"Adam's Diet" Thread

[Adam Campbell]

[originally posted by Adam Campbell]
1. Eat as many of these vegetables as you desire throughout the day.

Asparagus, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, corn, cucumbers, egg plant, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, peppers, pickles, spinach, squash, string beans, tomatoes, zucchini. Of course, oil-based, low carb dressings are fine for dipping, steaming is great, as well as sautéing with garlic (fantastic for fresh spinach with olive oil).

2. Eat as much lean meat as you want: 90 percent lean beef, turkey, chicken, tuna, salmon (any kind of fish/seafood really). (You can eat bacon, ham, and fattier meat, too, but just for the sake of being politically correct, limit these to one to two servings a day.) Use low-carb marinades and rubs to add variety to things like chicken and beef.

3. Especially avoid high-carbohydrate snacks. That is, anything that would spike your insulin between meals. Instead eat pepperoni or cheese (or better yet, pepperoni sticks dipped in soft cheese! or tuna, etc. Also, eat at 1-2 servings of peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, and pine nuts per day (great snacks).

4. Allow yourself one to two servings (but only at ONE meal) of the following: whole grain/wheat bread, brown rice, sweet potato, oats/oatmeal (In other words, if you want a sandwich for lunch, eat it. If you like oatmeal for breakfast, eat it.)

5. Limit fruit intake to 2 servings a day. Choose from: strawberries, pears, peaches, apples, and grapes.

6. Have as much coffee (with cream or artificial sweeteners), diet soft drinks, and tea as you like.

7. Drink lots of water. Let's say 16 ounces ever two hours you are awake on top of other beverages.

8. Drink (roughly): 15 grams of protein, 45 grams of carbohydrate (high-glycemic like maltodextrin or dextrose) in 12 ounces of water--half 5 to 15 minutes before your workout, and the rest evenly divided every 15-20 minutes of your workout. (This is basically a "Nutrient Timing" principle.)

9. After your workout, drink 20 grams of protein and 20 to 40 grams of carbohydrate. (These numbers are debatable, but I think they'll do the job quite nicely.)

10. Eat eggs and plenty of cheese. Avoid milk most of the time. (If you love it, limit it to one serving a day.)

Does this make sense. You'll get plenty of carbohydrates but you'll time them correctly and you won't be eating the 'bad" ones when it counts. The idea is that you'll keep insulin levels low all day long (high insulin inhibits fat loss and promotes fat storage) except during your workout, when you'll use insulin to decrease protein breakdown. You'll also eat protein at the same time, to enhance protein synthesis. Plus, by eating before and during your workout, you can workout as intensely as you desire. So it's the best of both worlds: faster fat loss with more energy. In addition one problem with a pure fat loss ketogenic diet is that although you preserve muscle, you can look "flat" because of the reduced glycogen stores. This plan keeps your muscles looking full and feeling big. Basically, it's meat and vegetables. So you don't have the pasta and bread, but you really don't need it if you get creative enough with food preparation. I'd also recommend that if you can sneak a fiber supplement in during the day (BeneFiber or Metamucil) say, 30 minutes before you eat any meal in which you eat the foods that are in number four you'll enhance your results even more.

Okay, I'm getting ready to go on vacation, so I don't have time to reply everyone individually. However, I hope this post takes care of most the questions.

The number one question: Can I add this or eat that and still lose fat?

The answer: Of course. HOWEVER, you'd be doing a different diet.

I posted this diet for one reason: JP was looking for something to cut fat fast without having to go into ketosis (the metabolic state in which your body uses fat as it's primary source of energy). He had a few reasons, but one of them was that he really enjoys cycling. So I provided a diet with really simple guidelines that was designed to provide many of the benefits of a low-carb diet--fat loss and reduction of heart disease risk--without compromising his ability to go for long or intense rides as well as hit the weights hard.

However, JP's a smart guy and has some experience at dieting. He may have taken the "guidelines" and tweaked them for his preferences. For instance, more whole grains, more milk, or more beans. I don't really know.

Unfortunately, for most people, using the guidelines I gave, but changing the "rules" won't work. Why? "My" diet was based on the idea that we'll keep insulin levels as low as possible all day long, except pre/post workout and at one meal (when you're allowed your whole grains or beans). Insulin is a very powerful hormone that even at very low levels inhibits your body's ability to burn fat. You boost insulin levels by eating high-sugar or starchy foods.

