For those who mean business, the Anabolic Diet is possibly one of the best methods to create and maintain a muscular, lean physique. Maybe you want to step on stage. Maybe you just want to look at yourself in the mirror naked and smile. Regardless, the Anabolic Diet may be just what you're looking for to make it happen.
Many people have heard about the Anabolic Diet, but few have tried it. Have you? Why not? Has the idea of a low-carbohydrate diet scared you? Are you under the impression that you can't make gains or achieve your goals without a good daily dose of carbohydrates?
Chances are you may be wrong. Though there truly is no one diet that will steer all people to the physique of their dreams, the Anabolic Diet is close.
I've found that a lot of people think of the Anabolic Diet as this sort of "extreme" diet that's impossible to maintain. Reality couldn't be further from the truth. Any diet is only as extreme as you make it. Most individuals that stay on the Anabolic Diet for any reasonable amount of time find that they're more readily reaching their goals than they ever have before.
In other words, the Anabolic Diet easily becomes a "lifestyle." Its underlying principles make it a superior plan for extreme athletes, in addition to most people who have the goal of achieving a lean, rock hard physique. With all that in mind, let's lay out the nuts and bolts of the Anabolic Diet.
The Anabolic Diet (AD) is a low-carb, high-fat, and high-protein diet developed by Dr. Mauro Dipasquale. It was originally created for bodybuilders and athletes, but since then Dr. Dipsaquale has developed other versions such as the Metabolic Diet more suited for the general public.
The Anabolic Diet's nutritional outline is realistic for most people and logical for long-term body composition management. The basic premises of the diet are very simple. The goal is to change your body's metabolism from being a "sugar burner" into a "fat burner." In other words, your body changes from burning primarily carbs for fuel to burning fat for fuel.
Allowing the body to make this transition not only leads to excellent fat loss but also eliminates many of the common pitfalls associated with dieting, including excessive hunger, fatigue, blood sugar swings, and failure to maintain weight and fat loss. The diet is also purported to make the body more anabolically efficient, which means one can simultaneously build muscle while burning off body fat.
To change the metabolism from burning sugar to burning fat requires a strict induction phase where carbohydrate consumption is restricted to 30 grams or under per day while protein and fat are consumed in abundance. Each person is different as to how long it takes to become "fat converted." It can take anywhere from as little as 10 days to as long as 4 weeks.
After this initial induction phase is completed, one to two days of high-carbohydrate eating is incorporated on a weekly basis. After 36-48 hours, the body will begin to smooth out, indicating that muscle glycogen stores are full. At that point, the low-carbohydrate eating is re-instated. This cycle can be repeated indefinitely. Typically, a person would do the low-carb portion of the plan during the week and the high-carb portion over the weekends.
The diet uses these targeted low and high-carb phases for very specific reasons. During the low-carb phase your glucose levels drop, which increases a variety of fat burning hormones and fires up the fat burning pathways. During the high-carb phase you replete your glycogen levels and boost insulin levels.
The extra glycogen will ensure your muscles have ample energy stores to fuel strong muscular contractions throughout the rest of the week while you're eating low carbs, while temporarily elevating insulin levels will boost a variety of other anabolic hormones which contribute to anabolism.
The anabolic diet and other low-carb diets work wonderfully for most people, yet there are some that I've seen it have opposite the desired effect. Some people simply don't feel well on long-term low-carb diets, while others don't feel or do well on high carbs.
People who don't respond well to higher carbs over time seem to feel wonderful on lower carb diets such as the AD. Several of my clients whose progress seems to be slow or stagnant on a "standard" nutritious diet experienced dramatic and sustained results on an Anabolic Diet scheme.
On the other hand, one of my clients felt drained over time without a steady flow of carbs each and every day. Unlike most people who thrive on the weekly carb re-feeds, it simply wasn't the right intake for her.
Current research has helped us with figuring out why this is so. Researchers have actually identified what they call low and high-fat phenotypes. Some people readily ramp up fat oxidation in the face of high-fat intake while others don't. This is probably explained by large genetic variances in skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity, which can vary by as much as ten-fold between two people at the same body fat levels.
Insulin is a storage hormone released in response to eating. Carbohydrates have the greatest impact on insulin secretion, followed by protein, with fat having little or no impact. Insulin sensitivity refers to how much insulin the body requires to store food. Individuals who are insulin resistant tend to have higher levels because their bodies have to release more to get the job done.
