That's partially why I was looking at SLU, carn and carderine, the 3 of those all cause a lot of fat oxidation and all 3 of them also have positive effects on a million different health markers "although carderine may be a double edged sword". But I'm thinking you stay on SLU and carnitine daily and maybe add carderine on the sugar fast days.Cardio on sugar fast days only, no cardio on lifting days?
Supplements:
MPS boosting supps like DL-185 on lifting days.
Fat oxidation promoting supplements beneficial only on fast days, wouldn’t know which qualify for that exclusively.
I'm also wondering how long fgf stays elevated after you eat a bunch of protein. Like say you do a 3 day sugar fast or whatever to increase fgf21. Id imagine it doesn't just all magically disappear right after eating a protein few protein meals. But then again, maybe fgf21 that's already there can't work in the presence of leucine or whatever turns off that switch? I don't knowSo how could we actually benefit, for fun hypothesis, how off do you reckon this is:
1) the ingestion of 100 g protein results in a greater and more prolonged (>12 h) anabolic response when compared to the ingestion of 25 g protein.
2) during this ~12 hour period, would it be a correct assumption the FGF21 increase from the absence of protein is not there.
3) Meaning an evening consumption of said 100gr protein leaves ~12 hours a day of sugar fast induced FGF21 potential.
-Aka 84 hours a week.
-Aka 50/50 in positive versus negative nitrogen balance, and 50/50 time spend on burning fat
4) Sugar fast = no protein at all
5) Sugar diet = only 1 protein serving a day
6) A maximum of 9% protein, of which I cannot conclusively find if it is as effective as a sugar diet, therefor excluded in this hypothesis
What if we change our lifting workout schedule to either 3 or 4 days a week on consecutive days, say mo-we or -th. Push-pull-legs for example, or legs-push-pull-legs (my preferred split). The idea being we have more hours of positive nitrogen balance post workout.
So:
1) High protein diet for 4 days, aiming for max mps
2) sugar fast for 3 days, no protein at all (or 9%??)
We can adjust last meal of day 4 for fine grained adjustments, 100gr protein before bed, casein shake, or just some iso whey at 4-6PM.
With a 3 day workout schedule we can have up to 48 hours of positive nitrogen balance for each workout including the last, a 4 day workout gives you max 24h for the last workout.
Then 72 hours of maximum FGF21 release.
The question is how effective this is versus a full cut, how both tax your system / health markers, and how does it make you feel.
I'm also wondering how long fgf stays elevated after you eat a bunch of protein. Like say you do a 3 day sugar fast or whatever to increase fgf21. Id imagine it doesn't just all magically disappear right after eating a protein few protein meals. But then again, maybe fgf21 that's already there can't work in the presence of leucine or whatever turns off that switch? I don't know
Kinda like how if you're on keto for a week and then for two days in a row you eat normal you'll still have ketones floating around in there. If you're pissed on one of those test strips it would still look like you're in ketosis even though you've been eating carbs for 24 to 48 hours. But you're not really in ketosis anymore. I wonder if it's a similar process with fgf and protein
I lost 3 more lbs by the way, my waist shrunk about a inch too, like in the past 2-3 days . I put on a size 32waist for the first time in........?
Not joking. BUT, I ABSOLUTELY AM NOT, crediting that to just the diet, I'm dehydrated still or my kidneys are failing cus I pissed a little dark and I'm dry as ****. Energy is fine but I don't feel like lifting weights for some reason. Id rather hit the bag. But I'm thinking thats my subconscious telling me I'm not fueled up to lift weights lol. If someone told me that all they had was fruit, candy and juice all day and then go work out and have one protein meal I'd tell them they're pissing in the wind![]()
Trust me I know, you get interested and get the hyper-focused drive to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible. While a lot of ADHD can make life a bit harder, that part makes learning quickly, or getting hyper-focused toward something that truly excites us so much easier!I would have to go back and rip through a hundred articles to figure out which ones had the information because I've been tearing through them ADHD style a different article every 20 minutes lol.
But I've came across several things that said the higher the sugar to protein ratio. More sugar/less protein the more fgf is produced. I just recently came across another one that said high fat can also trigger fgf21 release in the absence of protein and what Im gathering from all this is that significantly more calories from fat are needed then sugar.
I'm not positive, but if I'm understanding these things correctly or what I should say is if I'm putting all this together correctly, the high sugar is the fastest, lowest calorie way to do it.
