Anabolic Diet

[cconnors_us]

I started the Anobolic Diet (now Anobolic Solutions) by Dr. Dipasquale about 3 weeks ago. Essentially, it's 5 days of minimal carbs, high fat, high protein. On the weekends, anything goes until you start smoothing out.

So far, I've noticed that I'm slightly leaner at the same bodyweight. Also, I'm taking in an extra 500 calories per day than I was on a moderate carb diet without gaining any weight.

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience they can share with this type of dieting and why this isn't a more popular approach to dieting.

 

[moresize2]

tkd-ckd-anabolic diet are great diets but the avg. joe only knows atkins

ckd is the only diet i used for cutting

 

[cconnors_us]

Do you only use the CKD for cutting? What type of diet do you follow when you're not using CKD?

The book I have also recommends using it for bulking by increasing the calories in the same nutrient ratio. The claim is that you will gain size without adding nearly as much fat as a traditional bulking diet.

 

[therm]

The Anabolic Diet is not used as much anymore because of all the "new" diets that are out there. Biochemically, it is a sound diet with a proven track record, although for most, it is deemed "extreme". Also, some people can't take the not eating as well as others.

An Isocalorie diet may be a better way to go if you want to alter your metabolic rate and change your physiology and via natural controlled surges of insulin and priming your body to burn fat for its primary fuel source.

Overall, its a good diet to follow if you can stick to it and fully understand it.

 

[cconnors_us]

Thanks for the input, Therm. My goal is to change body comp while remaining at about the same bodyweight.

I feel as though my body can efficiently oxidize fat so not having carbs doesn't hurt me. That's not to say I don't love the weekend carb load. My biggest problem with the diet is the lack of variety. Red meat and eggs will start to get old. I've found using protein powder mixed with heavy whipping cream helps to break things up. Do you have any suggestions as far as meal options?

 

[therm]

There are varieties of different foods that you can eat and different methods of cooking, but what are your food likes and dislikes? I could list some ideas, but it would help if I knew your tastes first.

If you have a diet plan and wish for me to evaluate it and provide suggestions, I would be more than happy to do so.

The weekend thing is the best way of "tricking" your body into burning more calories, that's why the diet allows for those days. Just be careful as to what carbs your are eating and the times you are consuming them.

 

[cconnors_us]

This is the diet I am currently following. Bear in mind that I am using protein shakes at the moment for simplicity and convenience. I plan to substitute some of these "meals" with real food as I become accustom to this diet.

Meal 1 - 4 whole jumbo eggs, 3oz egg white, with some diced pepper, onion, 1 tablespoon butter. Multi-vitamin

Meal 2, 4, 6 - 55g ON Pro Complex mixed with 3 oz heavy whipping cream

Meal 3 - 6 oz. Chicken breast, big bowl of lettuce, 2 oz Italian dressing.

Meal 5 - 8-10 oz red meat. Depending on how lean the meat is, I might throw in another small bowl of lettuce with some Italian dressing to boost the fat.

I lift 4 days per week. 2 of my workouts are on my carb-up days so I follow a traditional post-workout plan. For the other 2 workouts, I have some whey isolate with glutamine and creatine.

Totals: 300-325g protein, 200-220g fat, 40-50g carbs

I like to eat red meat and pork. Tired of eggs and chicken.

 

[therm]

Some good protein sources are:

Nuts - excellent source of good fats and protein.
Turkey
Fish - this is a must on this diet to add in essential fatty acids.
Red Meat - marinate in Red wine for 24 hours and then cook it. By doing this, you decrease the amount of "bad' fats in the meat.
Peanut Butter - in moderation and try to find one that the oil seperates. This is a sign of a good product with less sugar than some commercial products.
Cheese - be it Cottage Cheese or slices - eat in moderation as it takes more energy to digest these foods than if we were to run a mile.

Also, try to eat every 2 hours to stabilize your insulin levels and maintian a positive nitrogen balance. Other than this, your plan looks fairly sound with good variety, ample amounts of protein and good fats with limited carbs. Unforutnatley, egg whites are an excellent source of protein, but the taste buds can only take so much. For more variety with the chicken and turkey, utilize spices and different cooking methods for flavor. A lot of spices assist the body in burning fat, stabilizing our insulin levels, and provide taste in a product that might not have any.

 

[cconnors_us]

Thanks Therm. Some good advice there.

I throw in nuts when my meals don't satisfy me but the carbs seem to add up fast. Some of those carbs are in the form of fiber so it's not all bad.

