Free Report Anabolic Diet Understand how the Anabolic Diet can help you achieve your fitness goals Exclusive interview with Fitness Expert Jen Heath Author of Fat Loss Pros Interviewed by: Alain Mokbel Author of www.All-About-Fitness-Planning.com Copyright © 2007 All-About-Fitness-Planning.com All Rights Reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the author or publisher. DISCLAIMER This book is for reference and informational purposes only and is no way intended as medical counseling or medical advice. The information contained herein should not be used to treat, diagnose, or prevent a disease or medical condition without the advice of a competent medical professional. This book deals with in-depth information on health, fitness, and nutrition. Most of the information applies to everyone in general; however, not everyone has the same body type. We each have different responses to exercise depending on our choice of intensity and diet. Before making any changes in your lifestyle, you should consult with a physician to discover the best solution for your individual body type. The author, writer, editors, and graphic designer shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any damage or injury alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book. UNDERSTANDING THE ANABOLIC DIET www.all-about-fitness-planning.com 3 www.fatlosspros.net Understanding the Anabolic Diet An Exclusive Interview with Fitness Expert Jen Heath by Alain Mokbel author of www.All-About-Fitness-Planning.com Alain Mokbel: First, I'd like to thank you Jen for taking time to answer our questions. I've read a lot of your material and – I have to admit – you're not the conventional personal trainer. You have indeed shaken some of my beliefs and I'm sure our readers will also be surprised and shocked by what you have to say. I'd like to talk about the Anabolic Diet. You seem to know a lot about this diet and recommend to some of your clients. I think it's important for our readers to get a good grasp of the AD in order to better understand how to prepare their nutrition plans and exercise programs, if they chose to follow AD. It looks like the Anabolic Diet is very similar to Atkins Diet. The Atkins Diet has indeed a bad reputation because it was linked to heart disease. How is the AD different from Aktins? Jen Heath: I am not an expert on the Atkins Diet, but I am under the impression that it doesn’t include any “carb ups”. I believe that the Atkins diet is a long term, no to low carb diet that doesn’t cycle much of anything. The Anabolic Diet utilized carb ups over the weekend to maximize hormones in the body and create a nice environment for carbs to be shuttled where they need to go in order to build muscle, and boost fat burning capacity for the weekly low carb cycle. Alain Mokbel: Is AD similar to carb cycling? Jen Heath: Carb cycling is a loose term. If you are eating different amount of carbs on any given day regardless of the pattern, it would be considered “carb cycling”. I personally carb cycle most of my clients on a daily basis with the exception of the few that do the Anabolic diet in which case the majority of carbs are cycled over the weekend. So, in my book as far as what I practice, yes, they are very different. One has higher and lower carbs daily, versus an influx over a couple consecutive days during the weekend. UNDERSTANDING THE ANABOLIC DIET www.all-about-fitness-planning.com 4 www.fatlosspros.net Alain Mokbel: Is AD specifically targeted for fat loss? Can it be used for muscle gain? Jen Heath: The Anabolic Diet is excellent for fat loss when used in a caloric deficit, and likewise works fantastically when used on maintenance or above for building mounds of muscle. Alain Mokbel: Do you believe that the AD works better for women than men? Jen Heath: Nope! I believe that body and brain chemistry are the main factors that determine whether AD will work for you, not gender. Alos, Mental state has abig deal to do with it as well. If you LIKE eating that way, it will work better. If not, things can get ugly! Alain Mokbel: A lot of fitness experts talk about "calorie in vs calorie out" being the #1 formula for fat loss or muscle gain. In order to lose fat, eat fewer calories that you consume, to gain muscle, eat more than needed. What's your take on that and could it be applied with AD? Jen Heath: This is a correct principle. However, the combination and timing of macronutrients that you eat on a daily and weekly basis is just as important if we are talking about maximizing body composition. You can eat 1000 calories of ice cream and you’ll most likely lose some fat, but you’ll lose a lot of muscle with that as well. Food choices are paramount regardless of how many calories you are eating. Furthermore, in caloric excess, you have to make managing insulin a priority. Too much insulin swimming around in caloric excess will result in too much fat gained for muscle gained. Being careful with this is what makes the difference between a muscle sparing fat loss cycle or a lean bulking cycle. Alain Mokbel: Do you "stay on" the AD all year long? Do you recommend alternating diets in order to "keep the body guessing"? Jen Heath: Nope. I use it for part of contest prep sometimes to maximize muscle