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A tendency to release more insulin in response to food may predispose people toward carbohydrate intolerance and weight gain. Having extra insulin floating around almost always makes people hungrier. With a low-carb diet, you're basically eliminating insulin, so you're eliminating one of the biggest stumbling blocks for those people who have a tendency to either over-produce insulin or have less than optimal insulin sensitivity.
In one study, groups of dieting women were placed on either high or low-carb diets. Insulin sensitive women lost twice as much weight on the high-carb diet than they did on the low-carb diet. Insulin resistant women lost nearly twice as much weight on the lower carb diet than they did on the high-carb fare. (1)
The main point is that if you lean at all toward insulin resistance, you'll probably do wonderful on the AD because you basically eliminate the one macronutrient that has the greatest impact on insulin levels — carbohydrate.
If you're naturally more insulin sensitive you'll probably feel like crap on any low-carb diet. However, it's important to qualify that just because you feel you have this type of insulin sensitivity, it doesn't necessarily mean the AD isn't for you. Remember, there are the high-carbohydrate weekends, which fuel the following week. It would be worth going through a few cycles to see if your body couldn't get acclimated to the shifts.
In most cases, even insulin sensitive types adjust to the AD quite well. They re-train their bodies on how to process the macronutrient shifts. By doing this, they gain a level of efficiency they've never experienced before. By giving it more than a week or two on the diet, you can truly see if your body will optimize its performance on AD.
People who desire to have the most radical changes in body composition (such as bodybuilders or figure competitors) often see incredible results while using the Anabolic Diet. Some competitors shy away from using the AD because there's a misconception that it's a carbon-copy diet. Not so, as it can be personalized to fit your needs.
I don't want to leave you with the impression that I think everybody should just go on the AD to get rid of fat. But the Anabolic Diet is a powerful tool that when used correctly can create rock hard bodies, insanely lean and well developed competitors of all kinds, and some damn hardcore and hot mothers!
I rest my case!
Dietary fat is not our enemy as it was once thought to be. The media over the years has lead most to believe that if you eat fat, you'll get fat. Not true.
I've met a lot of "idealist" people. They want to be lean and muscular, but they're afraid to try out new ideas. When I'm on the Anabolic Diet, people ask me what I'm doing to get so strong and lean. They can see the results of non-traditional thinking right in front of them, but when it all boils down to it, they're unwilling to try it. This inability to question the systematic indoctrination of false ideas is maddening at times.
The bottom line is that feelings about dietary fat in our society are based on myths. The reality is this: the less fat you eat, the more your body will want to store it. And when you give it the opportunity to store fat through high-carb diet pathways, it'll store it... fast!
It's true, the more carbs you eat, the more insulin you'll produce. It's a true recipe for fat storage. The bottom line is that for most of the population, more fat will be stored with a higher carb diet than the low-carb Anabolic Diet, guaranteed! The body recognizes that fat is in abundance on the AD, and will continue to use it as energy. Enzymes that breakdown fats in the body will be active, and as fat is consumed it'll be burned, not stored.
Why allow the body to preserve every last bit of fat you ingest by eating virtually none? As far as long-term fat burning and body composition management goes, there's little competition for the AD. It works... simple as that!
The only real negative side effect of the AD is the adjustment period your body goes through as it switches from burning sugar to burning fat. The induction phase is the most difficult phase. Symptoms may include lethargy, dizziness, mental fogginess, irritability, and irregular bowels, including constipation or diarrhea, depending on how your body reacts to the radical shift in macronutrients.
A fiber supplement is recommended for the induction phase of the diet. Psyllium seed husk, flax, or products such as Metamucil are excellent to counteract these potential side effects.
It's common to think that these apparently adverse reactions mean that the diet is unhealthy or unsafe. I want to stress that the induction phase is the hardest and that these various initial side effects are to be expected, and not good indicators of whether the AD is a good choice for you. Research and results show that over time, the AD not only does what it claims, but exceeds expectations.
Stick with it, because it might just prove to be the best thing you can do! This adjustment period soon passes and, if the Anabolic Diet is right for you, you'll probably have tons of energy, reduced appetite, and better mental clarity.
One alluring thing about the diet is you can eat whatever you want over the weekends. Though most people adjust to the low-carb eating throughout the week, this aspect does make any sense of carb depravation easier to tolerate during the week.
During the low-carb phase there are plenty of options for delicious and desirable foods. Virtually any meat is okay. You can focus on steak, hamburger, pork, and other red meats. In addition, venison, fish, lamb, shrimp, lobster, chicken, turkey, fish, and white meats are also okay. So are canned sardines, tuna, shrimp, herring, and anchovies. Cheese is great as well. Use the full-fat and non-skimmed milk varieties (though carbohydrates must be watched on these types of items).
