My Experience On the Anabolic Diet

Nutrition
8083

[quote]Bouchew wrote:
Well it took me three days to read this thread at work…well worth it. I now have most if not all the AD ebooks and have printed and satrted reading them. I will start this on Monday for sure.
Thanks[/quote]

Nice work! If everyone read the entire thread and book before posting/starting the diet, (a formidable task I know) there would be a lot less questions. I must confess that I am in the midst of reading through it for the second time at work as well :slight_smile: Good luck! If you still have any questions let us know?

8084

Hmmm… well maybe I’ll carb up for a day and see how I feel. I’ll do some good cardio today and make sure my glycogen stores are empty for tomorrow.

Anyone tried GoLower bars? I know, I know… bars are bad. But this one is awesome and high in fiber,high in fat, low in carbs (3.3 g)–good for the AD. No glycerine, no sugar alcohol–only 11 ingredients–all good stuff. They’re awesome for a quick snack if you’re caught without food, but a little pricey.

I’ve got some coconut ones:

143 cals
fat–12g
total carbs 13 g (3.3 net)
fiber–9.7 g
protein 5.4 g

just thought i’d thow that out there

8085

This thought occurred to me and I had no other place to express it.

Even without a PWO drink, my recovery has stayed the same or perhaps even improved since being on the AD.

That was one of my main concerns when I started this. Completely foundless. Who knew?

8086

I guess my concern was is it a subtle crash that builds up over a few days, or is it literally like being hit by a cement truck one day? I’ve been staying below 30gr/day everyday. I even told Rich Gaspari off (was working out with him last tuesday)for trying to make me try his SizeOn because i didn’t want any carbs. I’ve started dreaming of carbs at night, every night, all night. I wake up sweating thinking that i’ve raided the fridge in the middle of the night and screwed myself over during the initial phase. Just can’t wait till my first carb up. Orange Pancakes all the way. So back to the question at hand. Build up crash or Cement truck?

8087

[quote]ironjoe wrote:
I guess my concern was is it a subtle crash that builds up over a few days, or is it literally like being hit by a cement truck one day? I’ve been staying below 30gr/day everyday. I even told Rich Gaspari off (was working out with him last tuesday)for trying to make me try his SizeOn because i didn’t want any carbs. I’ve started dreaming of carbs at night, every night, all night. I wake up sweating thinking that i’ve raided the fridge in the middle of the night and screwed myself over during the initial phase. Just can’t wait till my first carb up. Orange Pancakes all the way. So back to the question at hand. Build up crash or Cement truck?[/quote]

Cement truck for me. It will be pretty sudden, but for some people it is worse than others. When mine hit I could barely keep my eyes open (it was like 6 PM and I was working) and I felt like absolute shit. I pounded some caffeine, finished my shift, and slept like a baby.

Re. the carb dreams, I used to have a dream every week that I “accidentally” ate carbs and screwed my diet. I would wake up and freak out and then realize that it was a dream.

8088

It was more subtle for me. I woke up one day feeling great and then realized how I had been dragging for the past few days. I’ve had to repeat the induction phase a few times and it’s always like that.

Originally it took 12 days for me, but now it’s only 4 or 5 if I need to jump back on track.

8089

Kinda hoping for the subtle effect because I have an exam on the 11th day. So i need to be awake for about 2 hours lol

8090

[quote]CJK wrote:
Zluke wrote:
Does anybody having troubles getting back onto P+F meals after carb ups? I’ve noticed, that i usually feel like shit on Monday after my carb-up. I tried both 24 and 48 hours carb-ups.

Do you think the problem is related to the carb up or the protein-fat? Or do you not know? :slight_smile:
[/quote]

Actually, i don’t know :slight_smile:

What i mean is that i feel bad energywise the next day after my carb-up. I would be drowsy and have low energy. That’s the day after carb up. During the first half of the day when i have my carbs, i am usually high on energy levels, however i become more and more drowsy by the end of the day.

I try to stick to clean carb sources, i would have a few ‘evil’ snacks. The rest is clean. On weekdays, the only not clean source that i usually eat is smoked fish and by saying not clean i am mean it could have too much of sodium.

