ncliter, this diet can definitely be used to bulk. The problem is too few people are willing to try it to give it a shot. Many years before steroids started being used as a cruch, lifters were using high fat diets to put on mass. Even Dr. Serrano says the best amino acid profiles for putting on mass come from Red Meat and Eggs, staples in this diet. Try to get 1.5-2g protein per lb. of bodyweight, and the remaining cals from The Fat in Meat/Eggs, Coconut Oil, and Fish Oils. I would slowly increase your fat rather than going on a super-high calorie diet as not to put on too much fat. Set protein levels and aim for 40% fat, then increase weekly as needed to add muscle and adapt to fat as energy. I'd Even throw in a really high fat load day to fill the muscles out. Vince Gironda and Dave Draper wrote about bodybuilders in the old days at high fat and protein and put on their best mass that way. Dr. DiPasquale, considered one of the foremost nutrition experts in the world, is an advocate of the high fat diet.
missy, I agree a small amount is fine. your diet plan looks good, make sure you get the 1g per lb. bodyweight. Don't worry about increasing protein much on the lower fat days, try to keep it the same. Make sure you are lifting hard and heavy, with a short intense workout, lower reps (4-6), heavy weights and shorter rest, 1-2 min. for 2-3 days and try to do 2-3 days of sprint intervals. Do this at a high school track or a park, etc. Jog 5 min. to warm up, then sprint 30seconds, walk/jog 90seconds. Do this 6 times and increase 1 sprint each week.
plorvine, a couple of things. I'm writing much from the top of my head on my girlfriends computer as mine is down for now so I can't reference as much as I wish. Anyway, in the interview some glycogen was used to fuel the muscles during the lifting routine, but not as much as is usually believed. This is interesting as this occured in carb adapted bodybuilders. Even so they utilized a great deal of fat as an energy source as liver glycogen wasn't significantly depleted either. The problem is this study shows some support, but what if the bodybuilders were on a low carb diet for several weeks/months. The problem is these studies have NOT been conducted to a great extent b/c once carb loading was developed and supported by research, this is the ONLY idea that has been supported, believed. Studies on fat adapted indivuals are non-existant. I agree this approach is wildly different than what is supported, which is why we have to use some research on endurance athletes and mice, for some hint to performance changes on this type of diet. The sad fact is bodybuilding is a pitifully unpopular sport, and not a lot of research has been done in the field for this reason. Even the research on strength training that is done is ALWAYS dne on those who eat carbs consistantly, so its impossible to compare fuel utilization accurately since they haven't done studies. Even one of the developers of carb loading insisted it be used for short periods of time, yet gov't., etc, recommended it always to improve athletic performance.
Rep ranges for the bodybuilders were 10 reps done to failure w/ short rest, it seemed like a German Volume Training program on the legs.
I will get back to you w/ more information on cortisol, but from my understanding cortisol decreases once adaption to low carbs takes place. Just like low energy is common when starting a low carb diet, cortisol increases as the body percieves stress. I'm unaware of studies measuring cortisol on those following the diet for long periods of time. Also in groups exercising aerobics are usually the exercise of choice which is a shame but excessive aerobics, especially w/ calorie restriction will lead to elevated cortisol levels.
Here is part of an article from Dr. Mauro DiPasquale
High-Intensity Exercise And High Fat Oxidation
What's the best kind of exercise to maximize body fat oxidation? A few recent studies have shown that high-intensity exercise may be the best fat burner of all.
Moderate exercise is considered the king of fat burners. Everyone knows that the best way to burn fat is to do moderate intensity aerobics, not high-intensity exercise. That's because lower-intensity prolonged exercise is supposed to use fat as fuel while higher-intensity exercise, such as weight lifting, is supposed to use up the body's stores of ATP, PCr and glycogen. But how much of this thinking is based in fact and how much is just hearsay?
As far as the best kind of exercise to maximize body fat oxidation, a few recent studies have actually shown that high intensity exercise may be the best fat burner of all.
It seems that the compound malonyl-CoA is an inhibitor of carnitine palmitoyltransferase I, the enzyme that controls the oxidation of fatty acids by regulating their transfer into the mitochondria.4 The actual metabolic rationale is somewhat convoluted but, basically, if you decrease malonyl CoA you actually increase fatty acid oxidation. Exercise results in an acute decrease of skeletal muscle malonyl CoA by inhibiting acetyl-CoA carboxylase (the enzyme involved in the synthesis of malonyl CoA).5 So exercise increases fatty acid oxidation.
In one recent study done on rats, the extent of ACC inactivation and therefore the decrease in the formation of malonyl CoA was dependent on exercise intensity.6 The higher the intensity of exercise the more fatty acid oxidation, with no leveling off or decrease as the intensity of exercise increased. Interestingly enough, slow twitch fibers ACC inactivation only occurred with intense exercise while the degree of fast twitch fibers ACC inactivation was dependent on exercise intensity.
Bottom line. High-intensity exercise burns fat best. So don't feel deprived because you're training at high intensity and don't have the time to do a lot of moderate-intensity aerobics. The treadmill aficionados don't have anything over on you.
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