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neptunesfall
12-31-2002, 10:29 AM
any input on this?


Anabolic Diet
The Anabolic Diet was created by Dr. Mauro Dipasquale as a variation of the high fat diet.

The human body's source of energy for all metabolic activity is ultimately adenosine-tri-phosphate (ATP). It's ATP that provides the energy for muscle contraction, breathing, even thinking. The body must generate ATP. For some reason, a lot of people think that you must have glycogen from carbohydrates to produce and replenish ATP. Well, that's what I thought too until I delved a bit further into ATP replenishment. Protein and fat, ironically, have their own mechanism for providing the body energy! Although in the long-run it's true, in the short-run, you can go on less carbs than recommended and still function. In fact, when the bulk of your diet is carbs, you basically burn the glucose from those carbs to maintain the body. Glucose in the bloodstream and insulin is secreted by the pancreas is utilized for immediate energy, otherwise it is converted in the liver and muscles to glycogen and stored. Whatever portion of glucose is not stored as glycogen is converted into triglycerides (fat). The stored glycogen is used for energy when it is converted back to glucose so that cells can directly use it and it can be transported through the bloodstream to other parts of the body where cells need energy.

Here's the interesting part: you actually don't need to have large stores of glycogen or glucose readily available for energy when fat makes up the bulk of your diet rather than carbohydrates. Where does this energy come from? The majority of it comes from its breakdown of free fatty acids in the diet and stored fat on the body. Rather than burning the stored glycogen and glucose for energy, you will be burning free fatty acids, triglycerides, and body fat!

Essentially, a high fat diet (combined with the restriction of carbohydrates) causes lipolytic (fat burning) enzymes in the body to become active and decreases the activity of the lipogenic (fat producing) enzymes. Now the body has converted from a carb-burner to a fat-burner. Fat is now the body's main energy source...and a very good source too. What happens is triglycerides are broken down to free fatty acids and then to ketones. Ketones are great energy source for the body's cells. Fatty free acids make up for the absence of glucose, while triglycerides take the place of glycogen.

You see, when carbs are the main source of the body's energy, the pancreas must produce quantities of insulin to process it and store it. However, one of the problems with insulin is it's lipgenic factor. It causes the body to want to store fat. The increased storing of body fat and decrease in the amount of burned fat can cause being fat...go figure. To reduce this, you've got to shock your body a little. This diet can work if done correctly, but by no means is it a diet for the long run.

Obviously the flip-flop side of the coin is better...this is what occurs on the high fat diet. It's better for your body to be forced to burn a higher octane fuel to meet it's energy requirements...excess fat. As long as you eat consistently and even cut down on all the simple carbs, you will benefit.

The effect this can have on bodyfat is somewhat overwhelming, as the research has now begun to pour in, documenting this effect. One study of people at ideal weight found that high fat diets were very lipolytic or fat burning.
Kather H, Wieland E, Scheurer A, et al. Influences of variation in total energy intake and dietary consumption on regulation of fat cell lipolysis in ideal weight subjects. J Clin Invest 1987; 80(2):556-72.

Another study focusing on people considered obese found that when they ate a low carb/relatively high fat diet vs. a high carb/relatively low fat diet they lost a signifigantly greater amount of fat.
Rabast U, Kasper H, Schonborn J. Comparative studies in obese subjects fed carbohydrate-restricted and high carbohydrate diets. Nutr Metab 1978; 22(5): 269-77

I know it goes against conventional logic, but evidence suggests that's the way it works! After adapting to this diet, you'll see that fat does not necessarily beget fat. Only if you're carb intake remains high, will the increased fat intake be detrimental.

Studies conducted on animals have produced additional results worth looking into. One study in particular that sticks out involved hamsters. It found that fat build up decreased on a high fat diet, even though weight increased. The weight increase was mostly in lean muscle mass.
Sandretto AM, Tsai AC. Effects of fat intake on body composition and hepatic lipogenic enzyme activities of hamsters shortly after exercise cessation. Amer J Clin Nutr 1988; 47(2): 1175-9.

In different study showed that hamsters which ate a high fat diet had lower amounts of lipogenic enzymes and less body fat content overall than low-fat-fed hamsters who ate more carbs under both exercise and sedentary conditions.(ref 4)
Tsai AC, Gong TW. Modulation of the exercise and retirement effects by dietary fat intake in hamsters. J Nutr 1987; 117(6): 1149-53

The latter study raises an interesting question...why the increased gain in lean muscle mass? A beneficial by-product of the "metabolic shift" going from a high carb diet to a high fat diet, as it turns out, is that fat becomes protein's champion in the body. When your body's used to utilizing carbs as its main energy supply, the body will take muscle protein, break it down, and use it to form glucose (gluconeogenesis). Once the stores are exhausted, this becomes the body's energy supply. Catabolism (muscle breakdown) occurs. OUCH! You're body's basically eating away at your muscles to fuel your workouts....Nooooo!

With the high fat (anabolic) diet, on the other hand, you won't experience near that amount of catabolism. The fat that is available will serve as the perfect alternative to breaking down muscles for energy to a much greater degree.

Basically anytime you're working out and your body needs energy, it will do what it has to do to get supply the energy it needs...including breakdown muscle. One way bodybuilders combat this issue is to sip energy drinks full of glucose during their workouts. Now the body won't have to destroy muscle for energy, as the glucose provides another source constantly coming in. When you're on a high fat diet, the fat works in the same way as the glucose. Protecting the muscle, the fat is a great alternative, and a powerful source of energy.

