So ive got my training in order with a plan that will work for both building and cutting, depending on my nutrition. I understand the importance of nutrition, and thus im going focus more on it.
Before we get started, I understand that at 5’11 190 lbs, the common suggestion would be to gain some serious weight first and then cut down, but I want to do things differently, and Im set on that. So please dont flame me, or call me a beginner, if you dont agree with my decision feel free to ignore this thread.
Having said that, im not looking for a bulking or cutting program per se. Instead im looking to modify my normal eating habits for something that I can maintain indefinately. Yes, an optimal program for bulking may be very different from an optimal cutting program, but there are ways to build muscle on a cutting diet. (Basically eat enough calories while following a typical cutting plan, with the right exercise and you may likely add muscle while maintaining or losing body fat.)
Also, im not looking to count calories. Like I said this is not going to be a bulking or cutting diet, but instead a permanent change in habits, and its not practical to cound calories indefinately. I will be counting carbs though, and possibly calories for the first few weeks, until i can monitor it without counting.
So ive read a lot of the different nutrition articles on here, which were great, including “anabolic diet”, “t-dawg diet”, “velocity diet”, “carb cycling for idiots”, and “carbohydrate tolerance”.
After reading these, i have a good idea of what needs to be done, but still have many questions. Here they are…
1.) From what I understand the goal of all of these diets is to decrease the amount of insulin your body needs to produce or increase “carb tolerance”. To do this you must take in a high fat / high protein diet for some period of time, and avoid insulin spikes by keeping carbs low, and avoiding sugars and starches.
Is this correct? If so, what are some different methods of “switching to burning fats instead of carbs”?
- I ask this because some of the above plans are very different. For instance, anabolic diet, and t-dawg diet, suggest low carb 5 days out of the week. “Carb cycling” suggests high carbs on training days, and low carbs on non-training days. Lastly, the “carb tolerance” article suggests low carbs at the beginning of the week and progressively increasing them throughout the week. I see the perspective of the anabolic diet and t-dawg diet, because they are primarily cutting diets, and thus its better to spend more time in a low carb phase just to be sure.
So whats the deal here, I would think that the carb cycling of switching high/low based on training days would be to drastic of a change, and hard to adjust to.
So thats where im at right now. I wish I had more understanding of this type of thing, so i could really create a good eating plan geared toward my needs, but thats all i got out of the articles.
As of now, with my understanding, im thinking of starting the week with very low carbs (<30) and a carb depletion day, and increasing the carbs only slightly throughout the week. The added carbs will be likely pre/during/post workout. Weekends may include starchy carbs like quinoa, sweet potatoes, etc.
If youve taken the time to read all this, I thank you. Please make suggestions and point me in the direciton of any good articles or books that deal with these issues.
***And just remember im set on not bulking or cutting, and I want an eating plan that is not a “diet” and I can maintain indefinately, (which includes not counting calories).
Once again thank you.