Lyle McDonald has been interested in all aspects of human performance physiology since becoming involved in competitive sports as a teenager. Pursuing a degree in Physiological Sciences from UCLA, he has devoted nearly 20 years of his life to studying human physiology and the science, art and practice of human performance, muscle gain, fat loss and body recomposition.
What does this product claim?
Quote:
With the exception of a small percentage of genetic elite, who never seem to understand what the big deal is, dieting to sub 10-12% bodyfat for men (19-22% for women) is a huge problem. Hunger, muscle loss, crashing hormones, impaired training performance, these things and more seem to conspire against you to keep you from ever getting as lean as you want to be.
That's where the UD2 comes in. Building on previous cyclical diets such as the original Ultimate Diet and Dan Duchaine's Bodyopus, the UD2 will give you the reasons why dieting to extreme leanness is so difficult (hint: thank evolution). More importantly, it'll give you the solution to those problems.
Note: the UD2 is an advanced diet for advanced dieters. If you're not a male at 12-15% bodyfat or a female about 20-24% bodyfat and you haven't been training for at least 6 months, this diet isn't for you.
Spiral bound = sturdy and easy to read. The paper isn’t great, it’s not bad. Overall it meets expectations.
Layout\Format
There is practically no white space and the single space formatting allows for words all the way from top to bottom and right to left. While it’s “only” 70 pages, it has a lot more volume of information than other products recently reviewed.
Content Usability
Lyle is easy to read and gives quite a bit of explanation as to “why” he set up the diet like he did. It’s interesting without being boring and at the end of reading the entire book you really have a decent grasp of what you’re trying to accomplish.
The biggest piece of advice I can give is “follow simple instructions”. If it says to do something, do it. If it doesn’t say to do it, don’t. Keeping that in mind will take the book from confusing and overly complicated to very simple.
Actually “doing” the diet is pretty strait forward (eat this, not that, at this time, not that time). The initial setting up is a bit of a pain in the ass, not horrible, you just need to bust out with your math skills. The biggest confusion is the "carb load" day and a half. If it just boggles your mind Lyle says to turn it into one day instead...which really just solves every problem
Does it do what it says\Final Thoughts
I lost 9lbs in 9 weeks. Little to no muscle loss. No loss to possible gains in strength. If all the stars were aligned I could see 6 abs now and then for the first time ever. As far as I’m concerned “it works”.
It’s educational and my end take on the process is that if you want exceptional results then you have to put some effort into figuring shit out. I don’t know if the cal\carb cycling is a bunch of bologna like Alan Aragon says. I do know this is the only “diet” I’ve ever stuck with. It’s interesting because things are always changing (significantly) and you invest a lot of time and effort into making sure it works. I like it.
Please note that this is for people that are already under 15%. If you’re not then the book is purely educational. If you are, then it’s kid tested and mother approved.
At the risk of sounding like a guy on T-nation, this sounds like what I may need right now. Honestly. Read my post from last night in my training log. Since running my first marathon to training for and running the second my diet has sucked major ass and I've really done nothing about it. I just eat pretty much whatever, whenever. Thanks, Gob. I'll do some more looking into this product.
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“Life is a headlong rush into the unknown. We can hunker down and hope nothing hits us or we can stand tall, lean into the wind and say, 'Bring it on, darlin', and don't be stingy with the jalapeños.'"
Lyle has the best newsletter out there, it's not just a sales pitch like the majority of the other newsletters out there.
Good review, Tony. Although I'm not in the range you recommend this book for I am going to have to take a look at some of his other books. Thanks for taking the time to do this.
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"A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have."
I'm not quite in the target range yet but looked at the website. Was a bit suprised to see content "Drug options for those willing to go to the darkside". Maybe i'm naive, he's not advocating the use of seroids is he?
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Walk on
With hope in your heart
And You'll Never Walk Alone
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There's no free lunch, especially when it's served with special sauce (lostdog)
***************************** My Log - PC Plod
Thanks for the review, G. I've got this product, to find out what it was about, even though I don't qualify to use it. Frankly, the notion of training for martial arts and glycogen depletion always makes me run the other way. LOL
Of course, that mindset is what keeps my from getting to the point of qualifying for the UD2!