There's also a ton of stuff showing that fgf21 will actually fix your blood sugar and reverse diabetes even in the presence of high sugar which doesn't make any sense to me. But there's tons of medical information on that one, it's not hard to find.
While all this research and data on FGF21 and how to induce it or manipulate through diet, clearly shows promise not only for fat loss, blood sugar, and seemingly numerous possible health benefits. This is one diet that I would have an extremely hard time to stick with….ha, even for a few days. But I am definitely interested in your feedback as you try this little experiment. And I’m extremely interested in any of the research on supplements or peptides that can induce FGF21, because I would definitely have an interest in trying any of those.Sooooooooo......... Where's the fgf21 peptides Mike!
I did a little limited research and there are no supplements or peptides that are actually active fgf21 or anything even remotely close that's available. AI search also came up empty, but it also said....... Clinical Trials!
View attachment 253346
Oh man, well that sucks.Fgf21 lowers IGF 1 levels and inhibits GH singlingView attachment 253360
Fgf21 lowers IGF 1 levels and inhibits GH singlingView attachment 253360
If your on steroids it won't matter nearly as muchOh man, well that sucks.![]()
Go right aheadIGF-1 is a hormone produced primarily in the liver in response to HGH stimulation. It's considered the key mediator of HGH's anabolic (growth-promoting) effects.
Amino acids, the building blocks of protein, are crucial for IGF-1 production.
This, to me, makes sense, and part of our design. Back in the day we’d be hunting for an animal food source and eat fruits we find on the way to carry us over to that protein catch.
I started today. Can update if interested? Starting weight 99.7 Kg, first meal 520kcal from a fruits/sorbet cream smoothie with some honey.
The aftermath is always the worst. Tastes awesome in the short term but wrecks ya the day after. My stomach does the same with that type of food.I woke up 2lbs heavier and this morning and I look good, full, but my stomach is screwed up.
this is a big part of why I embrace fasting in generalThis, to me, makes sense, and part of our design. Back in the day we’d be hunting for an animal food source and eat fruits we find on the way to carry us over to that protein catch.
1) Large amount of fruits with most / if not all meals.
2) Exchanging fat/protein for even more fruits (carbs)
The difference is no protein till the last one or two meals (sugar diet), or protein restricted to a once every 3,4 or even 5 days protein/fata refeed day (sugar fast).
The past 3 days I’ve changed my diet to only protein in the last meal, lowering in fat automatically comes with that, and replace all carbohydrates with fruit and honey
Love the feedbackI have reservations on the claimed moa.
Let me explain why:
I never heard about this “sugar diet” till last week.
But I started a high fruit intake “diet” on the 26th of May. This involved keeping my caloric intake the same as before, at my maintenance, but replacing 50% of my carbohydrate intake with fruits.
I replaced my breakfast and pre bed meals with protein smoothies, and added fruits to my other meals, like for example, change a chicken/rice/curry meal to chicken/ 50% rice/pineapple with the same total amount of calories/carbohydrates.
This has given me surprisingly good results, I have simultaneously gained strength while my weight dropped from 102.1 to 99.7kg (weekly average, varying between 102.7 and 99.1).
The improvements accelerated when I started exchanging both protein and fat for more carbohydrates.
This is where I took to google to find an explanation, and stumbled on the “sugar diet”. After reading a lot of logs of others, I see the following in common with my diet:
1) Large amount of fruits with most / if not all meals.
2) Exchanging fat/protein for even more fruits (carbs)
The difference is no protein till the last one or two meals (sugar diet), or protein restricted to a once every 3,4 or even 5 days protein/fata refeed day (sugar fast).
The past 3 days I’ve changed my diet to only protein in the last meal, lowering in fat automatically comes with that, and replace all carbohydrates with fruit and honey (very hard to eat so much fruit), with so far, no apparent benefits to before. The only 2 notable differences are, my weight has stayed exactly the same each morning, 99.7 kg, while it normally hovers, and a small reduction in feelings of well being and motivation (and a notable hit to HRV for who believes in that).
Recognising my system may need some time to adjust, and you can always have a few off days, I’ll keep it going for the week.
BTW, I’m not enhanced, just a 52 year old trying to stay in good shape, and a curious mind.
I have reservations on the claimed moa.
