Anabolic Diet Questions/Help

Ok…started the AD about 4 days ago and have some questions, so I’d figure I’d ask the guys that know the most here at T-Nation.

  1. according to the Cunningham equation I should be getting about 3400-3800 calories a day. I’m 177lbs with about 15% BF, but sometimes when I plug in the numbers including a high intensity lifting session it jumps to 6800 calories, I don’t think I’ve eaten 6800 calories in a day in my life. Seems to me the 3800 number is the solid number? I lift 3-4 times a week, high intensity.

  2. Yes I’ve read it over and over, but I don’t really need to count or worry about the carbs I get from veggies? About 90% of my carbs come from veggies, right now I’m at about 37 net carbs a day, again most from vegetables. I’m blending (not juicing) and drinking leafy greens (with pulp) 2-3 times a day: Kale, lettuce, spinach, parsley, chard…etc with no fruit (yes I don’t mind the taste ;). Just confirming not to count the veggies.

  3. I seem to be getting more protein than fat. I still have two more meals today but so far I’ve had 232 grams of protein and 157 grams of fat. Should I up the fat? I’m thinking heavy cream and cheese…I just don’t understand when eating red meat how you can get more fat than protein. All my beef is grass-fed, so it’s naturally leaner.

  4. I’ve done two body caliper measurements, the Jackson/Pollock 7 point method and the Parrilo 9 point method and get some pretty different readings. Jackson/Pollock says 12.8% BF and Parrilo says 15.6% - so I don’t get the drastic difference except that Jackson focuses on belly and Parillo adds back? Which one should I go with?

I think that’s it, my first carb up day is a week from Saturday, I’m doing a 14 day induction phase, I think I’m on the right track.

Thanks in advance for your help and responses

bump…anyone?

[quote]joeker wrote:
Ok…started the AD about 4 days ago and have some questions, so I’d figure I’d ask the guys that know the most here at T-Nation.

  1. according to the Cunningham equation I should be getting about 3400-3800 calories a day. I’m 177lbs with about 15% BF, but sometimes when I plug in the numbers including a high intensity lifting session it jumps to 6800 calories, I don’t think I’ve eaten 6800 calories in a day in my life. Seems to me the 3800 number is the solid number? I lift 3-4 times a week, high intensity.

  2. Yes I’ve read it over and over, but I don’t really need to count or worry about the carbs I get from veggies? About 90% of my carbs come from veggies, right now I’m at about 37 net carbs a day, again most from vegetables. I’m blending (not juicing) and drinking leafy greens (with pulp) 2-3 times a day: Kale, lettuce, spinach, parsley, chard…etc with no fruit (yes I don’t mind the taste ;). Just confirming not to count the veggies.

  3. I seem to be getting more protein than fat. I still have two more meals today but so far I’ve had 232 grams of protein and 157 grams of fat. Should I up the fat? I’m thinking heavy cream and cheese…I just don’t understand when eating red meat how you can get more fat than protein. All my beef is grass-fed, so it’s naturally leaner.

  4. I’ve done two body caliper measurements, the Jackson/Pollock 7 point method and the Parrilo 9 point method and get some pretty different readings. Jackson/Pollock says 12.8% BF and Parrilo says 15.6% - so I don’t get the drastic difference except that Jackson focuses on belly and Parillo adds back? Which one should I go with?

I think that’s it, my first carb up day is a week from Saturday, I’m doing a 14 day induction phase, I think I’m on the right track.

Thanks in advance for your help and responses[/quote]

  1. Take in 18x your bodyweight for at least the first 2 months. Bottom line.

  2. No, minus the fiber from your carbs. If your lettuce is 4 grams of carbs and 2 grams fiber, than only count 2 grams of carbs towards your daily amount.

  3. Opt for fattier cuts of meat. Use olive oil whenever possible, if I am real hungry at night before bed I will down a tablespoon or two. I dump olive oil on my massive spinach salads, marinade my meat with it and fry my eggs in it in the morning. Do not go cheese crazy, it will bind your bowels up and honestly I like to look for better sources of fat (olive oil and beef). For cheese I often go for goat cheese since it is easier to digest.

  4. Throw out your calipers and get in front of the mirror. Take pictures in the same spot, same time of the week with the same lighting once a week and compare. This diet will make your scale weight fluctuate wildly throughout the week so do not rely on it. Your eye is your best measurement tool on the AD.

Best of luck my friend and stop by the “My Experience On The Anabolic Diet” thread sometime.

Thanks for the response, I am going to cut back on the cheese and eat more olive oil and avocado this week (which has tons of fiber)

Except for veggies, specific fruit and nuts, what are other carb sources would you recommend?
(…for the occasional high-carb day…)

Quinoa? (Gluten free) Oats? Fava beans?