I'm not sure why the last thread was closed, it only got up to 46 pages. I guess this is going to have to be the new AD thread

Guys,
I keep getting light-headed when I stand up from my desk. I'm at maintenance calories (3600) with 50/50 protein and fat.
This is my third week since returning to the AD. I haven't had any other trouble to speak of: energy is fine, strength is good throughout the week, no real cravings. Should I bump the fat content up? Or drink more water?
Thanks for any tips.

ha ha ha... ok so I love the anabolic diet. Its great. But i thought you guys would get a kick out of this. I just stumbled upon it while surfing the web looking for AD stuff. Such scummy marketing....

http://www.otsdirect.com/...bolic_diet.html

Pumped, did you read my last reply?

WEIGH IN
-Fat gain very noticeable
-waistline up ~1/4in
-No weight change
-Skinfolds way up

I'm the same weight I was in June with my waistline being almost 3/4in. larger and skinfolds way higher. AND I was on the GSD back then so it's not like I had increased water weight from carbs or anything then

It can be very tough to address stuff like this over the internet.

Forgive me for missing it if you already said, but what are your stats? It almost sounds like your getting too few calories and or not getting results from your weight training. In other words slowly losing muscle and gaining fat though SOME water effect is undoubtedly in there somewhere.

Pumped.. this was your first carbup right? You weighed in right before? Just trying to get all the facts. you came from another diet... what was the difference in calories from that one to this one?

Hello,

I'm afraid I cannot help, as I have the same kind of question.

The first 12 days phase is over, and as I though, as I was already fat adapted, bumping fats to 60-62% didn't make me sick at all, I felt perfectly fine, for an avereage of 2400-2500Kcal (for a weight of 148.8 lbs). Does that alone, means that I'm an efficient fat burner ? Or could a people working better on carbs (a minority, I know) could go unnoticed ?

Now I want to go straight to the cutting phase, however I cannot drop 500Kcal directly as I'm already moderate in calories, so I'm just cutting 25g of fat (225Kcal) per day for this week, to see what happens.

My question is about the carb load day (I've decided to stick to a 12h timeframe) : in a cutting phase, should the carb load day still be kind of unlimited ?

Regards,
Guillaume.

ok.. Lets get this sucker back on the top. Maybe DH will see it and help out pumped. I am into my second week back on the AD. Just to let other AD vets know who have maybe hopped off the diet, I skipped the induction phase this time around because I had done the AD for 4.5 months earlier this year.

Getting back into it was a breeze. Body picked it right up. No digestive issues, no energy problems either lifting or otherwise. I am going to stick with 18x bodyweight for a few weeks though to be sure I am fully adadpted before I start adding calories.

Thanks for your help.

Indeed in the past I experienced the 48h carb up days, and at one point, my fat loss stalled (I was probably overeating in the weekend).

Currently I am at 2100 cal on off-days, 380 more on training days (2 more WHY shakes, Leucine, Glutamine), and the maximum calories I foresee for the 12h carb up is around 4000, for an average of 455g of carb (~45%). I'm under the 5000, I hope it's fine.

I will use this more correct protocol and see how my body reacts to it. I'm aware of the glycogen store limit, but as you pointed out, the psychological benefits are important too.

I will keep you informed of my results.

Regards,
Guillaume.

hi all.

i have just started the anabolic diet, currently going into the 5th day of the startup phase. its been going pretty alright so far, just getting tired faster than usual.

anyways, i just wanted to reconfirm with you guys regarding the 30g carb limit. when we count the carbs, we can leave out the fibre content right? like say for example a food item has 4g of carbs, with 2g of it being fibre. does that mean we can assume overall carb content consumed is 2g?

What do you think about Rob Faigin´s recommends to carb-up in short cycles and only for single meals? Every 3rd to 4th day 250-300g of Carbs for the last or last two melas of the day instead of a big carb-load for a whole day or even an whole weekend? I think it sounds really good. 250g of carbs on wed and even so on sun, instead of 500g only on sun.

Once you are adapted, you can monkey with the macros (within reason). Now Ive seen two types of people respond a bit differently. Some, once fully adapted, do best on keeping fat high even with a caloric deficit. For example: say a lifter is 200lbs. He takes in about 2700 cals to maintain (find this out for you as an individual).