Let me explain why:
I never heard about this “sugar diet” till last week.
But I started a high fruit intake “diet” on the 26th of May. This involved keeping my caloric intake the same as before, at my maintenance, but replacing 50% of my carbohydrate intake with fruits.
I replaced my breakfast and pre bed meals with protein smoothies, and added fruits to my other meals, like for example, change a chicken/rice/curry meal to chicken/ 50% rice/pineapple with the same total amount of calories/carbohydrates.
This has given me surprisingly good results, I have simultaneously gained strength while my weight dropped from 102.1 to 99.7kg (weekly average, varying between 102.7 and 99.1).
The improvements accelerated when I started exchanging both protein and fat for more carbohydrates.
This is where I took to google to find an explanation, and stumbled on the “sugar diet”. After reading a lot of logs of others, I see the following in common with my diet:
1) Large amount of fruits with most / if not all meals.
2) Exchanging fat/protein for even more fruits (carbs)
The difference is no protein till the last one or two meals (sugar diet), or protein restricted to a once every 3,4 or even 5 days protein/fata refeed day (sugar fast).
The past 3 days I’ve changed my diet to only protein in the last meal, lowering in fat automatically comes with that, and replace all carbohydrates with fruit and honey (very hard to eat so much fruit), with so far, no apparent benefits to before. The only 2 notable differences are, my weight has stayed exactly the same each morning, 99.7 kg, while it normally hovers, and a small reduction in feelings of well being and motivation (and a notable hit to HRV for who believes in that).
Recognising my system may need some time to adjust, and you can always have a few off days, I’ll keep it going for the week.
BTW, I’m not enhanced, just a 52 year old trying to stay in good shape, and a curious mind.
Have you experienced any salt/sodium cravings? Around lunchtime Im really hankering for my chicken and rice, which I typically smother in salt and pepper. I know some guys are craving sodium so bad they put it on their fruit.
Absolutely, it's just something I completely overlooked, and often when it comes to hydration I do completely overlook things like my sodium intake. Which is super foolish because I sweat all day everyday I need a lot more sodium than the average person. And I do cramp up a lot too. Regardless of how I'm eating I often cramp up from certain exercises and it's usually smaller muscle groups like abdominals or calves or forearmYou should consume adequate sodium to maintain adequate hydration regardless of caloric intake - this will go for every diet. Need to supplement will just vary based on the diet’s composition.
Calf cramps are the tell-tale for me. If I get calve cramps I know I’m dehydrated. The first one I ever had was when I was in boot camp at Paris Island in the heat of the summer. I woke up in the middle of the night with the worst cramp ever in my calf and yelling at the top of my lungs. Several others did the same thing the first few weeks. Worst cramp pain ever.Absolutely, it's just something I completely overlooked, and often when it comes to hydration I do completely overlook things like my sodium intake. Which is super foolish because I sweat all day everyday I need a lot more sodium than the average person. And I do cramp up a lot too. Regardless of how I'm eating I often cramp up from certain exercises and it's usually smaller muscle groups like abdominals or calves or forearm
Same here. Either calf cramps or ab cramps will tell the story for me.Calf cramps are the tell-tale for me. If I get calve cramps I know I’m dehydrated. The first one I ever had was when I was in boot camp at Paris Island in the heat of the summer. I woke up in the middle of the night with the worst cramp ever in my calf and yelling at the top of my lungs. Several others did the same thing the first few weeks. Worst cramp pain ever.
I didn't notice sodium cravings either, but I did find myself pretty dehydrated on the days I ate carbs only till dinner which is odd because a lot of those calories were liquid, and @MrKleen73 suggested adding sodium so I did. Over the next 4 days I'll look for a repeat in effects as I'm switching back over after taking the weekend off.
At first this diet didn't appeal to me at all. I wanted to break it down just to figure out if there was anything worth noting as the rest of it was ridiculous. The more I looked into it the more I realized I originally just saw the sensationalized version and with much more fruit, white rice honey and things of that nature it didn't have to be so terrible. Although I do like slipping in a couple bags of gummy bears lol.
What did appeal to me in this diet is that I had already started losing weight without realizing it a while back, being summertime and increased workload, plus out in the garden working all day on my off days. The gym and so on. I'm just burning calories Non-Stop, and I think you guys had heard me mention a few times that I had been having less appetite lately and it was hard to push foodand then I switched into diet mode and then I found this and thought I'd apply it.
