Brenda Khan
The anabolic diet is a low-carbohydrate diet based on alternating low-carb and high-carb days. It was created by Dr. Mauro DiPasquale, a physician and competitive powerlifter, for those wanting to gain muscle mass while keeping body fat low. The diet is delivered in phases, with the first phase being the maintenance phase, where caloric intake levels are 18 times one's body weight in pounds. During the week, the focus is on limiting carbohydrate intake to no more than 30 grams per day, with caloric intake coming primarily from fat and protein. On weekends, carbohydrate intake is increased, with 60 to 80% of calories coming from carbohydrates. The anabolic diet is designed to alter metabolism to favour fat burning, allowing individuals to eat a normal amount of calories while reducing body fat percentage.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Carbohydrate intake | 5-10% of total macronutrient intake; less than 30 grams per day on low-carb days |
| Fat intake | 60-65% of total macronutrient intake |
| Protein intake | 30-35% of total macronutrient intake |
| Caloric intake | Not restrictive; based on individual goals and current body-fat levels |
| Phases | Induction/maintenance, bulking, and cutting |
| Duration | Induction/maintenance phase: 4 weeks; other phases vary based on goals |
| Recommended for | Athletes, bodybuilders, and weightlifters; not recommended for those with medical conditions |
| Benefits | Increased fat burning, muscle growth, and energy; may lead to a healthier lifestyle |
| Drawbacks | Lack of fiber and micronutrients, potential insulin resistance, and limited anabolic response |
| Food choices | High-protein and low-carb foods; flexibility on weekends with high-carb options |
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What You'll Learn
Carbohydrate intake on the anabolic diet
The anabolic diet is a low-carbohydrate diet based on alternating low-carb and high-carb days. It was created by Dr. Mauro DiPasquale, a physician and competitive powerlifter, for those wanting to gain muscle mass while keeping body fat stores low. DiPasquale named his plan the anabolic diet because he believed that carbohydrate cycling could mimic the effects of anabolic steroids.
The diet is delivered in phases, each designed for maintenance, gain, or weight loss. The first phase is the maintenance phase, which lasts for four weeks. During this phase, the idea is to consume enough calories to maintain your current body mass. The maintenance phase is followed by the bulking phase, where you increase your calorie intake if you want to bulk up. The final phase is the cutting phase, a low-carb weight loss plan where you cut 500 to 1,000 calories from the maintenance phase.
During the weekday phase, the focus is on limiting carbohydrate intake to no more than 30 grams per day, with caloric intake primarily from fat and protein. The recommended breakdown is 60 to 65 percent fat, 30 to 35 percent protein, and 5 to 10 percent carbohydrates. This low-carb phase can be challenging, as it restricts foods like grains and other starchy carbs.
On the weekends, the anabolic diet shifts to high-carb days, where 60 to 80 percent of calories should come from carbohydrates. Dr. Di Pasquale recommends backloading" carbohydrates, eating most of them later in the day, but this isn't mandatory. Some people may tolerate carbs well and can distribute them evenly throughout the day. High-carb days allow the body to replenish fuel lost during vigorous exercise. Foods like pasta, sweet potatoes, fruits, and cereals are suitable choices for these days.
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How to implement the anabolic diet into your lifestyle
The anabolic diet is a low-carbohydrate diet based on alternating low-carb and high-carb days. It was created by Dr. Mauro DiPasquale, a physician and competitive powerlifter, for those wanting to gain muscle mass while keeping body fat low. DiPasquale named his plan the anabolic diet because he believed that it could mimic the effects of anabolic steroids.
The anabolic diet is delivered in phases, each designed for either maintenance, gain, or weight loss goals. The maintenance/induction phase is suggested for the first four weeks, with caloric intake levels of 18 times your body weight in pounds. This phase helps your body get accustomed to the low-carb intake, which remains constant throughout the diet.
The anabolic diet is based on nutrient cycling: low-carb during the week and high-carb on the weekends. On weekdays, limit your carbohydrate intake to no more than 30 grams per day, with caloric intake coming primarily from fat (60-65%) and protein (30-35%). On weekends, 60-80% of your calories should come from carbohydrates, with 10-20% from fat and 10-20% from protein.
The anabolic diet should only be followed for a set period and is not intended to omit certain foods or food groups. It is important to note that the diet may increase lean body tissue while decreasing body fat, but it does not guarantee overall health. The primary drawback is the lack of fiber and micronutrients due to minimal vegetable, fruit, and legume intake. This imbalance will result in a decreased intake of antioxidants, which are essential for combating oxidative stress created by exercise.
Additionally, literature suggests that chronic high-fat diets can induce insulin resistance, negatively impacting the carb-loading phase of the anabolic diet. Insulin is a highly anabolic hormone that propels muscle protein synthesis beyond that of protein-only feedings. Therefore, restricting carbohydrate intake during the weekdays may limit the anabolic response to meals.
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The anabolic diet and ketosis
The anabolic diet is a low-carbohydrate diet based on alternating low-carb and high-carb days. It was created by Dr. Mauro DiPasquale, a physician and competitive powerlifter, for those wanting to gain muscle mass while keeping body fat low. DiPasquale named his plan the anabolic diet because he believed that carbohydrate cycling could mimic the effects of anabolic steroids.
The diet is delivered in phases, each designed for either maintenance, gain, or weight loss. The maintenance/induction phase is suggested for the first four weeks, with caloric intake levels of 18 times your body weight in pounds. This is followed by the bulk phase, where the goal is to achieve a desired bulk weight. The final phase is the cutting phase, where weight is lost until the desired body fat percentage is achieved.
