feedback needed for my new self-made diet plan

[Soldier]

I’ve developed a diet that I think will work well while also addressing some of the issues I’ve had with other diet strategies I’ve tried, and I'd love to get some feedback on it. This particular strategy is for cutting, and is based around my normal training schedule in which I usually train weekdays between 3:30 and 6:00 and weekends between 11:00 and 3:00. I usually train 5 days a week.

It will be obvious that this diet is based on other plans, but I did create this diet myself, so if there are any lurkers out there please don't steal my idea. Use it, sure, but give me credit.

This is also really long. Sorry.

The diet is made up of rules that, if followed, should produce results without counting calories specifically, although understanding how many macronutrients each food you consume has is extremely important, and being aware of caloric intake is always a good idea when trying to refine a cutting diet. I’ll list the rules, then explain the reason for each.

1. Every weekday food will not be consumed until around 1-2 hours pre-workout.

For me this means I eat around 3:00, since I get off work at 2:30. This is based on the Lean Gains approach, but the main reason is to control caloric intake. I don’t fast on the weekends. I find it extremely hard to fast unless I’m at work where I can choose not to have food. On the weekends I eat when I’m hungry so I do end up consuming a little more on those days.

2. Less than 30 net grams of carbs will be consumed before training and all day on non training days.

The less carbs consumed pre-workout the better. This allows you to burn fat on rest days while helping to increase insulin sensitivity once carbs are finally consumed. This also gives you the opportunity to take in a protein and fat meal just prior to training on weekdays. This protein will be available immediately following training because it will be digested once you finish. The fat will slow the digestion of the proteins while also giving you energy to help avoid catabolism while training.

(net grams of carbs=total grams of carbs-total grams of fiber)

3. Within 1 hour of training, .25-.35g of carbs per lb of lean bodyweight will be consumed. These may come from any source.

This is not a carb binge, and works out to about 50g for me. Insulin sensitivity is through the roof from both training hard and not taking in carbs through the morning, so this is the perfect time to refill glycogen stores. It doesn’t take much to restore glycogen levels after a weight lifting session when glycogen is not already depleted pre-workout, which is why the numbers may seem low.

4. .2-.3g of protein per lb of lean bodyweight will be consumed either with the PWO carb meal or within 1 hour.

A lot of protein is not needed PWO because of the high protein and fat consumed in the pre-workout meal. That being said, I believe it’s still important to get some protein fairly soon after training.

5. Fruits, veggies, and incidental carbs from other sources are ok for the rest for the day following training.

Grain based carbs should be avoided at any time other than the PWO period, but after training until bed is the time to get nutrients from fruits and veggies, and a few carbs here and there from other sources, such as milk, are ok on a very limited basis. This should result in still staying under 100g of net carbs per day on weekdays and less than 150g on weekend days.

This diet is based on the idea of timing both intake and macros throughout the day to both maintain performance levels and provide a balanced daily diet while also allowing me to cut fat. Glycogen levels should never be so depleted that it will get in the way of my training intensity and performance, which has been the issue with the anabolic diet I’ve been running. I also felt like the time frame for carb intake didn’t help maintain my metabolism.

So far on my training weekdays I’ve only eaten 2 actual meals. Usually it’s some sort of eggs with cheese and either bacon or sausage after work, then a pasta dish after training followed by either a protein bar or some whey. I also have Xtend while I train so I’m getting BCAA’s from that.

I still need more time to tweak this diet approach, but I'm excited about the posibilities and will be running this diet for at least the next month to see how it pans out.

[BendtheBar]

I think sticking low carb before the workout is a good idea. - or at least it is for me.

Running a version of IF when I do eat a fair share carbs I tend to go into "slug mode".

[Rich Knapp]

You count you BCAA's as protein (gram for gram) in tracking your pro intake?
glycogen stores will be refilled vea the fat ate pre w/o like you stated.
This works very very well for Eric Broser also.

Your plan has great potenshal. I will be interested to see how it works for you and how your body likes it and reacts. ^5

[Soldier]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

I think sticking low carb before the workout is a good idea. - or at least it is for me.

Running a version of IF when I do eat a fair share carbs I tend to go into "slug mode".

That's exactly why I wanted to find a way to split up my carb intake throughout the week. I also wanted to fiind a way to get those veggies and fruits we were talking about in my log.

[BendtheBar]

Looks solid to me. Not too far off from my eating style, though I am an "old dude with a slow metabolism" and don't eat anything but protein during the day.

[Soldier]

Originally Posted by Rich Knapp

You count you BCAA's as protein (gram for gram) in tracking your pro intake?
glycogen stores will be refilled vea the fat ate pre w/o like you stated.
This works very very well for Eric Broser also.

Your plan has great potenshal. I will be interested to see how it works for you and how your body likes it and reacts. ^5

I was really hoping you'd give your feedback specifically, and I heaved a sigh of relief when your feedback was positive.

Never heard of Eric Broser, but I'll look into that.

Also, to this point I haven't tracked everything to religiously. I will at first when I start a new diet plan, but once I get the hang of it I just go with whatever has worked. I know that as I get leaner if I want to keep progressing I'll need to get tighter and tighter with my tracking.