I have recently discovered that I do much better with a higher fat, lower carb diet. I have been having to resort to taking 4 tablespoons of olive oil a day. I already take 2 tablespoons of flax, but I don’t want to take too much and cause an imbalance between omega 3’s and 6’s. Is there a point where you can consume too much Monosaturated Fats? Besides health, and reasons why this would not be a good idea as far as building muscle? As a side note, i do get plenty of fats from eggs, meat, and nuts, but many times it doesn’t come close to my needed fat intake.
I believe ‘Udo’s Choice’ has a more appropriate ratios of 3’s to 6’s, and tastes better too. I’ll try some when I’ve gagged the last of my linseed oil. Not sure about the monounsaturated fats.
Olive oil is much cheaper than Udo’s.
I’d definitely get udos choice oil blend…
And make sure you take VITAMIN E while taking EFA’s, udos includes vitamin E.
As long as you’re not getting fat your probably OK. Monounsaturated fats do raise test levels (this is discussed at length in the book “Natural Hormonal Enhancement”). Also, the field workers in Crete often drink a whole glass of Olive Oil before heading out to work.
For general health, the optimal ratio is considered to be 2:1 omega6/omega3 but this may not be optimal for adding lean body mass. Personally, I substituted Fish Oil for Flax since it contains the drug like fatty acids EPA/DHA whereas Flax does not. Hopefully you know by now that Fish Oil is anabolic. I also take a few grams of Borage Oil for the GLA which is another highly beneficial fatty acid. Avoid Polyunsaturated fats like the plauge!
I recently saw a study that showed maximum T levels in healthy males were reached at a daily fat consumption level of 125 grams! I can give you a reference to the study if you like.
I don’t know exactly what my fat intake is, but I swear sometimes I can add muscle and lose fat at the same time. Of course I’m also on a low carb diet.
For me, the fats, infrequent, intense training, 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight, and the low carb diet have allowed me to get to a point that I could never maintain in my previous 10 years of lifting. In the past I could be big (got up to 240 once @ 18% bf), or lean but not both. Now I can get the best of both.
You’re on the right track, keep up the research and keep us informed.
I realize that omega 3s are the essential fats that we need to be getting through supplementation and that omega 6s are usually at much higher than needed levels in the average individuals diet. Im just curious to know what some omega 6 souces are as I dont honestly know. Are there some foods I should avoid because of their omega 6 content?
I am on a limited budget, and I would rather take Fish and Flax than Udo’s.
I don’t have a good answer to your question cunning linguist. I was under the impression from what i have read in books and on T-mag that eggs and meat will supply you with some omega 6’s. But when I log my fat intake, it seems to me that based on the ratios in the foods I eat and the ratio’s in the oils I take, if I took any more flax my fat intake would start to be imbalanced.
About the high fat intake and testosterone levels, that is the TRUTH! I have experienced much higher levels of aggression, woody's, and energy than normal. I think the only reason I handle carbs halfway well is because of the exercise and fish oil increasing my insulin sensitivity. Everyone is different though, and the high fat intake might not work for someone else.
Alex would you be able to post that reference,I’d like to check it out.
Owen,Olive oil is a primarily moounsaturated (omega 9) fat source,at the amounts you are consuming I can’t see any problems,it is the balance of omega3’s and 6’s that you have to watch.The standard western diet is skewed towards too much 6 and not enough 3.Regular Fish oil supplementation is your best bet for maintaining healthy levels of omega 3.I also use flax oil and try and eat a couple of servings of oily fish like mackeral or salmon a couple of times a week.I also noticed positive effects on my blood testosterone levels when I dropped the carbs and bumped up the fat.
Try these:
1 M.J. reed., R. W. Cheng, M. Simmonds, W. Richmond, V.H.T. James, “Dietary Lipids: An Additional Regulator of Plasma Levels of Sex Hormone Binding Globulin,” J Clin Endocrinol Metab 64.5 ( 1987) : 1083-1085.
2. P. Hill, E. Wynder, L. Garbaczewski, H. garnes, A.R.P. Walker, P. Hellman, "Plasma Hormones and Lipids in Men at Different Risk for Coronary Heart Disease," Am J Clin Nutr 33 (1980) : 1010-1018.
Basically every thing except fish and nuts are going to be predominately Omega 6. What I do to try to get more control over my fat intake is eat low fat meats like sirlion steak, tuna and chicken and then add my fats via supplementation so I can see the effects and I don’t have to consult calorie charts. My primary fat supplements are fish oil, olive oil and borage oil. Olive oil doesn’t have many highly beneficial fatty acids (as I understand it, please corect me if I’m wrong) but the polys raise T levels as said before. The fatty acids EPA/DHA from fish and GLA from Borage oil are the ones with the drug like qualities. I don’t know if GLA is particularly beneficial for adding lean mass but it has a lot of health benefits.
What I have noticed (for what it's worth):
Increasing fish oil makes me lean out but not necessarily good for adding a lot of mass unless I try real hard to increase calories.
Adding moderate amounts of omega 6 to my omega 3’s allows me to add mass with little to no fat gain.
I’m always on the fish oil I just vary the other components.
I don’t take flax because as you may know it has to be converted into DHA/EPA and this may not be 100% effective. Current thinking in the health/fitness community is that fish oil is more effective.
Alex H, what kind of fish oil do you use and where can you get it?
I get Dale Andersons. It’s a 12 ounce bottle so it should be a lot cheaper than capsules. I purchase it a health food store. It’s about $7 per bottle. Mint flavored so if you add it to protein shake can’t taste it all.
Is cod liver oil the same thing as fish oil?
I read somewhere on T-mag that cod liver oil really sucks. Try the search engine.
You say that you are on a low carb diet - under what level do you keep your carbs everyday? sub 100 grams? sub 50 grams? Also do you count the carbs that you take in post workout? Im finding lately that carbs really make me balloon up quite quickly. Im thinking that they make me retain a lot of water? Anyways Im very interested in trying an eating method like you have described with high healthy fat and protein content with low carbs and Im just trying to gather as much info as I can. Thanks for your time.