My Experience On the Anabolic Diet

Yes. To guarantee a good start go the first weekend as normal on the AD. This will give you 12 days straight to wring every last bit of glycogen out of your hide and then you go 5-5 1/2 days low carb, then 36 hours of food orgy. For mass of course. If you want to cut, then just have a slow dance and some heavy petting. ;-) Example. I start the AD on Monday, June 20th and go until Friday July 1st OR Saturday July 2nd for my carb load. Best scenarios. #1 Standard. Start carbing from Saturday morning until Sunday evening. Give yourself a break before bed Sunday night or you may not sleep well. #2 My current. Start carbing on Friday morning or at lunch and go till Saturday evening. Both ways give you *2* days effectively, but it's really @36 hours. That is a good duration. That is the best way to understand your 2 day load. All day Saturday (from about 8am) and all day Sunday (till about 6pm). DH

--The AD is a fun way to eat. During the week I'm eating eggs, steak, bacon, chicken, olive oil, feta cheese, and a multitude of I-talian cheese...along with things like saut. spinach and garlic in olive oil. Then, you can really look forward to that box of cereal or piece of cake on saturday.

Oh boy, this is one sweet diet. I thought I would be sluggish, tired, week, and dying for some carbs. I am experiencing the opposite of all of these. Here is a sample of my diet so far today. Meal 1: 1/2 scoop pro powder, six scrambled eggs, 3/4 cup of Cheddar cheese. eight pieces of bacon. 10 fish oil pills,1 liter of water Meal 2: Same as above minus protein powder. Meal 3: Pre workout? two scoops of Power Drive mixed with some strong green tea Meal 4: PWO All you can eat BBQ beef, about 1-11/2 lbs. One huge salad with oil

and vinegar. My training partner told me he has never seen anyone eat that much beef in one sitting:) Meal 5:Two Bubba burgers, four pieces of cheese(Swiss, and cheddar), 10 fish oil pills, and two tablespoons of sugar free fiber supp. My next meal will be the same as meal five and I will have some full fat cottage cheese and more fish oil before bed. Today I was kind of lacking in the veggie department, but I will make up for it tomorrow. I have never consumed so much fish oil in my life. Hopefully I won't grow gills:) One more week until carb up, and I could care lees. I love cheese! Joe It IS a sweet ride. Just be aware that you might hit a wall, but tough it out. This makes all the difference. When I first did it, I was feeling like I had the flu by Friday. Few days later and I'm jumping out of the bed in the morn. GF was amazed as I always hated mornings. DH

mdragon, that is a valid point and one that does play into your choice of CHO on the AD. The big one is that starches are broken down into glucose primarily with small amounts of fructose. Glucose preferentially fills the muscle while fructose heads to the liver. Sucrose (table sugar in your sweets) is a dissacharide and has a larger fructose content that will allow the liver to be full faster and then when you begin carb depletion, the liver will continue to spike and drop your blood sugar levels for hours until it is depleted again. Better to focus on filling muscle glycogen stores to the max. Also sucrose and fructose stimulate fat creating enzymes. So keep your loads smart. Have your goodies, but do it after you've consumed quality carbs. You'll feel better, look better, and your appetite won't get you into trouble by driving you to down a gallon of Ben & Jerry's. DH

pretty much so. And I too am an all or nothing guy. Really a blessing and a curse isn't it... Seems like your not you're own boss at times. ;-).

The AD seems best for this personality type even more. The only time you have to "down shift" is when you walk away from the load on Sat or Sun evening. But it's easy to bear when you know another will be coming soon, and tomorrow morning ... eggs and bacon await. :0. On a standard diet, you have to become too involved for the all or nothing guy. DH

Is it possible to due this diet witout eating Pork? I dont have pork in my diet kind like to keep that way but like the sounds of the diet so far! Absolutely! However, how can you give up bacon man? Those crispy, little morsels are one of the things that make this diet so great. In all honesty, pork is the meat I eat the least, aside from bacon and the occasional BBQ ribs (minus the BBQ sauce), and it is not necessary that you consume it either. There are plenty of other lowcarb, high-protein foods out there. If I remember correctly, DH himself eats little in the way of pork, although I do know we share the same passion for "those crispy, little morsels". Steak, chicken and fish(Yes, i consider it a meat. Who cares if no one else does!) are my main staples as far as meat goes. So, as far as not wanting to eat pork, don't sweat it man! Thought DH? -BD "Long live the bacon!"