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Eggs are awesome. Butter is fine. Nuts and seeds like walnuts and sunflower seeds are also good, but keep track of the carbs. So are condiments such as salt, vinegar, oil, and mayonnaise.
Low-carb drinks and desserts with artificial sweeteners are okay. However, remember that sugar-free doesn't necessarily mean carb-free. Make sure to check the labels. Though not healthful, diet soft drinks are fine as far as the carbohydrate portion of the diet is concerned. You can also use sugar-free jello. Topping it with carb-free whipped cream makes a nice snack. It has no carbs and is a staple snack for many low-carb dieters.
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During the low-carb portion of the diet you shouldn't forget to eat your green veggies! Most green veggie carbs like broccoli are very high in fiber. Fiber is "free" and need not be counted because it has no impact on blood sugar levels of any significance. An entire one pound bag of broccoli will have about 5 grams of net carbs. Ideally, you should aim for about 25 grams or more of fiber per day to keep you regular and healthy.
As far as specific macronutrient recommendations, a minimum of a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight would be a good starting recommendation. Your carbohydrate allotment will be the 30 grams, with the rest coming from fat. Make sure you get at least 6 grams of EFAs [link to http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=910074] per day along with all the other fat you're consuming.
In addition to this, there's something else to keep in mind with regard to the low-carb days. Dr. Dipasquale has recommended that the 30 grams of carbs are best reserved for the evening. When I was on the Anabolic Diet during my last off season, I reserved most of my carbs for dinnertime. It kept my energy levels up during the day.
After dinner, the insulin response made it easy for me to relax and get better sleep at night. Some people prefer to spread carb intake out, but that can often lead to an irritating mild lethargy throughout the day.
Steak
Hamburger
Sausage
Venison
Salmon
Lamb
Shrimp
Lobster
Tilapia
Pollack
Chicken
Turkey
Tuna
Herring
Pot roast
Pastrami
Bacon
Ham
Anchovies
Full-fat cheese
Eggs
Butter
Oils (poly and mono-saturated fats as in nuts, olive oil, flax seed oil)
Walnuts
Biotest's Low-Carb Metabolic Drive
Sunflower seeds
Mayonnaise
Diet sodas
Sugar-free jello
Remember, fibrous green veggies shouldn't be avoided. Of course, take care not to eat vegetables high in non-fibrous carbs such as carrots and tomatoes. But as stated before, fiber has no impact on blood sugar levels, and can and should be included even in the low-carb phase of the diet.
One of the secrets to making the induction phase a smooth one is to eat lots of calories. Eat as often as you feel you need to whether that's three times a day or six times a day.
You might consume anywhere from 15-18 calories per pound of bodyweight. Consuming sufficient calories will help you avoid some of the aforementioned side effects that can occur in the induction phase. Once you've adapted fully to the diet you can begin to fluctuate your intake to drop fat faster or gain more muscle. If getting rid of body fat is your ultimate goal, the low-carb phase is where you can really take advantage of caloric deficits.
Remember not to be afraid of eating fat! If you don't give the body fat, you'll be extremely tired and hungry, and protein will get eaten up as energy rather than supporting the muscles. There's safety and protection in consuming fats, as the amino acids within the muscle are only protected if fat intake is sufficient.
The great thing about the high-carb phase (weekends) is your body will continue burning fat even while you're consuming liberal amounts of carbohydrates. Ingested carbohydrates will all go to your depleted muscular glycogen stores and your body will continue burning the fat.
It's okay to have a bit of fun during this phase. If you're craving pancakes, ice cream, or even some high-fat fare along with all the sugar, go ahead and have at it. However, be aware that the more "junk" you eat, the more likely you are to experience insulin and blood sugar swings, which can leave you feeling like a zombie in-between bouts of gluttony.
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In a perfect world, the majority of your carbs would be clean, coming from starchy sources like fruits, oatmeal, rice, and potatoes. General macronutrient recommendations during this phase are 45-60% carbohydrates, 10-15% protein, and 30-40% fat.
How many carbs you eat is also individual and really depends on two things:
1. How much exercise you do during the low-carb phase
2. How many calories you eat during the low-carb phase
Both exercise and caloric/carbohydrate restriction will deplete your muscles of glycogen (carbohydrate). Completely carb-depleted muscles can store up to about 6-8 grams of carbohydrate per pound of bodyweight during a carb load. It's possible to enter the carb loading portion of the Anabolic Diet completely depleted.
