I've been on a slow bulk for a long time. I'm currently at 210 lbs (I started at 150 lbs, ages ago) and recently I've been considering changing things up a bit and I'd love to get some opinions. I was thinking of doing very high calories (4 meals with a quart of whole milk after each) for five and a half days, and going low carb for one and a half days every week. It's basically the Anabolic Diet (I guess now it's called the TNT Diet) in reverse. I know there are ALOT of guys here who know ALOT more than I do about nutrition, so, I'm looking forward to hearing some advice. Thank you all.
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Low Carb Bulking
- Thread starter DairyGuy
- Start date
QuantumPositron
New Member
I'm in a boat similar to yours. Here's some things I've come up with:
Look at John Bernardi's (PhD) Precision Nutrition.
Or DiPasquale's Metabolic Diet.
Both are written by knowledgeable men on the front line.
You can also have a look at Christian Thibadeau's approach to Carb Cycling. An article detailing it is on T-nation.
One quart of milk will have a high insulin response. Milk has a low GI, which is deceptive because it has a high II (insulin index). The insulin will push nutrients into your cells and reduce cortisol, so the milk has an anabolic effect. In addition to the anabolic effect, however, the insulin will slow down fat oxidation. Your plan could cause you to gain bodyfat especially if you ingest a lot of fat with that milk (at least that's what John Bernardi states in Precision Nutrition). When it comes to diet I can see only two sensible options:
Option 1 is to find someone who is knowledgeable and already written a diet, then follow it. I have given you three examples above, a fourth would be Lyle McDonald.
Option 2 is to learn about food and diet and piece something together for yourself.
Please, I implore you, do not simply decide "I will try X" based on a whim or a few pieces of information. That is a recipe for failure and disappointment. Use an expert's plan or decide to build one based on facts and studies.
Good luck.
Look at John Bernardi's (PhD) Precision Nutrition.
Or DiPasquale's Metabolic Diet.
Both are written by knowledgeable men on the front line.
You can also have a look at Christian Thibadeau's approach to Carb Cycling. An article detailing it is on T-nation.
One quart of milk will have a high insulin response. Milk has a low GI, which is deceptive because it has a high II (insulin index). The insulin will push nutrients into your cells and reduce cortisol, so the milk has an anabolic effect. In addition to the anabolic effect, however, the insulin will slow down fat oxidation. Your plan could cause you to gain bodyfat especially if you ingest a lot of fat with that milk (at least that's what John Bernardi states in Precision Nutrition). When it comes to diet I can see only two sensible options:
Option 1 is to find someone who is knowledgeable and already written a diet, then follow it. I have given you three examples above, a fourth would be Lyle McDonald.
Option 2 is to learn about food and diet and piece something together for yourself.
Please, I implore you, do not simply decide "I will try X" based on a whim or a few pieces of information. That is a recipe for failure and disappointment. Use an expert's plan or decide to build one based on facts and studies.
Good luck.
Thank you for your response. Unfortunately, I never did try my diet idea (even if it had been a failure, it would've been interesting nonetheless). Since I joined the Navy, I've just been maintaining my current weight. With that being said, I got my inspiration from Mark Rippetoe's bulking suggestion of a gallon of milk a day (which I doubt anyone would disagree that it's the fastest way to put on weight) and thought about cycling low carb days with that (which I doubt that anyone here would disagree that low carb is the fastest way to lose bodyfat). However, trying to do both probably would've lead to spinning my wheels. I completely agree with you that it's usually better to follow diets (or workout routines for that matter) of people who know what they're doing. About four months before I'm shipped out for boot camp I'll be doing the TNT diet (which is just a rip-off of the Anabolic Diet, but the book is cheaper) in order to be as lean as possible. Again, thank you for your response.