As far as I know, nobody is. I feel that’d be unnecessarily dangerous. Any time you start fiddling with internal mechanisms, it seems that while it may be helping one matter, it’s causing problems elsewhere in the human machine.
I am two days from my first Carb up, and I wasn’t planning on doing much/any running on this diet, but I might be entering a relay race that would require me to run about 15-25 miles a week. Should I bail on the diet and resume after the race?
I don’t know, I’d say just keep your calories high and see how it goes.
Once you get past a certain point (noticeably at at least 2 weeks, and gradually until over a month), the diet is easy. It feels natural in a sense. Your body doesn’t fight you, you’ve adapted.
Your decision rests on you, and I think the proximity of the race matters a bit.
I will say with confidence however that performance-wise, something like a race will be better suited to having an ample carb supply.
The race is in 2.5 months, therefore I will have been on the diet 3 months. I may take in some carbs the day before the race, but I feel like the diet should still work…I’ll just be fueling myslef with fat, not carbs.
I’m going go ahead and stick to it, see how it feels on some of the longer runs. I’m interested in finding out how this diet affects running, although I’m afraid of losing the little bit of muscle I’ve worked so hard for…
Y’know, I thought I’d just pop in to comment on how amazed I am at my strength levels. They’re not plummeting, even though my caloric intake isn’t THAT low just yet, but I’m not afraid to go really heavy. This may just be a new mindset and approach I’ve been taking to my lifting lately, but I’m still able to break through new boundaries.
Today I squatted a load I don’t think I’ve done before. Not something ‘beyond’ my ability, just never done it before. On Thursday I plan on deadlifting a completely new load and I feel good about it (I’ll let you know how it goes when it comes).
Bigboy, I’d be very interested to hear of your findings with running. I ride my BMX bike 8-12 minutes one-way about 25-30 times a week, but that hasn’t been a variable since about September/August, just a constant. The frequency of these rides has increased though.
It doesn’t seem to interfere with anything, it just sucks after training legs, when it’s windy, when it’s cold, when I don’t feel like it, when I’m hungry, etc. haha. I don’t get much real steady cardio from it though because it’s more short bursts of energy as I stand the entire time.
By the way, I wouldn’t be too worried about muscle loss on this diet as long as your protein stays high. Through pure dietary manipulation at the moment, I’m getting excited about the present results and the results to come. And like I said, my strength is not taking any sort of noticeable hit (which it did at the end of last calendar year in contest prep).
I cut up a couple pounds of bacon into pieces, cooked it down, and added 2 packs of thawed spinach at the end and fried it up. turned out really well
[quote]WannabeBigBoy wrote:
The race is in 2.5 months, therefore I will have been on the diet 3 months. I may take in some carbs the day before the race, but I feel like the diet should still work…I’ll just be fueling myslef with fat, not carbs.
I’m going go ahead and stick to it, see how it feels on some of the longer runs. I’m interested in finding out how this diet affects running, although I’m afraid of losing the little bit of muscle I’ve worked so hard for…[/quote]
The diet should be fine for you, for performance purposes, I’d make sure to get a good quantity of carbs the day before the race. I’d also make sure your carb-ups are not too small, especially if you have a low body fat percentage already.
All along I’ve felt it shouldn’t be an issue, but it’s good to hear other people say the same. I just had my first carb up day today and the plan was to demonstrate some self control… 8 pieces of french toast and two banana pancakes with peanut butter and syrup. I can’t even count the calories for that single meal.
As far as training, my squats and bench have gone down a bit recently, but I might pull through stronger than ever next week. We shall see.
Also, what are some or your training schedules on this diet. Do you go with higher volume on and near carb ups, and lower volume towards end of week?
[quote]WannabeBigBoy wrote:
All along I’ve felt it shouldn’t be an issue, but it’s good to hear other people say the same. I just had my first carb up day today and the plan was to demonstrate some self control… 8 pieces of french toast and two banana pancakes with peanut butter and syrup. I can’t even count the calories for that single meal.
As far as training, my squats and bench have gone down a bit recently, but I might pull through stronger than ever next week. We shall see.
Also, what are some or your training schedules on this diet. Do you go with higher volume on and near carb ups, and lower volume towards end of week?
[/quote]
I’m doing a classic bodybuilding split routine. I organize it with my weakest link/hardest workout first in the week and the easiest on friday. For me, that is legs on monday and arms on friday.
[quote]WannabeBigBoy wrote:
All along I’ve felt it shouldn’t be an issue, but it’s good to hear other people say the same. I just had my first carb up day today and the plan was to demonstrate some self control… 8 pieces of french toast and two banana pancakes with peanut butter and syrup. I can’t even count the calories for that single meal.
As far as training, my squats and bench have gone down a bit recently, but I might pull through stronger than ever next week. We shall see.
Also, what are some or your training schedules on this diet. Do you go with higher volume on and near carb ups, and lower volume towards end of week?
[/quote]
I keep my body guessing. I may do higher load / less volume early in week and lower load / higher volume late in the week or vice-versa. All total body. I’m a big fan of it right now.
Hey all!!!
Max here from London …and Im looking to get into the Anabolic Diet! (surprise, surprise!)
My current stats:
Bodyweight: 163lbs
Bodyfat%: 7%
Bodywater: 68%
BMI: 22.5
Muscle Mass: 45%
Ive done all the reading on the AD…I only have ONE MAJOR QUESTION>>> HEALTH!!?
I am of Indian origin (India rather than Wild West!), and as you may know, people from this region have a high propensity for developing type 2 Diabetes. My father also passed away from a heart attack in his mid-60’s (although he was a heavy smoker/drinker!), and I have been diagnosed with above normal levels of bad cholesterol.