Its his first time cutting and he's nervous about losing muscle and besides, he's in no hurry, so he starts conservatively at a reduction of say..300 cals per day. He consumes 1g/lb of protein. This gives 800 cals of protein. Leaving about 1500 cals for fat, or 165g.

This is about 1/3 pro and 2/3 fat. Again SOME do best on fat staying "high" while cutting. Not only due to physiological idiosyncracies but also for improved satiety and craving control.

Others do better by keeping protein up some and going about 50/50 (or even 60/40). Thus giving our 200lb lifter about 300g pro and 120g fat.

Once you are adapted, try both and see how you fare. And from there, mix the two in a random fashion for potential added benefit.

Make "heads" the FAT DAY with a 33/66 ratio and "tails" the PROTEIN DAY with a 50/50 ratio. Then flip each day.

But again, I want everyone to have a good 2 month period where we "shift the internal masses". Let your body adapt fully, find your caloric set point, and see how long you should CHO load and with what foods during this time.

This is your foundation. Then you can "throw some paint on the walls" to see where you progress best either in bulking or cutting.

Best,
DH

I like it. Rob has done a great service with his fantastic book.

It's largely dependent upon psychology in my experience. Some, particulary some of the women I've worked with, cannot pull the plug on the sweets when they have a longer/traditional loading period.

Both work well if you apply the principles of controlled caloric surplus and controlled caloric deficit while only loading for the appropriate time period.

Its all the same concept at the base level, although I think the AD is better for bodybuilders wanting to gain muscle faster. But again, its really about caloric intake and CHO timing/volume.

Best,
DH

Leo is over the top to a whole new level. Its both frightening and entertaining. BUT, without a doubt, I LOVE the OTS programs (BBB and Titan). Although they may need tempered a bit for some, the concepts are excellent.

So its kinda ironic...they were way ahead of the curve on training and the AD, and yet they look ridiculous with all this goofy hyperbole and such.

DH

I always recommend taking in the same calories to start the diet.

Just how often do you workout? What does an average day look like and what does a load look like?

How much water are you drinking?

For this to be actual fat gain is HIGHLY unlikely. Seems more like your body is having issues with fluids.

DH

I'm not familiar with the program. IF its strength/PL based then the volume may be "low".

If possible, try getting in a very light circuit type workout before your loads (or even on the load). Much like Dan Duchaine advocted. This needs to be light as we aren't looking to incur much damage but rather depletion.

Get to 2400 cals and keep your loading to no more than 30-36 hours. Follow my list of load suggestions.

Ride this out at 2400 cals for a month.

DH

Hey DH,

Just a question. Why is Dr Mauro Di Pasquale such a huge advocate of red meat? Assuming, adequate protein intake to support/maintain growth, should it really matter if you are predominately eating white (chicken, fish) or red meat (beef) while on the Anabolic Diet?

Is there something red meat has that white meat does not? Perhaps it is just me, but I find it much easier to sleep when I eat less fats and sticks to the white meat groups (at dinner)

Also a question with the carb loads. I seem to be struggling to really eat anything on the 2nd day of the carb load. The first carb load, I just eat as much clean sources as possible, usually 3500-3800 calories. The problem is such that the 2nd day, I feel too bloated and really struggle to eat anything. I think its either I have a pathetic apetite, or I need to do some cardio so that I can supercompensate better (does that make sense)? Also is it okay if 30-40% of my calories come from full milk, or should I really be eating predominately eating complex carbs.


Cheers.

Is there something red meat has that white meat does not? Perhaps it is just me, but I find it much easier to sleep when I eat less fats and sticks to the white meat groups (at dinner)

Well that volume looks quite sufficient.

Ride this thing out. Stay where you are at. You can feel free to tweak food choices but keep intake the same. I too felt this way a bit at first, then started to drop fat like nuts when I started. I let that go till I was happy, then began a systematic increase toward gaining. I like it slow and conservative most of the time.

You may well need 4-6 weeks to really adjust and have your body get the fluid levels settled. Hang in there.

DH

Red meat contains iron, B-vitamins, and creatine. These seem to help folks feel better and stronger. But the caveat is that it should be quality meat. Not that 70/30 stuff etc..

