Sometimes this game of bodybuilding can get downright frustrating. You do your best, usually more than the average bear if you have been at it for a while, but your body still doesnt do what you want it to most of the time. This happened to me after my last contest. I was in great shape on stage and then had to watch most of it slip away. I know you cant hold contest condition all year but it would be nice to stay relatively close, especially for me being a trainer and all. I mean my clients poke my tummy and ask me to make muscles, so things have to look petty good. So how do you stay lean but not shredded all year?
Well Im disciplined but sometimes its not the discipline but the knowledge
thats lacking. I hate information overload, it seems you ask a simple question
and you get many answers these days. Then you have to go and decide which
one is right, but when you decide instead of an expert, you always have that
little doubt that keeps you thinking, Maybe Im not doing this right. So the
big question is, out of the millions of diets out there, which one is right
for you and your body type? Something that can be maintained and you still
look great. Here is what I came up with-its nothing new (dont leave yet!)
its just a new twist on several methods that have worked over the years and
are proven. So here comes common sense and a little science.
High carbs, low carbs or no carbs?Carbs release insulin leading to fat storage
when consumed in excess amounts. If you eat the wrong carbs you can get mood
swings and changing energy levels and crashes. Then to combat this you have
to eat more carbs starting the cycle all over. I thought for a while, I just
wont eat any and that will solve the problem!
Dont laugh, this works but not forever, and its not too healthy. The thing is though, carbs are really anabolic and are very useful in producing muscle mass and promoting recovery from your gym sessions, so I want some. Muscles increase metabolic rate so having more burns more calories and the babes (guys and girls) love em! Not to mention that carbs have the less significant job of keeping brain function normal (some of my clients are starting to understand my sometimes strange behavior)! Another thing is that when youre on a zero carb diet for more than two weeks your t3 levels drop 47%! This means your metabolism slows, thats a bummer.
However, 50 grams of carbs a day will prevent this. So this means that now
we know we need at least 50 grams a day to keep t3 levels up. Another consideration
is that the body needs some carbs daily to manufacture oxaloacetate (never
mind). This chemical makes sure your Krebs cycle is still able to produce
A.T.P., which is basically the spark that fuels all physical movement inside
the cell.
So the bottom line is that you need some carbs. Granted you can run off ketones
from ketosis but you dont get the anabolic effect of the carbs and your breath
will stink!. So at least 50 grams per day to keep up the metabolism.
The next question becomes is there any way to get more carbs in without them being stored as fat? Because if carbs are anabolic it would be nice to get as many as you can without the fat gain. Well you bet there is! After you workout there is an anabolic window where all or most of the carbs you consume as shuttled directly into the muscle cells or used to refill your glycogen stores in the liver. One study even went as far as to say that 900 grams of carbs could be consumed after exercise without any spillover! I tried to track down the reference on that one but couldnt find it. Seems awful high to me but such is mystery of scientific experiments huh? I guess. Any way general consensus in the mags and online is that 50-200 grams is allowed without spillover after the workout, I use 100 grams of maltodextrin in powdered form. You can get this at most health food stores.
So that means we have 50 grams of carbs a day and 150 on workout days, so
we are still pretty low but the entire productive basis of carbs is covered.
So we have the minimums but you can go higher and it just becomes a matter
of experimentation with how much you can handle without fat gain, We have
the anabolic properties of carbohydrates in the diet as well as normal t3
levels. Over all however the calories are low and you must take in enough
to get you through the day. How many? Lets figure it out.
If you work out you should have 1 gram per pound of bodyweight of protein,
1.5 if you are really giving it. So that works out to 285 grams or 1140 calories
for the typical bodybuilder at 190 pounds (or me, which ever comes first!)
Then the carbohydrates at 150 grams or 600 calories. Add them up and you get
1740! Not much to work on, but we havent figured out the fat yet! For optimum
testosterone levels (yea baby!) 20% of your diet should be fat. Some might
say thats too high, maybe but most people are on higher carb diets right?
Its the combo of insulin and fat that makes you store fat not the fat itself.
With higher carbs that means that they dont use fat as a fuel source because
the body prefers carbs.
So now we need to figure out what 20% of our total caloric intake is. I
guess that means we should figure out our daily intake! In order to find out
how many calories you need in a day use this. It is the same method registered
dieticians use, the Harris Benedict Equation. You could do it manually below
or just go to the web site reference stated below and it will figure it out
for you*.