I think it is tough for the body to shift to carbs and then shift back to P+F. Maybe i am still adapting to the cycling approach.

Not whining here, just sharing an experience.

[quote]bkmacky9288 wrote:
im the same way(i contribute that shit feeling to my injury…FUCK) so what im gonna do now is carb up saturday and use my rest day (sunday) as my feel like/drop bombs in the toilet shit day[/quote]

Actually, because of this after-carb-up bad feeling, i shifted my carb up to Saturday instead of Sunday so i can have one day to recover :slight_smile:

I am gonna try a few weeks on more like NHE style - having two carb meals twice a week on Sundays and Thursdays consuming 200g of carbs per each meal.

[quote]MissMaria wrote:
I’m just thinking that since I’m not measuring my veges and sometimes not good about measuring nuts (I keep a ball park of how many I ate)that I may have gone over a few times. You think maybe those extra few grams could have hurt? Should I stay on longer and get super strict or even go down to 20g?

[/quote]

I wouldn’t worry about it if it was only a few times and those were just 2-5grams of carbs. Just make sure that you stick to the diet next week and don’t go over. In fact, in some of sample menus on the site, Doc has 33g of carbs per day, some of them are like 25-27. Anyway, 30g of carbs is a rough figure. I find myself functioning better at 20-25g, others can do at 50g.

8091

[quote]madrad1 wrote:
CJK wrote:
madrad1 wrote:
I got another quick question - I am really crashing today and am guessing it is either the shift or the inadequate sleep last night. I still continue with the high F/P food till my 12th day, right. That is what I remember from the 150 pages or so I have read so far but just wanted to make sure.
thanks
THis is a great thread- logging in every day keeps me motivated.

Yep - continue the 12 days of low carb. The crash is a good thing, and you got it out of the way! Should be high, even energy from here on out.

Thanks - appreciate it. And yes, you were right about the energy being even and high. I am really happy with that. I don’t need coffee or tea or soda anymore.

What happens if one goes beyond 12 days lo-carb? The reason I am asking is this- I read that one should exercise all out the day before the carb up so that all the carbs go where they are supposed to go; however, I sprained my back yesterday and cannot go exercise but today is my 13th day. I am hoping that I will feel better soon and can go run and workout a lot by Sunday and then carbup. What do folks think?

Also, if I should go ahead and carbup and not wait to be able to exercise (I dont know when my back will get ok), how many CHOs should I consume on my carbup? I was thinking of doing just a day if I can’t exercise (Saturday morning to Saturday night)- would that be ok?

Once again I’d appreciate any help you can give. Thanks a lot.
[/quote]

THanks. I’ve done a Saturday morn to Sun morn carbup. I am not sure if I have eaten as many carbs as recommended cos I am not feeling bloated at all. However, I think I am going to stop now because my back is still not ok and I don’t know when it will be ok. I did enjoy the carb-up though and kept it somewhat clean- had mexican food, whole wheat bread, almonds, whole wheat cereal and milk, banana and Pbutter, and homemeade french toast. Yumm-my.

For folks who carb up morning to morning, how do you get back on the AD diet for the rest of the day. Do you start High protein and fat from lunch? how do you calculate the calories etc…

8092

[quote]madrad1 wrote:
For folks who carb up morning to morning, how do you get back on the AD diet for the rest of the day. Do you start High protein and fat from lunch? how do you calculate the calories etc…[/quote]

I don’t know of anyone who carbs from morning to morning… I would definitely do evening to evening. Eating carbs and then switching to p+f is problematic to say the least. Go night to night in the future.

For now, yes but I would keep fat on the lowish side for the first part of the day after switching from carbs, now that you have already done the morning to morning carb-up.

8093

Does anyone have over 30g of carbs or have a midweek carb up? I have the book and the Doc recommends that some people need more carbs than others.

I’m doing the Mass Phase and am eating 420g of protein and 360g of fat per day and sometimes I still don’t have the energy that I need for the gym. I just feel like I should be getting more out of my workouts. I’m 5’9" and 185 pounds with 13% bodyfat.

Any thoughts or opinions?

8094

Hey all,
Day 21 (past the induction phase) and 3rd carb reload today. Just thought I’d pipe in with some random observations and thoughts.