maintenance. I personally have found that switching my diet and accompanying training a few times per year has worked best for me and for my clients. I often keep the diet the same if it is working and adjust training in a complimentary fashion to keep the body guessing in other says as well. UNDERSTANDING THE ANABOLIC DIET www.all-about-fitness-planning.com 5 www.fatlosspros.net Alain Mokbel: Could you give us an example of what eat during the day during your low and high carb days? Jen Heath: Low carb days consist of things like avocados, oils, nuts, a variety of meats, sugar free jello, protein powder, and lots of fibrous veggies. High carb days consist of things like sweet potatoes, Ezekiel bread, brown rice, fruits, a lower fat intake and lots of veggies with appropriate amounts of protein from meats and shakes. Alain Mokbel: As you mentioned in your article, there is no ONE diet for everyone. If one of our readers wishes to try AD, what would be the signs to look for to know whether the diet is working or not? How long should a "trial period" be on average? Jen Health: You must give it a fair 10-14 day low carb induction phase and about 3 weekly cycles to see if the diet is for you. One that time frame is passed; you can generally get an idea if mentally and physically the diet is for you. Also, it helps to have training that is periodized for this nutritional intake to maximize fat loss or muscle building goals. Seeing those results can often be motivating. Alain Mokbel: I understand from the AD that starchy carbs are almost completely eliminated during low carb days. I personally found myself unable to have sufficient energy during a workout if I don't have a "solid" meal beforehand which includes a good portion of starchy carbs (I train in the morning after breakfast). Would you recommend AD for me? Jen Heath: If you could resolve to eat those 30 (ish) allotted carbs before your training, then yes. Most people after about 2 weeks find that that the lull in energy regardless of low carb meals passes, and in that case I would also recommend it. However if you could not gain enough energy to stay on track in the gym, then of course I would consider some other alternative for you that included more carbs in the diet. Alain Mokbel: Can an alternative be to use starchy carbs for breakfast and then, concentrate on fibrous carbs the rest of the day? Jen Heath: Funny, I just answered that! So, to answer your question, yes that is a good alternative to see if a balance can be struck. UNDERSTANDING THE ANABOLIC DIET www.all-about-fitness-planning.com 6 www.fatlosspros.net Alain Mokbel: Fibrous carbs are usually low in calories. Men usually eat around 2200 to 3000 calories per day. The reduction of starchy carbs will mean a very LARGE amount of fibrous carbs to ingest to ingest the required daily caloric intake. How would you counter this? Jen Heath: Not necessarily. A man could eat several cups of fibrous veggies during the day, but the foods that get the calories in should be caloricly dense such as nuts, oils, avocados and steaks. One should not go stuffing themselves with an outrageous amount of fibrous greens in order to make up calories. Besides, those greens still have some net carbs, so eating too much of it can add up to ay over the limit if you are not careful. Alain Mokbel: The increase in fibrous carbs suggests that the diet will have a higher fiber intake. Most people need fiber to be regular. However, for the group of people suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, a high fiber diet is murder. What would you recommend to them – other than taking medication? Jen Heath: Like I said above, there is no need to stuff yourself silly with fibrous veggies. A fair and reasonable amount is fine, and the rest of the cals can be fats and proteins and the remainder of your net carbs. UNDERSTANDING THE ANABOLIC DIET www.all-about-fitness-planning.com 7 www.fatlosspros.net BONUS ARTICLE – ANABOLIC DIET By Jen Heath You’ve heard about the Anabolic Diet. You’ve read about it, but have you tried it? If you have, you can simply read on for a refresher course on one of the most successful and long term physique transformation diets ever created. If not, I have a question for you…why not? Is it that you don’t understand it? Has the idea of a low carbohydrate diet scared you? Are you under the impression that you can’t make gains or achieve your goals without a good daily dose of carbohydrates? Chances are you may be wrong. Though there truly is no ONE diet that will steer ALL people to the physique of their dreams, the anabolic diet is close. I know very few people who have not experienced huge strides toward their physique goals utilizing this diet. Granted, they got into it correctly, and stuck it out with detail and diligence. And as we all know, result s are only as accurate as the steps taken to get there. I have found that a lot of people think of the anabolic diet as this sort of “extreme” diet that is impossible to maintain. Reality couldn’t be further from the truth. Any diet is only as extreme as you make it. Most individuals that stay on the Anabolic Diet for any reasonable amount of time find that they are more readily reaching their goals than they ever have before. In other