* Convert your weight from pounds to kilograms. Take your weight in pounds
and divide it by 2.2. For example: 190 lb / 2.2 = 86.3 kg;
* Convert your height from inches to centimeters. Take your height in inches
and multiply it by 2.54. For example: 58 in. x 2.54 = 172.72 cm.
Listed below are the equations, for both men and women, in order to calculate
your Basal Energy Expenditure (BEE). Your BEE is the amount of energy you
need in order to maintain your weight at bed rest or no activity. Therefore,
your BEE is also used as the standard for your total calories needed when
you are active and want to lose weight because the activity will cause the
calorie deficiency needed.
Males:
66 + [13.7 x (weight in kg)] + [5.0 x (height in cm)] - [6.8 x (age in yrs)]
= BEE (in calories);
Females:
655 + [9.6 x (weight in kg)] + [1.8 x (height in cm)] - [4.7 x (age in yrs)]
= BEE (in calories);
So for me we have 1935.11 calories to maintain bodyweight without any activity.
So with the working out I will lose weight with this number. Back to the fat.
To get the number you need, multiply the overall calories by .20 and that
will give you 20%. It works out to 387 calories or 43 grams. Remember that
there is 9 calories per gram for fat. Thats the minimum of fat you want so
a little over is fine and if you require weight gain than make up the rest
of your caloric needs through flax seed or udos oil not carbs.
As a side note omega 3 acids that are found in fish oils and flax seed have
been shown to combat cardiovascular disease and was beneficial to those with
existing cardiac problems*. Lets crunch all the numbers. Im going to use the
workout days since I train more days than not!
Bodyweight: 190
Calories: 1935 or 2435 for weight gain
Carbohydrates: 150 on work out days (600 calories)
Fat at 20%: 487 calories or 54 grams
Protein at 1.5 grams/pound of bodyweight: 285 grams or 1140 calories
So protein plus carbs plus fat equals 2227 calories, which is a happy medium
between fat loss and optimum muscle gain. If you want more weight loss drop
off some carbs so your at your BEE and if you want more muscle gain add in
a couple more table spoons of flaxseed oil. So at this count you get optimum
fat, carb and protein levels.
Just a couple of more tips. Make sure you get adequate fiber intake. Take
in some bran or Metamucil to the tune of 25 grams a day. Because of the lack
of fruits and veggies you wont be getting any. If youre really after some
fat loss try my favorite of instant coffee with a green tea bag in it. The
taste is acquired for sure but if youre not into taking ephedrine and caffeine
its a good substitute and its cheap.
The protein is high on this diet so a whey supplement is really helpful.
One thing you may want to watch for if your concerned about the health risks
of the high fat (which of most are unfounded) is to combat a possible high
homocyteine levels (a precursor to several medical conditions) by supplementing
some folic acid at about 1 mg/day with some b6 and b12*. Its interesting to
note that in a study done in SAN DIEGO, CA on June 15, 1999, a very high-fat,
low-carbohydrate diet was shown to have astounding effects in helping type
2 diabetics lose weight and improve their blood lipid profiles.
Dr. James Hays, an endocrinologist and director of the Limestone Medical Center
in Wilmington, DE, admitted that the concept of a high-fat diet in people
who are already at higher risk of cardiovascular disease might seem incongruous.
But this study of 157 men and women with type 2 diabetes showed an impressive
benefit in body mass index (BMI) triglycerides, HDL, LDL and HbA1c. Again
I am not a doctor so these are just recommendations for myself but I have
stated the references below for you to look at. (thats the cover my butt part!)
The New York Times also just laid out an article about Dr. Atkins which
is a very interesting read for those that want to know more about this. It
seems that the A.M.A. attacked Atkins's diet as a ''bizarre regimen'' that
advocated ''an unlimited intake of saturated fats and cholesterol-rich foods,''
and Atkins even had to defend his diet in Congressional hearings! Did a very
good job of it too.
Well with this diet you get all the positives of carbs and none of the negatives.
Your protein sources are unlimited because you dont have to worry about fat
and its easy to maintain all year. If you get some cravings you can up your
carbs every 5 days or so as long as you drop some fat out. I do this by adding
a cup of rice to each meal on that day.
These days wont be so great for fat loss but they offer some variety so you can stay on the diet for long periods of time without burnout from the same foods. Really when it comes down to the wire, staying lean is all about consistency so you need to try something that isnt too tedious. If you have any questions about this diet, go ahead and write me. Also if you are pregnant or have any doubts about your health ask your doctor about any or all of my methods that I myself use.