[Zero Tolerance]

Carbing Up on the Cyclical Ketogenic Diet by Lyle McDonald
Build Muscle & Lose Fat Through Strength Training | StrongLifts.com (not working at the moment)

Okay. I'm looking to start this diet. It's 5 days a week low carb - under 30 grams daily - then 2 days of high carbs.. I have a few concerns..

First, a low carb, high fat and high protein diet is good for cholesterol. Right? It's been proven. But what about when only maintained for 5 days a week? Do you still benefit from the improved cholesterol effect of a traditional low carb diet?

What do you think about the two days on high carb? This is there to refill glycogen in order to get good workouts during the week. I'm planning on Saturday and Sunday carb-ups - then heavy training on Monday and Tuesday - with more cardio type work beyond that for the remaining week. I figured in order to avoid killing the diet altogether, I'd do more of the sugar carb-up Saturday, and more of a pasta and bread carb-up on Sunday. Any thoughts on this?

I've read a few articles and they're not concrete on something. Some say you should stay with low-carb for awhile BEFORE you go into carb-loading on the weekends. My own interpretation brings me to the conclusion that you start this right away - 5 days on / 2 days off. Let me know what you think...

Also. I've read that going through phases of eating sugar and avoiding sugar is bad for your pancreas (and maybe other organs). Wouldn't this be the same? In this event, if you eat too many sugars on the first high-carb day - wouldn't this be bad?

I'll probably have more questions but I'd like to get these out of the way first. Thanks in advance...

[Royd The Noyd]

Originally Posted by Zero Tolerance

Carbing Up on the Cyclical Ketogenic Diet by Lyle McDonald
http://stronglifts.com/index.php (not working at the moment)

Okay. I'm looking to start this diet. It's 5 days a week low carb - under 30 grams daily - then 2 days of high carbs.. I have a few concerns..

First, a low carb, high fat and high protein diet is good for cholesterol. Right? It's been proven. But what about when only maintained for 5 days a week? Do you still benefit from the improved cholesterol effect of a traditional low carb diet?

Yes. I am pretty sure Dr. Volek has shown some evidence of this in both low carb and cyclical diets. I'll try to find the info...

What do you think about the two days on high carb? This is there to refill glycogen in order to get good workouts during the week. I'm planning on Saturday and Sunday carb-ups - then heavy training on Monday and Tuesday - with more cardio type work beyond that for the remaining week. I figured in order to avoid killing the diet altogether, I'd do more of the sugar carb-up Saturday, and more of a pasta and bread carb-up on Sunday. Any thoughts on this?

I am not personally familiar with the anabolic diet but I have read Lyle's 2.0 book recently. Your plan looks very solid based on that. He says as you near Sunday evening carbs should come primarily from veggies.

I've read a few articles and they're not concrete on something. Some say you should stay with low-carb for awhile BEFORE you go into carb-loading on the weekends. My own interpretation brings me to the conclusion that you start this right away - 5 days on / 2 days off. Let me know what you think...

I'll probably have more questions but I'd like to get these out of the way first. Thanks in advance...

It can vary. Whats your carb intake right now? If you've been consuming a large amount of carbs for sometime it could take longer to reach ketosis (assuming that is the anabolic diets goal in the 5 day low carb). Things like cardio can get you do ketosis faster. I personally think after a week of low/no carbs you can reach ketosis but it obviously varies from person to person.

[Royd The Noyd]

Ahh found it (and I'm pretty sure there is even more recent research that supports this):

Metabolic syndrome is at an all-time high. Currently, it affects 22%, 34% and 44% of Americans ages 40-49, 50-59 and 60-69, respectively. To "qualify," you either have to know the bouncer at the door to the Syndrome X night club, or have three or more of the following factors:

1. Waist circumference of >102 cm (men) or >88 cm (women)

2. Fasting glucose measurement of >110 mg/dl

3. HDL cholesterol of <40 mg/dl (men) or <50 mg/dl (women)

4. Fasting triglycerides of >150 mg/dl

5. Systolic blood pressure of V 130 mm Hg

While all the experts agree on how to define and diagnose metabolic syndrome, a fierce debate rages on when it comes to treating it: low-fat or low-carbs? Dr. Volek is one of those leading the charge for the low-carb side, and he presented data from six studies done right here in our lab at UCONN that look at the blood lipoprotein responses to VLCKDs.

So what did they find in these studies? Well, essentially the same thing that 19 previous studies — studies people keep wanting to ignore, for some reason — found. Mean fasting triglycerides, postprandial triglycerides and total cholesterol/HDL ratio dropped markedly, while mean HDL was increased.

Interestingly, though, Dr. Volek pointed out that there's a significant amount of variability in individual responses to the VLCKDs. The drops in triglycerides are largely explained by starting levels, but the HDL increases weren't accounted for by weight loss or starting levels. It warrants mention that LDL values increased in four of the six studies. It's important to note, however, that not all LDL is created equal. In fact, a preponderance of small LDL particles (known as Pattern B) is highly correlated with cardiovascular disease. VLCKDs actually shift particle size to the larger variety, making people more "Pattern A." This shift's magnitude is largely explained by initial LDL sizes.