First off, I really hate carb Sundays! As much as I think I’ll enjoy them, I don’t at all. I feel stuffed and gross all day and hate the feeling. However, in the same token I absolutely LOVE how I feel come Monday… I usually wake up before the alarm goes off with more energy that I can begin to describe. And my Monday workout? Incredible, simply incredible. That alone is worth feeling like a overstuffed sloth on Sundays.

Secondly… I think I read some brief posts on this somewhere in the first 50 pages of this board, but my body temps seem to be noticeably changing. That started this past week, usually right after eating one of my delightful F/P meals. However the past 2 days I have noticed random bouts of extreme hotness. I was just standing around last night and suddenly broke out in an uncontrollable sweat… I felt like I had just finished a 2 hour workout! My understanding is that this would be indicative of accelerated thyroid function, can anyone verify this? Or am I way off base perhaps?

Another note… around Wed of this past week I felt as if I were crashing yet again. I thought about it and decided I must not be eating quite enough fat to keep my energy levels up. So at 3pm I decided to fry up a plate full of sausages and have myself a feast. Moments after consuming said sausages I thought my stomach would revolt and spontaneously combust, however that night and especially the next day my energy levels felt restored and at great levels again. Yet another lesson learned… many of these crashes might not be due to no carbs but to not enough fat.

My body seems to respond great to this diet. My body comp is changing by the day. I’m continuing to noticeably gain muscle size and strength and body fat is shedding right off. The only thing I have to figure out is why my abdomen feels rather poofed out all the time. Its as solid as a rock and isn’t soft, that’s for sure… just feels expanded and not as pulled in as usual. I’m wondering if this is from too much sodium. I’m definitely consuming much more sodium on this diet than before I started it (bacon, sausages, cheese and dozens of eggs… all new to me!), so I’m thinking that might be the cause. But any input is always welcome.

Best compliment I’ve ever gotten… was at a mall last night when a random salesgirl walked up to me and asked me where I worked out and if I was competing in a fitness competition soon. Seriously… if it was appropriate to tip her I would’ve handed her a $100!

As always, thanks to all of you for your continued posts and sharing of experiences on this diet. I’ve learned a ton just by reading all of your posts. Keep up the great work, everyone!!

Missa

8095

Hey Missa,

Nice observations! Just some comments: i also felt like i was crashing again in the end of last week. This may be because i now consume 20g of carbs instead of 30g and because i swtitched from carbing up at Saturday to carbing up at Sunday.

As for bloated abdomen - the same here. My arms became very lean and muscular, but my abdomen is… well, not so muscular :slight_smile: I also blame sodium. Although i try to balance it with potassium, but i just don’t know how much of it i should consume daily. I take 100mg capsule each day as it is suggested on the bottle, but i guess it is not enough. I also found stomach vacuum exercise to be beneficial in cases when stomach looks just big.

My $0.02

8096

[quote]Zluke wrote:
Hey Missa,

Nice observations! Just some comments: i also felt like i was crashing again in the end of last week. This may be because i now consume 20g of carbs instead of 30g and because i swtitched from carbing up at Saturday to carbing up at Sunday.

As for bloated abdomen - the same here. My arms became very lean and muscular, but my abdomen is… well, not so muscular :slight_smile: I also blame sodium. Although i try to balance it with potassium, but i just don’t know how much of it i should consume daily. I take 100mg capsule each day as it is suggested on the bottle, but i guess it is not enough. I also found stomach vacuum exercise to be beneficial in cases when stomach looks just big.

My $0.02[/quote]

Thanks for your input! I think I’ll start supplementing with additional potassium as well and see if there is any difference.

Here’s another question. Does anyone find their sleep patterns are different after a carb load? I sleep like a baby all week long. Then Sunday comes around, I load the carbs, go to bed that evening and sleep horribly! Up every hour or so, tossing and turning. Of course needing to sip on water all night and subsequently getting up to use the bathroom 3x due to the day’s increased water intake doesn’t help either. Just wondering if anyone else has dealt with this or if its just me.

