Adam's Diet and a bulking phase

[Lost Dog]

Adam,

I had to consciously limit my foods when I was on your diet. While it was very satisfying, my brain tends to want to eat, eat, eat. I do not really self-regulate... Oh well.

Anyhow. Ready to bulk up.

Since I DO seem to be able to get enough calories from your diet, I'm considering using it to bulk. If I understand the theories on why it works for fat loss, yet maintaining muscle, it should also work for building muscle, yet limiting fat gain, right?

This seems like a better approach than just figuring my calorie needs and adding 500! Your diet, hopefully, will limit fat gains better than that type of diet plan.

Insulin levels stay low, except at PWO. Plenty of protein and good fats. Plenty of good carbs with a lot of fiber.

Are there certain types of food, limited on your fat loss diet, that would be good to add back in for bulking up? I'd be happy to add in some more cottage cheese, as I just love the stuff. But, I don't want to add much that will give me insulin spikes. Cottage cheese seems faily low carb, just higher carb than most cheeses.

Also, I know they aren't the best thing, but how do those protein bars tend to fit in. I've always been skeptical of the whole "net carb" thing, with the exception of subtracting fiber. Do those sugar alcohols like Maltitol, etc. really do what they say (not significantly effect blood sugar levels)? Sometimes I just want something sweet and on paper, these look like a good solution. But, I don't want to blow it and not know it.

Thanks again,

Lost Dog

[Adam Campbell]

I'd use John Berardi's massive eating reloaded plan. I have a problem getting enough calories, though--especially if I eat the way I do now (basically the diet I posted). So in a bulking stage, I'd probably take rockhard's approach and eat a lot more carbs--hey, all that insulin keeps you anabolic!! Of course, I know you recently lost a lot of weight and want to be careful--and if you don't feel like the diet limits you in calorie intake, then it's a good way to go. I'd just add in additional whole grains, etc. Cottage cheese is great. I think Berardi does a nice job of creating a plan that helps you maximize muscle gain while limiting fat gain. It's basically a calorie-counting version of Volek's plan, with more food choices (since the point isn't to "maximize" fat loss, and an extra meal or two that is higher in carbs.

Did I answer your question?

Sugar alcohols can cause some GI issues, so it's best to keep eat them in moderation regardless. However, they don't significantly increase blood sugar.

For you psychological well-being, keep in mind that you won't gain back those 70 pounds over night--just like you didn't lose them overnight. So you can always abandon a bulking plan if you feel that the downside outweighs (so to speak) the benefits.

[RedLefty]

I'm in my fourth week of following Adam's plan, and I had to stop for about a week due to a stomach flu, so with all of that going on, I've lost quite a bit of weight. I will be ready for a bulking phase as well in a few more weeks, and am looking forward to seeing how my body responds.

And amen to Adam's comment about GI issues with sugar alcohols... eating more than two of those sugar-free Hershey's mini-bars is no fun.

Welcome back from vacation, Adam!

[Lost Dog]

Thanks for the response. I'll check out John Berardi's plan tonight.

Weird about the sugar alcohols. I can eat the bars with little problems, but if I eat any of the low carb "candy" like the gummy bears or jelly beans, lookout!

The biggest problem with the bars is that they usually make me want another one. I definately can't buy them by the box, as there will be too many laying around, temping me.

I know I won't gain 70 overnight. I've always had a goal to actually "finish" this diet. To me, finishing would have been eliminating the excess fat. That was a long term goal with a specific end point. Time to change goals and make them more fluid.

I think, especially in the long run, that bulking now will be better for me.

Thanks again for the responses!

[DKing]

Those bars with the sugar alcohol tear me up! I used to buy them and eat them when I wanted to mess with my roomates. They eventually banned me from every buying them again.

Danny

[siccmadeloc]

Here are a few articles I found on John Berardi and his view on bulking, if any of you are interested.....sure helped me, especially the second one, it explains wat to eat and what not to eat when bulking up...


http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/...aneating_1.htm

&

http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/...aneating_2.htm

[Lost Dog]

I just read the Massive Eating Reloaded articles. While not rocket science, it is a bit complicated. I'll have to read it a few times to get the jist of it. It's no "Adam's Diet," that's for sure...