For a 150 pound person with completely depleted muscles, that would mean they could eat 900 to 1200 grams of carbs over the two-day carb loading phase of the AD, which is quite a bit. One of the best ways to gauge your carbohydrate consumption is to look at your appearance. When you first begin eating carbs your muscles and veins will begin to fill out and you'll look more muscular and more lean.
As you continue the carb load you'll eventually reach a point where your definition will begin to smooth out. This is a sign that your muscles are full of glycogen and then would be a good time to stop the carb load.
Note that there will be body weight fluctuations after the induction phase, especially in the beginning weeks of the diet due to the carb-ups on the weekends. Don't forget about the fluctuation, and more importantly, don't freak out! These fluctuations may be fairly large, particularly at the beginning of the diet, as a result of your weekly carb loads. Those extra carbs can create a gain of up to 5-10 pounds. Don't panic or stress. It's normal!
The weight is made up of water retention, and as soon as you begin the high-fat/low-carb diet at the beginning of the week, you'll begin to lose those pounds. By Wednesday the water should pretty much be gone, and you should feel leaner than you did the week before. Remember that calories can always be manipulated to create the appropriate amount of weight loss or gain.
You can taper the carb-filled weekends down a bit if you'd like, however, I'd recommend more of a focus on cutting down on your calorie and carb consumption during the weekly low-carb phase.
The reason for this is that the carb loading phase will actually help you burn more fat during the low-carb phase. This targeted "filling" of muscle and liver glycogen stores will stimulate the increase in a variety of fat burning hormones like thyroid, and this will ensure that your metabolism is running on high gear throughout the rest of the week.
Throwing a curveball into any plan is what keeps us moving along and not plateauing. If a bodybuilder does the same training with no progression, eventually a plateau will be reached. The Anabolic Diet is no different. You can only do something the same for so long before the body acclimates and will no longer respond to the exact same stimulus. It's never wise to allow the body to get used to the same caloric intake over long periods of time regardless of what your nutrition scheme looks like.
If you want more muscle, you need to eat more of the specified nutrients. If you want to get cut up, you can eat slightly less calories. I support the principle of overload in training and calorie cycling to achieve a lean physique over time. I support those same principles with the Anabolic Diet as I do in any nutritional scheme. The framework should remain constant, but within that framework you can assist the body in making progress by cycling your goals and making the necessary caloric adjustments in the diet to accomplish them.
1. Anabolic muscles: Through increasing the efficiency of Testosterone, growth hormone and insulin, muscles live in a much healthier environment for anabolism.
2. Lean body composition: The more fat you eat, the more fat you'll burn and the less fat you'll store. You'll become a fat burning machine.
3. Increased strength: Your body weight will reflect more lean muscle tissue. The more muscle you're made up of, the stronger you'll be!
4. Increased health: Decreased triglyceride and cholesterol levels are common on the AD, thus reducing the risk of disease. Also, controlling insulin reduces the risk of diabetes which is common in higher carbohydrate fares.
5. More energy: Once past the induction phase, blood sugar swings cease, resulting in higher and steadier energy.
6. Less restriction in the foods you eat: Foods that were once "taboo" due to high-fat content are now not only allowed but beneficial! High-carb food choices have a place and a purpose, and you can enjoy them!
7. Reduced hunger levels: Fat keeps you full. You'll be able to eat more and still lose fat. Oftentimes, your satiety will be so high that you'll need to remind yourself to eat! Being hungry all the time is no fun. With AD, the problem is solved.
8. Junk food cravings disappear: After staying on the Anabolic Diet for several weeks, your craving for junk will all but disappear. You'll want to eat well. Granted, you can have junk over the weekends, but as you become healthier you'll desire less and less of it.
9. Increased ability to socialize: There really are no foods that are not allowed at some point during the week. No matter where you go, there should always be something you're allowed to eat. No more needing to worry about whether a steak has too many calories or fat grams in it.
10. Stay in shape year round: You don't have to get fat in order to put on muscle and maintain a decent body composition. The AD solves this age old problem.
There you have it, the nuts and bolts of the Anabolic Diet. I'd call it one of the simplest and most efficient body composition management systems ever created. It's logic is appealing, and results motivating. It may very well be for you. Give it a try and see!
1. Cornier MA Insulin sensitivity determines the effectiveness of dietary
macronutrient composition on weight loss in obese women. Obes REs. 2005
Apr;13(4):703-9
Jen Heath is a professional natural bodybuilder and certified personal trainer. She can be contacted through her website at www.jenheath.com.
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