Remember, that along with muscle building (anabolism), a bodybuilder must be wary of catabolism. According to research, the anabolic diet could just as easily be named the anti-catabolic diet. Besides using the body's hormones to your advantage, you'll burn fat better, gain more lean muscle mass, and decrease the amount of catabolism that occurs.

Research proves that the ketone bodies burned for energy in the anabolic diet actually decrease the catabolism of protein.
Giorski J. Muscle triglyceride metabolism during exercise. Cna J Phys Pharm 1992; 70(1):123-31.

More elaborate info on this diet will be coming soon!

http://www.gettinglean.com/anabolic.htm

http://www.qfac.com/books/anabolic.html

Ford Prefect
12-31-2002, 11:13 AM
I agree that this type of diet is generally more successful than high-carb diets. The high-carb/low-fat diet is what has caused a lot of America to turn into obese dump trucks. However, I think this dietting template should be used sparingly for health reasons. A 4-6 week cycle of this combined with steady aerobics will do wonders for your BF%. I think a balanced diet between protein, carbs, and fat (mostly essential fatty acids) is what the doctor ordered.

Cheese Dog
12-31-2002, 01:49 PM
I tried the anabolic diet about 5 years ago. For me it worked pretty well for losing bodyfat, but I noticed a drop in strength. Didn't seem to affect my aerobic endurance during practice or even muscle endurance during bodyweight exercises much at all, but I noticed about a 20% drop in limit strength (I was doing olympic-style lifting at the time). I also found it to be pretty hard to stick to. Eventually I went off the diet and gained back most of the weight. Even though it seemed to make sense biochemicaly to have 5 days very low carb and then 2 days high carb, the carbing up period seemed to make it hard for me to get back to the low carb regimen. It wasn't until a couple of years ago I finally figured out how to eat right for my metabolism and went from about 225 to 170 at about 5'10''. Which was a lower carb(but not as low as the anabolic diet), high lean protein and essential fatty acid diet, much like Ford mentioned.

Qi dup
12-31-2002, 03:30 PM
I agree with the info from FP and CD. Some BB's use it to lower there body fat levels. And it looks like a real good idea on paper, but to me, it seems like the health risk are pretty high. FP brought up a good point about balance. On the anabolic diet, if I remeber correctly, they recomend a lot of any fats. This just doesn't seem like a good idea.

What are your goals for using the diet? is it weight loss or weight gain? As far as weight gain and eating the amount of calories on the mass phases, it seems pretty tough. I think for most people it's going to be hard to eat that much fatty food. Many people have reported a hard time gaining mass with this diet because they have a hard time eating over there calorie matinence level. What about your insolin levels, no carbs?


Don't forget the 'Anobolic diet' is faily dated. I think it came out around 74' or somewhere in there. Today, you can do really well with a balanced diet, just like FP said. Getting the right kinds of fat can be important to a lot of aspects of our lives. If you want to gain weight, eat more meals, more protein, uping your callories. Thereare many good plans for weight loss out there as well. You can check otu this thread. (http://forum.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=18127&pagenumber=1) The anabolic diet talks big and sounds good, but doesn't always come through.

neptunesfall
01-02-2003, 08:37 AM
mostly i'm looking to get lean and keep weight on.
i have a problem with eating enough and in turn, keeping muscle mass on.

Cheese Dog
01-02-2003, 11:33 PM
I hate people who complain they can't gain weight!
Just kidding Neptunesfall, I know for some people it is very hard to gain and maintain weight. Since you said you have a problem eating enough, have you tried any of those weight-gain protien drinks? They have alot of calories and are very high in quality protien and carbs.

SevenStar
01-03-2003, 12:53 AM
The premise of the atkins diet is similar to this. I've seen good results from it, as friends of mine have tried it. It's nothing I'd reccomend over the long run, though.

neptunesfall
01-04-2003, 04:13 AM
i've tried the shakes and they're good, but way too expensive.
i have a home made receipe for one, but it's all carbs - milk, bananas and peanutbutter.

i might try the anabolic diet for 30 days. if i do, i'll tell you how it goes.
i'm not sure how to get all the fat in my diet though. i really don't want to start eating just fatty meats etc.
any suggestions?

neptunesfall
01-04-2003, 02:16 PM
how long then?:confused:

Cheese Dog
01-06-2003, 12:07 AM
Neptunesfall: If your're worried about eating too much fat you can still do the diet with a high (but not quite as high as Dr. DiPasquale recommends) fat content. Just eat alot of LEAN red meat, chicken, turkey, tuna, etc., and LOTS of low-carb veggies. Supplement with fish oil, flaxseed oil, borage oil, sunflower oil, and canola oil. At least 10-15 grams a day. These oils, especially the first three, are high in essential fatty acids and are very healthy for you. If you have the WILLPOWER to stick with it you should find yourself losing bodyfat rapidly, at least 4-8 lbs. per week. Basically you want to stay with this diet until you are about 10-15 lbs. away from your goal and then slowly begin to bring in healthy whole grains into your diet. It will probably take as long to lose the last 15 pounds as it took to lose the rest, but this is better for you and will give you healthier eating habits so you can maintain your weight loss. As for how long, it just depends on how much you want to lose.