words, the Anabolic Diet easily becomes a “lifestyle”. Its underlying principles make it a superior outline for extreme athletes, in addition to most all people who have the goal of achieving a lean, rock hard physique. With all that in mind, let’s lay out the nuts and bolts of the Anabolic Diet. What exactly is the Anabolic Diet? The Anabolic Diet (AD) is a low carb, high fat and protein diet developed by Dr. Mauro Dipasquale. It was originally created for bodybuilders and athletes but since then, Dr. Dipsaquale has developed other versions such as the Metabolic Diet more suited for the general public. The finding have been this: The Anabolic Diet’s nutritional outline is realistic for most people and logical for long term body composition management. The basic premises of the diet are very simple. The goal is to change your body’s metabolism from being a "sugar" burner into a "fat" burner. In other words, your body changes from burning primarily carbs for fuel to burning fat for fuel. Allowing the body to make this transition not only leads to excellent fat loss but also eliminates many of the common pitfalls associated with dieting including excessive hunger, fatigue, blood sugar swings and failure to maintain weight and fat loss. The diet is also purported to make the body more anabolically efficient, which means one can simultaneously build muscle while burning off body-fat. I will go more in depth on these benefits of the AD a little later in the article. What does the Anabolic Diet entail? To change the metabolism from burning sugar to burning fat requires a strict induction phase where carbohydrate consumption is restricted to 30 grams or under per day while protein and fat are consumed in abundance. Each person is different as to how long it takes to become “fat converted”. It can take anywhere from as little as 10 days to as long as 4 weeks. After this initial induction phase is completed, 1 to 2 days of high carbohydrate eating is incorporated on a weekly basis. After 36-48 hours, the body will begin to smooth out, indicating that muscle glycogen stores are full. At that point, the low carbohydrate eating is re-instated. This cycle can be repeated indefinitely. Typically a person would do the low carb portion of the plan during the week and high carb portion over the weekends. UNDERSTANDING THE ANABOLIC DIET www.all-about-fitness-planning.com 8 www.fatlosspros.net The diet uses these targeted low and high carb phases for very specific reasons. During the low carb phase your glucose levels drop which increases variety of various fat burning hormones and fires up the fat burning pathways. During the high carb phase you replete your glycogen levels and boost insulin levels. The extra glycogen will ensure your muscles have ample energy stores to fuel strong muscular contractions throughout the rest of the week while you're eating low carbs, while temporarily elevating insulin levels will boost a variety of other anabolic hormones which contribute to anabolism. Is the Anabolic Diet For Everyone? My experience is the anabolic diet and other low carb diets work wonderfully for most people, yet there are some that I have seen it have opposite the desired effect. Some people simply don't feel well on long term low carb diets while others don't feel or do well on high carbs. People who don't respond well to higher carbs over time seem to feel wonderful on lower carb diets such as the AD. Several of my clients whose progress seems to be slow or stagnant on a “standard” nutritious diet experienced dramatic and sustained results on an anabolic diet scheme, while on the other hand, one of my clients out of dozens, felt drained over time without a steady flow of carbs each and every day. Unlike most people, who thrive on the weekly carb re-feeds, it simply wasn’t the right intake for her. Current research has helped us with figuring out why this is so. Researchers have actually identified what they call low and high fat phenotypes. Some people readily ramp up fat oxidation in the face of high fat intake while others don't. This is probably explained by large genetic variances in skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity, which can vary by as much as 10-fold between 2 people at the same body-fat levels. Insulin is a storage hormone released in response to eating. Carbohydrates have the greatest impact on insulin secretion, followed by protein, with fat having little or no impact. Insulin sensitivity refers to how much insulin the body requires to store food. Individuals who are insulin resistant tend to have higher levels because their bodies have to release more to get the job done. A tendency to release more insulin in response to food may predispose people towards carbohydrate intolerance and weight gain. Having extra insulin floating around almost always makes people hungrier. With a low carb diet, you're basically eliminating insulin. So you're eliminating one of the biggest stumbling blocks for those people who have a tendency to either over produce insulin or have less than optimal insulin sensitivity. In one study, groups of dieting women were placed on either high or low carb diets. Insulin sensitive women lost twice as much weight on the high carb diet than they did on the