Any tips on how to get THERE, aside from shutting my pie hole? (Or making better choices?) (Alwyn's words: you must create a caloric deficit . . .)
I know someone who has done this a few times and swears it worked every time. I have yet to do it the way it is laid out, but have followed some of it. The best parts are eating cereal and bagels all day long for the carb reload
Twin> Just as an FYI, it includes an exercise plan as part of the diet so if you're planning on any big runs coming up you'd have to pick which goal you'd want to do. You can modify it "to a point" but you have to accomplish the purpose of each workout on the days that you're doing them.
Essentially you've got 2 glycogen depletion workouts, 1 tension (hypertrophy), and 1 power. I did this as I was getting ready for my last PT test (weighed in 4lbs heavier than the previous year and 20sec faster) and went with sort of a block training approach, 2 interval days back to back, rest or SS, tension, power, longish run, rest. So their really wasn't much deviation in the plans "intent", but that came out of it working with my pre-existing goals. OK, that was windy and confusing...be prepared to (likely) drop your current workout if you want to do it.
King> He mentions drug use (briefly) to assist, it's not part of the plan. In another one of his books (rapid fat loss) he constantly mentions something along the lines of "I don't want you to do this, but you're going to, so do it this way since you're going to anyway". It's more of a statement that shows that he understands the mindset of the user...us...we're stupid . So he leads you down the path of stupidness to avoid any major pot holes should you insist on taking that path.
Chris> 1: Figure out if you actually give a shit about it (low BF) or not. Knowing that it's a process that requires a lot of effort (as a dad with a 2 jobs, ect). There's a reasonable chance that to you it's not worth the time and effort that's required and that's OK.
2: Most any plan can get you to 15ish. You've just got to do it. Look into something you "want" to do and do it. I "like" Adkins, South Beach diet stuff, it works for me because I do it consistently. Now is a good time to look into the TNT diet from Adam (haven't had a chance to check it out myself yet). Barardi's 7 habits is a GREAT way to go a long way. Eat fruits and vegis (a lot of) at every meal. That alone would probably do it considering how active you are.
I guess those were the suggestions you didn't want
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“Life is a headlong rush into the unknown. We can hunker down and hope nothing hits us or we can stand tall, lean into the wind and say, 'Bring it on, darlin', and don't be stingy with the jalapeños.'"
Not to make this about me, but to broaden the nutrition discussion . . .
G, knowing and doing are two different things! But thanks for the input. Ongoing reminders are often needed, I know, as an instructor.
FYI, I lost my big initial chunk of weight (more than 20 lbs) on the Zone diet; followed it very strictly, even if that notion of eiconosids (or whatever they're called) might be BS. After that, pretty much Adam's guidelines got me a bit lighter (8 or 10 pounds maybe), but then I ate it back on afterwards.
Yep, when I'm eating the veggies and fruits, things work better. When I get grain based, things start to overload (but I feel so much better -- up to a point at least).
Lastly, you're right with the question, "does it matter?" I generally think so largely due to image concerns. However, my wife loves me and thinks I'm hot, my students and the public (as much as I can tell) view me as fit and capable, I don't compete, so weight class isn't an issue. It's largely the image matter, aas well as a sense of being my best. But, I do know that I don't feel nearly as strong/powerful at a lighter/leaner weight. Maybe for my 50th birthday . . .
Granted it's a social thing but here are some of most the special moments of my week:
Taco Tuesdays with my daughter (her idea) after practicing together with our church's contemporary/rock music group. A special time for a dad and a 13 year old.
Friday nights out for two or three (OK, usually three) pints with my wife. It's the only time we really get consistenly each week and we enjoy it.
Wednesday nights out with my taekwondo colleagues. Usually a couple of beers and some chicken wings after training. Good time.
That is the whole reasoning behind what you do. Do we need to be 10% and ripped or live our lives @ 15% and enjoy time and food with our families. I have kinda gone from trying to get the ripped and lean look to I am going to have ice cream and birthday cakes, hamburgers etc. My wife and family tell me not to lose any more but I still want to be that MH cover model, but I want to enjoy family life. I am way better off then I was, I look better in clothes and am more athletic, but still carry a belly.