Its also tougher to get saturated fat if you eliminate red meat. Not impossible obviously, but harder and less tasty.

----
Try doing one of your workouts on Sunday and see if that gives you a bit more CHO room and some added desire. I like Sunday workouts myself. The pump is great.

DH

Thanks for the response DH,

Just another very odd question. I have been eating over 30g of fiber, but not feeling very regular lately.

After trial and error, I "think" the reason for this, is because I cut out a dairy completely. A am now eating a lot of dairy in conjunction with 20g of fiber (through vegetables). I have no idea, but this seems to have solved the problem.

Am I getting deficient in something when I take the cheese out?

Does anyone know of a resource to best figure out how get proper macros. I'm not afraid of doing the math myself, but it would make getting the right foods easier. Seems to me, it would be great to be able to plug some values of certain foods into an Excel spread sheet and get the results of what and how much one should be consuming.

I look at food and read the back label, then say to myself. "Now I gotta figure out what this breaks down to, and how much I should have."

Perhaps what seems most confusing is adding several different foods to make a decent meal. Plus adding in some variety to keep things interesting.

Sometimes it can seem overwhelming to read this thread and try to figure out how much time it is going to take me to "tweak" my macros just so to get the desired results. How long does it take you guys to figure out what you should eat, how much you should have and when you can have it? People who are able to do this get my respect because I know it's time consuming and maybe a little frustrating.

P340, the differentiation on meat was specific to how some people feel. You're young, and if your health markers all check out well, then go ahead and have that fattier beef. I was really referring to the nutrient/quality differences between steak and say beef tallow. They have a different effect on blood sugar levels and satiety for many. But its not a problem to worry with.

Well, I'm not ecto. I had just gotten myself into that condition through not eating much (we didn't have much food on a consistent basis at home) and being active.

I meant once I adjusted, then I leaned out quickly. Also try playing with the fat/protein ratio like I mentioned in an earlier post. See how "high" fat vs "high" protein works for you. We are staying in the framework of the diet, but working the two extremes a bit. Try this after a month on the diet.

DH

Hi DH,

Just another question. I've been curious as to why on the AD, you can use the total calories at the end of the week. For example, on a high carbohydrate you want to keep calories roughly the same every day of the week, because on non-training days you need those calories to recover.

On the other hand, the AD allows you to really eat a lot on the weekends and less on the weekdays (sometimes even zig-zagging calories through the week)

Has it got something to do with calorie partitioning, or the hormonal environment the AD creates?

Page 127..... It's a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG thread. ;)

Is a cup of brewed coffee ok for the anabolic diet?? I will not add milk or sugar to the coffee.

Thanks

Wow I was 182.5 this morning, AFTER my carb up....actually lost weight with a steady 2700 calories which is surprising for me. On the positive side my waistline is slightly down (~1/4in. or so)

Hi All. New member here. I've been on the diet for 13 days now. Tomorrow is my first carb up. About 6-7 days ago, i drank like 10 shots of vodka. Now I've read some where that even though vodka has no carbs you are still not suppose to drink. My carb up day is tomorrow, should i still carb up as scheduled or wait another 7 days? Thanks guys

For anyone who is interested. I have been searching for what combination of foods calories and macros would work best for a long time now. Switching my bacon, ground beef, and sausage to local tip sirloin was one of the best things i have done thus far on the AD. Steak, eggs and broccoli are in pretty much every meal of mine. I eat anywhere from 4700 to 5000 calories on training days but look just like i did when i was cutting. I also cut out cheese because of the lactose(bloating).

Hey do you guys know where I can get a copy of the Anabolic Diet? I searched it on google and I am not sure which one to follow.....

Hi I've been reading a lot of the forums and didn't come across answers yet. I am currently about half way though part 2 of this thread. I've been on this diet for about 2 weeks now.

Its going good but i am very constipated. I am on a 2700 calorie diet. 185 g fat,240 protein and under 25 carbs.

I eat around 6 cups of salad a day, (lettuce or spinach ) One serving of Twinlab,fibersol capsules,and 2 table spoon of flax meal before bed. That should be around 20-25 grams of fiber but im still constipated. Any help is appreciated guys.

For those bulking on the anabolic diet.