Of course! I've done the Anabolic Diet off and on for the past 3 years (currently 5'6", 205, single digit bodyfat), and I generally eat pork no more than once a week. You'll just be eating more chicken, beef, fish, and eggs. As tasty as bacon and eggs are, they don't hold a candle to steak and eggs or a good jerk chicken omelet, IMO. I've actually got a vegetarian friend who follows the Anabolic Diet successfully.

Chuck, looks great. Enjoy. And I'm still reeling from finding people on Earth who don't want bacon on the AD.. Stop the Insanity...

I eat plenty of: olive oil, fish oil caps, some Cod liver oil in winter mostly, bacon (entirely unnecessary) steak, pork steak, ground sirloin, ground chuck, chicken breast, whole chicken, eggs, cheese (real not cheese food), real butter, smart balance butter, almonds (raw), raw walnuts, natural peanut butter, heavy whipping cream, cauliflour, brocolli, green beans, onions, mushrooms, romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, cream cheese, deli steak, deli turkey, salmon steaks, shrimp, green peppers, cucumbers, red peppers, ceasar salad dressing, ranch salad dressing, mayonnaise, mustard, tomatoes (7g for a full one), every herb and spice on Earth, and much more... Also for our pleasure: Hood low carb milk (choc and whole are my favorites). Low carb fajita shells (minus the fiber, I've found them as low as 5g each to be used for steak and chicken fajitas or a breakfast burrito.) Sugar free jello with some Cool Whip Healthy Life low carb bread (minus fiber leaves 5g per slice. If you are smart AND have ALREADY adapted to the diet you can leave enough CHO from you limit to have a steak and cheese deli sandwich with the veggies and mayo.) Heinz low carb Ketchup (1g per tbsp) Pork Rinds with some low carb salsa is great too. And our good friend Splenda. Use for baking some low carb goodies, for your coffee with the heavy cream, or mix it with your nasty hydrolyzed whey to remove that lovely after vomit/jock strap taste. DH

I am going to the store later today and will be buying: eggs-3 dozen cheese, full fat-several blocks,different varieties spam-several cans ham-1 large cream-1 pint sausage-several varieties bacon-3lbs corned beef hash-5 cans

steak-as much as I can afford ground beef-as much as I can afford fish-several kinds,3 or 4 lbs a fiber supplement I've already got 12lbs of ground chuck at home, also butter, several cheeses and lunchmeats, some spam, olive oil, and some bacon. Sorry for the mix-up man, those foods above are what I plan on eating.

My normal weekly fare consists of such items as: Lean beef, chicken by the truck load, many eggs, bacon or canadian bacon, spinach, broccoli, olive oil, flax meal, green tea, pork, salmon, the occasional lobster, crab or shrimp, red or green leaf lettuce, mixed nuts when I just need a little something...protein powders, water, cheese (good greek and italian cheese), once in a while some italian lunch meats (procchuito, etc), tuna, and grass fed beef. Now, this weekend included such lovely carb ups as: A box of Fruity Pebbels A PWO shake with 2 scoops of chocolate whey mixed with a box of low fat, sugar free Pastachio pudding...this is good enough to punch someon for. Actually, I look forward to my friday night and saturday PWO shakes because I mix them with various flavors of pudding and they are excellent. I would be remiss if I did not emphasize one more time: PLENTY of fresh veggies. (watch labels) SOME fresh blueberries and strawberries (HIFWAC fruits) High Fiber/water content) 2-3g of DHA/EPA per day PLENTY of monounsat. fat (Olive Oil) PLENTY of fiber (at least 20g daily. Rest of the sat and unsat fat from foods will keep the T levels nice an high. And the big back breaker... COUNT ALL ITEMS THAT YOU PUT IN YOUR MOUTH (no dirty comments) AGAINST YOUR CARB LIMIT.