I actually had attempted a few sugar days before I brought it up in the thread, I just couldn't manage getting through an entire day of sugar. When I brought it up in the thread I decided to give it a go with the protein dinner and that was around the time I was b*********** about it with @MrKleen73 and he brought up the sodium and so on.
I can absolutely say on the days I eat as much carbs as possible with no fat my weight drops really quickly and I get a little dehydrated. Maybe that has something to do with water vs stored glycogen and the excess of carbohydrates and lack of certain electrolytes or minerals
Or
I also could have just been dehydrated from sweating a lot.
Hard to tell.
At this point tho I want run a lot more sugar days and see how long it takes before I'm noticeably losing muscle or or just flat all the time.
I've taking some pictures and my waist is the smallest that it's been in at least 20 years. Truly mean that. Last time I waist was this small I was fighting at 165-178 lb. And I do look flat but I pump up the second I touch something. Hitting the punching bag pumps me up like I just did chest, shoulders and arms for 2 hours lol.
Body weight came back up to 191lbs over the weekend, (this morning 190.8)
I had aExpresso style small coffee this morning, 12oz oj and a bag of gummy bears at 9
At noonish il have another 12oz oj and a banana
Pre workout a 30gm protein shake with 50gm of added carbs
Post workout I'm having some grilled chicken on potato rolls.
Today I thought about all sugar day but I'm working 8am-4pm I got a training session with someone at 5 and from 6-7 I'm doing my workout and I have another session with someone 715-8. Sooooo that's a lot to do running on just sugar and no meal for recovery.
Tomorrow will be a mostly simple carbs and almost no protein day
Im still trying to figure that outdo you feel like you're able to achieve acute/micro impacts on a day by day approach with this vs having to run it for a week+ at a time to see results?
like Keto, people say a few weeks to a few months. with fasting, the real magic starts after like 30hours. But it sounds like you can pick days where you focus on carbs/sugars and see immediate results.
also just looking over your meal plan for the day, that HAS to be a substantial deficit for you, right? Just sspitballing but it seems like I'm seeing 1,000 calories ish. (no I didn't take the time to math it lol)
Looking shredded….looks like that diet helped you shed that last little bit of fat you were trying to knock out.Lost 3.5lbs from yesterdayand my stomach sucked right in again too. Something works lol. "Something" is unknown still. View attachment 253481
Also, my baby momma is worried about me for once, not that I'm getting too skinny, but that if I don't stay out of the sun ICE is gonna come take me away lol.
Also, now that I'm getting really lean I can see my gyno when I flex. Time for a Ralox protocol
I'm tempted to drop another 10-12 lbs and really get shredded. But I'm also at that point I don't want to get smaller. I'm okay with the amount of muscle I have right now at this body fat percentage, especially when I eat normal for a couple days and fill back out.Looking shredded….looks like that diet helped you shed that last little bit of fat you were trying to get.![]()
Oh yeah, with where your body fat % looks in that picture at 190, I’m sure 20 lbs heavier at 210 you would still see your abs.I'm tempted to drop another 10-12 lbs and really get shredded. But I'm also at that point I don't want to get smaller. I'm okay with the amount of muscle I have right now at this body fat percentage, especially when I eat normal for a couple days and fill back out.
A alternative that I may do after I'm done playing around with the simple carbs is to still cut that last 10lbs but do it like I've got 7 to 10 days to make weight for a fight. Which would involve me cutting my calories in half and doing excessive cardio for a week. Most of it would be water but I think sucking down another 10 lb to 178-180 would have me as tight as I could be without going into a contest prep diet. I really just want to get a visual picture of what it's going to look like and I know I won't be able to maintain that low of a body weight anyways.
With all those things said, I can't wait to bulk back up to 210-215 cuz I'm pretty sure I can maintain my abs till at least 210 lb without lean I am right now. I would love to have these new set points and I think I do have new set points
this is the legit struggle. every time I get under 190 I know that another 5-10 lbs would be perfect, but I get that hankering to grow and lift heavier again.I'm tempted to drop another 10-12 lbs and really get shredded. But I'm also at that point I don't want to get smaller. I'm okay with the amount of muscle I have right now at this body fat percentage, especially when I eat normal for a couple days and fill back out.