I have been bulking on the Anabolic Diet for over 15 months and I would like to share my experiences.

To my understanding, the main advantage of bulking on the Anabolic Diet is such that it is flexible and easy to follow. I think once you start trying to micro-manage everything, and questioning everything you do, it really defeats the purpose of going on such a life style in the first place.

You may as well bulk on a high carbohydrate diet. Also, for those with no real understanding of carbohydrates and how to count them, again I don't see the AD as very suitable.

From the perspective of a novice lifter, I think I would have done just as well bulking on a high carbohydrate diet.

I think the testosterone thing is a bit over stated, as well as the supposed surge in energy after the 2 day carbohydrate load. In my opinion, it is not really a good reason why you should choose to bulk on the AD.

For highly insulin resistant individuals I can see how the AD can be beneficial. I would imagine some people can feel lethargic on carbohydrates, but for me I don't think it would have mattered.

I think Mauro Di Pasquale likes to call the AD a phase shift diet because your alternating between high fat and high carb thus creating some type optimal hormonal environment.

From the perspective of a novice bulking, where ones goals is to add as much mass as possible, I am not really sure whether the AD is that advantageous. I think a higher carbohydrate approach is much more flexible during the mass phase for novices.

I guess what I am saying is, if you are bulking, highly insulin resistant, or can imagine yourself consistently eating a LOT of meat, then the AD is probably for you.

I think the key is whether you can imagine yourself consistently eating this way for a long period of time.

Personally I am going to finish bulking on the AD, as soon as I reach my desired squat, and then slowly return to high carbohydrate life style most likely.

Your only 6 weeks in the AD, just find out what works and stick to it (if your getting good results and your waist size is down, why change anything?). If you really want to fine tune the AD, I suggest making the changes more gradual.

Unless your aiming for sub 10 % body fat, waving calories each day is hardly necessary. The idea with waving calories (assuming it is not too extreme), is to keep your body guessing. However, at the end of the day, the total calories at the end of the week is what matters on the AD.

As for bulking on the AD, why make things more complicated than it needs to be? As I previously stated, my understanding is such that the Anabolic Diet was meant to effortless and easy to follow.

Once you start micromanaging everything it becomes like a TKD or calorie cycling variation, and just too much effort. I think people need to ask them self, is the AD making life easier, harder, or roughly the same?

I'm on Day 6 of the AD. My roommate's parents are coming over and are taking us to this Barbeque place. I'm pretty sure I'll exceed the 30g/day carb rule today. Because of this, my plan of a 12 day fat adjusting phase will not be in effect.

Do I redo this diet for another twelve days until my first official carb-up? Thanks!

Hello, everyone. First post on this thread, although I posted on the first two AD threads a while ago. I have been on the AD on and off for the last nine years; however, this year I have used it to drop 22 pounds of bodyfat and take four inches off my waist with no losses in either muscle mass or strength.

I look a lot better, but I am not done yet. I have another 15-20 pounds to lose before I am at 7-8% bodyfat. Now, since my results have slowed of late, and I feel a little worn down, I have been contemplating a Rest Phase during September. Dr D. writes on the Nutrition for the Rest Phase section of The Anabolic Solution:

[Quote] During the Rest Phase I usually suggest going off the strict part of the Metabolic Diet and reintroducing a moderate amount of carbs, anywhere from 20 to 50%, cutting back on the protein and going on a moderate fat diet. In other words you are following a diet that is pretty close to the normal North American diet.

And do not worry about having problems getting strict with the Metabolic Diet when it is time. Your body will remember and it will be much easier to get back in the groove. [Unquote]

So if I up the carbs and just focus on maintaining weight during September, I should experience a renewed burst of progress come October when I drop the weekday carbs way down again. OR, I can just stay on the diet, focus more on recovery, and start dropping my calorie intake during my Sunday carb-loads, which are frequently excessive.

I know that basically taking a month off sounds lazy, but I have had some pleasant surprises doing this in the past: if you do not go hog wild during the break and do not gain fat during that time, when the break ends you can just reinstate what you are doing right now, same calories, same everything, and lean down some more, almost effortlessly. However, maybe I should just stay on the diet and tighten things up.

Opinions, suggestions, criticisms?