The anabolic diet is based on nutrient cycling: low-carb during the week and high-carb on the weekends. For the weekday phase, the focus is on limiting carbohydrate intake to no more than 30 grams per day, with caloric intake coming primarily from fat and protein. The breakdown should ideally be 60-65% fat, 30-35% protein, and 5-10% carbohydrates. After five days of low-carb intake, the weekend phase is designed to replenish carbohydrate stores, with 60-80% of calories coming from carbohydrates, and 10-20% each from fat and protein.
The anabolic diet is a twist on the keto diet, specifically avoiding long states of ketosis. It is structured into low-carb and high-carb days, with low-carb intake during the week and high-carb intake on the weekends. By alternating in this way, the body never enters ketosis for more than a day or two at a time, as long-term ketosis can make it hard to gain muscle. However, many people do experience short ketosis cycles on this diet, which burn a little extra fat.
Ketogenic diets like the anabolic diet are lower in carbohydrates than other diets and higher in proteins and fats. Following a keto diet forces your body to burn fat instead of carbohydrates for fuel. Eating smaller amounts of carbs causes the body to enter a metabolic state known as ketosis, where fat is burned for energy.
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The anabolic diet and insulin resistance
The anabolic diet is a low-carbohydrate diet based on alternating low-carb and high-carb days. It was created by Dr. Mauro DiPasquale, a physician and competitive powerlifter, for those wanting to gain muscle mass while keeping body fat low. DiPasquale named the diet "anabolic" because he believed that carbohydrate cycling could mimic the effects of anabolic steroids.
The diet is structured in phases, with the first phase being a maintenance/induction phase where caloric intake is 18 times one's body weight in pounds. This phase is designed to allow the body to adjust to the low-carb intake, which is recommended to be no more than 30 grams per day. During the week, the focus is on limiting carbohydrate intake, with caloric intake primarily coming from fat and protein. The recommended breakdown is 60-65% fat, 30-35% protein, and 5-10% carbohydrates.
On weekends, the diet shifts to high-carb days, with 60-80% of calories coming from carbohydrates. This phase is designed to replenish carbohydrate stores in the body. While the anabolic diet allows for high carbohydrate intake on weekends, it recommends minimal vegetable, fruit, and legume intake during the week. This imbalance can result in a decreased intake of antioxidants, which are essential for combating the oxidative stress created by exercise.
One potential drawback of the anabolic diet is its impact on insulin resistance. Literature suggests that chronic high-fat diets can induce insulin resistance, which could negatively affect the carb-loading phase of the anabolic diet. Insulin is a highly anabolic hormone that propels muscle protein synthesis beyond that of protein-only feedings. Therefore, the restriction of carbohydrate intake during the weekdays may limit the anabolic response to meals by keeping insulin secretion minimal.
Additionally, the recommended high-fat intake of the anabolic diet, particularly saturated fat, can increase cardiovascular risk by elevating cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Even a moderate amount of time spent on the anabolic diet with its recommended 60-65% fat intake could lead to insufficient insulin function. However, as the amount of fat intake decreases, insulin function is expected to return to its normal state.
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The anabolic diet and micronutrients
The anabolic diet is a low-carbohydrate diet based on alternating low-carb and high-carb days. It was created by Dr. Mauro DiPasquale, a physician and competitive powerlifter, for those wanting to gain muscle mass while keeping body fat low. DiPasquale named the diet "anabolic" because he believed that carbohydrate cycling could mimic the effects of anabolic steroids.
The diet is delivered in three phases: the induction phase, the bulking phase, and the cutting phase. Each phase is designed for either maintenance, gain, or weight loss goals. The anabolic diet is not calorie-restrictive, but instead, alters metabolism to favour fat, allowing individuals to eat a normal amount of calories while reducing body fat percentage.
The primary drawback of the anabolic diet is the lack of micronutrients, primarily from minimal vegetable, fruit, and legume intake. This imbalance results in a decreased intake of antioxidants, which are essential for combating oxidative stress created by exercise. The diet also lacks fiber, which can lead to an overgrowth of unhealthy gut bacteria and chronic constipation.
To address the micronutrient deficiencies associated with the anabolic diet, it is important to focus on nutrient timing and food choices. During the weekday phase, when carbohydrate intake is limited to 30 grams per day, individuals should prioritise consuming micronutrient-rich carbohydrates such as leafy greens, colourful vegetables, and low-sugar fruits. Examples include spinach, broccoli, berries, and citrus fruits.
Additionally, during the weekend phase, when carbohydrate intake is higher, individuals can continue to include micronutrient-rich carbohydrates in their meals. For example, swapping white pasta for whole wheat pasta, or choosing sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes. Including a variety of colourful vegetables and fruits in each meal will help ensure a sufficient intake of micronutrients.
By focusing on nutrient timing and food choices, individuals following the anabolic diet can ensure they are meeting their micronutrient needs while still adhering to the macronutrient ratios and calorie goals of the diet.
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Frequently asked questions
On weekdays, the anabolic diet recommends limiting carbohydrate intake to no more than 30 grams per day, with caloric intake coming primarily from fat and protein.
On weekends, 60 to 80% of your calories should come from carbohydrates, with 10 to 20% from fat and 10 to 20% from protein.
The anabolic diet is a low-carbohydrate diet based on alternating low-carb and high-carb days. It was created by Dr. Mauro DiPasquale, a physician and competitive powerlifter, for those wanting to gain muscle mass while keeping body fat low.
