Hi all! I’m thinking of starting a shortish session of T-dawg diet to shed the final few pounds between the sun and my 6-pack. I have never been on near-keto diet so it is interesting to see how I will respond. Now, I have a question about carb timing that isn’t answered in T-mag/forums: I know that it is ok to eat around 100 grams of good carbs even on non-workout days as per new T-dawg recommedations. Is there any harm in eating most of them at dinner (5-6 pm)? This would make it possible to keep eating mostly the same food as my family, if I just avoid large amounts of rice, potato, and bread etc. So basically, I would get my daily carbs from carby veggies that are cooked with meat (we eat a lot of wok-type foods or pasta) and from a small amount of rice/pasta that goes with it (say, max. 40-50 grams uncooked = 30-35 grams CHO, plus 20-30 grams from assorted veggies/spicy sauces+side salad). This would probably make a quite small portion, which I can then supplement with hi-fat foods like cheese or nuts later in the evening. During work days, I would eat mostly fat/protein snacks as the original article suggested. Is this ok, or should I spread my carb intake more?
Another question: I usually total my food intake after dinner, to see that I am not grossly under target level, and eat my evening snacks accordingly. I played around with macro amounts of T-dawg, and saw that it is very easy to eat too much protein and too little fat during daytime. So this might mean that my evening snack would only be 1-2 tbs of flax + fiber and perhaps some very small protein/fat food to wash off the taste of flax. (Nuts, sausage...) Do you see any problems with this? I rather eat "real food" at work than just gulp flax oil and just correct macro rations during evening.
Chris Shugart wrote on the Dog Pound that the T-Dawg Diet 2.0 will be published this Friday. But until then, you should know that the carbs should come after training (or during & after) for max effect, as always.
Yes, I found Shugart’s message a couple of minutes after mailing my own. I guess I’ll wait for the 2.0 edition and start T-dawg after next weekend. Carbs after training is no problem as I usually train in the afternoons. I was just wondering about non-workout days, when you still can eat ~100 grams carbs.
Carb timing … I’ve been playing with this little tidbit for a while. Your brain does most of its work while you’re sleeping, and it needs glucose to function properly. I’m thinking that eating your carbs a couple hours before you fall asleep is a decent idea (because it’s best for the brain) and also, you’ll have depleted liver glycogen in the morning (making it much easier to diet off the weight).
I’ve done T-dawg too, it IS easy to get too much protein. I found I had to eat hamburger without draining the fat!
El_machinae, that is nice This makes following T-dawg rather easy as you can eat basically the same foods as others at dinner. Also, the higher carb allowance makes this diet so much easier (you don’t have to be so anal about veggies, but can eat pretty much as much as you want if you stick to low-carb ones). I’m eager to see if ther are any other changes to original T-dawg - the things I am aware are higher carb count and some improvements to postworkout shake.
Well as to the portion of your question not answered, on off days you only have 70gms of carbs. Check previous issue 192 in reader mail. This may change when the full version of 2.0 comes out.
I think it’s a very individual thing. Some people do better with carb in the morning; some do better w/ carb in the afternoon/evening. If you’re working out in the afternoon before your dinner, eat your carb with your dinner. I think that in the original article, Chris Shugart said to eat your post workout shake in the late afternoon ro something so that you don’t go into a carb-coma and get lethargic at work.
Another thing you want to try -- if you find that you're not losing as fast as you should, then you can try to substitute more starchy carb w/ veggie carb (fiber). This is a tip I got from Patricia. :)
Re: your last question -- I think it's OK to slightly overeat protein as long as you're losing fat. I think someone asked this question before (I remember reading this in the Reader Mail section), and the answer was it's OK to overeat protein if your progress is good. Otherwise, rethink what you're eating. I agree with you that eating flax oil at work is hard. (People always look at you funny, and most work places empty out fridge on Fridays!)
I also want to try the new and improved T-Dawg 2.0. :) The original version allowed too little carb FOR ME I think because I was constantly feeling ill, nauseated, and light-headed even when I upped my calorie intake. Some people did really well on it though.
BTW -- this is a mere observation/comment/question from someon who really wants to try T-Dawg right this time. is it REALLY OK TO EAT CHEESE? Holy cow...I love Gouda cheese and I was never able to eat it because so many people say "full-fat dairy is bad for you" stuff.
Flonder, thanks. It should be easy to have one “normal” meal without exceeding 70 grams. I really like to have dinner together with the family without me eating different foods than everybody else.
Another question: how long does it usually take to get past that duh!-feeling at the beginning? I’m asking because I’m working as researcher and trying to minimize that zombie feeling when at work. Obviously the best thing would be to start on Friday to give three full days to accommodate. But is there a chance that I will still be a walking dead through the next week as well? If so, this is not the thing for me…
Stella, “original” Atkins keto diet instructions said that full-fat cheese is ok, but in moderation (~2 ounces per day?). (Not that I consider Atkins an absolute authority.) It would seem intuitive that too much cheese is not good as it is saturated fat. That said, I am going to eat a lot of cheese because I have been avoiding it for a while Even the example day in issue 83 includes cheese with three meals. I’m not worried about cholesterol because I am planning for a month-long session at the most, and if it works fine, another near summer season.
This makes following T-dawg rather easy as you can eat basically the same foods as others at dinner. Also, the higher carb allowance makes this diet so much easier (you don’t have to be so anal about veggies, but can eat pretty much as much as you want if you stick to low-carb ones). I’m eager to see if ther are any other changes to original T-dawg - the things I am aware are higher carb count and some improvements to postworkout shake.