[quote]Tiribulus wrote:
A quick update. Maybe Sasha can briefly address some of this. This is my third carbup weekend. During the intial phase I had good energy all the time even for cardio right up until the first carb up. I noticed a bit of a drag towards the end of the second week, but nothing major. I also managed to avoid to hard a crash. Felt foggy and shitty for one night.
By Thursday of the third week I was feeling pretty dogged, especially my legs. By that Saturday I was achy and tired, but not intolerably so. This didn’t start to subside until Saturday night and was pretty much gone by Sunday night at the end of the load. During the carb loads I didn’t notice too much difference overall in energy or tiredness from weekdays. I did gain several pounds which disappeared by Monday night.
The last 2 weeks the tiredness has pushed itself back to where I didn't really feel it until Friday last week and this week it barely set in at all. All with no change in eating either on weekdays or very clean carbloads. However this week by 2 oclock this afternoon the carb up had me wide mouthed and snoring on the couch. I mean kicked my ass like someone put valium in my oatmeal. This is going away now which is good because I train chest, tri's and shoulders today.
I said all this to say that what Dr. D and the vets have been hammering home is being shown to be undeniably true in my case. Getting over the shift is just the begining and a full shift and metabolic "settling in" no doubt takes longer. I am still adjusting dramatically and suspect that will continue a while yet. I've gotten stronger, a bit bigger, and a bit leaner, but I'm betting the best is yet to come.
I wouldn’t think it shocking for it to take a full year for me to learn the particulars of this diet’s effects on me and what tweaking will need to be done. I think some guys are still stuck in the quick stop 7-11 mindset and just don’t give something this different enough time.
–Tiribulus->[/quote]
I cannot agree with the post more. I was on the AD for a little over three months (mid-March to the end of June) and ended up quitting for some reason or another. Here’s my perspective on that experience and advice to those who are struggling or on the fence right now:
-Even though I found that I could eat more calories on the AD and not gain fat, one still has to factor in overall activity levels and adjust accordingly. I loved this diet from the start because my carb-ups were absolutely insane and I was losing fat while gaining some size. However, I was still playing college golf; therefore, my NEPA was through the roof. When my internship for the summer started (a desk job), I didn’t make any adjustments. And this proved to be the beginning of the end for me.
-Just because this diet optimizes hormonal and testosterone levels through manipulating insulin, this does not mean you can eat pizza and drink beer for your entire carb-up. Although I was initially eating a lot of calories during my carb-up, at least four of my six meals for each of the two days were clean while I enjoyed some less than clean treats the other meals. As I progressed, I started eating more junk and weekends eventually became a refined sugar and processed food fest. I also felt like I could get away with a little more alcohol on the weekends; this is definitely not the case. Enjoy a couple of beers or mixed drinks, but turning into a blabbering idiot does not take advantage of the increased insulin sensitivity this diet provides.
-In hindsight, a good rule of thumb on weekends is to eat enough carbs each meal to feel full and satisfied, but not so much that you turn into a zombie. Looking back on how well the first six weeks went, this is how I gauged my carb intake for the weekends. Eventually, I thought I could just binge for two days and still look great. Again, this was simply not the case. Although I think reaching body composition goals is easier on this diet than others, moderation is still the key.
-Finally, to those who are struggling, STICK WITH IT!!! DH is right; this diet takes some time to fine-tune. But hang in there; the long-term benefits (muscle gain, fat loss, excellent HDL and LDL cholesterol levels) definitely outweigh the growing pains. It’s like learning how to ride a bike; you have to fall and skin up your knees a few times before you get it right.
All that being said, I’m hopping back on the AD train tomorrow. I have been following a nutrient-timing approach since the end of June and am currently bulking, but I just felt better when I was humming along on the AD. And I also think I am going to be able to put on a lot of mass while keeping the fat gain down compared to my current approach. Here’s my plan:
-Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will provide about 50 grams of protein with fats coming from meats and oils.
-My mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks will be a half-cup of walnuts.
-I’ll have a casein-protein shake before bed with some natural PB or more olive oil.
-Along with BCAA’s and whey isolate pre, during, and post-training, this should give me ample amounts of protein since protein is actually spared on the AD. I think I’ll also be getting more than enough fats.
-My carb-ups will still be 36 hours, but will feature four clean meals with two “free” meals each day. This worked very well for me personally. It was when I thought I could eat cereal and ice cream while drinking vodka tonics for two days and not get fat that I started running into problems.
Overall, I’m much more focused and committed to sticking with this diet through the ups and downs that I will probably experience. Again, to anyone struggling right now, hang in there, ask questions, make adjustments, and assess periodically. Don’t hesitate to send my a PM, either. As someone who found out what worked well and what caused me to completely f**k myself up, I think I’m in a position to help.
Good to Be Back on Diesel Fuel,
Zac