low carb diet. Insulin resistant women lost nearly twice as much weight on the lower carb diet than they did on the high carb fare. (1) The main point is that if you lean at all toward insulin resistance, you will probably do wonderful on the AD because you basically eliminate the one macronutrient that has the greatest impact on insulin levels -that being carbohydrate consumption. If you're naturally more insulin sensitive you'll probably feel like crap on any low carb type diet. However, it is very important to qualify that this doesn’t mean that if you feel you have this type of insulin sensitivity, that the AD is not for you. Remember, there are the high carbohydrate weekends, which fuel the following week. It would be worth going through a few cycles to see if your body couldn’t get acclimated to UNDERSTANDING THE ANABOLIC DIET www.all-about-fitness-planning.com 9 www.fatlosspros.net the shifts. In most cases I am aware of, even insulin sensitive types adjust to the AD quite well. They re-train their bodies on how to process the macronutrient shifts. By doing this, they gain a level of efficiency they have never experienced before. By giving it more than a week or two on the diet, you can truly see if your body will optimize its performance on AD. People who desire to have the most radical changes in body composition such as bodybuilders or figure competitors often see incredible results while using the anabolic diet. I have often found that some competitors shy away from using the AD, because there is a misconception that it is a carbon copy diet. It most certainly is not. Just as I stated earlier that a diet is only as extreme as you make it, it is also as personalized as you make it. It is true that diet is number one in physique transformation; however, the power of a good diet combined with the specialized and individual training goals of an athlete can be a force to be reckoned with for sure. Periodizing training to work in harmony with the AD is an entire other article in and of itself, but the bottom line is that for athletes and competitors the sky is the limit with the AD. I do not want to leave you with the impression that I think everybody should just go on the AD to “get rid of fat”. The Anabolic Diet is a powerful tool that when used correctly can create rock hard bodies, insanely lean and well developed competitors of all kinds, and some damn hardcore and hot mothers…. (a picture of me – or some other hot mother of four bodybuilder of you can find one -here would be so cool LOL) I rest my case! So, you are nervous about eating fat…let me educate you! It’s written about everywhere in current research. Fat is not our body composition enemy as it was once thought to be. The media over the years has lead most to believe that if you eat fat, you’ll get fat. I have met a lot of “idealist” people. They want to be lean and muscular, but they are afraid to try out new ideas. When I am on the anabolic diet, people ask me what I am doing to get so strong and lean. They can SEE the results of non-traditional thinking right in front of them but when it all boils down to it, they are unwilling to try it. This inability to question the systematic indoctrination of false ideas is maddening at times. The bottom line is that feelings about fat in our society are based on myths. The reality is this: The less fat you eat, the more your body will want to store it. And when you give it the opportunity to store fat through high carb diet pathways, it will store it and in a fast hurry. It is true, that the more carbs you eat, the more insulin you will produce. It is a true recipe for fat storage. The bottom line is that for most of the population, MORE fat will be stored with a higher carb diet than the low carb anabolic diet, guaranteed! The body recognizes that fat is in abundance on the AD, and will continue to use it as energy. Enzymes that breakdown fats in the body will be active, and as fat is consumed, it will be burned, not stored. Why allow the body to preserve every last bit of fat you ingest by eating virtually none? As far as long term fat burning and body composition management goes, there is little competition for the AD. It works…simple as that! Are there any side effects? The only real “negative” side effect of the AD is the adjustment period your body goes through as it switches from burning sugar to burning fat. The induction phase is UNDERSTANDING THE ANABOLIC DIET www.all-about-fitness-planning.com 10 www.fatlosspros.net the most difficult phase. Symptoms may include lethargy, dizziness, mental fogginess, irritability, and irregular bowels, including constipation or diarrhea, depending on how your body reacts to the radical shift in macronutrients. A fiber supplement is recommended for the induction phase of the diet. Psyllium seed husk, flax, or products such as Metamucil are excellent to counteract these potential side effects. It is common to think that these apparently adverse reactions mean that the diet is unhealthy or unsafe and not for you. I want to stress that the induction phase is the hardest and that these various initial side effects are to be expected, and NOT good indicators of whether the AD is a good long term choice for you. Research and results show that over