I started the Anabolic Diet recently, picking up a SALTER 1450 food scale and started a logbook to enter food with the macros, etc. I have a few questions.
I'm 6'1, about 275, and weight train as follows: Mon biceps/back, Tues triceps/chest, Wednesday legs/shoulders, Thursday core/pilates, Friday depletion workout (about an hour and a half of supersets and high-reps--almost went
). I also do about half an hour of moderate intensity cardio before breakfast each day.
Nutritionally, I'm taking in 2830 calories, with 280 grams of protein and 190 grams of fat on low carb days. On the carb up weekend, I haven't been weighing it, but I estimate about 400 grams of carbs for each Saturday and Sunday.
Questions;
1.) Is 2830 calories too low for my size? On the low carb days, I find I am usually hungry an hour after I eat one of my five meals, and the hunger gets much worse later in the week.
At your weight I would say yes. Shoot for 3300-3400 calories. Get an appetite suppressant for those hunger attacks.
2.) Once or twice per week I play squash, which tends to burn about 1000 calories (play really intense for about 90 minutes). I'm concerned that it could put me into starvation mode--should I be eating more during days I play squash? I drink a **** ton of BCAAs (Scivation's Xtend, specifically).
It depends. You should be adjusting your caloric intake in cooperation with your activity level so that you have around a 500 calorie deficit each day.
3.) On the carb up weekends, do most people track their macros, or just go hog wild? This past weekend I ate a ton of carbs, and went from 275 on Friday morning to 288 on Monday morning. I'm at 281 as of Wednesday morning, and my workouts on Monday/Tuesday were incredible.
Yes, it's important to atleast keep track of amount of carbs, protein, fat. Calories aren't as important here but still important. You should be eating FAR more than 400g of carbs each carb load day.
4.) For carb up weekends, during the first 24 hours of simple sugars, what kind do you guys go for? I read to avoid fruit (since it refills the liver's glycogen), so I had some soda, cookies, gatorade powder, chocolate, etc. Felt *really* odd right after my meal following depletion, and that didn't really go away until mid Sunday.
I usually spring for a high sugar non fructose fake fruit drink mixed with gatorade powder, a sleeve or two of white bread, cookies and a bunch of sugary cereal. Sunday would be more solid foods like yams and pasta, whole wheat bread etc.
Thanks,
Matt.