Anabolic Diet?

[rippednmichigan]

Thoughts? Pros? Cons?

[cooltom]

Anabolic Diet is a low carb/keto diet, under 30g carb a day, right? I have DiPasquale's book, The Metabolic Diet, which I believe is really the same thing, though I could be overlooking some differences in their details. The Metabolic Diet limits carbs for six days, then has a refeed that might last for one to two days before cutting carbs again. If you're looking to cut, it would probably be good, but if you want to gain some size it could be slow going.

[rippednmichigan]

Its pretty much high protein/high fats/low to no carbs monday through friday and moderate protein/high carbs/low fat saturday and sunday. I think for me thiss diet would work well for bulking. I put on weight seemingly easy.

[cooltom]

Originally Posted by rippednmichigan

Its pretty much high protein/high fats/low to no carbs monday through friday and moderate protein/high carbs/low fat saturday and sunday. I think for me thiss diet would work well for bulking. I put on weight seemingly easy.

Sounds good. I guess if you give yourself a caloric surplus you will gain weight regardless of the macros. Yet, with a high fat/high protein/low carb diet I'm guessing you will gain weight a bit more slowly and likely with less fat accumulation since you will using fat for energy.

[sneezingstardust]

I'm not into it at all. Some people are, but I'm personally not a fan.

I know that Jamie Louis follows a Paleo-type diet, but it's not really the same.

Pros of the AD:

-Lots of yummy fats

Cons of the AD:

- Can be hard to follow on week days
- Low energy
- Carb ups can be disastrous if not monitored carefully


Etc. There's more cons, but I'm too lazy to go through them all.

I believe balance of every macronutrient is best.

But then again, everyone experiences different results depending on how their body is.

[cooltom]

Originally Posted by sneezingstardust

I'm not into it at all. Some people are, but I'm personally not a fan.

I know that Jamie Louis follows a Paleo-type diet, but it's not really the same. Paleo is the basis of Jamie's diet, but the guy did 5 day keto runs with refeeds for over a year and still managed to make gains in strength.

Pros of the AD:

-Lots of yummy fats

Cons of the AD:

- Can be hard to follow on week daysIf you "human up" and prepare your food because you are committed, this shouldn't be a problem.
- Low energy I had little problems with this, perhaps because I drink lots of black coffee and green tea. Also, no insulin spikes and crashes kept me feeling rather good.
- Carb ups can be disastrous if not monitored carefully Just don't go crazy.


Etc. There's more cons, but I'm too lazy to go through them all.

I believe balance of every macronutrient is best.

But then again, everyone experiences different results depending on how their body is.

I had to put a few rebuttals in there against your cons and I do not intend for them to be invidious. However, I also agree it is best to get some carbs in your system for optimizing performance, etc. The keto/very low carb diet was effective for me for a while. But, when my strength gains eventually stalled I added carbs in around my workout and that got me progressing again.

[sneezingstardust]

Originally Posted by cooltom

I had to put a few rebuttals in there against your cons and I do not intend for them to be invidious. However, I also agree it is best to get some carbs in your system for optimizing performance, etc. The keto/very low carb diet was effective for me for a while. But, when my strength gains eventually stalled I added carbs in around my workout and that got me progressing again.

To each his own!

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by sneezingstardust

I know that Jamie Louis follows a Paleo-type diet, but it's not really the same.

I believe Jamie also stated that his approach isn't the best for muscle mass and gains. Thought I may be off base.

Good discussion.

[cooltom]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

I believe Jamie also stated that his approach isn't the best for muscle mass and gains. Thought I may be off base.

Good discussion.

It's interesting that Jamie is noticeably larger in current pics and I think in his latest diet article (about a month and half ago) he said that was eating loads of low-carb pizzas. Those instead of his spicy chicken wings, and the difference might be between following a high protein/high fat/very low carb diet to eating high protein/moderate fat/low carb diet.


But, I think the benefit of paleo and low carb diets are in getting people leaner. Outside of Jamie and his hooligans, I have not heard of many people bulking with them, one likely reason being that the limited menu makes it difficult to reach a caloric surplus that is required for bulking.

As for myself, I was making strength gains on the paleo/low carb diet for a while. But when they slowed, I increased carbs (added yams, poured honey on peanut butter) and started gaining again.

[BendtheBar]

I eat a relatively lower carb diet, but it isn't a "LOW, low carb" diet by any means. I am simply trying to not rely so heavily on mountains of rice and pasta like I once did.

I can't say that this approach has been the best for me with regards to strength. But like you said, I am using it while cutting. My major lifts have been at a stall, but my minor lifts are increasing.

I tried a strict Paleo and didn't like it. I hate micromanaging everything I eat, so it wasn't so much a problem with the paleo in general. I also hate strict bodybuilding diets where every gram is counted.

So I guess my point is that when bulking, if strength generally comes at a premium for someone, I'm not sure if a low, low carb approach is the best way to go. I think i would rather see them zig-zag calories and use a weekly surplus average.