8097

I had problems with sleep but they disappeared after i ditched off almost all caffeine, except for green tea in the mornings. As for sleep after carb-ups - i had a problem once. I ate about 100g of brown rice and had some cocoa with milk as my last meal. Boy, it was terrible. I felt like my stomach was going to burst.

Yesterday i had my carb-up as only last two meals. Slept pretty much okay.

8098

I have a question for you guys. Currently i follow NHE style carb ups and it mean 3 days low carb, then carb up, then 4 days low carb, than carb up again and repeat. A carb up is a last meal of about 200 carbs.
Here how it looks like:

Monday - Train - Low Carb
Tuesday - Off
Wednesday - Train - Low Carb
Thursday - Off - Carb Up
Friday - Train - Low Carb
Saturday - Off
Sunday - Off - Carb Up

I train in the morning, so i come to the gym with a lot of glycogen. BUT… Would it be better to carb-up on days when i train?

8099

[quote]CJK wrote:
ironjoe wrote:
I guess my concern was is it a subtle crash that builds up over a few days, or is it literally like being hit by a cement truck one day? I’ve been staying below 30gr/day everyday. I even told Rich Gaspari off (was working out with him last tuesday)for trying to make me try his SizeOn because i didn’t want any carbs. I’ve started dreaming of carbs at night, every night, all night. I wake up sweating thinking that i’ve raided the fridge in the middle of the night and screwed myself over during the initial phase. Just can’t wait till my first carb up. Orange Pancakes all the way. So back to the question at hand. Build up crash or Cement truck?

Cement truck for me. It will be pretty sudden, but for some people it is worse than others. When mine hit I could barely keep my eyes open (it was like 6 PM and I was working) and I felt like absolute shit. I pounded some caffeine, finished my shift, and slept like a baby.

Re. the carb dreams, I used to have a dream every week that I “accidentally” ate carbs and screwed my diet. I would wake up and freak out and then realize that it was a dream. [/quote]

Haha im glad im not the only one…i always dream that ill have something seemingly AD friendly only to find out there were added sugars

8100

Hi everyone,

I’m just starting the AD today - though I’ve been aware of Dr. DiPasquale’s work as early as 1996. But I never got around to it till now.

My immediate question (I know, I know, I should have read the entire thread first - but I’m at work): I’m doing the 12 day initial metabolic shift phase, trying to keep the carbs under 30g per day. The only thing in the ways of carbs I’m eating is broccoli and spaghetti squash (cooked on a grill Saturday) - but even with those, you can hit over 30g REALLY easily (4 spears of broccoli will get you there). Then I read in this thread that people don’t count their broccoli and similar fiber-laden vegetables toward that carb limit? I’m a little confused on that - is that only AFTER the 12 day phase that you can take your vegetable intake higher? For now, I will do my best to stay below 30grams per day for the 12 days.

A little background: I’m a textbook type of “recreational powerlifter”. I don’t compete, but I enjoy training for strength. I’m 6’2", 255lb right now, at about 13% bodyfat (as accurate as you can get with calipers). I’ve been as heavy as 285, when I hit my heaviest lifts - 680squat, 540bench (double denim), 700 deadlift (belt only).

The main reason why I’m following this diet is I’m lifetime drug free, and I want to maximize my own testosterone. I’m 33 and I want to keep it as high as possible, for as long as possible:) And I always believed that the way most of us are accustomed to eating has some serious flaws in it. I really don’t aim to lose “weight”, because I feel fine at 255. The hormone manipulation is what interests me the most. I’m sure that it wouldn’t hurt to drop body fat (it never hurts), but that is not my primary goal.

Thanks for your patience with some questions I’ll come up with.

8101

you don’t need to count fiber intake from what I’ve read and been told through this thread. Any kind of Cruciferous vegetables, leafty veggies, sprouts and mushrooms are all fair game.

8102

Hey boys! Hows it?

Everyone training hard I hope.

Its been a busy week for me, trying to get lots of assignments finished so I can finish early for summer. CJK, I hope that offer is still open to come across to missouri and train my ass off! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

todays workouts

AM
4x8 front squat
4x6 seated db press

PM
4xfailure bw pull ups
4x8 db lunges

2x cressey abs routine (sprinter situps/v ups/toe touches/reverse crunch)

p.s who’s in your avatar cjk??