I know, it's been my issue for years, but I have always been happy after I cut further then I'm comfortable with. Maybe not while I'm at my lowest weight, but on the way back up, it always piles on better then before. I really think one of the biggest cheat codes that no1 access is the benefit of getting really lean. I try to get a tiny bet leaner on each cut and on the way back up your always leaner when you get back to your starting weight.this is the legit struggle. every time I get under 190 I know that another 5-10 lbs would be perfect, but I get that hankering to grow and lift heavier again.
my weight tracking graph is starting to look like financial technical analysis of a stock about to either explode to the upside, or tank down.I try to get a tiny bet leaner on each cut and on the way back up your always leaner when you get back to your starting weight.
It's funny, I always use to bulk too hard and not cut enough, once I realized the benefits of getting lean, not I'm afraid to get too fat lol. Which was never an issue for me 4-5 years ago. I regularly pushed up to 220 but it wasn't a lean 220 by any stretch of imagination
Looks like it’s the right time to buy into that stock…..it’s getting ready to explode with new growth.my weight tracking graph is starting to look like financial technical analysis of a stock about to either explode to the upside, or tank down.
i sat at 180 for ever, slow bulked to 207,
down to like 183 up to 205
down to 186 up to 203
down to 187 up to 198
today sitting at 193 lol.
so a little heavier each cut, a little lighter each bulk. I think mid 180s is probably my healthiest sweet spot but my strength is substantially higher at 195+ 200 is PR city for me.
View attachment 253483
On the sugar days with protein and vegetables or rice at dinner/post workout only, about 80-100gm.Looking good man, I am really considering giving this a shot for a week or two. Just to see if I got a similar experience. How much protein are you getting in on average a day?
If I could skip the whole months of bulking and go straight back to 220lbs in the winter I would in a heartbeat, I haven't tested my strength at 215-220 in a few years. I benched 370 @198 like 2 years ago, id imagine at 220 and no shoulder issues going on I could get my 405 with a little bench press peeking program and a handful of anadrol lol.my weight tracking graph is starting to look like financial technical analysis of a stock about to either explode to the upside, or tank down.
i sat at 180 for ever, slow bulked to 207,
down to like 183 up to 205
down to 186 up to 203
down to 187 up to 198
today sitting at 193 lol.
so a little heavier each cut, a little lighter each bulk. I think mid 180s is probably my healthiest sweet spot but my strength is substantially higher at 195+ 200 is PR city for me.
View attachment 253483
Something works lol. "Something" is unknown still.
Because many days in the summer I'm working outside painting or doing some kind of construction this can work for me. And pretty good. I'm hot and thirsty all the time but not super hungry. If I switch to more fruit and add watermelon chunks, citrus fruit slices and berries I can see this being even better. I just don't like not eating close to 200gm of protein ideally I want to be at 250 consistently as that's what I've found to be the "perfect" not really but it's a good amount for me. It gets the job done regardless of many other factors. The way I'm eating now, if I total up every day's protein because I have some high protein days where I even hit 300, and I'm just doing that to balance things out, but over the 7 days in a row that I calculated it only breaks down to about 160 to 180 g a day. And that's because some days are 100 and some days or 200+ and occasionally I have a 300 day. And I'm not worried about160-180, that's fine for me for maintenance.Something works for sure.
It’s something in fruits, it has to be, but is it fructose, or megadosing plyohenols / natural occuring vitamins/minerals?
For me mandatory supplements are salt, choline and candy/sugars, I’m feeling and am performing great on about a 2/3 fruits 1/3 sugar mix.
W/o salt cramps
Choline for mood
Sugar for workout strength, endurance and pump, no pump and flat w/o sugar!
Puzzling: 6 days in a row exactly the same weight in the morning, while tweaking the diet.
The first few days I was struggling with energy/mood, adding sugar/choline fixed that.
Strength/endurance and mood are currently above average, excellent even,
Lifestyle wise, a very likeable diet. Eat all the fruit you possibly can during the day, lots of options for variation, a bag of candy around workout, a pound of lean meat with greens and some potatoes or similar at dinner. No hunger, no suffering, calorie counting not necessary. I really enjoy dropping by the supermarket after workout, buying and cooking whatever I fancy at that moment (within the established options ofcourse). A very welcome departure from force feeding 5-6 pre-prepped rice/broccoli/chicken type meals. It actually feels more normal / natural.