Fiber does NOT count. Want everyone to be healthy. Also it is always smart to have blood work done before the diet and then a while after you've been on. The diet shows great benefit with repect to cholesterol levels (which are beginning to lose importance in the research world) and more importantly triglyceride levels, but CHECK yourself out. Just do it both before and after so that you don't wrongly attribute anything to the diet. Be smart. FYI. Niacin, in the correct dosage, has been touted to drop cholesterol around 25%. DH Check out this link for a more info. wilstar.com/lowcarb/print-hiddencarbs.htm Metamucil has 2g of carbs per serving not counting the fiber. I would still suggest getting the bulk of your fibers from good, fresh veggies, nuts and psyllium hulls. 3/4 cup of walnuts would give you 20g fat, 12g carbs(but you only count 6 grams because 6 of those grams are fiber) and 15g protein - about 600 calories all together. You would then only need to come up with around 19 more grams per day to make up the rest of your fiber. Do a little research on the net to find out the fiber content of various veggies, nuts and seeds and incorporate them into your daily diet. Google carb counter and play with it. You can easily find natural foods to get your daily fiber needs. Good luck! -BD I strongly suggest getting some Flax seeds or Flax Seed meal. Huge fiber, good healthy fats, and even a few g's of protein. Add it to a shake and you won't even taste it. Also, eat lettuce, spinach, and a few strawberries or blueberries. Eat a big spinach and egg omlet and you'll see how fast the fiber works. If you went from a lot of carbs to under 30 a day, you'll drop some water weight at first. Just keep an eye on the mirror, your measurements and the scale...I think all 3 are needed. Day eight and still going strong. I am down about 10 lbs. It is mostly water and Glycogen, possibly a little fat. I have been eating about 1500 kcals over maintenance, but I appear a little more ripped? I guess it is all the water and glycogen loss, but damn I look good. Waist is shrinking and oblique's look huge :) I have been strong in the gym, which I didn't expect not eating any carbs. I can

already tell that this is the diet to get huge and ripped. Four days until carb up and no cravings. I think I found the holy grail:) Joe I felt like I had a near death experience when I hit the wall during my metabolic shift. Seriously. I was lying on the decline bench and just moaned while a friend of mine said those awful words. "You look kinda puny today." She horrified me. It cannot be emphasized enough, this diet will bust your chops at some early point when you finally deplete your glycogen stores. Sooner or later. BUT that is good because it takes this bottoming out to move to the top. Everyone is doing fine. Just keep the cals up. Your body will do two important things: 1) you will force it to alter krebs cycle substrate use to burn fat. 2) you will begin to become more efficient at not only sparing protein but ALSO holding carbs in the muscle. Whatever you give the body in short order, it will attempt to hold onto. Holding water, drink some more. Holding fat, eat some more fat. Eat fewer carbs, teach the body to be stingy with them and tap them only when necessary. You win all the way around. Hang in there, it's worth it. BTW, that day's bench workout never happned. I knew not to push it. That call is up to you, just be aware of this and have some spotters if you are going heavy... VERY important. I'd suggest a few days of active recovery instead. Soon, though, you'll be moving along. DH

My supp use is currently: Whey (hydrolyzed, but WPI works too) Use for pre and post meals. Milk protein isolate/WPC combo for genaral use and quick cals. Mixed with olive oil and a few tbsp of heavy whipping cream. Sugar free jello too. *Low-Carb Grow! would be fine here.* Creatine (5g per day to be sure as per Dave Barr. I get a bit more than suggested just to cover bases) Multi nutrient caps