The other goal of the diet was to provide foods that would automatically regulate the number of calories you eat. Typically, these are foods that are high in protein, high in fat, or high in fiber. Base your diet around these and eliminate other foods, and you will lose fat FAST--especially because these foods don't stimulate signficant increases in insulin (if at all).

So the key to the diet is that you could eat as much of these foods as you want, without having to count calories. Automatic weight loss--a beautfiul thing.

But a lot of people would like to add in different foods or change the rules. For instance, they'd like to eat more whole grains, beans, and milk at more meals. There is NOTHING wrong with this. Those are all great foods. BUT... it's not the diet that I presented, so it doesn't work the SAME way. If you want to eat clean, but enjoy a greater variety of foods, then you really need to count calories. Some people will get away with it b/c they've dieted before and have an understanding of portion control. Those who haven't won't.

If you do the plan as I originally suggested, you WILL lose fat without counting calories. If you make a lot of changes or additions, I don't know what will happen. You might get great results; you might not. As you change the diet, you change the "rules". I just wanted to give JP a really simple plan that made sense metabolically. It DOES work. But if you start eating whole grains or beans at every meal, or drink several servings of milk, you're following a different diet. And you will probably need to count calories. If you count calories, it's called the Testosterone Advantage Plan and is extremely effective; if you don't, it's called The Abs Diet and is hit and miss on its effectiveness. In other words, you can't apply low-carb rules--like you see in phase 1 and 2 of South Beach--to the Testosterone Advantage Plan and make a blanket statement about losing fat. There are too many variables involved that will require you to count calories. I think that if you really accept the idea that insulin is powerful player in fat loss, it will be easy to accept why you only want to eat bread/pasta/rice at one meal a day.

Make no mistake: The plan I originally suggested is low-carb, and I really don't want to modify it for a moderate-carb lifestyle. There's nothing wrong with eating that way, and it can be very effective for achieving your fat loss goals. But I simply don't think it's going to get you where you're going the fastest, in the easiest manner possible as was my original intention and will continue to be. Keep in mind that I'm really promoting a diet that was created by Jeff Volek, who also created the Testosterone Advantage Plan diet. He's evolved his thinking on what is optimal, and I've become a believer through my personal experience, the research that's been presented, and the anecdotal experience of others.

I guess what I'm saying is that if the diet interests you, it's easy enoough to follow as it's laid out: Eat meat, veggies (go for five servings a day), nuts/seeds (three servings a day), eggs, and cheese (yes, any kind) in any amounts that you wish, along with your workout nutrition. This will keep insulin levels very low, and will limit your total caloric intake--the winning combination for fat loss.

I know this isn't necessarily the "popular" approach to dieting among nutritionists, but many of the top metabolism researchers in the country believe in this philosophy, even if they're not vocal about it in the press.

I hope this helps. I guess what I'm saying is that if you feel like you can follow the guidelines I provided, then great. If you don't, find a different diet that will work, but be aware that you need SOME way of gauging portion control. Most diets offer that--TAP, The Zone, Body for Life. Those who aren't low-carb and don't offer that are taking advantage of the marketing hype of "you don't have to count calories" without being able to back up the promise.

[wingsfan]

i think this would be a great "sticky at the top" post.

[Johnka]

You're right Wingsfan, this is very deserving of a sticky status - I'll have to ask JP how to do this.

Adam, thanks for taking the time to write this out. All great advice - a very useful and effective diet! Have a good vacation!

[Kaiser]

John, you hit 'Feature Topic' (the red exclamation mark) on the bottom bar. I've done it for you. I also changed the title of the post since most people would refer to it as 'Adam's Diet'.

(sorry to tread so heavily in your forum)

[Ogedei]

Awesome guys. I intend on giving this a shot, great to see it all sticky so we can access the information easily.

Thanks for all the great info Adam!

Og.

[Jean-Paul]

I see you guys figured out how to do "stickies"... GREAT thread! I will be sending a lot of people here.

