The Anabolic Diet: More Muscles, More Strength, Less Fat

[stronglifts]

Actually it's a great excuse to gorge.. a high-fat gaining diet needs more calories than a high-carb one, so it'd be a great excuse for me to hit 5k day in day out.. and all these calories from steak, bacon, eggs, cheese, cream, chicken with skin..

Haha indeed. The perfect lunch: whole chicken

 

[Warboss Alex]

You know, this made me realize something. I think I take in too many carbs. If I'm not mistaken, you mentioned not taking in more than 30g of carbs per day yes? (Except weekends)

I feel sluggish a lotta times too, even though I usually get at least 7 hrs of sleep. Too much carbs can cause this?

One more question if I may. How can I get my protein fix in each of my meals? I do drink whey shakes twice a day (about 24g there per shake). I am definately not getting enough protein, I know that much. I weigh around 155 lbs too.

too many of the wrong carbs can cause sluggishness, yes.

for your protein, you'll need 240-300g a day. sources should be red meat, eggs, chicken, turkey (with skin), tuna (add fats), salmon (or other fatty fish) .. whey powder I'd use sparingly with raw eggs/olive/flax/fish oil added.

 

[Zerix]

Hm, no wonder I get tired easily. I intake too much carbs. Aside from fiber and sugar, what other carbs (that they dont list on nutritional labels) are there? I assume fiber is the best one and most needed one right?

I pretty much already do eat 6 meals a day. My breakfast is instant oatmeal (2 packets of regular flavor), blueberries, wheat germ, with fat free milk.

One of my meals is usually also that Muscle Milk drink (with 32g of protein there).

And I eat a PB&J sandwich almost daily (usually during the nightime). Those are usually consistent.

 

[Warboss Alex]

Hm, no wonder I get tired easily. I intake too much carbs. Aside from fiber and sugar, what other carbs (that they dont list on nutritional labels) are there? I assume fiber is the best one and most needed one right?

I pretty much already do eat 6 meals a day. My breakfast is instant oatmeal (2 packets of regular flavor), blueberries, wheat germ, with fat free milk.

One of my meals is usually also that Muscle Milk drink (with 32g of protein there).

And I eat a PB&J sandwich almost daily (usually during the nightime). Those are usually consistent.

well, that's no diet for gaining muscle. six meals for you, with about 50g protein in each. if you're doing it the anabolic diet way (which at 155lbs I don't recommend but you can if you want), I'd also go for 40g of fat in each meal as well. saturated fat is fine but make sure to intake fish oil (~20-30g daily) and olive oil (2 tbsp) as well.

make sure the total carbs for the day are less than 30 (or 5g per meal - a generous serving of vegetables every meal should be fine - you MUST have green veggies: broccoli, sprouts, spinach..).

Muscle Milk doesn't count as a meal. Add a few raw eggs to it and now we're talking. It does however have 6g of sugar in a serving (I think 6, maybe more) which is worthless carbs (and on such a diet you need these carbs from fibrous foods). I'd recommend you get a quality whey isolate or zero carb protein instead.

PB+J tastes awesome but does nothing for muscle growth. Just have the peanut butter on celery sticks as a snack during the day (make sure it's no sugar added PB).

at 155lbs, wishing to gain weight, on the weekends I'd make sure to get 300g protein and then eat everything in sight. and I mean anything (clean or otherwise) that isn't nailed down, force the calories down the hatch - just not family pets as that wouldn't be appreciated.

After your initial fat adaption (run the AD for a month or so) I'd probably modify it for weight gain by adding a small amount of low GI pwo carbs (~50g, probably from fruit) and have a carb day every 4th/5th day.

There are also certain supplements I'd recommend on a low carb, mod-high fat diet.

That'd be how I'd do it anyway, given you're 155lbs and 17 years old.

 

[Redux]

Stronglifts, do you get carb depleted during the week while on this diet? How many carbs are you taking in during weekdays? And, if you do, doesnt that harm your lifting?
Cheers

 

[Warboss Alex]

Stronglifts, do you get carb depleted during the week while on this diet? How many carbs are you taking in during weekdays? And, if you do, doesnt that harm your lifting?
Cheers

the whole point is carb depletion.. for supercompensation at the weekend.

 

[Redux]

the whole point is carb depletion.. for supercompensation at the weekend.

I supposed so, but if so, he is cutting himself short. Depleted glycogen can't help his lifts. Altough the high fat linking to anabolic hormones part intrigues me.

 

[Warboss Alex]

I supposed so, but if so, he is cutting himself short. Depleted glycogen can't help his lifts. Altough the high fat linking to anabolic hormones part intrigues me.

depends on the person. you do not really need full glycogen stores to lift at optimum capacity unless you do volume training of a sort (stronglifts does strength training which typically doesn't require full glycogen stores anyway). what's more, glycogen can be partially if not fully replenished from protein and certain aminos/supps without the direct need for carbs. the weekend carbup will fill your glycogen stores as well, which, unless you do high volume workouts, should last you through the week (I wouldn't do high volume training on any sort of low carb approach).

fat regulates hormone production (especially saturated fat). I've been telling people this for ages. this is why you get 18 year olds with low test levels ('cause they eat a no-low fat diet). I think it's absurd, then I see they eat tuna, egg whites, chicken breast.. they avoid red meat and egg yolks like the plague, then I realise why.

remember also that insulin is an antagonist to growth hormone

 

[stronglifts]

Redux,

Alex pretty much answered everything already

1) Weekend carb up can go up to 1000g (yes that's a lot)
2) All low intensity activities will be fueled by fat
3) High intensity acitivy will still be fueled by glycogen

Trick is to store the maximal glycogen during the weekend (carb up). Because of the carb restriction in the week, you're body becomes better at storing glycogen & using glycogen (supercompensation).

Of course you need to look at your training:
* volume work should be done after the carb up: you'll feel very strong
* lower volume work at the end of the week

For those who do a lot of volume, a mid week carb up is possible (after 3 months of strict AD).

It works for strength training, powerlifting, strongman, ... Those are high intensity & relativily low volume.

For cycling, running, swimming,... I think it wouldn't work because of the weekly volume.

 

[Hockey Playa]

so when are you going to outline the anabolic diet specifically?

 

[Warboss Alex]

so when are you going to outline the anabolic diet specifically?

It has been outlined: Monday to Friday you have 30g carbs maximum, and 40% fat at least (probably more until you're fat adapted) and the rest of your calories from protein. weekends you recarb according to your particular goals (maintain, fat loss, weight increase). The macros and calories will also be adjusted to your goals.

 

[stronglifts]

so when are you going to outline the anabolic diet specifically?

weekly, just give me the time to write the articles

Next article on topic is planned Friday.

If you can't wait: read the whole thread, check the book,...

-Thanks for your patience.