Thanks for replying. Yeah, that is my concern; however, I do not intend to let it. If I see myself gaining fat, I will address the issue immediately.
M

I must say, I've found the closer I go to a world filled with things like beef, fish, hard cheese, cream cheese, meats like soprosotto (Paulie know's what this is) and oils like olive and coconut, the leaner I get...and the stronger I get...and the better my cholest and triglicerides are.

Extras complicate shit and it sends progress out the f'n window.

Fats, proteins and greens.

For years i've know that if I want to feel super awesome, I should eat the following for breakfast -

Spinach, garlic and onion in olive oil

4 eggs

American or feta cheese

5 slices of thick bacon

coffee with one scoop of casein protein.

Thats a ton of fats protein and veggies (I'll typically use 3 or 4 cups of spinach)


When I do that - I'm more awake, stronger, less bloated, and move like a gazelle...a big gazelle, but still.


Feels like Deca...or some such cow.

Calorie waving ... good idea.

Most will notice this tends to happen naturally. Some days you are hungry, some not so much. I like Grambo's set up, tho I'd have a hell of a time making friday a low cal day. My best days seem to be sunday and thursday.

@GramboUSMC88

This is taken from Anabolic Solutions

Whoa!
Look who's here!! Sweet!

Good to see ya, pal!

...ya big, strong gazelle you!

ha!

;^)

New to the board and to the AD. Hope this is the right place to post this. A little history: 45 y/o with several sets of blood work over the past few months showing low-normal testosterone and sometimes high-normal E2, along with quite a few of the symptoms of "Andropause". Blood work also showed elevated cholesterol, triglyserides and glucose. Dr. mentioned potential insulin resistance going on. Also SHBG is low, which can also be a sign of insulin resistance. Not all that uncommon for guys my age I gather. 5'6", 215, 15 - 20% BF and have been "powerbuilding" hard over the last year or so, after many years of off-and-on training.

Since I want to avoid HRT forever if possible, my Dr. recommended something along the lines of the "paleo diet", and a well-known and knowledgeable metabolism expert suggested a keto style diet. Both said that insulin resistance has been tied to low T, and the metabolism guy said that in some cases, a keto-diet or CKD can "restart" or improve HPTA function. My goal for either diet is to improve insulin response by restricting either high-glycemic foods and/or total carbs, eating healthy fats and more protein, thereby improving metabolism and balancing hormones.

Enough background... I've been on the AD diet for 19 days and avoided the carb-load for the first two weekends. I'm debating skipping the carb-load this weekend as well. I've had very minimal cravings for sweets or starches since starting, my energy level is up somewhat and I didn't have much of an energy crash when I started the AD. Also a week ago I purchased KetoStix to make sure I'm in ketosis. I enjoy the diet and plan on making it a lifestyle.

My question is: What would the knowledgeable guys here recommend as far as the carb-load this weekend given my goals and history? Do I skip it, or is the carb-load an integral part of improving the insulin resistance issue and/or overall metabolism?

I apologize if this has been answered before - I've read the last two AD threads and might have missed it (a lot of info there!).

Thanks.

Does anyone else think, people's expectations about the AD are a bit unrealistic.

To my understanding what separates the AD from a typical ketogenic diet, is it focuses on the long term effects rather than the intermediate effects. When you rewire yourself to the AD in the longterm, there are added benefits which you may not see in the short term.

Personally, I did not feel fully adapted until 3-4+ months on the AD, yet I get the impression people are expecting results within <1 month.

You really need to spend the time and effort fine tuning things (several months), if your goal is to gain muscle and lose fat. This is difficult regardless of the diet/life style you choose, so don't get your hopes too high and be patient.

You have misunderstood me. As a novice lifter, PERSONALLY, I do not think bulking on a phase-shift or high-carbohydrate would have made a difference. This does not mean, I do not think it will be successful on other people, as long as they do not create unrealistic expectations.

As I stated, calories is the key in the mass phase, and for me meeting these requirements through carbohydrates is much easier and cheaper.

I guess what I am saying is, if you feel great and energetic eating high fat, why would you return back to high carbohydrates? If it makes no difference, then at the end of the day, it comes to personal preference.