Extra Vit. C, E, B's. Fish Oil caps Power Drive (to prevent CNS fatigue and to keep me out of the coffee so much) Some extra minerals such as Zn, Mg. I also experiment with some herbs from time to time. Avena, tongkat, tribulus, etc.. I also like Calcium D-Glucarate for preventing E increases. I'm paranoid about environmental estrogens. Very simple, mostly food based. Very effective. DH If you want to support T-Nation then Low-Carb Grow!, Power Drive, and ZMA would all fit nicely in the above. Adding HOT- ROX, Carbolin 19, or some of the T boosters would be fine too for specific effect/use. zdrax wrote: So just to confirm, when you start the diet, you eat < 30g carbs for 12 days. Carbup. Then go onto the schedule of 5 days on @ < 30g carbs, 2 carb-up? Is this correct? Can you get away with 1 carb-up day if you're leaning out? Personally, I would do a two day carb-up after the 12 day starting period to replenish the body. After that, tou can get away with a 1 day carb up depending on your body. The Doc recommends staying on the diet as written for a period of time to see how your body is adjusting to the diet, and then you can alter it to your own requirements. If you use very high GI carbs, your carb up will take less time than if you eat low GI carbs. The carb up days are just as important as the low carb days. Without carbing up, you are on the Atkins Diet which is crap for bulking and generally very catabolic.

Charles Atlas wrote: Thanks DH, will try to get some more fish oil in there, but I haven't been to costco in a while, so my supply is running low. Today I had: eggs whey protien ,(4X) monterey jack cheese, (2X) pumpkin seed kernals

cheddar cheese big spinach salad with much olive oil (3X) pork roast bit of pepperoni How does this look? I realize I'm lacking on the good meats, but I really didn't have any time to cook today. This thread is one of the best ever on the forums. I think some of us should post our daily menu from time to time...kind of keep focus and maybe learn something new to eat. Today I had: 5 eggs, 2 meatballs, 1oz feta, 2 fish oil caps tuna, olive oil, redleaf lettuce Low-Carb Grow! in coffee (c. 24oz) Whey shake, 5 fish oil caps Steak, 2c spinach, olive oil Whey and Low-Carb Grow! shake, flaxmeal About 3/4gallon water 3 glasses iced green tea Thats pretty lite, but I am usually still full from the weekends on monday.
Yesterday in the life of DH: Meal 1: 5 fish caps 5 free range eggs 6 slices bacon 1/2 tomato 1/2 reg mixed w 1/2 decaf. coffee 2tbsp heavy whipping cream 2tsp splenda Meal 2: 6oz deli roast beef 2 slices of colby jack cheese 2 pickle spears 2 tbsp cream cheese 2 sticks celery with natural PB. *Made into meat rolls 12oz low carb chocolate milk

Meal 3: 2x 1/3lb angus beef burgers 2 slices american cheese 2 tbsp low carb ketchup 1 large salad: romaine lettuce, radishes, red onions, eggs, frozen peas, and bacon bits. 2 tbsp Ceasar dressing Meal 4: 2 oz Milk protein/WPC mix (50/50) 3tbsp olive oil 2 slim jims 1/2 tomato Pre/during workout. 40g of Hydrolyzed whey with a bit of whey isolate for taste (75/25) Added splenda and sugar free jello. Post workout. 25g Hydro whey (MW 520) 5g creatine 10g of grape juice for a small kick Meal 5: 8oz sirloin tips w/ onions & shrooms Large salad (rest of pre made above) Olive oil and vinegar mix for dressing. 1 cup green beans (cooked in onions and bacon pieces) Meal 6: 1oz of Milk protein/WPC 12oz Hood LC choc. milk 4 oz cottage cheese (full fat) 5 fish caps Hey new AD devotees, Check the second or so message in the thread. Don't say you weren't warned! Stick it out like Hoss and the guys are saying. Many people give up right here. One good thing to note is that you are on the right track. Feeling this 'dead' is a sign your body is fighting to adapt. In answer to those questions about how long, how much. Basically: 30 grams for 12 days, 2 day free for all (you deserve it)then 5 days 30 grams, 1 or 2 days carb load but not such a free for all. Forget about the hype filled 'net carb' bs. Count whole

