I noticed that many of you get in a lot of calories with olive oil. How do you use it?
Do you just take tablespoons of it, do you cook with it (and if so, how do you count those calories), do you mix it in shakes…?
Some ideas would be very helpful. I don’t have too much money right now and I think a lot of my calories will come from olive oil.
Thanks.
I’ve been reading through this thread and have noticed that many of those who have experienced success on this diet have been novice dieters with the exception of a couple guys (not a slam, but guys new to dieting can lose bodyfat and weight on just about any protocol because they’re consciously watching calorie and macronutrient intake). I wonder if there are any guys who’ve used this diet for a long period of time and been able to get to contest level bodyfat.
Another question i have is about the emphasis on GH for anabolism. I’ve read a good bit of Lyle’s work and he’s mentioned that guys like Faigin and DiPasquale over-think the GH link and that when the body is low on insulin the environment for anabolism is not optimal…do any of you with a lot of experience on this diet feel that you’ve been able to acquire more fat-free mass on this diet than a diet where insulin levels may be higher?
This has been a good thread to read and I applaud all the enthusiasm and positive posts between members, not something normally seen on the bodybuilding forums.
I was wondering if any of you have decided to go below the 30 grams of carbs a day. I have been at it for about 9 days now and have found that I have put on a couple of pounds. This is a good thing as I am trying to bulk, however, I did not expect this during the induction phase eating at what they consider “maintanence.” This weight gain could be attributed to several factors; I just came off of a Berardi style eating program while cutting and was eating around 2200-2300 cals a day as compared to around 2800 now. During this I was eating relatively low carb anyway with often less than 200 a day. I also started taking Alpha Male and hopefully that’s contributing to some mass. I am thankfull for this gain, however, I have seen that most, no matter how much they eat during induction, tend to drop a couple and this seems to signify that the shift has ocurred. I was just wondering if this is a sign I need to cut carbs under 30.
[quote]speedy5323 wrote:
I just came off of a Berardi style eating program while cutting and was eating around 2200-2300 cals a day as compared to around 2800 now. [/quote]
I may be wrong, but I would assume that the simple fact that you upped your calories led to an increase in mass.
I also gained weight in the induction phase also due to simply upping my calories.
My Question:
I would also like the opinion of you guys here; I’m looking at a long term goal of a reasonably lean weight of 250 pounds. At the moment I stand at about 196 but I’m not super lean by any standards, having been permanently bulking up from 150 2-3 years ago.
Is it going to be self-destructive to continue bulking up to 250lbs at this stage, or is it worth me dropping 10lbs of fat and then bulking?
John Berardi reccomended leaning out prior to bulking, from what I remember, but does that thinking apply to this diet?
I just thought I would chime in as I’ve been hiding under a rock for a while.
Of late I’ve increased my olive oil consumption pretty drastically and seen some solid benefits, less hunger, decreased recovery time, faster wound healing, clearer skin and more endurance.
Schools on, so I do lot’s more walking and some running for an exercise science lab. I’ve cut my lifting to two whole body sessions a week, one fast and one heavy. I also get a day of hill sprints with push ups and pull ups. I usually use some sort of intensity technique with the push ups, tempo-contrast, isometric hold, explosive tempo, etc.
I’m leaning down appreciably (230+ three weeks ago, 225ish now, more during carb up obviously).
I still do a “fast” of about 15 hours, a la the De Vaney interview once a week. Even “Fasting” I drink a few tablespoons of oil throughout the day and I’ve seen no ill effects on performance, GI function or body comp. In addition, I often get a few spoonfuls of oil to tide me over during my hectic class day.
I haven’t purposefully cut down my protein intake, but it has declined since school started and as I’ve upped my mono unsat fat and maintainedl energy consumption, again no ill effects. I now just use olive oil and fish oil post workout and feel like this is a solid move, lots of energy, promote lipid oxidation, etc. I do get a big whack of protein in my first whole food meal post workout however.
So, to give you the down and dirty from my nearly incomprehensible rant, two purposeful strength sessions plus running and sprints combined with prodigious amounts of oil make a bigger, badder Conor.
[quote]starkdog wrote:
justinf77 wrote:
For those of you currently on the diet, how has your sex drive been? I’ve read that cutting carbs can diminish it, but I imagine that this effect would be counteracted by the increase in hormone production.
Thoughts?
Well, I’ve been EXTREMELY horny while on this diet. I havent used Alpha Male in a month, but I can feel this diet kicking the balls into high gear. This may be TMI, but the morning wood is outrageous! I have to wake up 1/2 hour earlier to “finish business” and let things subside. Don’t worry about loss of libido when low-carbing, especially on this diet. Remember, fats are like diesel fuel, and carbs are like octane boosters. -Starkdog [/quote]
you have got to be kidding man…haha
Hi Conor,
Have you seen any benefit of the 15 hour fast,I was planning to try this. Based on the interview, I stopped taking my post workout drink immediately after the workout but waited for an hour and then had the drink. Tried it for 2 weeks but did not work with me, as my strength levels went down without any appreciable loss of fat.