[Lost Dog]

Here are a couple of threads that give some insite into the diet. Just in case folks want more background info...

http://forums.jpfitness.com/cgi-bin/...;f=11;t=000247

http://forums.jpfitness.com/cgi-bin/...;f=11;t=000384

[Lost Dog]

This diet has been great for me, so far. I'm really enjoying the feeling of freedom.

For a long time, I've counted calories. It's worked, but I tend to get caught up in the numbers. Calories, grams of this, grams of that, how much before this, after that. My wife says I'm obsessed. No longer. If this continues to work, I'll keep going and going.

One other area of freedom: sweets. I don't really crave them much. When I was counting cals, I allowed myself to eat them sometimes, as long as they fit into my cals and macros. One taste of sugar and I just wanted more, more, more!

Now, a piece of fruit is a decent dessert for me. Knowing that I can have some real food if I'm still hungry at the end of the day has allowed me to skip the sweets. When I was in macro mode, I had all sorts of carbs left at the end of the day. That sherbet and frozen yogurt (mostly carbs) was always calling to me and because I had them left in my macros, I would eat it. Mistake. I just wanted more, more, more!

I'm liking this, so far. Thanks, Adam!

[Johnka]

Originally posted by Kaiser:
John, you hit 'Feature Topic' (the red exclamation mark) on the bottom bar. I've done it for you. I also changed the title of the post since most people would refer to it as 'Adam's Diet'.

(sorry to tread so heavily in your forum)

[Johnka]

Thanks Kaiser [img]smile.gif[/img]

And I'm always grateful for your help in our forum!

[jreimann]

This is kinda funny. I've been following about the same diet as this "Adam's diet" for the last month to control my insulin levels as I realized I was having the same symptoms of hypoglycemia that as my mom. The real difference to you guys is that in my case if I stray away from the diet I have major headaches, feel like total crap, no energy ect. I have to be real carefull with what I eat that it doesn't cause an insulin spike and the resulting crash after it. The only real difference is that I can't eat any fruit at all and I am not really eating enough vegatables although I know I should eat more. I haven't lost any weight but I think I may have gained some muscle and my lifting is progressing alot compared to before.


I eat a 4-6 egg omelete for breakfast with either lunchmeat or canned chicken in it with some cheese.

A snack at 10:00-10:30 is a handfull of almonds or pistatios.

Lunch is a can of peas and one of canned chicken with some more cheese.

A snack at 3:00 is a handfull of almonds or pistatios.

4:30-5:00 is a can of chicken and some cheese.

5:00-6:00 is some walnuts.

If I lift I have a gatorade during the workout and a granola bar after WO.

Supper is more variable. Sometimes tuna and mayo and cheese. Last night was whole wheat pasta and tomato sauce with hamburger. Other times its a sandwich with whole wheat bread.


So basically no white flour and nothing that has sugars in it and no carbs that have a remotely high GI.

[cward76]

The only thing I don't understand about the diet is that Adam says it is a low carb diet but yet it recommends eating as many vegetables as you want, 2 servings of fruit on top of that it allows 2 servings of whole grain bread or a smiliar food. My understanding of low carb diets is that you should limit vegetables because they have plenty of carbs in them. This is part of the reason I don't like low carb diets unless somebody is way over weight.

Is there anything I have said that is incorrect?

I'm not trying to be disagreeable, I just want to understand.

[david_04]

You need vegetables for health reasons, as with fruit. The one grain meal is not compulsory, just for people who need the extra energy.

[Adam Campbell]

Vegetables have very few carbs. Most can go into ketosis while eating several servings a day. Of course, this doesn't include potatoes, but check out the ones I recommended.

However, the diet I recommended to JP isn't a very-low carb diet, it's a low-carb diet. If it were a very-low carb diet, I would have cut out the fruit and grains (1-2 servings at most was the rec) as well as the carbs pre and post workout. I would have still said to eat as many of the recommended vegetables--you can eat five servings of most and three servings of nuts/seeds and still stay under 50g of carbs a day, which for most would make it a ketogenic diet.

The diet I gave JP was more or less low-carb in order to keep insulin levels and calories low, without affecting his endurance performance. It's still low-carb, except around the workout.
Fruit doesn't affect insulin levels and is high in fiber and vitamins, so it made sense to allow some. Whole grains were added in to accomodate lifestyle, but they're intake is controlled to one meal so the overall effect on insulin over the entire day isn't that significant.

