this might sound ridiculous but I decided to take the neuro type test a 3rd time…!
Wanted to see if carbs affect not only gym performance but real life behavior / tendencies.
Still ended up a 1B but only slightly. It seems like carbs tend to make people a little less “alpha” and more relaxed… I would probably encourage others to try taking the test under different circumstances as well…
Yes, carbs lower cortisol and adrenaline. Adrenaline make you more competitive, aggressive and less patient.
This is new test too, if you did the old test the first two times it could explain the difference.
Decided to do my first ever cut with high carbs👇
Protein: 215ish grams
Carbs: 200 grams
Fats: 50ish grams
Cardio: 20 mins HIT sprints & sled push once/week
Started on February 1st at roughly 200lbs (first pic)
Finished today at 187lbs. (Don’t think I want to continue) (2nd pic)
Takeaways comparing low carb vs high(er) carb cuts: 
I did not feel like shit at all. Not once (in comparison to low carb). Even managed to eat way less protein… (1gram per lb vs 1.8 that I used to do smh)…
I think I may have built some chest muscle bcz I actually had a lot of energy during workouts
sleep suffered only once or twice (usually only on a leg day)
On the days I knew I trained too hard & had a busy work day… I’d use lemon balm 1 hour before bed. This might have helped
Happy with the results and thankful that I randomly found this forum last summer. Great advice & helped correct the mistakes I was making. I will probably NEVER go low carb again
**The only problem I have is I can’t help but wonder what else I might be doing “the hard way” in life… that I am not aware of. I was raised to “work hard”… “grind”… but something deep down tells me there’s a better approach. To work smarter and stop going against the tide…
I guess I’ll have to find more Forums on other topics…**
Incredible work man!
I’m in the same boat as you, where I’m sure I’m dieting and training the “hard” way - 90s bodybuilding style! It’s super hard for me to change, though, because it’s worked before so I know I can’t just power through it. Very impressed you were able to make a mental switch when you’re already at a high level; I think people discount how tough that is
Wow, well done!
I’m playing with the same thing here. As a 1B, I think having some carbs can be a positive thing. The pleasure response (dopamine spike) you have from the carbs can outweigh the effect it has on serotonin production. Normally it would have a negative effect on the dopamine/serotonin ratio, making you less amped up and less motivated. Without those carbs, eating can be really terrible for a type 1 I guess. Though, I think there is a tipping point you need to look out for. But seeing your results, you have quite managed that. 
What is your experience with this @Christian_Thibaudeau ? Have you seen these kind of cases with your athletes or students?
Thankyou!
and you’re right. The mental switch was all it took. I said fvk it, what’s the worst that could happen.
It sounds like you already have the work ethic / mental game down so might as well give it a try. Night and day difference going from 60ish grams carbs per day to 200g
Many thanks Arthur!
I haven’t studied the research behind neurotype at all but I think carbs with type 1B is possible. 25%ish of the carbs were before the workout (breakfast and lunch) and the rest were after / in the evening when there was no need to be amped up. Plus I’d drink some half a cup of coffee in the morning anyway so that probably helped.
Just had a cheat meal today and ate an entire
Marinara pizza with lots of topics. 130g of carbs in one sitting. 320g for the day. Would have never dreamed of even trying that a year ago.
imo… “calories in vs calories out” is more important that Nerotype. Plus we’re weight lifting & not necessarily killing tigers (as Christian Thib likes to put it) so there’s probably no need to be super amped up in today’s society
People can believe what they want to believe about themselves, this is just a tool to help you reach your goals. You’re always allowed to go your own way. Nothing dangerous about it. If somebody is nervous and neurotic and obsessive, they may consider following the advice and programs made for a Type 3. If they don’t want to, that’s fine too.
Decided to go cold turkey on caffeine 2 weeks ago.
For some weird reason whenever I drink coffee, even if it’s 1 cup… I feel too optimistic. Not a normal high but a weird feeling like I’m invincible. Scenes from 300 Spartans playing in my mind. I make these grand plans in my head, take big risks and probably come off as a bit arrogant. It got to the point where I’d leave Starbucks and immediately pour half my coffee out into the trash… to try and reduce this feeling.
After I stopped coffee, I now feel calm. Still confident but a more realistic version. It’s like I used to be a dog that barks all the time… now I just chill …& bite. probably too calm. Feeling nonchalant. I still hit the gym but it no longer feels like a “workout”. everything’s on cruise control.
How can caffeine have such a big effect ? I love the taste but since I quit… this feeling of borderline infinite chill mode feels amazing but I’d like to have that raw aggressive feeling back from time to time without coffee. What gives?
Do you often feel anxious or afraid?
Maybe try decaf … it has a little bit of caffeine and May balance things out for you ?
0 anxiety.
more like I see the positive side in everything and can be unrealistically happy / flamboyant.