You have misunderstood me. As a novice lifter, PERSONALLY, I do not think bulking on a phase-shift or high-carbohydrate would have made a difference. This does not mean, I do not think it will be successful on other people, as long as they do not create unrealistic expectations.

As I stated, calories is the key in the mass phase, and for me meeting these requirements through carbohydrates is much easier and cheaper.

I guess what I am saying is, if you feel great and energetic eating high fat, why would you return back to high carbohydrates? If it makes no difference, then at the end of the day, it comes to personal preference.

Has anybody done the AD long term -- that is, for a year or more? Are there health risks?

I did it for 3 months so far. I was aiming for moderate fat loss + strength gains, and that's what I got, and it was great. I felt much more well and satisfied than I did when I used to eat essentially nothing but starch and sugar. People told me I looked like I lost weight (though I actually didn't -- probably muscle gain making up the difference.) So I like this. But I have heard that it's dangerous to keep it up forever.

What I think freaks people out is eating lots of fat, but I don't really think I take it to excess. I get fat from the oil in salad dressing or in sauteed vegetables, nuts, egg yolks, sometimes cheese, and sometimes the fat in ground beef and the like. It's about 60-100 grams a day.

I also eat vegetables at 2-3 meals a day. I'm not one of these people subsisting exclusively on bacon.

If that's going to fry my arteries down the road, or if it's damaging in some other way, tell me -- I'm young and reckless, but I don't want to be too reckless. I know this is a "weird" way of eating from the general public's perspective, and so what, but what matters to me is, is it also harmful?

Alisa, there's an easy way to monitor this: just get blood work done once a year or every other year.

I go through 2 or 3 dozen eggs a week along with 3-4 pounds of red meat but also consume a ton of coconut oil, flax seed, natural peanut butter, fish, etc. Many people are semi-horrified to find out how much fat I consume (which is why I generally don't discuss my diet with others) but my blood markers are actually outstanding, even compared to other 22 year-olds.

Ack, blood work? What would be in my blood?

cholosterol, triglycerides, etc.

Pauli, DH, and Tribulus....WHAT IS GOING ON!?

lol ok but seriously, this is just not making sense to me. I started the AD on 8/1/09 so it's been about 7 weeks.

Starting Stats: 182.6lb 31.5in waist
Current Stats: 184.2 ~32.5in. waist

Why would I be getting these types of results? I've only put on about 1.5lb. if that and waistline has gone up an entire inch! Most of the slight definition I had in the abdominal region is gone, stomach fat noticeable, less definition in arms, slightly more chin fat and all while being about the same weight. Bench, Rows, Military press, Deadlifts, Front Squat (other than a really bad workout this week), and other lifts have gone up so I don't think I could have lost muscle but I definite have gained more than 1.5lb. of fat so the difference is coming from something.

Anyway I really like the convenience of this lifestyle and want it to work, and it's a hell of a lot easier to follow at college than a lower fat higher carb diet, but it's been almost 2 months. Any suggestions?

Strangely enough when I did a "keto-bulk" back in 07' I gained way too fast but got pretty good results it seemed ( 10lb gain for a 1in. increase in waistline) so I figured if I went back to that diet but took it slower I would gain much leaner weight, but now like I said I've gained only about 1-1.5lb. for about an inch increase.

Only difference I can think of between those times for the most part is that I'm doing 5/3/1 now focusing on getting stronger and back then I was doing some HST style routine. I don't think that's the reason though.

Thanks for the help

Edit: Woke up this morning at 184lb and 32 1/8in. waist.....definitely makes me feel better about the measurements I took yesterday but looking at the big picture there's still the same problem to a smaller degree.

Interesting article by Jerry Brainum in this month's Ironman concerning low carb diets. His conclusion is that a targeted carbs approach (which sounds close to what Thibaudeau currently recommends) may be the most efficent system rather than all out keto.

Hey guys!
First I want to thank all of the contributers to the anabolic threads! Been really helpful!
I'm on day 13 and will do my first carb-up on day 16 and everything is going good. However I have got alot of back acne and some acne on my upper-abs. I haven't ever had any acne on my stomach before. Is this from all the fat I am eating or what?