Wednesday nights out with my taekwondo colleagues. Usually a couple of beers and some chicken wings after training. Good time.
That was Tuesday night after basketball for me until my friend, 43 years old, had a heart attack. Now we just drink the beer. I really do miss those wings.
__________________ 'I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day. ' ~Frank Sinatra
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may create the illusion that you are tougher,
smarter, faster and better looking than most people.
Thanks for the review, Tony. I'm certainly the target market for this. Just need to think about whether I can justify a C$54 expenditure. :/
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"Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right." - Henry Ford
"UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." - Dr. Seuss
"Life is no brief candle to me. It is sort of a splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations." - George Bernard Shaw
I'll add the "chick side" for this one, if I may--I think it's fairly shitty for women, in general. I did it, to the letter, maybe 2 years ago, I can't recall exactly when, may have been a year. Anyway, that whole ridiculous amounts of carbohydrates thing was NOT pleasant for me whatsoever; I would have a carb hangover for two days. As far as results go... If anything, I maybe lost a pound or three on several weeks of following this to the letter.
At the time, I was also a lurker on Lyle's forum, and there were several women trying to follow UD 2.0; there was one woman in there that he knew well, who ate what he told her, worked her ass off, and lost almost nothing. Last time I had looked (right before she jumped ship and swam back to the sanity shore), she was eating less than 900 cals/day on the low days.
Anyway, I'm glad it's working for you, Tony. I always enjoy your reviews, and thought I might be able to add just a little extra for this one. The workouts were extremely long for the depletion days, IIRC. I may be subliminally repressing the true pain of those, though.
That is the whole reasoning behind what you do. Do we need to be 10% and ripped or live our lives @ 15% and enjoy time and food with our families. I have kinda gone from trying to get the ripped and lean look to I am going to have ice cream and birthday cakes, hamburgers etc. My wife and family tell me not to lose any more but I still want to be that MH cover model, but I want to enjoy family life. I am way better off then I was, I look better in clothes and am more athletic, but still carry a belly.
These are pretty good questions. Particularly after the big study which showed that carrying some extra weight coincides with longer life spans. I think that we discussed it on this forum. Bamadave had an interesting take on this regarding runners today.
I'll add the "chick side" for this one, if I may--I think it's fairly shitty for women, in general. I did it, to the letter, maybe 2 years ago, I can't recall exactly when, may have been a year. Anyway, that whole ridiculous amounts of carbohydrates thing was NOT pleasant for me whatsoever; I would have a carb hangover for two days. As far as results go... If anything, I maybe lost a pound or three on several weeks of following this to the letter.
At the time, I was also a lurker on Lyle's forum, and there were several women trying to follow UD 2.0; there was one woman in there that he knew well, who ate what he told her, worked her ass off, and lost almost nothing. Last time I had looked (right before she jumped ship and swam back to the sanity shore), she was eating less than 900 cals/day on the low days.
Anyway, I'm glad it's working for you, Tony. I always enjoy your reviews, and thought I might be able to add just a little extra for this one. The workouts were extremely long for the depletion days, IIRC. I may be subliminally repressing the true pain of those, though.
Tina
Thanks for sharing your experience Tina. I would like to think of the guides as being a living entity that the community can take part in and help to educate each other on what we're looking at. If anyone has anything to add be it personal experience or thoughts, questions, answers...it doesn't matter, toss it out there. My brain is befuddled by beer and\or boobies 94.7% of the time and if someone else feels differently and are willing to share, then that's a good thing
That was Tuesday night after basketball for me until my friend, 43 years old, had a heart attack. Now we just drink the beer. I really do miss those wings.
Too bad to hear that. I know that often happens as a surprise. Personally, my heart rate and bp are low, good cholesterol is high, bad cholesterol is low. My doc says do/eat what I want, within reason. I can't speak for all of the other guys, but if one of us has an issue going, we usually join in and support him/her. Dieting, however, doesn't qualify, unfortunately.
(That's an approximate loss of 7.5 lbs. fat, and a gain of 2.5 lbs. lbm.)