I typically exercise 3-4 times per week (weights), and consume about 1gram of protein per 1b bodyweight. My results have been fairly stagnant…so wanted a change.
My biggest concern with the AD is the possibility of developing too much bad cholesterol! Im not a bodybuilder, just a regular guy who has a busy office job…
So wanted feedback on this…
Also…despite my slim physique,…I seem to be developing a belly and double chin (skinny-fat as some would say!)…any rationale/solutions to this!?
Appreciate the help guys!!!
~M~
Max, I was just about to ask you for a picture when you expressed concern for a developing belly and double chin. How can you be 7% with those worries?
Back on point, health-wise, it’s my opinion that this diet is truly what you make of it. Most people have an innate sense of what’s good and what’s bad. Bacon is acceptable but it’s not ‘good’. Canola oil with added DHA and EVOO are both terrific. Lean beef cuts are great, plenty of vegetables…I’ll also add that after about a month, I stopped counting my vegetable intake. It’s the only thing I don’t count, but I do count the fiber from the other sources I get it from. Make smart decisions from the beginning, and I’m sure everyone still active on this thread will help you with any issues you encounter.
Rationale for your developing problems? I’d imagine it’s a result of poor dietary choices along with not training hard enough. (It’s pretty amazing what your body can do if you break from its mental connection with ‘comfort’). Jumping into this diet and tailoring energy flux should be a good solution. If you haven’t seen already, I’m currently dieting down with great success so far, and my lifts are climbing, albeit slowly.
BigBoy, my training is 4 days over a 7-day cycle. I think about giving it an offset scheme ALL the time, but I really don’t see the need since I’m doing fine. It’s pretty bodybuilder in nature with clear split emphasis. I vary the loads from workout to workout however. Volume is normally pretty high no matter what, but biceps may be an exception to that. Back/tris focus on Tue, Deadlift variations/glute/ham/calf/core focus on Thurs, Chest/bis/neglected core focus on Sat, and Sun is squats/quads/calf/shoulders. As you can see, I train on both days of the weekend. I figure putting the carbs to immediate use is better. I haven’t tried the opposite, but I do really like how I’ve been doing this, and the Sunday was very strategically chosen because it’s easily the hardest day, even much moreso than deadlifting in which I use heavier loads.
This actually brings me with a nice transition into a question I thought I’d pose to you all: In your carb days…do you follow it as a single unit of start-finish or do you use fatty meals in between?
As most of you know, I’ve been keeping my total weekend carbs around 200-300g, but as I creep downwards, I’ve been focusing on the pwo nutrition. The bulk of my carbs is 50g dextrose in my shake on both Sat and Sun. So in between those two shakes, it’s all “normal” low-med fat+protein meals.
I’ve discussed this previously, but I don’t think you should get too worked up about above average “bad” cholesterol. On this diet, your HDL (good cholesterol) should move up, your triglycerides should go down, and your inflammation (CRP) levels should go down. If you’re worried about it, try to stick to healthier foods during your carbups.
Dr. Michael Eades’ blog has a lot of good info about cholesterol, and he mentions several studies where people go on carb-restricted diets and nearly all of their health markers improve.
heads up to everyone…I’m getting a full blood test done tomorrow (glucose, tsh, lipid the works)
I’ve been on the AD since may,08 so this should give a good idea of what it does(doesnt) do for health etc
good luck evil1,
i’m sure we’d all love to know your results
Hey gys thanks for all the support…its awesome to see you guys succeeding!!
nz6stringaxe - great advice man!.. you seem to be a living advert for the benefits of the AD. I am still confused how I am developing a double chin and belly on such low bodyfat too…so Im wondering if it could be water retention!? In fact I was wondering about this on the AD too!?
dlannan - I will check out the Dr. Eades info on cholesterol. Im new to this whole AD concept and this thread, so keen to get as much heads up as possible.
PS - do you guys take any other supplements other than EFA, multi-vits, and Whey?!
Peace
~M~
If you keep your saturated fats under 1/3 and get a lot of high quality fats, you will likely see your cholesterol levels improve on this diet.
Supps in addition to what you said?
ZMA
Vitamin D
Creatine
KIC
Leucine
ALCAR
Hey all, ive been doing the AD for a few weeks now. I was having major digestion issues and they are all GONE now that ive been ADing it.
I dont need to lose a ton of weight (158lbs) and im 10 weeks out from a 165lbs powerlifting meet.
I hold on to about 6lbs of water weight that fluxes down as the week goes on from the carb up. so i know ill be able to hit the meet after carb up around 165.
Mainly doing eggs, casein, white cheese, sunflower seeds, walnuts, lots of olive oil, brocolli, chicken, steak, and a little cottage cheese. Energy levels are great thus far, and my strength has improved a little but mainly maintained in lifts.
How do the AD vets feel about nuts anyways? i know they contain some carbs, but they dont have much, if any, of an insulin hit.
What would happen if you were to take Surge Workout Fuel and Surge Recovery on the AD. This sounds like a completely idiotic question due to the fact that carbs would be way over 30g. Would it throw the diet off completely, or becuase it is peri-workout, could it be possible to continue using fatty acids as fuel source.
Excuse my ignorance…just really want to try Biotest supps after reading more about them.
[quote]WannabeBigBoy wrote:
What would happen if you were to take Surge Workout Fuel and Surge Recovery on the AD. This sounds like a completely idiotic question due to the fact that carbs would be way over 30g. Would it throw the diet off completely, or becuase it is peri-workout, could it be possible to continue using fatty acids as fuel source.
Excuse my ignorance…just really want to try Biotest supps after reading more about them. [/quote]
A lot of people use those supplements and workout on their two carbup days. If you use them on your low carb days then you aren’t really doing the AD. You would have to greatly reduce carbs on your carbup days and it would turn into a more moderate carb diet.