That's a good tip regarding the wine and red meat. Didn't know that one.

Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of fish but maybe I'll try to work it in.

 

[therm]

Glad I could be of some help.

Fish is an acquired taste, but the health benefits should outweigh the taste factor. Try to add some fish into your diet - a good recipe can "mask" the fishy taste, so if you need one, I have plenty.

Carbs and fiber are different, so be sure to understand that fiber is not stored as fat, as carbs can be. Also, fiber helps regulate our insulin levels, which will assist the body in burning fat, while carbs cause spikes in our insulin and glucagon levels.

 

[kovic]

question

Has anyone have the Anabolic or metabolic diet ebook - full version?
I can't find it ont he internet, only a useless demo. I can't buy it because i haven't a international creditcard.
What are basically the differences between atkins and anabolic?
Thanks!

 

[cconnors_us]

I don't have the e-book. I have the hard copy version.

Atkins and Anabolic diet are like night and day. Atkins is a low calorie, high fat/high carb ketogenic diet where you take in under 20g of carbs every day. The Anabolic diet is low carb, 30-100 grams for most people (not ketogenic), 5-6 days per week with a carb load 1-2 days per week.

The Anabolic diet is more complicated than this as there are various phases and adjustments as you go along. It's geared for bodybuilders and athletes to optimize fat burning as well as muscle building hormones. Atkins is geared for your average couch potato who want to just lose weight.

If you do a search online for CKD diets, you will find plenty of information.

 

[cconnors_us]

Correction. I meant to say high fat/high protein diet not high carb in reference to Atkins.

 

[kovic]

atkins...

I have the Atkins Revolution Diet ebook... i think i will try it...
I think i have at least 30 pounds of overweiht yet, later if i get it i will try the anabolic diet... I want to burn this 30 before my first cycle!
Thanks for the advice
Do you, people, think that atkins diet can be catabolic for mi?
I'm 27yo, 6ft and 220~ pounds, bf localized on the abdomen and belt. 2.5~ years of weightlift.

 

[cconnors_us]

I think Atkins would be too catabolic for somebody with any bodybuilding related goals. Ketosis is a very catabolic state to be for an extended period of time and I feel that Atkins is too low in calories. It won't help you in terms of speeding your metabolism.

After being on the Anabolic diet for a month, I take in 3200-3500 calories per day during the weekdays and over 4000 on the weekends without gaining a lb. I could never do this on any other diet.

The guy that wrote the Anabolic diet (Dr. Dipasquale) also has other variations of the diet depending on goals. If you go to www.metabolicdiet.com, you can read about them.

 

[kovic]

sounds good... but i can't get this diet in my country
¿Do you think i can modify atkins to the anabolic diet requierments?

 

[cconnors_us]

The basic guidelines for the Anabolic diet:

5-6 days per week eat only 30g of carbs, 60% fat, 40% protein. Start carb up period. Basically eat whatever you want but keep protein at at least 1g per lb of bodyweight. Once you start smoothing out, go back to strict carb intake. I've found that 32-36 hours of carb loading is right for me. Don't exceed 48 hours. I wouldn't go much past 36 to start. As far as calories are concerned, they recommend 18x your bodyweight as a starting point. I found this a little high. I'm at more like 16x. If you want to lose fat, taper down fat calories only. If you want to bulk, increase calories in the ratio specified above. Eat at least 6x per day.

Hope this helps.

 

[aikurushii]

I tried ckd, but I think it's not for me, so I'ma try low-fat diet. would I still lose 1-2 lbs per week?

 

[Frosty]

I tried ckd, but I think it's not for me, so I'ma try low-fat diet. would I still lose 1-2 lbs per week?

I wouldn't recommend jumping around diets like that. Here's what I'd recommend:

Start with carbs being 5% of calories, get your protein, and start high fat. Eat like this for a while, and if you feel crappy after 3 weeks or so, then start upping the carbs by 5% per week and reduce fat 5% per week. Assess how you feel each week, and continue to increase carbs and reduce fat until you feel good. This way you establish the MINIMUM amount of carbs that your own body requires to function properly. This will help with cutting and also help to make sure that carbs are used for energy and not going to fat storage. Just jumping around can really cause problems, and you might never find the "right" diet for you. What I recommend will help you establish what your body really needs.

 

[cconnors_us]

What Frosty was explaining is essentially what the Metabolic/Anabolic diet is meant to do. The ultimate goal is to find you're optimal carb level for energy and to improve body composition. Some do really well at 30g per day but most will wind up between 30-100g.