foods as much as possible. Like the veterans have been saying this diet was conceived before the low carb fad. A real good meat that works for me is 'little smokies' you know little cocktail weiners. Just microwave them and you are good to go. I've had good results with a full 2 day, 48 hr. carb load. Friday night to Sunday night. When cutting for a Bodybuilding Contest I went to a 1 day load for about 5 weeks and just got ripped to the bone. You just have to try it out and even vary the carb loads from time to time. But I can't stress enough to tough it out through the adaptation phase. I've seen many people give up right here. Barry Here is my day two. I had to take up the calories from yesterday's 3000 to 3500 today, and I still felt absolutely starving around 2:30 or 3:00. Tommorow I'll take them up to 4000, but here it is anyhow: Meal 1-7.30(all other meals are 2.5hrs after the previous meal) 4eggs, 2oz chicken breast, 1oz cheddar cheese, big cup of coffee(about 2C). Meal 2 6 hard boiled eggs, 1oz cheddar cheese Meal 3 5oz chicken breast, 3oz raw spinach, 2T olive oil Meal 4 3/4C raw pumpkin seed kernals, 2oz chicken breast Meal 5 1.5oz raw walnuts, 5oz yellow bell pepper, 10 fish oil tabs, 1 scoop of wpi Meal 6 9oz Pork Roast, 3oz Spinach, 1T olive oil, 10 fish oil tabs that's it for today.

I'm planning on giving this diet a shot in order to bulk up and gain more lean muscle mass. i was just wondering whether it would be ok to have some veggies with the lunch and dinner meals.

--No, as long as you follow what I write below... Does this violate the AD rules? Which are the best low-carb veggies you recommend for this diet, since I want to ingest the maximum greens possible without surpassing the 30g carb barrier. --Spinach, spinach, spinach! Lettuce, the greener the better, some broccoli, tomato, garlic, some onion, and cucumbers...I'd stay away from corn, potatos, and peas. Also, does Metamucil count as carbs? I think I might have problems with bowel regularity (I already have the tendency to get constipated on "normal" diets) on such a high protein + low fiber diet.. --Forget Metamucil. Start using Flax seeds or Flaxseed meal. I'm sure you've read the benefits of flax oil on this site...the seedmeal gives you the benifits of the EFA's but the added bonus of a good deal of fiber. Add a few tbs to your shakes and, trust me, you'll have no problems with regularity. Thanx for your responses btw !

Broccoli and Green beans are good but be careful as both have roughly 8 grams per cup. Lettuce is good and celery. The constipation is not what you would think on this diet. I eat cheese like it's going out of style and don't have problems. Barry Oh yeah. I've given exercise technique demos at the gym and started to sweat right through my basketball pants. The AD (and all low carb diets) are natural diuretics. (Had somebody ask me once if that was a book by L. Ron Hubbard. Ha!) If I'm not mistaken, something like 1 molecule of glucose carries double it's weight in water with it. Always keep your water up on the AD. In addition water is "anabolic" in a round about kinda way. Without adequate hydration, you cannot operate at your optimum thus decreasing load, volume or density. Any of which will spell sub par results from your training. Best, DH

