There is a vast amount of info available on the net regarding the impact of low carb diets. Reducing your overall carbohydrate intake can be a very effective method of “cutting” up and reducing your overall bodyfat composition. By reducing/depleting your body of the carbohydrate fuel, you force it to utilize existing glycogen, fat and protein stores for fuel. In effect, anytime you can utilize fat for fuel you can effectively start leaning out. It’s important to note that your body can only effectively utilize the depletion of carbs for a short period of time. I am not certain on the exact amount of time (or if there is an established amount of time) that your body can effectively utilize a low carb diet, but as a general rule we do not go more than (5) days without a carb up meal.

Your body is smart! Believe it or not, your body is smarter than you may give it credit for. It will adjust to not only your diet, but also to other factors, like cardiovascular training, weight training, etc....You need to switch it up! When on a low carb diet, your body will eventually figure it out and interpret it as a period of potential starvation. By doing so it will automatically activate your adrenal gland to secrete more cortisol and effectively begin storing fat for fuel in a potential starvation condition. This is primal so there is no permanent way around it. The good news is; that there is a way to fool it. The better news, is entails CHEATING!!! I typically go (3) days of low carbs; starting at <50g of carbs throughout the day on Monday, <35g on Tuesday, and <30g on Wednesday. I also gradually up my cardio training and peak out on my 3rd day of depletion. On Wednesday night, I will carb & fat load which usually includes lots of rice/bread, and ice cream! This meal, serves a couple of purposes.....fools my metabolism into not slumbering and it also makes me feel very guilty about eating, which makes coming back to reality on Thursday morning alot easier.

Whenever I carb up, I use Active Lipoic Acid which is a time released insulin mimicker that stops your body from spiking it’s insulin levels which means you don’t risk a high amount of fat storage. So I guess I cheat, but I don’t cheat all out. I always follow all my cheat meals with a good quality fiber that contains Psyllium Husk in order to absorb as much of the excess fat as possible before it’s stored in my body.

Once Thursday comes, I am back to my low carb diet, making sure to utilize the same pyramid schedules for carbs and cardio as I did from Monday to Wednesday. Saturday night and Sunday, it’s party time! Eating everything in site baby! By utilizing some of the “tricks” I listed in here, hopefully some of you readers can more effectively utilize the low carb diet and get that extra edge in metabolism recuperation to help you burning more and for longer periods of time.

Good luck and post up any and all questions you guys may have!

so these things you use.......can i get some at db?  today was my cheat day.  i guess the meat jhun plate (didn’t touch the rice at all!) did a number :(

Active Lipoic Acid is available, but we don’t have the Psyllium Husk fiber. I would definitely say that the Active LA is a must...keep one on my person at all times!

Hey Dave, I like your concept on how you manage your low-carb diet.  Considering my “cheat days” are on Saturdays and Sunday’s, I’m gonna try your method out myself and see how it works for me. 

Is what your saying about Active LA prevent an individual who’s in the process of maintaining a low-carb/calorie diet from entering a catabolic state?  In regards to the Husk Fiber; where can someone get that?  Your comments are appreciated. 

Aloha!

Susu the ALA prevents fat storage when you carb up by mimicking insulin and tricking your body into tapering it’s own production. The best part about it is that it;s a time released formula which means even as the carbs digest and turn into glucose you’re preventing the insulin increase. The fiber should be coming in very shortly to DB, so stay tuned!

Hey Dave should I take Active LA too, I really feel bad when I cheat. But I like to have some good tasting food too. Especially I am craving for some stuff around this time of the month. What do you suggest/think?

Wow, Dave, great advice!

Janice, the feelings you get are part of the psychological aspect of the program and actually help to keep you dieting......That being said, if you can handle going light on the cheat days, then more power to you. I know the results will come a lot quicker. When you have your cheat meal it serves a metabolic purpose so controlling your insulin levels/secretion would be totally separate facet of the cheat day and a good one to keep in mind if you want to get all of the benefits from the cheat without all of the fat storage. My advice? Check my cheat day supp list.....it’ll do you good!

Colonix Fiber (Just the fiber)
Active Lipoic Acid
BSN Cheaters (Chitosan)
H20 Lean (for cutting the excess water the next day)

alright then- i will see you at the shop. btw, i thought the training was short yesterday and was kinda of disappointed at myself. But i woke up all sore!!!

El-jay - 22 August 2007 09:24 AM

alright then- i will see you at the shop. btw, i thought the training was short yesterday and was kinda of disappointed at myself. But i woke up all sore!!!

Seems about right. It was a short session, but the intensity was high and the rep range we maintained would have anyone hurting the next day.

good post dave!  carb cycling is the way to go, i use the same concept when getting ready for a show.  it really enables you to maintain enough energy for training and keeps your fat burning high.