Keep us posted on your fasting experience
D
[quote]conorh wrote:
I just thought I would chime in as I’ve been hiding under a rock for a while.
Of late I’ve increased my olive oil consumption pretty drastically and seen some solid benefits, less hunger, decreased recovery time, faster wound healing, clearer skin and more endurance.
Schools on, so I do lot’s more walking and some running for an exercise science lab. I’ve cut my lifting to two whole body sessions a week, one fast and one heavy. I also get a day of hill sprints with push ups and pull ups. I usually use some sort of intensity technique with the push ups, tempo-contrast, isometric hold, explosive tempo, etc.
I’m leaning down appreciably (230+ three weeks ago, 225ish now, more during carb up obviously).
I still do a “fast” of about 15 hours, a la the De Vaney interview once a week. Even “Fasting” I drink a few tablespoons of oil throughout the day and I’ve seen no ill effects on performance, GI function or body comp. In addition, I often get a few spoonfuls of oil to tide me over during my hectic class day.
I haven’t purposefully cut down my protein intake, but it has declined since school started and as I’ve upped my mono unsat fat and maintainedl energy consumption, again no ill effects. I now just use olive oil and fish oil post workout and feel like this is a solid move, lots of energy, promote lipid oxidation, etc. I do get a big whack of protein in my first whole food meal post workout however.
So, to give you the down and dirty from my nearly incomprehensible rant, two purposeful strength sessions plus running and sprints combined with prodigious amounts of oil make a bigger, badder Conor.[/quote]
Can’t believe this thred is still going. Been on the diet since the start of the thread and I have dropped 20 lbs since then. The shit works and I have been doing very little cardio.
[quote]hotstreet wrote:
What are the guys that are using this to cut doing for cardio? In the AS book he says 2-3days a week, but that was about it.
What type? How long? How many days a week? etc.
Right now I’m currently doing lowfat diet and I’m going to switch to this diet. I’m doing 5 days a week, 45mins, empty stomach in the morning cardio.[/quote]
I would drop cardio altogether and just do a solid Parisi style warm-up before your workout. Unless your cardio is somehow linked to athletic training (ie you are a triathlete), it probably isn’t necessary.
Todd
I’m now on Day 2 of this diet. So far, it’s been pretty easy getting in the fats and the protein.
I just came back from my workout today (Squat day on ABBH) and I couldn’t complete it. I was lacking energy and I felt nauseous almost halfway through. I also couldn’t lift the amount of weight I normally do, so I dropped it significantly.
I’m hoping this is normal at this point in the diet, I did not observe many people “crashing” so soon on this thread.
On a side note, the owner of the gym I go to always tells me my workouts suck and make no sense. I explain to him that I’m following an excellent Waterbury program, and of course the guy doesn’t know the name. He doesn’t like me now because I won’t turn into one of his young gym disciples who does drop sets for 2-3 hours.
But after seeing me sweating and looking terrible today, I bet this guy thinks I was proven wrong. I’ll show him in a couple weeks when this diet begins to kick in (hopefully).
[quote]Charles Atlas wrote:
hotstreet wrote:
What are the guys that are using this to cut doing for cardio? In the AS book he says 2-3days a week, but that was about it.
What type? How long? How many days a week? etc.
Right now I’m currently doing lowfat diet and I’m going to switch to this diet. I’m doing 5 days a week, 45mins, empty stomach in the morning cardio.
I’ve personally had success with fasted early morning x-vest walks, interval sprinting, and 400m sprinting while on this diet. I don’t think you really need to tailor any sort of “cardio” to the diet, it will work regardless of what energy-systems work you decide to do.
-CA[/quote]
I am doing pretty much the same thing as CA, AM fasted state, X-vest + walking, a few sprints thrown in, also occasionally when I encounter a retaining wall of appropriate height I like to throw in a set of step-ups. Currently two-four times/week 30-45 minutes depending on how much time I have.
But, pre-X-vest, I was just doing AM walks with a few sprints thrown in and it was equally effective.
[quote]justinf77 wrote:
I noticed that many of you get in a lot of calories with olive oil. How do you use it?
Do you just take tablespoons of it, do you cook with it (and if so, how do you count those calories), do you mix it in shakes…?
Some ideas would be very helpful. I don’t have too much money right now and I think a lot of my calories will come from olive oil.
Thanks.[/quote]
Justin-
You can mix it with a shake and I think a lot of people do, personally I don’t like it, I find the taste a bit strong. But just try it and see what you think.
If I cook with it, I count it.
Otherwise use it to dress salads. I use it on steamed veggies in place of butter, and sometimes if I am lazy I’ll just use it like a sauce on meat, especially good on chicken. Meat + Oil + Veg = dinner…or breakfast…or whatever 
Sabrina
[quote]Sabrina wrote:
justinf77 wrote:
I noticed that many of you get in a lot of calories with olive oil. How do you use it?
