Low Carb, or "anabolic diet" for bodybuilders

I am not well versed in insulin, IGF or Hgh.... but what I have read makes it sound like they REQUIRE carb intakes on the days you use those drugs for safety reasons. Could this be a factor in why pros eat a high amount of carbs every day? On the other hand, if one were to use only traditional anabolic steroids WITHOUT adding insulin,HGH or IGF-1, would a lower carb/high fat diet be well suited?

You need to read these: BodyOpus by Dan Duchaine & The Ketogenic Diet by Lyle McDonald. These should answer your questions. You need to realize you are changing your metabolism by going on a ketogenic diet. That means your body will process fats far differently than in the presence of carbohydrate. While on paper eating great amounts of fat while in a ketogenic state is safe, no long term studies have been done either. Remember that Atkins himself had cardiovascular disease. A sugary PWO shake is ok on a ketogenic diet. The carbs will go into glycogen replenishment and shouldn't disrupt ketosis. These diets aren't for everyone. Some people do better on conventional diets and some people (myself included) can only get to single digit BF thru keto diets. Typically if you are insulin resistant, keto diets will work well for you. And yes its the hardest diet to do, IMO

good fats can easily be obtained from olive oil, flax and/or fish oils, and nuts. another good option for fats during a keto diet is MCT oil.

1) many pro bb'ers use insuiln on a regular basis, the carbs so they dont die 2) the anabolic diet does work for natural bb'ers, i had good sucess with it while natural but i was 19-22 while using it and have found now that im older it is less affective for me, i ran it 2 weeks high carb, 2 weeks low carb 3) the high fats sould be from good fat sources, not talking about eating a lb of bacon a day, use flax oil, olive oil etc 4) the anabolic diet you practiced was very incorrect, it sounds like the atkins diet fad, ill outline a good version below that does work 5) ive got concerns about the quality of food also, i buy my beef from a local show cattle breeder, the cows that dont make the cut get chopped up, i buy them, i know what theyve been fed etc. even oats and rice etc is very processed from major food labels to promote longer shelf life, check into health food stores in your area and eat as much unprocessed/raw type foods as possible, natural peanut butter, real oats etc, they are better for you. eat your veggies and wash them thoroughly 6) just throw in a bananna, the fructose is fast acting natural sugars and the potassium will help you recover. so theres the answers to your questions. ive got some thoughts if you feel like reading them. i used a diet called anabolic burst that Bill Phillips wrote up in the 90's it basically suggested using two diets and switching every 2 weeks and changing workouts to suit the diet. for 2 weeks eat high protein (1.5 g per lb bodyweight) and higher carbs (approx 1.5 g per lb bodyweight) and lifting heavy and hard, the reason being we can store large amounts of calories as muscle tissue for a short duration, then our bodies attempt to move the stores to fat. next two weeks eat protein (1 g/ lb b.w.) carbs (.5 g/lb b.w.) lots of veggies, reduce sets of lifting, keep heavy weights there, and do lots of cardio, i suggest hiit training while lifting and another cardio session thru the day. the reason being the body will drop fat stores first for a short period of time before overtraining or muscle stores are used for energy. i used this diet for over a year and had good results gaining lbs of muscle and keeping body fat low, i was natural and had reached what i thought was my natural peak as i hadnt gained for some time, this broke thru my plateau and allowed me to gain some more muscle naturally. i personally suggest using carb cycling type of diet, keep your protien high (1-1.5 g per lb b.w.) eat large amounts of veggies, im talking veggies with every single meal, and adjust your carbs to the days activity. off days keep carbs low, leg back and chest are your largest workouts so have some carbs, moderate carbs on remaining days. the quality of the carbs plays an important factor also. i suggest slow digest, high fiber carb sources. oatmeal, red and black beans, brown rice, bran cereal and corn flakes, i actually prefer the generic brands since they have much less preservatives in them. on leg days i may have a potato following workouts to aid in recovery. for the most part an extreme diet will not give you the results your looking for in the long run. it will be difficult to maintain and you run the risk of crashing and eating like a slob for a few days. getting into a routine that gets you a protein meal every 3 hours, includes large amounts of veggies, that is your best bet to succeed. once you get there the only factor becomes carbs and if youre only varying one thing you can get a true idea on what works for you.

The burst diet was OK. Bill touted it as a replacement for steroids and that is silly....but it did work. Lots of pros eat high carbs, lots dont. Look at old time pros though. They avoided carbs. Arnie only had one salad a day when cutting. When bulking of course they ate more. No need to get super technical. Eat clean. Eat often.

ive had very good luck cycling carbs to suit my workout days. eat enough of the right kinds so you dont feel flat and bump it up for lifting days when you will use them.

a replacement for steroids