Does all that make sense? Low-carb diets get bashed for the wrong reasons usually. That is, people say they cause heart disease, have no vegetables or fiber, and limit energy. All of those are basically untrue if you do the diet correctly. People have just taken the idea of eating bacon at every meal and used that as a way to rip on them. Also, many people who hate low-carb diets don't do them correctly and find the very unpleasant for that reason. (The first few days are regardless, but you have to allow a little time for your body to shift from burning carbs as preferred fuel to fat as preferred fuel.) That doesn't mean they're for everyone, but by the same token, you won't catch me eating a vegan diet even though it works very well for dos and many others. I just wouldn't be able to stick to it.

In addition, nutritionists have taken one of the best parts of the low-carb diet and used it against the people who promote them: the idea that it auto-regulates. Ever hear a nutritionist explain why a low-carb diet works? They say it's simply low in calories. OF COURSE that's ONE of the reasons--but it's low in calories while keeping you satisfied. Is that a BAD thing???

Sorry for the rant. Couldn't help myself [img]smile.gif[/img]

[cward76]

Rant, what rant?

Any how, thanks for the response. I did look up some of the vegetables that you mention, mainly the ones I eat such as carrots, broccoli, peppers, spinach and mushrooms. To my surprise they all did not have that many carbs. I asked the question for two reasons because I kind of was already following a diet that is some what similar, at least in terms of the types of veggies and meats the diet recommends The key difference which is probably why I have not experienced the results that JP and others have is because I usually eat two servings of whole grain bread, one serving of beans and a serving of almonds mixed with peanuts and walnuts. Occasionally I will have a cheat meal that will have potatoes in the form of French fries. Other than that I don't eat potatoes or white bread.
I have three servings of fruit instead of the two the diet recommends which include strawberries in the morning an apple for lunch and a banana pre work-out. Then I eat tuna, salmon, chicken and peanut butter through out the day for protein. I have a post workout protein shake that consist of whey, orange juice and powdered Gatorade. Ok I forgot about the orange juice that would make 4 servings of fruit on work out days.

The second reason I asked is, you made the statement on the diet it's self that you would be getting plenty of carbs, but then in another post you called it a low carb diet. That confused me about what the definition of low carb meant. Then again I was confused about the carb content of veggies.

I have to admit, as my signature implies I have been one to bash low carb diets. I myself have never been on a low carb diet. I know people who are following them, as you pointed out these people apparently are not following them correctly. I say this because most of these people are not eating any veggies or fruits. I think it is nuts to call a diet healthy that do not contain fruits and vegetables.

I actually liked the diet that you have laid out and was not trying to criticize it. I'm considering following it. I have a little bit of fat on my mid section that I would like to get rid of. I was thinking that when I completed the Book of Muscle that I would follow Craig's Turbulence training and follow the diet you posted.

[Milko Georgiev]

Hi Adam! Your diet is pretty good! I have some questions about it.

----(1)----
The other goal of the diet was to provide foods that would automatically regulate the number of calories you eat. Typically, these are foods that are high in protein, high in fat, or high in fiber. Base your diet around these and eliminate other foods, and you will lose fat FAST--especially because these foods don't stimulate signficant increases in insulin (if at all).

So the key to the diet is that you could eat as much of these foods as you want, without having to count calories. Automatic weight loss--a beautfiul thing.

----(2)----
Eat meat, veggies (go for five servings a day), nuts/seeds (three servings a day), eggs, and cheese (yes, any kind) in any amounts that you wish, along with your workout nutrition. This will keep insulin levels very low, and will limit your total caloric intake--the winning combination for fat loss.

----(3)----
Mechanisms: Lower insulin levels, lower calories. But if you're eating 3500 calories a day, it doesn't matter how low your insulin levels are.

----(1)----
If I eat 3000 kcal from foods that are high in protein, high in fat, or high in fiber, and I burn 2000 kcal, what's going on with the excess calories? How works automatic weight loss?

----(2)----
How the very low insulin levels will limit total caloric intake? And what's very low insulin level? In principle, the insuline level is adequate to the kind of eaten food and to its absorption speed/time. Please, explain what you mean.

----(3)----
Again I can't understand the main principle.

--

Sorry, maybe I can't see something obvious.
I'll be glad to receive your reply.