time, the AD not only does what it claims, but exceeds expectations. Stick with it, because it might just prove to be the best thing you can do! This adjustment period soon passes and, if the anabolic diet is right for you, you'll probably have tons of energy, a much reduced appetite, and have better mental clarity. In other words, it is worth it! What about Food Choices? One alluring thing about the diet is you can eat whatever you want to over the weekends. Though most people adjust to and quite enjoy the low carb eating throughout the week, this aspect does make any sense of carb depravation easier to tolerate during the week. During the low-carb phase there are plenty of options for delicious and desirable foods. Virtually any meat is OK. You can focus on steak, hamburger, pork and other red meats. In addition, venison, fish, lamb, shrimp, lobster, chicken, turkey, fish and white meats are also OK. So are canned sardines, tuna, shrimp, herring and anchovies. Cheese is great as well. Use the full fat and non-skimmed milk varieties (though carbohydrates must be watched on these types of items). Eggs are great. Butter is fine. Nuts and seeds like walnuts and sunflower seeds are also good, but keep track of the carbs. So are condiments such as salt, vinegar, oil, and mayonnaise. Low carb drinks and desserts with artificial sweeteners are okay. However, remember sugar free doesn't necessarily mean carb free. Make sure to check the labels. Though not healthful, diet soft drinks are fine as far as the carbohydrate portion of the diet is concerned. You can also use sugar free Jello. Topping it with carb-free whipped cream makes a nice snack. It has no carbs and is a staple snack for many low carb dieters. During the low carb portion of the diet you should not forget to eat your green veggies! Most green veggie carbs like broccoli are very high in fiber. Fiber is free and need not be counted because it has no impact on blood sugar levels of any significance. An entire 1 pound bag of broccoli will have about 5 grams of net carbs. Ideally you should aim for about 25g or more of fiber per day to keep you regular and healthy. As far as specific macronutrient recommendations, a minimum of a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight would be a good starting recommendation. Your carbohydrate allotment will be the 30 grams, with the rest coming from fat. Make sure you get at least 6 grams of EFAs per day along with all the other fat you are consuming. UNDERSTANDING THE ANABOLIC DIET www.all-about-fitness-planning.com 11 www.fatlosspros.net In addition to this, there is something else to keep in mind with regard to the low carb days. Dr. Dipasquale has recommended that the 30 grams of carbs are best reserved for the evening. When I was on the anabolic diet during my last off season, I reserved most of my carbs for dinner time. It kept my energy levels up during the day. After dinner, the insulin response made it easy for me to relax and get better sleep at night. Some people prefer to spread them out, however that can often lead to an irritating mild lethargy throughout the day. I took Dr. Dipasquale’s recommendation and it proved to be worthwhile. I am not surprised though; the man’s a genius! Sample Anabolic Diet Foods List · Steak · Hamburger · Sausage · Venison · Salmon · Lamb · Shrimp · Lobster · Tilapia · Pollack · Chicken · Turkey · Tuna · Herring · Pot Roast · Pastrami · Bacon · Ham · Anchovies · Cheese* · Eggs · Butter · Oils** · Walnuts · Sunflower Seeds · Mayonnaise · Diet Sodas · Sugar free Jello*** Important: FIBROUS GREEN VEGETABLES should not be avoided. Of course, take care not to eat vegetables high in non-fibrous carbs such as carrots and tomatoes. But as stated before, fiber has NO impact on blood sugar levels, and can and SHOULD be included even in the low carb phase of the diet. * full fat/low carb ** poly and mono-saturated fats as in nuts, olive oil, flax seed oil *** sugar-free What about caloric intake? UNDERSTANDING THE ANABOLIC DIET www.all-about-fitness-planning.com 12 www.fatlosspros.net One of the secrets to making the induction phase a smooth one is to eat lots of calories. Eat as often as you feel you need to whether that's 3 times a day or 6 times a day. You might consume anywhere from 15-18 calories per pound of bodyweight. Consuming sufficient calories will help you avoid some of the aforementioned side effects that can occur in the induction phase. Once you have adapted fully to the diet you can begin to fluctuate your intake to drop fat faster or gain more muscle. If cutting off fat is your ultimate goal, the low carb phase is where you can really take advantage of caloric deficits. Remember not to be afraid of eating fat! If you don't give the body fat, you will be extremely tired and hungry and protein will get eaten up as energy rather than supporting the muscles. There is safety and protection in consuming fats, as the amino acids within the muscle are only protected if fat intake is sufficient. High Carb Phase: What you can and should eat The great thing about the high carb phase is your body will continue burning fat even while you are consuming liberal amounts of carbohydrates. Ingested carbohydrates will all go to your depleted muscular glycogen