]
uv_death,
Just a couple of quick follow up questions to your post.
-
What does your training look like? Include cardio and weight training.
-
What does your fat balance look like? Polys/Monos/Sats.
-
What does your macro balance look like? Fat/CHO/Protein during the week.
Your food selection looks decent but experiment and try different things. Some do not react well to pork products like bacon but others do. Red meat is not a necessity but it does help with saturated fat intake. Remember, there is no make or break food for everyone on the AD.
It’s still early days for you on the AD, give it time. The first dramatic body composition shift comes as a result of water loss but others will come in due course. And while the CHO ups seem like the first point of call when the fat isn’t dropping off like mad, it often has more to do with your day-to-day calorie balance.
Shoot back those answers and we’ll see what we can do.
Cheers,
Sasha
[quote]abcd1234 wrote:
I’ve been in the maintainence phase all week, but haven’t done any cardio, only weights. I’m thinking of starting HIIT again soon, but am wondering if I should raise my calories at all when doing energy systems work. I’m eating around 3000 now, and in the past HIIT makes me hungry as he;ll. I don’t think I’d be able to stay at 3000 on HIIT days. I’m thinking about waiting until after my first carb-load to start a cardio program again, as then I will begin the mass phase and will be able to eat more. Any advice? [/quote]
abcd1234,
If you’re in a mass building phase, then yes, you need to be exceeding your maintenance level of calories on a daily basis. When engaging in activities like HIIT which elevate your metabolic rate dramatically during and after activity, you need to make an allowance for that intake.
Out of curiousity, why are you doing HIIT during your bulk? While I believe in the performance benefits of HIIT, increased VO2 max, etc., if it’s mass you’re looking for, HIIT can be counter active.
If I’m you, I would simply engage in a moderate level of cardio 1-2 times a week for 20 minutes just to retain a certain level of fitness. This will also help you maintain your staying power in the weight room.
Hope that helps mate.
Cheers,
Sasha
[quote]SashaG wrote:
abcd1234 wrote:
I’ve been in the maintainence phase all week, but haven’t done any cardio, only weights. I’m thinking of starting HIIT again soon, but am wondering if I should raise my calories at all when doing energy systems work. I’m eating around 3000 now, and in the past HIIT makes me hungry as he;ll. I don’t think I’d be able to stay at 3000 on HIIT days. I’m thinking about waiting until after my first carb-load to start a cardio program again, as then I will begin the mass phase and will be able to eat more. Any advice?
abcd1234,
If you’re in a mass building phase, then yes, you need to be exceeding your maintenance level of calories on a daily basis. When engaging in activities like HIIT which elevate your metabolic rate dramatically during and after activity, you need to make an allowance for that intake.
Out of curiousity, why are you doing HIIT during your bulk? While I believe in the performance benefits of HIIT, increased VO2 max, etc., if it’s mass you’re looking for, HIIT can be counter active.
If I’m you, I would simply engage in a moderate level of cardio 1-2 times a week for 20 minutes just to retain a certain level of fitness. This will also help you maintain your staying power in the weight room.
Hope that helps mate.
Cheers,
Sasha
[/quote]
I do HIIT mainly because I find traditional cardio boring. I also love the winded feeling HIIT gives me. It’s very satisfying. I want to do cardio to maintain good all-around health.
Quick question: I’m eating the reccommended 3000 calories a day(BW x 18) but I walk a lot. I must walk 5 miles total throughout the day, including a 3 mile walk with my dog towards the end of the day. Should I be eating more to compensate for this?