Generally, no. Eat to taste, gents. That being said, I like mine about 85% or so. Of course my Bubba Burgers (Black Angus) from Walmart have a whoppin' 38g of fat per patty (before cooking). Just keep the good fats, and veggies up. Be sure to take extra nutrients such as vitamin B, C, E, and some minerals just to prevent any deficiencies. Veggies and some fruit should cover most of this. As I've said: before and after blood work is always a good idea on any new diet. Especially for anyone in their 30's or above. DH Last night I started my Carb load. Two whoppers from burger king, water and a few french fries at 6pm. Pasta, red sauce and chicken at about 8pm. This morning Oatmeal and blueberries. I'm feeling good other than having crappy sleep because my daughter is sick and teething at the same time. So I was up and down about 20 times. I think I'll give her some vodka tonight. J/K. WHOA, MD. You might want to keep protein a little more controlled and get more carbos. The load should be controlled protein. Just a tip from a veteran. DH The Cocky poster boy for the AD, you guy's crack me up. This morning I weighed in at 191. I started the AD at 205. My BF has went down 2%, but I am pretty sure that is from the water and glycogen loss. So far the carb up and today's workout have went great. Here's what I have ate so far today: Meal one. Two cups oats (uncooked weight), one cup of mixed berries, 2 scoops of Low-Carb Grow!, and a banana. Meal two: The same as above. Meal three: during workout 3 scoops of Surge (I got four tubs to use up somehow:) Meal four: PWO half a BBQ chicken all white meat and three sweet potatoes and cole slaw. meal five: will be one cup of brown rice with soy sauce and a boneless skinless chicken breast. Meal six will be 1 cup full fat cottage cheese, 1/2 scoop of Low-Carb Grow!, 1 tblsp of flax and olive oil and 10 fish oil caps. Tomorrow I will basically eat the same thing minus the BBQ chicken PWO. I think I might try and take two fish oil caps with each meal instead of all of them at once. I don't think I will eat any junk on my carb up day's for I while . I want to gain some more LBM while getting ripped:) Joe No need to eradicate the protein. You should play around with this. Just make sure that you're getting at least 40-50% of your daily intake as carbo. YOU may do OK

with lots of protein. I've wondered if keeping it a bit low for a day or two might increase uptake thereafter. Doc says some do very well on 60C/30F/10P. I go more 50C/30F/20P overall. But then again this is by mental notation. Who wants/needs to count calories when the buffet is calling... Bottom line: Get enough carbs and don't exceed 36 hours (for now to see how you do).

Softening is a normal phenomenon. You have evacuated all the extra glycogen and water from your tissue. Once your body learns how to use fats for energy and be carb stingy, you'll be more balanced. Just console yourself with the fact that #1: This was not muscle you lost so you lost nothing of any value, #2: You will have the reverse after you load, #3: This "softening" will be much less severe when you fully adapt. Let me emphasize: This diet WILL be a little crazy at first. But you'll be cruisin' soon enough. It all depends on your mental toughness. Some walk away while they are on the precipice of breakthrough. Too bad. Thursday and Friday are what I call my dry days. You'll be leaner looking from the low water retention and eventually these may be your favorite days. We are essentially putting a bodybuilding contest prep cycle inside of a week each week. You'll learn your best days and enjoy knowing that you're optimizing your hormones for peak anabolic response. DH. And one more itty bitty piece of advice, MAKE SURE YOU ARE NOT GETTING TOO MANY CARBS. Many, and I repeat, many people, no matter how many times it is said, do not fully understand that you must count ANY thing of any substance (liquid or solid) that goes into your mouth. All of it. Of course oxygen is carb free. ;-)

DH, I want to make sure I understand your training recommendations. You believe that higher rep workouts right after the carb load are best (ex. sets of 8 reps) and heavier, low rep sets (ex. sets of 3) are best towards the end of the week right before the next carb up. Is this correct? Thank you.