stores and your body will continue burning the fat. Since carbs are (for the most part) carbs, it's ok to have a bit of fun during this phase. If you're craving pancakes, ice cream, or even some high fat fare along with all the sugar, go ahead and have at it. However, be aware that the more "junk" you eat the more likely you are to experience insulin and blood sugar swings, which can leave you feeling like a zombie in-between bouts of gluttony. In a perfect world the majority of your carbs would be clean, coming from starchy sources like fruits, oatmeal, rice, and potatoes. General macronutrient recommendations during this phase are 45-60% Carbohydrates, 10-15% Protein and 30-40% Fat. How many carbs you eat is also individual and really depends on 2 things: 1. How much exercise you do during the low carb phase 2. How many calories you eat during the low carb phase Both exercise and caloric/carbohydrate restriction will deplete your muscles of glycogen (carbohydrate). Completely carb depleted muscles can store up to about 6-8 grams of carbohydrate per pound of bodyweight during a carb load. It is possible to enter the carb loading portion of the Anabolic Diet completely depleted. For a 150 pound person with completely depleted muscles, that would mean they could eat 900 to 1200 grams of carbs over the two day carb loading phase of the AD, which is quite a bit. One of the best ways to gauge your carbohydrate consumption is to look at your appearance. When you first begin eating carbs your muscles and veins will begin to fill out and you'll look more muscular and more lean. As you continue the carb load you'll eventually reach a point where your definition will begin to smooth out. This is a sign that your muscles are full of glycogen and then would be a good time to stop the carb load. I just want to point out that there will be decent body weight fluctuations after the induction phase, especially in the beginning weeks of the diet due to the card ups on the weekends. Don’t forget about the fluctuation, and more importantly…don’t freak out! These fluctuations may be fairly large, particularly at the beginning of the diet, as a result of your weekly carb loads. Those extra carbs can create a gain of up to 5-10 lbs. When that happens I repeat…don’t panic or stress. It is normal. The weight is made up of water retention, and as soon as you begin the high fat/low carb diet at the beginning of the week, you’ll begin to lose those pounds. By Wednesday the water should pretty much be gone, and you should feel leaner than you did the week UNDERSTANDING THE ANABOLIC DIET www.all-about-fitness-planning.com 13 www.fatlosspros.net before. Remember that calories can always be manipulated to create the appropriate amount of weight loss or gain. Just like any other thing in life, making something work for you on an individual basis is a matter of adhering to detail, keeping track of results, and making adjustments where necessary to keep things moving forward. It is important to keep a record of the various aspects of the diet, the results and the effects it has on you. It might be inconvenient, but learning things like how long YOUR carb load should be based on how your body responds and how many calories you need to consume in order to achieve your goals are important factors. Modifications for fat loss You can taper the carb filled weekends down a bit if you’d like, however, I would recommend more of a focus on cutting down on your calorie and carb consumption during the weekly low carb phase. The reason for this is that the carb loading phase will actually help you burn more fat during the low carb phase. This targeted “filling” of muscle and liver glycogen stores will stimulate the increase in a variety of fat burning hormones like thyroid, and this will ensure that your metabolism is running on high gear throughout the rest of the week. Throwing a curveball into any plan is what keeps us moving along and not plateauing. If a bodybuilder does the same training with no progression, eventually a plateau will be reached. The anabolic diet is no different. You can only do something the same for so long before the body acclimates and will no longer respond to the exact same stimulus. It is never wise to allow the body to get used to the same caloric intake over long periods of time regardless of what your nutrition scheme looks like. If you want more muscle, you need to eat more of the specified nutrients. If you want to get cut up, as mentioned before, you can eat slightly less calories. In other articles I have written, I support the principle of overload in training and calorie cycling to achieve a lean physique over time. I support those same principles with the anabolic diet as I do in any nutritional scheme. The framework should remain constant, but within that framework you can assist the body in making progress by cycling your goals and making the necessary caloric adjustments in the diet to accomplish them. Major Benefits to the Anabolic Diet: 1. Anabolic Muscles: Through increasing the efficiency of testosterone, growth hormone and insulin, muscles live in a MUCH healthier environment for anabolism. 2. Lean Body Composition: The more fat you eat, the more fat you’ll burn and the less fat you will store. You’ll become a fat burning machine. 