Do you just take tablespoons of it, do you cook with it (and if so, how do you count those calories), do you mix it in shakes…?
Some ideas would be very helpful. I don’t have too much money right now and I think a lot of my calories will come from olive oil.
Thanks.
Justin-
You can mix it with a shake and I think a lot of people do, personally I don’t like it, I find the taste a bit strong. But just try it and see what you think.
If I cook with it, I count it.
Otherwise use it to dress salads. I use it on steamed veggies in place of butter, and sometimes if I am lazy I’ll just use it like a sauce on meat, especially good on chicken. Meat + Oil + Veg = dinner…or breakfast…or whatever
Sabrina[/quote]
I use it like other people use ketchup. I slather it on just about everything. I don’t count my calories, which is probably bad on me.
I just keep a rein on my trash food consumption and everything kind of falls into place.
Thanks you two, these tips are very helpful. Starting Day 3 tomorrow and hoping that my workout energy increases soon. I think I am going to put ABBH on hold until I can work out with full intensity, and focus on basic workouts now that I can handle.
My father also wants to start this on Monday (this diet is contagious!) but he is not sure if it is OK for somebody with diabetes. He used Atkins in the past with some success, but he does not know how the carb-ups on the weekends will affect his blood sugar levels. He plans on sticking to mostly good carbs on the weekend and almost no cheats.
Any diabetics on this diet?
Oh, and I know I have been asking a lot of questions, but I am really excited about this and I think this is going to work very well for me. I really appreciate everybody’s input so far, from the very first post. I hope most of you continue to document your experiences here, it is VERY motivating.
Thanks everyone!
[quote]justinf77 wrote:
Thanks you two, these tips are very helpful. Starting Day 3 tomorrow and hoping that my workout energy increases soon. I think I am going to put ABBH on hold until I can work out with full intensity, and focus on basic workouts now that I can handle.
My father also wants to start this on Monday (this diet is contagious!) but he is not sure if it is OK for somebody with diabetes. He used Atkins in the past with some success, but he does not know how the carb-ups on the weekends will affect his blood sugar levels. He plans on sticking to mostly good carbs on the weekend and almost no cheats.
Any diabetics on this diet?
Oh, and I know I have been asking a lot of questions, but I am really excited about this and I think this is going to work very well for me. I really appreciate everybody’s input so far, from the very first post. I hope most of you continue to document your experiences here, it is VERY motivating.
Thanks everyone![/quote]
Sounds like a good question for Disc Hoss to hit up Dr. D…
I have a question regarding how you guys feel on carb-up days. I’m looking to do Habitat for Humanity on Saturdays when school starts and want to be able to have the energy and motivation necessary to volunteer there. DH and others have said that you’ll feel blase on the carb-up days… which means that if I feel lazy & lethargic on carb-up days, the AD is a no-go.
Thanks!
Kurt
I would really like to try this diet but since i am a freshmen in college my diet is dictated by what they offer. I think i can get the basic reccomendations down but my trouble would be that i am only allowed three meals a day. Based on a very small budget what would you guys suggest i need to get at a grocery store to keep my calories up and get more good fats in?
scottiscool:
This question has been covered a couple of times. I think it was last addressed somewhere in the early 30s.
You might not be able to afford the “fun” foods, but olive oil, cheese, and eggs are not expensive.
Purchase the olive oil in the big tin. It will save you a few dollars and the opacity of the tin preserves the oil. You can find a little bottle to pour in some of the oil to carry with you.
Also, load up on beef from the cafeteria.
You can absolutely live the Anabolic Diet with a bit of strategic planning and creativity.
Best!
I’m a recent college grad and my roommate and I would always pack a sandwhich for a night time snack. It’s pretty simple to snatch food with you at dining halls. We always brought book bags to store them in as we left. So take the same idea (minus the bread) and snag what you/your parents are paying big bucks on.
Also, sticking to this diet while in college is probably easier than you may think. Think about it, college food consists of the following: pizza, beer, wings, burgers, beer, hot dogs, beer and anything else that’s not “healthy.” With that I can propose a sample menu (from my own experience at the dining halls) to stick to the AD during the week (assumming you get a chance to hit a grocery store as well). Breakfast, lunch and dinner consist of food available at any typical dining hall:
Breakfast:
Omelette made to order with: cheddar cheese, ham, and bacon. Some sausage links on the side.
Snack: beef jerkey
Lunch: Roast chicken, salad with caesar or bleu cheese dressing (put some cheddar, bacon bits), burgers, dogs
Snack: Poly-o string cheese, pepperoni
Dinner: Same as lunch along with roast beef, pork chops, some sort of fish.
Late night snack: WINGS! w/bleu cheese
Then on the weekends have your pizza and beer. I know I know, weekends in college start Thursday night so here’s a solution - get plastered on Bacardi and Diet It wont take too long.