- reddman DH, One of the differences in AS that I'll mention, is that Dr. D states that the range for an adapted person is 30-70 grams CHO per day, and that each person should experiment to determine their own tolerance--provided that you've already completed the strict 30 gram break-in period and have fully adapted. That's probably the biggest difference in the books. Bino moves to the top of the class. Good to see you, bro! Yes, adding the AD and/or AS are not of any real benefit if you already have one or the other. Better to buy some steak with the $. The two are the same animal. The biggest benefit is probably format. The AD is not in hard copy now. But it has the video w/it. The AS is currently in print. Either way, you're good to go. No worries. And, it should be stated again, practical application is the completion of the theory. Stick around on the thread for the best of both. Doc D and I have talked about how the concepts here are golden, and once adaptation has occurred, you can make some intelligent tweeking. Nothing crazy. Just like training, you know.. Room for individual variability WITHOUT destroying the diet. The more you drive this performance vehicle the more you "know" it and your responses. I just cannot emphasize enough, NO alterations for a few months (say 3-4). You have to be able to compare the "tweeks" to the original responses. Everybody needs a map before they set sail. Otherwise hitting your destination is as likely as the survival of that proverbial snowball somewhere south. ;-)

DH For all the impatient guys out there: The first tweek that one CAN do, not necessary and I usually don't, is to add about 25-30g CHO as a pre or post workout drink. The research (DB's article) shows that this, mixed with some aminos or hydrolyzed whey, can boost your protein synthesis. BUT, you don't need those carbos. I usually don't. The right protein is fast enough to give you enough of a hit , too. Especially if you want to lean up. DO NOT: 1. think that this is necessary or even optimal for everyone. If we push our glycogen levels too high then the carb load will NOT work. So less is more here, with added emphasis. Don't exceed the 25-30g. We are different animals to a significant degree once we alter energy substrate usage following the shift. What has one effect in the

"other" world can be something different on the AD. You MUST understand that. 2. add this step until you have 3 months stict adherence to compare yourself to. This also allows for insurance on making sure you are a full fat burner AND that you have seen what type/quantity CHO you need to get the best result. Best, DH Go to whatever your "finer" chain of grocery stores is out there. At least here in CO, they only have the plastic bottles at Walmart and the other "cheap" stores. I paid $18.99 for a 3L tin of Star brand cold pressed extra virgin. I am convinced that light shielding is critical to keep the oil the freshest and avoid damage to the more unsaturated FA chains. If you are interested in learning more, I highly recommend "Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill", by Udo Erasmus. It is a fantastic book that explains just about everything you could wish to know about fats and oils.

Hope this helps.

You've found the diet. Best diet bar none to lose fat/keep muscle. One word of caution: patience. The AD works like a charm but it will take awhile before the cuts start to show. There have been a few guys post that they've started the AD and gone down to zero carbs. Don't do this. It is highly unlikely in the first place that they are truly at 'zero' carbs and there are hard scientific reasons behind the 30 grams per day rule. With 23% bodyfat you may have some serious carb cravings to deal with. Try sugar free jello with cool whip. It will surprise you how lo carb cool whip is. There are also some great lo carb yogurts that come in at 5 grams/serving. Heed the warnings about the crash. I have seen the higher the bdyfat the harder the crash. It's easy to read/write about but till you try it...well I've seen some pretty hard core dudes cash it in when the crash came. Another thing, don't be a slave to the scale. After your first carb up you will probably even gain scale weight. Don't even get on a scale till after 3-4 months on the AD. Go for it and keep us posted. Barry V, Don't say I didn't warn you if you decide to go sugar crazy... Eat some pastas, oatmeal, taters, veggies, AND some sugary stuff. But alas, we must all experience the "Coma load" at some point. ;-). And if one so chooses, Fruity Pebbles are indeed a wonderful way to go...

DH Vegita wrote: Yea I'm trying to figure out just what I want to pig out on over the upcoming weekend. I'm really feeling Il cazzo's fruity pebbles idea. Unfortunately I have been known to eat the entire box in one setting. I'll have to break it up into at least two, maybe back to back though. V

Experienced AD'ers, Some weeks I travel extensively for my job. What have you found to be the best carry around snacks during the week? I am thinking beef jerky and nuts have to be the best. Any other suggestions or tips? Does anybody else have a similar work related travel challenge? Thanks in advance. -reddman 15