[siccmadeloc]

Well, it sure isnt Adams Diet, but its not that hard, just goto the second page and goto the bottom for what to eat and what not to eat, the other stuff just explains why you should or shouldn't eat those foods basically....and the first page has a summery on the bottom that doesnt make it so complicated.

[Lost Dog]

Wow! The Massive Eating Calculator has me at eating 3700 calories to bulk! That's a lot of food... It'll take a while to get up to that level from where I've been eating.

I read more of Berardi's Massive Eating articles, so I'm a little more clear now. Hopefully, I can get in a good pattern of protien/fat and protein/carb meals. Right now, there's still a lot of thinking involved.

On the minus side, I've got to dust off the ol' CalorieKing Palm Pilot software again to start tracking things.

On the plus side, I really enjoyed my oatmeal this morning.

[DKing]

Amp up to that level of cals slowly. Berardi usually recommends a level way to high for most people. So if you start going up slower, you will see what level you need to gain.

Danny

[Lost Dog]

I think Berardi's recommended calorie level might only work if you actually follow his Massive Eating plans. On that plan, you eat combinations of protein and carbs or protein and fats at specific times.

I think if you followed a more "normal" diet (like TAP or Clean Eating) at those levels you'd gain weight all right, but much might be fat.

Berardi claims that you can actually lose fat while you gain muscle on Massive Eating. We'll see...

[Lost Dog]

It's been quite a change in thinking moving from Adam's Diet (simple as they come) to Massive Eating (complex!).

Before Adam's Diet, I had lived TAP for about 8 months. I had it down pat.

Adams required virtually no thought.

Massive Eating requires a lot of thought and planning ahead. It's pretty easy to adjust a meal to TAP standards by adding this or subtracting that. It's tougher to find meals that are P/F or P/C and at the right times. Less eating out, more packing lunches. Not too bad, just a change.

Berardi's Massive Eating articles are very interesting, but detailed. He needs a little section at the end where he just nets it out! I had to write a little cheat sheet out for myself, just as a memory jogger.

[mountn21]

Lost_Dog, I too am going to try moving from Adam's Diet into Berardi's Massive eating plan. I agree with you on the detailed articles he writes. I think I have re-read a few of his articles 10 times by now, just trying to pick the important pieces out!
I think I will take a more conservative approach at ramping up my Calorie intake though...Especially coming off Adam's Diet, where I was definitely not taking in a great amount of Carbs. I am currently getting about 2500 cals a day on Adam's. I am thinking about increasing my calorie intake (using carbs) in the time periods that Berardi suggests, but will do it by 150 - 200 cal increases every two weeks. Just to be on the safe side.

[Adam Campbell]

mountn21: What kind of results did you see on the diet? Good? Bad? Nothing special?

[Lost Dog]

So, here's my beef with Massive Eating...

On workout days (four days a week), I take the shake during and after workouts. That's over 600 calories! Yet, liquids do absolutely nothing to keep me feeling full. It's really hard to be satisfied with the calories left in my day after those 600+ calories are swallowed down.

Now, on non-lifting days, I'm a happy camper!

I may have to switch from Massive Eating to eating in the "spirit" of Massive Eating.

[Johnka]

Lost Dog,
Are you having trouble staying under 3700 k/cal with the shakes?

[Lost Dog]

Well, I'm still in the "raising calories slowly" phase. Right now, I'm hitting around 3250 calories per day. The first week and a half, I stuck to 3,000 calories per day. It was really hard to hold to 3,000 cals on shake days.

Another thing is that the P/C meals, while initially filling, don't really stick with me. I've always had this problem with things like oatmeal, yogurt, etc. I've been experimenting with dropping the ratio of carbs to protein. I'm not really sure how much C is necessary to bulk. Don't want to go to low, especially after a workout, if they are necessary.

I reread the section that Berardi writes about glucose tolerance, etc., but it will take all of my concentration to follow it. To be honest, I'm not sure it even applies...

[Johnka]

While there might be a lot of background material associated with Berardi, his ME reloaded is a very elegant diet that is easy to use. You'll get the hang of it!