It great but not so good in professional environments where one needs to be more conservative.
sometimes having coffee with a high fat meal… like coffee and an omelette somewhat enhances this effect even more
Idk what it is so I figured I’d ask on here
I’ll try tyrosine and see what happens. I did a search on here yesterday and some people mentioned “brain candy” & rodiola
I think you are 1B with low stress life. I’m 2A right now but I really think I might be 1B because I have a toxic family. I also experience the same feeling as you when I drink coffee, but then I often feel anxious (I guess it’s the body’s way of regaining balance).
I have a side question, in the first time you talk to a girl (assuming she is very beautiful and attractive), do you feel nervous, shy, fear?
not at all. I actually feel good that I’m accomplishing / winning something worthwhile. If she’s not that hot or no compatibility between us my motivation goes down the drain and I feel like Im losing something (like I’m driving a jeep into an F1 race)
Question for anyone that knows about nutrition:
It’s been a year and I simply can’t find a way to eat more than 300g carbs for 2 days or more. These days I’m typically hovering around 220g / day but EVERYTIME I bump up / creep up to 300+ Grams… I feel mentally sick, slow, no motivation … like life just got boring. The first day and a half is typically fine but if I go more days… it’s game over.
I plan on lean bulking but if I can’t even get past 300g carbs how am I supposed to do that!?
Currently I’m at 250g protein… 75g fats… 220ish carbs…
Yes I know protein is probably too high but I like the taste of proteim (fish, steak, beef liver)… far more than any carbs / sweet food.
What are these carb sources you’re adding? Healthy carbs make you feel more relaxed if you eat them in somewhat bigger portions but their effect doesn’t come close to the drowsy feeling you get from a major sugar drop after eating high sugar processed foods.
I would suggest you take a close look at all the carb sources you’re eating/adding and rotate them to evaluate if it’s just one or two carb sources slowing you down or if it’s all of them. Eliminate most of the processed sugars first and stick to the whole ones like fruits, potatoes, whole grains and rice. Next, use the process of elimination by rotating these carb sources every other day to really check if they do make you feel ‘off’ mentally.
I’d say that you get the least drowsy/loss of motivation effect from fruits. Potatoes, rice and grains are next in line but realize this: you’ll always feel more relaxed (or a bit ‘slower’) after you’ve eaten a BIG amount of carbs due to the hormonal (cortisol lowering) and neurological (serotonin boosting, adrenaline lowering) effect that carbs have on your physiology.
Here’s another tip for you: spread out your carbs over the course of the day (except for breakfast because I believe that will work better for you) and always combine them with a source of protein, fiber or fats to slow down digestion and glucose uptake. Blood sugar imbalances are a major cause of feeling drowsy (which can actually be a good thing in the evening if you’re having trouble sleeping). Feeling mentally off or demotivated can be an indirect consequence of too many sugars but to be fair I’d say this mainly falls down to consuming too many processed foods because they don’t come with the antioxidant-, phytonutrient rich-, vitamin and mineral package that fruits, grains and potatoes do possess.
Yes, too many sugars increases oxidative stress but so do fats and proteins if you’re consuming too much. Any excess macronutrient intake needs to be converted to glycogen or triglycerides, creating free radicals (this is completely natural because free radicals are a byproduct of energy production and energy storage) and quite possibly oxidative stress in the process. That’s why eating mainly whole foods is a good idea because they have the necessary compounds to combat and neutralize free radicals with antioxidants.
If you’ve tried or already doing everything above, then simply respect how your body reacts, stick to your 220 g carb limit and increase fats.
EDIT: another possible scenario if the carb sources you’re eating are mainly processed sugars is desensitization of your dopamine receptors. Sugars (especially combined with saturated fatty acids like in cake, cookies, brown/white chocolate etc) are addictive to the brain because they give you a pleasure response. The more sugar you eat of that food source you want, the higher the pleasure response. Getting exposed multiple times a day to things that give you a great pleasure response, eventually make you less sensitive to dopamine, giving you that lethargic, low motivation, ‘mentally ill’ feeling and in most people it creates a toxic loop where they reach for processed foods again because their brain has learned that eating these foods makes them feel better. It’s a vicious, toxic cycle.
Thanks for the detailed response @lou_smeets ! Much appreciated.
I should have elaborated further:
My carb sources are mainly sweet potatoes, russet potatoes, white rice & veggies. No processed foods/sugars. Fats come from whole eggs, avocado, fish, walnuts.
From what you just described, it sounds like the carbs are completely zapping my dopamine/adrenalin. Leaving me with no drive/motivation.
I have tried cycling a few carbs off to see which ones might be the culprit but I have not tried spreading them out. That will be the next thing I try.
What other healthy fat & carb sources would you recommend that are filling ?
Is there a way to bump carbs up without increasing serotonin / slugishness. Or is that just the way the body will always be?
I’ve read that if I increase just fats, my cholesterol levels could sky rocket… which isn’t healthy.
P.s.