Reference: http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_...wrapup_part_ii

[Zero Tolerance]

Sorry, I will answer the questions just asked when I get back. In the meantime, I have one more question (and I will add this to the first post). I've read that going through phases of eating sugar and avoiding sugar is bad for your pancreas (and maybe other organs). Wouldn't this be the same? If you eat too many sugars on the first high-carb day - wouldn't this be hard on your body?

Thanks again...

[Royd The Noyd]

Originally Posted by Zero Tolerance

Wouldn't this be the same? If you eat too many sugars on the first low-carb day - wouldn't this be hard on your body?

Thanks again...

Did you mean first day of carb load? I would avoid sugar in general on the low carb days. Get your carbs on the low carb days from veggies and fiber (if you count that as a carb).

[Zero Tolerance]

Originally Posted by Royd The Noyd

Did you mean first day of carb load? I would avoid sugar in general on the low carb days. Get your carbs on the low carb days from veggies and fiber (if you count that as a carb).

Yes, I'm sorry. I meant to say high carb (first carb load day).

[Rugger]

Originally Posted by Zero Tolerance

Yes, I'm sorry. I meant to say high carb (first carb load day).

You wont be able to get nearly enough carbs without eating/drinking sugary carbs.

[ozarkaBRAND]

Do you have the eBook Zero? If not I can hook ya up.

[Royd The Noyd]

I find the hard part of the carb load is keeping protein and fat to the levels suggested by Lyle. A lot of carb sources outside of sugar have some amount of protein or fat in them.

[Rugger]

Originally Posted by Royd The Noyd

I find the hard part of the carb load is keeping protein and fat to the levels suggested by Lyle. A lot of carb sources outside of sugar have some amount of protein or fat in them.

2% milk helps a lot, could even go to whole milk.

[Zero Tolerance]

I'm not on any diet at the moment - nor am I keeping track of what I'm eating. I'm simply eating a mix of what the average Joe eats daily... If I can get cardio in during the week, I'll stick with the 5 day low carb plan - and then do high carbs for a day or so. If I cannot do cardio during the week, I'll start my first carb-up on the second weekend.. I think that makes sense..

I'm pretty sure I'm going to go fairly easy on the sugars. I may take a "Carbo Force" with me for directly after training on Friday - which will be a full-body weightlifting day. I've read that your body will refill glycogen stores more specifically for muscles trained most recently prior to the carb-up.

Here's what my plan will look like:

Monday: Pushes
Tuesday: Pulls
Wednesday: Cardio
Thursday: Cardio
Friday: Pushes and Pulls (probably medium intensity)

Low carb all week until Friday night (starting with a high carb post workout drink). Carb-up will last until either Saturday evening or mid-day on Sunday. Carbs will start with sugars, then move onto breads, and end-up with green vegetables.

Originally Posted by Royd The Noyd

Whats your carb intake right now? If you've been consuming a large amount of carbs for sometime it could take longer to reach ketosis (assuming that is the anabolic diets goal in the 5 day low carb). Things like cardio can get you do ketosis faster. I personally think after a week of low/no carbs you can reach ketosis but it obviously varies from person to person.

[Zero Tolerance]

[We need multi-quote!]

Yes, but this is definitely a concern of mine. I do understand I need to do this - but I've heard it's bad for your pancreas and possibly your kidneys. Any more input on this would be appreciated...

At this point in my life, I'm very concerned with my health. I've done a strict low carb diet before.. I had plenty of energy - enough to do fine at MMA. But I went from a big guy that everybody thought was on steroids - to Oscar Delahoya. I'd like to get into shape again but I'd like to keep the muscle I've worked for. But the bottom line is - I'll take live and longevity over being big.

Originally Posted by Rugger

You wont be able to get nearly enough carbs without eating/drinking sugary carbs.

[Zero Tolerance]

Thank you. I have the free "abridged" version of the Metabolic Diet. Is that the one you're speaking of?

Originally Posted by ozarkaBRAND

Do you have the eBook Zero? If not I can hook ya up.

[Royd The Noyd]

Your plan looks solid. As another option Supercarb is a pretty easy carb to get down. Its a sugar but lower on the GI and PRAL score so its likely a better source then most other sugars. Although for some reason they do not recommend more then 50g's per serving and/or 200g's per day.

Originally Posted by Zero Tolerance

I'm not on any diet at the moment - nor am I keeping track of what I'm eating. I'm simply eating a mix of what the average Joe eats daily... If I can get cardio in during the week, I'll stick with the 5 day low carb plan - and then do high carbs for a day or so. If I cannot do cardio during the week, I'll start my first carb-up on the second weekend.. I think that makes sense..

I'm pretty sure I'm going to go fairly easy on the sugars. I may take a "Carbo Force" with me for directly after training on Friday - which will be a full-body weightlifting day. I've read that your body will refill glycogen stores more specifically for muscles trained most recently prior to the carb-up.

Here's what my plan will look like:

Monday: Pushes
Tuesday: Pulls
Wednesday: Cardio
Thursday: Cardio
Friday: Pushes and Pulls (probably medium intensity)

Low carb all week until Friday night (starting with a high carb post workout drink). Carb-up will last until either Saturday evening or mid-day on Sunday. Carbs will start with sugars, then move onto breads, and end-up with green vegetables.