3. Increased Strength: Your body weight will reflect more lean muscle tissue. The more muscle you are made up of, the stronger you’ll be! 4. Increased Health: Decreased triglyceride and cholesterol levels are common on the AD, thus reducing the risk of disease. Also, controlling insulin reduces the risk of diabetes which is common in higher carbohydrate fares. UNDERSTANDING THE ANABOLIC DIET www.all-about-fitness-planning.com 14 www.fatlosspros.net 5. More Energy: Once past the induction phase, blood sugar swings cease, resulting in higher and steadier energy. It is common for individuals to have more energy than ever before on the anabolic diet. 6. Less Restriction in the foods you eat: Foods that were once “taboo” due to high fat content are now not only allowed but beneficial! High carb food choices have a place and a purpose, and you can enjoy them! 7. Reduced Hunger Levels: Fat keeps you full. You will be able to eat more and still lose fat. Often times your satiety will be so high that you will need to remind yourself to eat! Being hungry all the time is no fun. With AD, the problem is solved. 8. Junk Food Craving Disappear: After staying on the anabolic diet for several weeks, your craving for junk will all but disappear. You will WANT to eat well, Granted you CAN have junk over the weekends, but as you become healthier you will desire less and less of it. 9. Increased ability to socialize: There really are no foods that are not allowed at some point during the week on the anabolic diet. No matter where you go, there should always be something you are allowed to eat. No more needing to worry about whether a steak has too many calories or fat grams in it. 10. Stay in shape year round: You do not have to get FAT in order to put on muscle and maintain a decent body composition. The AD solves this age old problem. There you have it, the nuts and bolts of the Anabolic Diet. I would call it one of the simplest and most efficient body composition management systems ever created. It’s logic is appealing, and results motivating. It may very well be for you. Give it a try and see! UNDERSTANDING THE ANABOLIC DIET www.all-about-fitness-planning.com 15 www.fatlosspros.net JEN HEATH BIOGRAPHY www.fatlosspros.net I was born in Portland, Oregon. I grew up as an active child…my favorite thing happened to be running around the beach on the Oregon coast. Throughout my younger years, I was always inclined to sports. Local stuff at the YMCA among PE being my favorite thing to do at grade school. My dad has always been kind of a sports junkie following just about everything…baseball, basketball, hockey, football, even golf and bowling! I got acclimated to being athletic at a young age due largely in part to the fact that I was exposed to it on such a regular basis. When I was 12, I moved to Idaho Falls, ID where I started playing soccer and found that I had quite a bit of skill in that area. In addition to that, I absolutely loved it. I continued with soccer throughout junior high and high school, in addition to running track where I excelled as a sprinter in the 100 meter dash. 11.8 second was my record time. In addition to extracurricular sports and orchestra, I was quite the academically minded student. Was I a geek? No, just loved to do homework and get good grades…okay…I guess if I was going to be well rounded, I had to have some geekish qualities to accent my outgoing, social and athletic traits right? Straight A’s were always on the menu for me; I just loved school…what can I say? In all reality, junior high and high school were great times for me to be active, and excel at my talents. In addition to being physically active, I was also very musically minded. I started playing the violin at a very young age. I continued to play violin at all grade levels being accepted to numerous honors orchestras throughout my schooling. I have been the concertmistress for several orchestras. At various times in my life as time has allowed, I have taught private violin lessons. I accepted a full ride scholarship, shortly after getting married, to Idaho State University to Study Music Performance. Currently I am a member of the Idaho Falls Symphony which performs numerous concerts throughout the year. As far as health and fitness go, I started attending aerobic classes at the age of 13. I was a regular, going to a class after school as time would allow. I continued in this habit until I was a senior in high school where I UNDERSTANDING THE ANABOLIC DIET www.all-about-fitness-planning.com 16 www.fatlosspros.net found myself arriving at the gym each day to do cardio and light weight training. This love for fitness evolved into something awesome when I got to college. It was then that I took up Body for Life, pushing myself to a level of fitness I had yet to experience. I was enrolled in the army ROTC which had me running 2 miles three times a week in addition to grueling PT requirements (gotta love those push ups and sit ups). I also taught the military style fitness class when aerobics was on the agenda. I was lifting on a 5 day split before class, and even attending some evening aerobics classes. I know it sounds like a lot, but I was 18 with all the energy in the world to do it! I