Anabolic diet questions (straight forward!)

[caracal]

I've been reading up on the Anabolic diet over the past month or so and I'm really keen to start it, but I just have a few quick questions I hope someone can help clarify

- Weekends: I know the main goal is to load up on carbs, while also eating a decent amount of fat (but less than during the week) and the eBook says that pretty much everything is okay...... are there things I still need to avoid completely (within reason.. I'm not talking about eating 20 tubs of ice-cream in one sitting!)

Would something like this be bad for a Saturday carb load: ?
Breakfast: Cereal with milk, toast with jam, tea
Lunch: large baguette with chicken/mayo/salad, Pringles (whole tub), 2l Coke, biscuits, cake
Dinner: Pasta (Lasagne etc), fries, ice-cream

- I don't plan to enter any contests or anything like that, I'm just going to be doing the 5x5 plan, with the aim of gaining strength and building myself up (not to any kind of extreme). Do I still need to worry about the bulking/cutting phases, or could I happily stay at the maintenance phase (18x bodyweight) and get good results? (maybe cutting when I'm about to go on holiday, to get a 'beach body'? )

- This might link to the question above and I'm sure it's asked a lot, but physique-wise... will doing the 5x5 along with the anabolic diet make me look like a solid fat lump? Will I only get definition if I start cutting?

- I use a set of scales which use biometric impedance. I know it's not that accurate, but I've been using it for years and it seems at least to track increases/decreases in my fat/hydration levels, so it must be doing 'something' right(?) Anyway, will it be okay to use this to monitor my progress throughout the diet plan, or do i really need to use Callipers? the thing I don't get with callipers, is HOW to actually measure... i always seem to pinch a random about of skin/flab every time! I've seen diagrams where they show that you only pinch the fat.. but how the hell are you supposed to do this consistently?

I think that's about it for now, thanks for any help/advice

[GhettoMrBob]

As a rule of thumb, I didn't really avoid any certain foods but then again I ate healthy things to begin with so I never really craved junk food.

As for your meal schedule, is there a reason you can't eat 6 meals a day? Maybe spread those meals out into smaller meals?

I wouldn't worry about the bulking or cutting phases in terms of strength gains. You may however want to do the cutting phase if you want to attain your "beach body". Also, you shouldn't turn into a fat lump and should gain muscle, thus leading to more definition. The cutting phase will however bring out more definition as it gets rid of the excess fat.

Just another tip that I happened to think of: Make sure you eat your veggies, seriously. The nutrients in them are vital and can really make a world of difference (spinach, kale, broccoli, etc.). Kale sauteed with onions, garlic, and some crumbled bacon is seriously delicious and pretty good macronutrient-wise for the AD.

Hope this helps out some.

[NotNowChief]

On the scales, I hear there are good and questionable models. If you think you can trust them, they're fine. I use a set and am confident in their ability to be reasonably accurate over time. I don't get too worked up about a single reading (as you know factors like hydration and digestion can affect a single reading) but take one every day and work out averages for the week and I get a decent reading;

It corresponds to what I see in the mirror, my fat % has been going up when I have been bulking, I lost muscle mass when I was injured and over time I see a clear direction depending on what I have been doing so they definately work if they are decent and by all accounts a decent set is as accurate as calipers.

[caracal]

As a rule of thumb, I didn't really avoid any certain foods but then again I ate healthy things to begin with so I never really craved junk food.

As for your meal schedule, is there a reason you can't eat 6 meals a day? Maybe spread those meals out into smaller meals?

I wouldn't worry about the bulking or cutting phases in terms of strength gains. You may however want to do the cutting phase if you want to attain your "beach body". Also, you shouldn't turn into a fat lump and should gain muscle, thus leading to more definition. The cutting phase will however bring out more definition as it gets rid of the excess fat.

Just another tip that I happened to think of: Make sure you eat your veggies, seriously. The nutrients in them are vital and can really make a world of difference (spinach, kale, broccoli, etc.). Kale sauteed with onions, garlic, and some crumbled bacon is seriously delicious and pretty good macronutrient-wise for the AD.

Hope this helps out some.

Sure, I could spread that out no problems, I was just wondering if junk food like Pringles/Coke etc, is still okay on the weekends?

As for veggies - I love 'em Am I right in thinking that there's not really any limit (again, within reason) for the amount of veggies you have during the week (a nice fat steak with green beans etc, sounds perfect!)

Thanks

On the scales, I hear there are good and questionable models. If you think you can trust them, they're fine. I use a set and am confident in their ability to be reasonably accurate over time. I don't get too worked up about a single reading (as you know factors like hydration and digestion can affect a single reading) but take one every day and work out averages for the week and I get a decent reading;

It corresponds to what I see in the mirror, my fat % has been going up when I have been bulking, I lost muscle mass when I was injured and over time I see a clear direction depending on what I have been doing so they definately work if they are decent and by all accounts a decent set is as accurate as calipers.

I've been using the callipers for years so i'm fairly sure they're at least 'partly' accurate So yeah, i'll continue using them then, and see how it goes, thanks

[GhettoMrBob]

For the veggies just make sure you aren't eating ones that are high in carbs (excluding fiber) like carrots, peas, corn, etc.

Coke/Pringles - I generally tried to get my carbs in cleanly so I didn't gain excess fat by eating things like brown rice, quinoa, oats, and things like that.... low GI carbs. However, if you don't mind gaining some excess fat, I wouldn't really worry about it. Also, if you completely pig out on the weekend it can leave you feeling REALLY sluggish and lazy and making it difficult to get much done.

Green beans and steak are excellent by the way.

[caracal]

Thanks for the input

I think i'll try to keep it as clean as possible (pasta/potato/breads etc) - maybe some Pringles/Coke when i want to treat myself

What are the common vegetables that most people eat on the Anabolic diet? Spinach/broccoli... ?

I'm still getting a bit confused about the 'types' of carbs :S

[GhettoMrBob]

I'm not too sure what others eat for their veggies but mine consisted mainly of broccoli, lots of spinach, kale, green beans, anything that's fairly low in non-fibrous carbs.

Carb types:

High GI(glycemic index) (digest fast) - White bread, regular pasta, juices, milk, pizza doughs (usually), white rice.

Low GI (digest slow) - Whole grain breads & pastas, oats (rolled, steel cut, etc.), brown rice, quinoa.

-From my understanding fruits are mostly somewhere in the middle of the GI scale.

[caracal]

Ah okay, so on the weekends, should I be aiming for High or Low GI carbs, or doesn't it really matter?

[GhettoMrBob]

Low gi will digest slower and help keep you from gaining fat. So aim for low gi.