__________________ - It's Rage, the rules are different!
- Rage is more ... testosteron-y
- Keep a rage handy to wipe your fingers so your not tempted to lick them
I'd be curious to know what the effect would be for someone who was once fat. Like me.
I have no desire to screw up my metabolism, by doing something really severe. I already feel like my metabolism is slow (and judging by a true RMR test, it actually is).
I guess I'd like to know if his results were good for "normal" people who wanted to be extremely lean or if it included FFBs, too.
I'd be curious to know what the effect would be for someone who was once fat. Like me.
I have no desire to screw up my metabolism, by doing something really severe. I already feel like my metabolism is slow (and judging by a true RMR test, it actually is).
I guess I'd like to know if his results were good for "normal" people who wanted to be extremely lean or if it included FFBs, too.
That whole notion of screwing up one's metabolism is interesting. When I was young, just post college, I got into yoga and fasting and such for a period of time. Got really light/think, but no muscle to speak of. I sometimes wonder what I did to myself.
I am always tempted to do a more extreme diet these days, but being the martial artist I am, I tend to think two things: balance and normalcy.
That whole notion of screwing up one's metabolism is interesting. When I was young, just post college, I got into yoga and fasting and such for a period of time. Got really light/think, but no muscle to speak of. I sometimes wonder what I did to myself.
I am always tempted to do a more extreme diet these days, but being the martial artist I am, I tend to think two things: balance and normalcy.
I hear you on that, Chris. I wonder if the screwed metabolism is real. Is it temporary (ie., you can fix it if you really try)? Or is it always going to be whacked?
I've gotten down to the point where I'm very lean, but the remnants of my formerly fat self are hanging on. I think I look good, and if I'm like this forever, I'll be okay. But, I'd like to try to remove this last bit of fat off my lower belly and see the abs underneath. Without messing up my metabolism even more.
I was told that at this point, I might have to be satisfied with 1/2 a lb of fat loss PER MONTH. That's fine, but at that rate, it takes several months to see if anything is even moving. That's a long time to have eaten too much or not enough to meet my goals (and not know it).
When you stop experimenting...your genetics have won! Gotta keep playing the game if you want to win...maintenence is a con!
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Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable. -- Sidney J. Harris
I think it's pretty rare that someone would damage their metabolism to the point to where it's "actually" damaged. Sometimes it's a little too easy to fall into the trap of thinking that we're special or unique when really what we're going through is pretty normal. I made a joke a while back about Buk and Danny not having the superhero physique that their numbers suggested (in my mind)...that's normal. It's "normal" for people not to be jacked, and "normal" to not have an eight back. It's fucking hard to do either and both are long rows to hoe if you're not genetically prone to being that way.
I don't see a whole lot of difference in between doing a (non stupid) novelty diet for a set period of time having that much difference on actual metabolism shifts than cutting back on calories consistently over a period of time. You're doing the same process and achieving the same means, the only difference is the macros in getting there.
If you're concerned about having a slow metabolism then don't hang out in a calorie deficit. Normalize and start eating more...and exercising more\harder...repeat as necessary until you build yourself up to a level that you think it acceptable, then normalize and go back into fat loss mode with a higher metabolism\bigger\faster\stron ger and experience more success.
Point = Most "diets" don't really cause problems as much as people being in a deficit mode for too darn long.
I'll add the "chick side" for this one, if I may--I think it's fairly shitty for women, in general. I did it, to the letter, maybe 2 years ago, I can't recall exactly when, may have been a year. Anyway, that whole ridiculous amounts of carbohydrates thing was NOT pleasant for me whatsoever; I would have a carb hangover for two days. As far as results go... If anything, I maybe lost a pound or three on several weeks of following this to the letter.
At the time, I was also a lurker on Lyle's forum, and there were several women trying to follow UD 2.0; there was one woman in there that he knew well, who ate what he told her, worked her ass off, and lost almost nothing. Last time I had looked (right before she jumped ship and swam back to the sanity shore), she was eating less than 900 cals/day on the low days.