I had a little acne in my face before starting AD and that is much better. Has anyone experienced that and was how long did it last? It's not a great feeling to benchpress when you got a bunch of acne on your back. =P

I remember reading this question but I can't find the answer again :). During the carbups I'll be training one of the days. Should I do a big insulin spike before training or is it better to wait with the carbs till after training??

There is some really good info in these threads. I started yesterday, but did follow the plan 2 years ago, only for about 3 months, but lost 20lbs, and kept my strength!

Thought I'd chime in, I started the diet last year and did it for 13 weeks went from 350's to 330's. I lost a good amount of weight up front and then slowly added some on a few pounds at a time. Then fell off the wagon, so I started it again this past February and didn't have the initial results I had from the previous time. I did manage to drop about 10 pounds or so over 7 weeks.

Then I decide to consult a professional, I paid for some help. He started me off on carb cycling, then a no carb (well low, low carb) routine. I had great success up front on the carb cycling and had good energy. Then I started to slow and switched to no carb phase and was doing well for a good while also. I dropped just over 40 pounds in around 4 months, was doing a DC program with cardio. I was able to continue getting stronger and loose fat with all the diets combined and also increase my work capacity (my rest intervals were short between sets). The only thing that derailed me was the intense tendon pain I had in my forearms and just getting sick of chicken, eggs and nuts. I felt like I was going to shit eggs and grow feathers at one point. So I took 3 weeks off everything (training, cardio & diet). Then started back on AD, it's been 3 weeks now that I've been back. I wanted to start with AD again so I can taste real food, but the kicker is while using the diets provide by the professional I actually learned something.

Here is what I took away, I don't sit down and eat a whole 12-14 oz steak, with salad and other crap now. I portion my food out and shoot for 60 grams of protein a serving and shoot for 5-6 meals a day. I rotate protein sources, I use beef, chicken, fish, omega 3 eggs, bacon, ON ProComplex. I still use nuts, although cashews have had a bad reaction as of late with bloating and gas. I use EVOO, fish oil, primrose and I still have cheese although I limit it to 4-6 oz a day. I eat broccoli and salad as well as take in fiber supplement.

As I stated though I limit my portion size to 60 grams, so I may have 4 oz steak, with some cheese, a few pieces of bacon and that's it.

I also changed my workout up and started the GVT, which by the way is a complete train wreck for some old fat guy that has been lifting heavy and lower reps his whole life (powerlifting). But I want to pack on some muscle get a good change and loose more fat. I also stopped using machines for cardio and go to a local high school and use the track, bleachers and field. I find propelling my own weight feels like more work and actually running and working towards sprinting again is motivating.

I found that limiting my refeed/carb up has helped also. Even eating 80-90% clean I still was gaining to much in a weekend. I now start at 12/noon on Saturday and end just after breakfast on Sunday, but I don't go balls out with it. I start with rice, work in some tatos or pasta and that's about it. As I progress I'm going to limit it even further and may add in a mid week jump since Wednesday's leg day is sucking and is an ass kicker, but I will limit it to post and one other meal after that and it will most likely consist of old fashion oats in a shake post workout and more oats or brown rice after that with a total some where from 50 to 100 grams.

I guess I wanted to post this after reading 5 pages of it so far, I think that people get to much freedom with the diet and it leads to gaining fat and weight. I know that's what happened to me, I was adding in 2 tablespoon of heavy cream, which in my opinion is a waste of a fat source. Also I see what everyone is eating, but don't see what they are supplementing.

I'm far from being in great shape and a prefect roll model for health and advise, but I thought I'd share how things are going for me and what I've taken away so far. Currently I'm 311 down from a beginning weight of 353 (and probably higher prior to that meeting with the scale) and shooting for 300 or just under in the next 3-4 weeks and most likely I'll be modifying my diet again in the next few weeks back to a cleaner protein source, nuts, eggs and salad.

In the lifting world it's said everything works, but nothing works forever! I'm sure Louie at WSB made reference to this and I've carried it over to diet now. The info I took away from the assistance with dieting has been great. I'm on my own now by choice, I want to see what I can do by myself, but will always owe my success to the paid consultations!

Look forward to reading more post and would love to hear some feedback from DH on my thinking and layout.

Later

When would be the best time to take measurements? I have been taking them at the end of the week before any carbs are eaten. Should i take them after my carb up?

thanks