Hi guys,

I made a training log on here AGES ago and was a bit too stubborn to take the advice of lowering the carbs and choosing better carb sources. Over the past while I've gone off eating alot of carbs like I used to and instead tend to focus on meat and salad/veg. (obviously I wouldn't be in the shape I'm in without the odd domino's )I'm looking to sort out a good diet to stick to... However, I have a bit of a problem. I like playing sports. Alot. I like doing sprints and in general high intensity stuff. Surely the anabolic diet is useless for this? I've started trainin in football twice a week and there is the possibility I'll return to Judo, all quite high intensity exercises. Is the anabolic diet advisable? Also, in regards to the calories you were puttin away, was in your maintenance if on a cut or did you drop the cals?

Cheers in advance guys,

hopefully I'll be here to sort this out and stay until I hit 10% BF. With a new training log ofcourse

I am currently on the anabolic diet and I try not to exceed 30g of carbs per day. I sprint 3 high intensity sessions per week plus 2 tempo sessions and weight train 3 times per week.
I have found no problem with this diet what so ever in fact I actually work better when my carb intake is lower. My strength is increasing and my bf% is decreasing.
So I would strongly advise this diet!

Cheers Coop

Quick question, how many cals you hitting a day? I'm 5 10 and around 180lbs. Through various formulas I should be hitting 2500-3000 a day apparently. After working out the cals of some of my meals, I realised I would've been eating about 1500 a day! How the hell do you squeeze all the cals in!?

Cheers.

Sparky wrote:Cheers Coop

Quick question, how many cals you hitting a day? I'm 5 10 and around 180lbs. Through various formulas I should be hitting 2500-3000 a day apparently. After working out the cals of some of my meals, I realised I would've been eating about 1500 a day! How the hell do you squeeze all the cals in!?

Cheers.

Doing something similar to Coop and agree with him. Terms of calories - work at 13-14 cals per lb of bw. Some say 12 cals but thats too extreme. For size gains - 16-20cals per bw

I love this diet and don't miss carbs at all except the odd craving for porridge now and again.
Calorie wise i find it hard keeping the calories down. To maintain my weight I should be around 2300-2500 but I am cutting at the moment so I am around 1700.
If I want to increase I find the best way is to have some nuts or put a bit of the fage total strained (low carb and sugar) greek yogurt in my shake or even a bit of cream.

Im just using hemp, olive and nuts for my fats and its working well. hitting around 40g of fat per meal with similar protein

@Sparky: what are you trying to achieve? Loss body fat? Gain muscle? What's the main goal?

Cheers for the replies guys So you'd recommend me trying to hit mabye 2000cals a day for a cut? Or is that too little? In general, I'd have 3 FB weight sessions a week. 1-2 football training. 2 Sprint Sessions. 3 VERY light swim (i'm not very good see, more than anything I'd be just stretchin out) followed by sauna Might start doing the odd long distance run and apart from the last week or so, I'd be having a game of squash.

@scott - I'm trying to cut. I want to get down to 10-12% body fat and see a six pack for the first time in my life FFB here. I've a fair bit of muscle I'd say, just need to loose the body fat.

Another point, instead of the weekend carb up, eat carbs around intense exercise (i eat them after, a matter of preference). Stick with low GI, quality carb sources (quinoa, buckwheat, sweet potato, WG rice)

I believe low cal diets aren't the best option, getting the right food choices 99% of the time is your main priority.

I'll still have to not eat carbs for 12days though. I think apart from chocolate I'll get random cravings for porridge!

Karlos is right about the food selection being the key. However I found myself eating lots of healthy stuff and possibly overdoing it on the calorie dense things such as nuts and without knowing it I would go through a fair few bags of nuts a week. I ended up putting a bit of fat on hence my cut at the moment. But so long as you are sensible its hard to over do it on good veg and quality meats.

The first few days of transition are hard as I found I wanted carbs mainly out of habit, but once you are going eating carbs is a drag lol. Except for a good bit of porridge on your high activity days.

Cheers lads,

I think I'll aim for around 2500cals a day then. I'll start eating no carbs from now and instead of doing the 12days I'll do the 10 until next friday. I'll probably also kick up a training journal for help and advice so you guys can keep me right. The thing I like about the anabolic diet is that no meat is off bounds Sausages and Bacon. OH NOM!

Although that is true about no meat being off bounds I found and I think a few other people on this forum also found that having the main source of protein/meat in a meal from fish enhanced both muscle building at fat loss. Also everyone found they looked better and felt better eating mainly fish.
There was a thread about it I think.

Check the carbs on those sausages. Macronutrient wise, walls sausage closer resemble white bread than meat

Also, hate to be a party pooper, but i wouldn't go overboard on processed meats such as bacon. There's a good way and a not so great way to go about the anabolic diet. I eat lots of oily fish, meat, offal, nuts, seeds, eggs, walnut oil, veg. But then you could get someone else following the anabolic diet eating bacon, cheese, cream, pork scratchings etc.

Sure both follow the guidelines of the diet, but one won't give you colon cancer.

Don't listen to coop, sure fish is the best, but all unprocessed meats are all fair game imo. Just get omega 3 and veg to complement the omega 6's in the grain fed meat. And if you can afford/get hold of grass fed meat, then that is pure gold.

Cheers guys. I had a fear you were going to hit me with that! (God forbid) I don't think I'll get cancer eating processed meat if I'm doing it for 8 weeks.

I'm not a fan of fish I can't stand the smell though can eat it on a rare occasion. I have a training journal written up:
sparky-s-anabolic-road-to-nowhere-t4965.html

I get my sausages and bacon from the butchers In fact, I'd try and get a good bit of my meat from the butchers when at all possible. Though recently I've found Tesco has been good for things like turkey breast fillits peppered steaks. I'll be eating very few carbs so I hope the few that'll be in sausages won't have any effect!

Cured meat is cured meat though - you'd be better off without it. Why intentionally eat something that you know is bad for you, unless it's for outright pleasure (e.g. once or twice a week?)

If you guys think it's that bad I'll eat what I have then not buy it again