arrived at 9.5% body fat and healthy as anyone could ask to be; it was something I was very proud of. Shortly after this, I became pregnant with my first child. I trained clear though that pregnancy and rebounded back to where I was before in record time. 9 months later, I became pregnant with my second. Still a very fantastic pregnancy, but this time it took me a little longer to get it all back. 2 years later, I was in fantastic shape again through diligent nutrition and exercise. It was then that I became pregnant with the twins…yes TWINS!!! This pregnancy was another story. Complications arose from a condition in the placenta called TTTS (Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome. I had to undergo regular amniocentesis reductions, and I was put on bed rest. I had a top weight of 195 when the babies were born 2 months premature (out of state where all the perinatologist specialists were, no less). They were put in the NBICU and stayed there for nearly 2 months. I was basically taking care of two families. One, premature babies in Utah and the other toddlers in Idaho. Stress levels did not allow me much sleep; when the babies came home, it was non-existent. For nearly a year, I spent myself on my kids, literally saving nothing for myself. Finally, near the end of 2005, I found the time and energy to get back in shape! I hauled all of my kids with me to the gym everyday, knocking out hardcore cardio sessions and hitting the weights with double determination. By the time April of 2006 rolled around, I was 135 lbs at 15% body fat. A couple months later, at 12%, my personal trainer friend and fellow Pro NGA Bodybuilder friend approached me about becoming a competitive bodybuilder. I had never even thought of that before, but why not? I started training for competition in July of 2006. I had a detailed yet simple plan to execute incorporating goal specific nutrition, training, and rest (the hardest part as a mother of our, I assure you). All of my hard work UNDERSTANDING THE ANABOLIC DIET www.all-about-fitness-planning.com 17 www.fatlosspros.net landed me at 7% bf and shredded. That night, at the NGA Northern States Competition in Clearfield, Utah, I won my NGA Pro card on my first show. I was one of the best experiences of my life. Words cannot describe how emotional I was that night, knowing that I had taken care of my family (tough work) while at the same time achieving the goal I had set for myself. Trust me when, I say to you that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to…because it is absolutely true! In addition to bodybuilding, I am also a fitness and commercial model. I enjoy this because it gives my offseaaso variety. Rather than bulking or cutting for too long a period of time, it gives me a chance to do both, which my body seems to like. If you look at some of my pictures, you will see that my smile loves the camera! In addition to personal successes I have achieved as a trainer, as a trainee and as an athlete, I truly enjoy helping others achieve their goals. It doesn’t matter what the goal…general health and fitness, weight loss, or any aspect of bodybuilding. I have formulated many individually unique programs that have led many to their goals. I enjoy doing this as a profession for one main reason: It helps others become their best. That’s what it is all about folks…healthy goals that bring us closer to our personal best. We are all unique, from our metabolisms to our schedules, all the way down to the quirks that make us who we are. There is nothing that makes me happier than to see someone succeed, because I know how it feels and we all deserve that, do we not? Credentials: NGA Professional Bodybuilder ACSM Certified Personal Trainer UNDERSTANDING THE ANABOLIC DIET www.all-about-fitness-planning.com 18 www.fatlosspros.net ALAIN MOKBEL BIOGRAPHY Alain Mokbel started his fitness career with martial arts. His interest, drive and curiosity led him to try different styles of martial arts, starting with Kyokushin Karate. He then progressed to Kick-Boxing. Fitness has always been a passion for him. Although trained as a chemical engineer, he always found time to fit in exercise and fitness into his lifestyle. During this time, he always kept a lean physique and was highly active. During his first full time job as an inside sales person, his activity level dropped, making him gain about 15 lbs in 8 months and progressed from 170 lbs to 200 lbs in about 2 years. Like most people, he first accepted his condition until, one day, he decided it was enough. He began his search for ways to lose weight in a proper and healthy way. This led him to lose 20 lbs in year following different programs online. His passion for fitness and exercise was renewed. In order to help him stay focused, he decided to create www.all-aboutfitnnessplanning.com. A website dedicated to regular people who are looking for information on fitness, nutrition, fat loss and muscle gain. He uses his training in engineering and project management to give ideas, tips and tricks to create a proper fitness plan and stick with it. You can sign-up to his newsletter at here. You may find more information at www.all-about-fitnessplannningcom and you may contact her at info@all-aboutfitnnessplanning.com.