Jun 11th, 2009 by Mehdi |
The Anabolic Diet is a muscle building and fat burning diet. Dr Mauro Di Pasquale developed the Anabolic Diet as a response to drug use. He wanted a diet that gave similar results but naturally & safely.
The Anabolic Diet does this by manipulating your muscle building hormones. Key is eating the right combination of foods at the right time. Not easy, but works if done properly. Here's the definite Anabolic Diet guide.
Benefits of The Anabolic Diet. The Anabolic Diet is a high protein, high fat diet which involves carbs cycling. Some things you can expect:
How The Anabolic Diet Works. The Anabolic Diet works whatever your gender or age. And like any diet, it works best coupled with strength training. Here's how your week looks like when you eat the Anabolic Diet way:
How to Get Started on The Anabolic Diet. Use FitDay to track your daily caloric and macronutrients intake. Anabolic Diet rules:
Read first week experiences on the Anabolic Diet.
Example Meal Plan: No Carbs Days. Usually Monday to Friday. Eat protein & fat only, avoid carbs. For inspiration, read the Anabolic Diet food list.
Example Meal Plan: Carbs Days. Usually Saturday & Sunday. Best is to avoid training on these days since the high carb intake tends to cause tiredness.
Drawbacks of The Anabolic Diet. Your grocery bill will be higher at first and the weekends can turn into junk fests. More drawbacks of the Anabolic Diet:
Should You Do The Anabolic Diet? If you eat carbs on the days where you eat lots of saturated fat and fatty proteins, you risk obesity and diabetes. Stick to the Anabolic Diet rules or you'll get adverse effects.
If you've never stuck with a diet, follow the 8 nutrition rules for 12 months. Then you'll be ready for advanced stuff like the Anabolic Diet. If you still need it, since you'll lose fat by following the 8 nutrition rules.
More on The Anabolic Diet. More articles on StrongLifts.com related to the Anabolic Diet. Read them all before you get started.
Official Anabolic Diet Books.
The Anabolic Diet does this by manipulating your muscle building hormones. Key is eating the right combination of foods at the right time. Not easy, but works if done properly. Here's the definite Anabolic Diet guide.
Benefits of The Anabolic Diet. The Anabolic Diet is a high protein, high fat diet which involves carbs cycling. Some things you can expect:
- Fat Loss. You force your body to use fat for energy by avoiding carbs for 5 days. Your body stores less fat because you eat lots of fats. You'll get rid of stubborn fat like love handles. 10% body fat year through is easy.
- Muscle Gains. Key to the Anabolic Diet is fatty read meat. This is rich in cholesterol and saturated fats which increase your testosterone levels. Testosterone is the muscle building hormone.
- Improved Health. Lower cholesterol & tryglyceride levels, less plaque build up, controlled insulin levels, less food allergies, less acne, ... Do a blood test before starting the Anabolic Diet and compare months later.
- More Energy. Controlling your carb intake will make you wake up full of energy. You'll never have blood sugar crashes or heaviness after eating again. Also less irritability & less mood swings.
- No Hunger. Fat satiates and makes you feel full longer. You'll never feel hungry on the Anabolic Diet. You'll have to remind yourself to eat even though you'll be eating more than before.
How The Anabolic Diet Works. The Anabolic Diet works whatever your gender or age. And like any diet, it works best coupled with strength training. Here's how your week looks like when you eat the Anabolic Diet way:
- Weekdays. Proteins, fats & veggies. Eat fatty red meat, fatty fish, whole eggs, full fat cheese, olive oil, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, ...
- Weekends. Eat lots of carbs. Pasta, rice, bread, potatoes, oats, fruit, ... Lower your protein & fat intake.
How to Get Started on The Anabolic Diet. Use FitDay to track your daily caloric and macronutrients intake. Anabolic Diet rules:
- Determine Caloric Needs. Rule of thumb is your BW x 18kcal, but the Cunningham Equation is more accurate. Read this post.
- 12 Days No Carbs. Eat proteins & fats only for 12 days. This forces your body to use fat for energy. After these 12 days, eat carbs for 2 days on. Then alternate 5 days no carbs and 2 days carbs.
- No Carbs Days. 40% protein, 60% fat, 25g carbs max. The carbs should come from foods like veggies, eggs, meat, ... No oats or rice or milk.
- Carbs Days. 15% protein, 25% fat, 60% carbs. So 60% of your calories should come from carbs. These will fill your carb stores.
Read first week experiences on the Anabolic Diet.
Example Meal Plan: No Carbs Days. Usually Monday to Friday. Eat protein & fat only, avoid carbs. For inspiration, read the Anabolic Diet food list.
- Breakfast. Whole eggs, bacon, spinach.
- Snack. Italian or french cheese.
- Lunch. Ground round, broccoli, olive oil.
- Snack. Italian or Spanish ham.
- Post Workout. Whey, olive oil.
- Dinner. Mackerel, salad, olive oil, cheese cubes.
- Pre Bed. French cheese, ground flax seeds, fish oil.
Example Meal Plan: Carbs Days. Usually Saturday & Sunday. Best is to avoid training on these days since the high carb intake tends to cause tiredness.
- Breakfast. Oats, raisins, milk.
- Snack. Lots of fruit.
- Lunch. Chicken breast, quinoa, spinach.
- Snack. Lots of fruit.
- Dinner. Whole grain pasta, tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese.
- Pre Bed. Cottage cheese, berries, ground flax seeds, fish oil.
Drawbacks of The Anabolic Diet. Your grocery bill will be higher at first and the weekends can turn into junk fests. More drawbacks of the Anabolic Diet:
- Hard for Weight Gain. The Anabolic Diet is high in fats which satiate & make you full longer. This makes gaining weight on the Anabolic Diet harder, but not impossible. GOMAD is better for weight gain.
- Complicate. You have to count calories, you're cycling between carbs & no carbs days, food choice is tricky with all the hidden carbs, ... A diet based on the 8 nutrition rules is simpler.
- No Good For Sports. Sports like rugby and MMA don't mix well with low carb diets like the Anabolic Diet: they rely too much on carbs for energy. One solution is to use mid-week carb ups. But it's not ideal.
Should You Do The Anabolic Diet? If you eat carbs on the days where you eat lots of saturated fat and fatty proteins, you risk obesity and diabetes. Stick to the Anabolic Diet rules or you'll get adverse effects.
If you've never stuck with a diet, follow the 8 nutrition rules for 12 months. Then you'll be ready for advanced stuff like the Anabolic Diet. If you still need it, since you'll lose fat by following the 8 nutrition rules.
More on The Anabolic Diet. More articles on StrongLifts.com related to the Anabolic Diet. Read them all before you get started.
- 10 Anabolic Diet Mistakes You Must Avoid
- 7 Things You'll Experience The First Weeks on The Anabolic Diet
- The Ultimate Anabolic Diet Food List: 101 Foods You Can Eat
- 21 Anabolic Diet Recipes for Breakfast, Snack, Lunch & Dinner
- Post Workout Nutrition on The Anabolic Diet: Spiking Insulin?
- How to Gain and Lose Weight on The Anabolic Diet
- Hacking the Anabolic Diet: Midweek & 24 Hour Carb Loading
Official Anabolic Diet Books.
- The Anabolic Solution for Powerlifters.
- The Anabolic Solution for Bodybuilders.
- The Metabolic Diet. Contains all the research.
- Free Abridged Versions. 80 pages of free content.