Anyway, I'm glad it's working for you, Tony. I always enjoy your reviews, and thought I might be able to add just a little extra for this one. The workouts were extremely long for the depletion days, IIRC. I may be subliminally repressing the true pain of those, though.
Tina
I've used the template very recently, modified slightly, to bring two figure girls into show condition.
The first took 4th in her comp, but the caveat being that she'd drastically improved body composition from her last show which was in November of '06.
The second girl took first in two categories and 2nd overall in the show.
It wasn't the standard UD2 model, however. I modified activity levels on the depletion days, shortened the carb load and lessened the total amount of carbs, and altered the "normal eating" weekend days as well.
In some instances it's not appropriate for use, and for females especially modification might be called for, however on the average those I've seen use it (when called for, ie to go beyond "normal" levels of leanness without resorting to drugs) and dial it in based on feedback (this is key) have used it to success.
I think it's pretty rare that someone would damage their metabolism to the point to where it's "actually" damaged. Sometimes it's a little too easy to fall into the trap of thinking that we're special or unique when really what we're going through is pretty normal. I made a joke a while back about Buk and Danny not having the superhero physique that their numbers suggested (in my mind)...that's normal. It's "normal" for people not to be jacked, and "normal" to not have an eight back. It's fucking hard to do either and both are long rows to hoe if you're not genetically prone to being that way.
I don't see a whole lot of difference in between doing a (non stupid) novelty diet for a set period of time having that much difference on actual metabolism shifts than cutting back on calories consistently over a period of time. You're doing the same process and achieving the same means, the only difference is the macros in getting there.
If you're concerned about having a slow metabolism then don't hang out in a calorie deficit. Normalize and start eating more...and exercising more\harder...repeat as necessary until you build yourself up to a level that you think it acceptable, then normalize and go back into fat loss mode with a higher metabolism\bigger\faster\stron ger and experience more success.
Point = Most "diets" don't really cause problems as much as people being in a deficit mode for too darn long.
There is no metabolic "damage" per se, unless you want to start talking about damage to the thyroid gland or other involved pathways in metabolic regulation.
What you see talked about most frequently would be better phrased as downregulation or crashing of metabolism as a result of chronic restriction of calories.
The hormone leptin is very receptive to changes in both calorie intake and body composition, and pretty much everything metabolic is downstream of leptin. You downregulate that, and everything else is hit by the cascade.
What this means is that if A) you eat too little, too long, or B) get leaner than the body wants to be, then you've "damaged" the metabolism.
The fix? Increase your calories and your carb intake methodically. If you're dieting with a chronic and severe deficit and/or are super-lean, incorporate frequent carb-based refeeds.
If you've actually suffered thyroid problems, then the fix is to see an endocrinologist.
I'm not quite in the target range yet but looked at the website. Was a bit suprised to see content "Drug options for those willing to go to the darkside". Maybe i'm naive, he's not advocating the use of seroids is he?
Hes not advocating it, but he knows that that is a very real component in achieving high levels of leaness. He basically says throughout the book that if you choose to use drugs, then heres what would work in the context of this setup. Additionally he lets you know the limitations of this setup so you can have realistic expectations.
Oh and welcome aboard Matt.
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"The strongest steel goes through the hottest fires."-Anonymous
"When you begin to believe nothing is heavy, all weights become light." -Rossbow
"Just remember, somewhere there is a little Chinese girl warming up with your max."-Jim Convroy
"It's a round hole, dammit. Everyone fits."--Anonymous Mod at Strengthmill
Hes not advocating it, but he knows that that is a very real component in achieving high levels of leaness. He basically says throughout the book that if you choose to use drugs, then heres what would work in the context of this setup. Additionally he lets you know the limitations of this setup so you can have realistic expectations.
Oh and welcome aboard Matt.
Agreed. He goes into a lot of detail about how drug users have a lot of hormonal and metabolic advantages, then shows how his training and dietary strategies can come as close as possible to mimicking those advantages.
The book isn't exactly anti-steroid, but I think he does an excellent job of selling the average reader on getting as close as possible to where they want to be without them. He makes it pretty clear that the average guy won't have access to them or even be wanting to get them, so here's how to get as close as you can.
Ultimate Diet 2.0
Linear Mode