The reason my protein intake is high is weird because unlike most fitness blogs have reported, I tend to get a great feeling of satisfaction from eating a giant steak / salmon. Faaar more than donuts, pastries or anything super sweet. The times that I’ve tried something sweet, I usually go for icecream and the pleasure response is too high… same thing with caffeine. Anything past one cup of coffee and I feel like I’m on cocainnnee (no, I have never done concainne btw)
Small correction, carbs do not destroy or end dopamine/adrenaline production. In fact, if something excites you enough or makes you nervous, you will notice right away that you are not void of either of them. Carbs can actually preserve dopamine by decreasing the conversion of dopamine to (nor)adrenaline and therefore maintain dopamine and beta-adrenergic sensitivity. Carbs, when consumed in excess, can lower drive, focus and feelings of wakefulness because they lower cortisol and therefore also lower adrenaline output. Some peope like yourself might be very sensitive to these slight changes in cortisol and adrenaline activity but also don’t forget that people can self-actualise as well. If you believe that something will drain all your energy, it can make you feel like that simply because your brain responds to your conscious and subsconscious convictions and beliefs.
Anyway, what is likely to happen is that you have super high dopamine sensitivity and high serotonin and gaba levels. Carbs combined with protein increase the uptake of the amino acid tryptophan, a precursor to serotonine. Fats and proteins eaten together increase the uptake of the amino acid tyrosine, a precursor to dopamine.
When you eat fat/protein dominant meals most of the time (or you do something like intermittent fasting where you do not eat for long periods of time) you increase dopamine and adrenaline production/activity, giving you that all powerful feeling of drive, focus and superhuman energy. When you eat carbs serotonin production/activity goes up, dopamine and adrenaline production/activity goes down, decreasing overall neurological activity in the process. This explains the lowered motivation/drive and the drowsiness in case of a large carb dominant meal.
If you’re feeling completely “off” or even lethargic after a large carb meal, it can mean that the calming down effect is simply to great for you to maintain an optimal state of alertness.
However, trying to achieve this state all the time can eventually backfire because your serotonin and gaba levels will actually drop down and they are still important. They need to compensate the constant amped up state your brain is in. That’s why leaving a small amount of carbs in your diet is generally speaking a good idea for everyone, even those who already have high serotonin and gaba.
A lot of white rice can quickly raise blood sugar levels so make sure to have a good portion of protein and veggies on the side. Sweet potatoes are high in tryptophan, which favors serotonin production. Also don’t forget, sweet potatoes and most veggies are high in fiber and big meals draw blood from the body and brain to your gut to improve digestion. This can also temporarily drop your mental alertness simply because you need to digest your food. I would suggest not having a large dose of carbs in one meal except maybe in your last meal of the day to help you relax before bedtime BUT it is not mandatory. If you’re already relaxed and don’t need substances to help you achieve a calm state, then simply spread out your carbs.
Fruits, fruits, fruits: apples, pears, all kinds of berries, dates, figs, pineapple. You actually can’t go wrong with any fruit imo but the ones I mentioned contain a fair amount of fiber, are filling and do not cause blood sugar imbalances. You can also try multiple types of grains like oats, quinoa, teff, bulgur, amaranth and millet. My personal favorite is oats with fruits like apples and pears and maple syrup for breakfast. BUT i’m a type 3 so my neurological makeup is quite different from yours. In order for me to perform optimally, I need to start my day with a carb dominant meal because my adrenaline is already to high.
I can’t add a lot of stuff for fat sources. Honestly I personally do not find fats filling, I can eat a bunch of them before I feel satiated.
That’s very difficult for me to answer mate. You can try to spread out your carbs, make sure your carb sources are combined with veggies, protein or fats to maintain normal blood sugar levels but keep in mind that hormones and neurotransmitters are also influenced by other factors like your circadian rhythm, self perception, thoughts, other people etc. It’s more complex than simply eat this to remedy that. It is my belief that you need to get out of this tunnel vision that lots of people tend to have when they try to solve issues and use more of a holistic approach that targets the issue at hand. The four main ones being sleep hygiene, nutrition, stress management and exercise. Food has a big impact on how you behave and feel but it would be a mistake to think that you can control everything with food alone.
The internet isn’t healthy. Cholesterol levels are genetically determined, having more fats will not negatively affect your cholesterol per se. I know lots of people who have been eating 12 eggs a day for the past 10 years and their cholesterol levels are perfectly normal. I wouldn’t recommend eating 12 eggs a day though but that’s me.
You can increase cholesterol levels by eating too many processed foods that contain both high fats and high carbohydrates. The same goes for healthy meals with a lot of fat and carbohydrates in them. This combination is hazardous for your cardiovascular system. I recommend always choosing between carb or fat dominant meals. This does not mean no carbs with fat dominant meals and vice versa. You can have some fats with carbs, just not high amounts of both in the same meal. That can eventually become problematic, especially if you’re not an active person.
This is instinctive and quite possibly a strong indicator that you thrive on a high protein, high fat diet. Don’t try to change that if you feel your best on it. Yes carbs are great to increase mTor but again they are not the only thing that activates mTor. Simply increasing food intake and nutrient availability will increase mTor so don’t worry that you will miss out on a lot of gains. You still have a decent amount of carbs in your diet, 220 g is plenty to get a desired hypertrophy effect from training. You’re definitely not lacking in the protein department and if proper training, stress and sleep are accounted for, you will do just fine.
