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[Deleted member 17706]

Sounds like you're pretty much describing carb backloading. I've really thought about giving it a try and seeing what it does.

Yeah, it's exactly carb backloading. I'm a big fan of Kiefer and his work.

It can definitely work for a lot of people and might be worth giving a go. You *really* have to dial in your carbs any time that isn't post-heavy training, though.

 

[Schlep]

It can definitely work for a lot of people and might be worth giving a go. You *really* have to dial in your carbs any time that isn't post-heavy training, though.

Yep, wouldn't be a problem for me at all. I already do IF for 15-16 hours simply because I don't really get hungry in the mornings after coffee, and it'd only be 3 days a week of 30g carbs or less. Do you really have to go super simple on the sugars? I'd rather just do fruit, white rice, oats, sweet potatoes, etc.

 

[Ixian]

Yep, wouldn't be a problem for me at all. I already do IF for 15-16 hours simply because I don't really get hungry in the mornings after coffee, and it'd only be 3 days a week of 30g carbs or less. Do you really have to go super simple on the sugars? I'd rather just do fruit, white rice, oats, sweet potatoes, etc.

Man with the intermittent fasting you're basically describing what I do if you just play with your macros a bit, haha.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Yep, wouldn't be a problem for me at all. I already do IF for 15-16 hours simply because I don't really get hungry in the mornings after coffee, and it'd only be 3 days a week of 30g carbs or less. Do you really have to go super simple on the sugars? I'd rather just do fruit, white rice, oats, sweet potatoes, etc.

No, and that's something that Kiefer seems to regret having emphasized in the original book (and intends to fix in the next version). It's not that you have to or even should eat a bunch of junk, it's just that most people can eat pretty dirty and still see amazing results. I think he played it up so much because a lot of people who hate the idea of never eating sweets and such again will see that as a major stress reliever.

I'm only doing the one-night-per-week version because I don't feel like I'm lifting heavily or intensely enough for proper CBL, but I typically eat pretty clean. My go-to is putting white rice and sweet potato chunks in a rice cooker and mashing it all together once it's done. Tastes delicious and goes with just about any meat.

I will often end the night with some cookies/pastries/cake and milk, though!

 

[Bowser]

No, fat and carbs pretty much flip depending on the day. Protein stays consistent. That's what I'm talking about with lowering the fat, because right now it's about 33% on a training day and 55% on an off day.

That means an average training day would be something like 35% P/ 33% F/ 32% C, and off would be 35% P/ 55% F/ 10% C. I'm thinking of switching to closer to 50% P/ 20 % F/ 30% C on training days and possibly leaving off days the same for now.

You should really think about macro breakdown not in percentages, but in grams. Figure out your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), set protein intake to 0.8g-1.2g of Protein per pound of Lean Body Mass (0.8g-1.0g if not doing heavy resistance training, 1.0-1.2g if you are) and fill out the rest with fat and carbs. If you decide to make carbs an absolute limit (as in many ketogenic diets which stipulate anywhere from 20-50g of carbs), that gives you an easy way to figure out fat. Otherwise just decide on a breakdown that works for you, whether it's 20g or 200g of carbs.

 

[Schlep]

@Ixian glad we're on the same page after all!

I will often end the night with some cookies/pastries/cake and milk, though!

lol, sounds nice. My guilty pleasure is Justin's dark chocolate peanut butter cups. I don't keep them on hand, so it's rare that I have them, though.

@Bowser thanks. Macros in grams are on the last page. Not an exact science for me yet.

 

[Wafflecakes]

This time around I have found that once I eat during the day, I stay hungry.

My new strategy is essentially a version of intermittent fasting. I put off the first meal of the day until I am physically hungry. Then at that point it is so late in the day that I don't have very much time to snack myself into oblivion.

 

[Rabbi_Vole]

April 1, 2013: 342lbs

Today: 238lbs

210'ish

 

[Wafflecakes]

^Amazing progress. Congrats!

 

[Arksy]

210'ish

Holy shit. What did you do?

 

[Horseticuffs]

210'ish

Man, truly an amazing transformation. You make us all proud!

 

[oupi]

Very nice progress Bombasador!

 

[Rabbi_Vole]

Thanks, all. Starting April 1 of last year, I began a lower carb diet. That spring and summer, I spent a lot of time doing yardwork and began walking daily.. My walks started at 5K and then doubled a month or so in. Late last summer, I began to run portions of my walk and eventually replaced the whole thing with running. Last fall, I kept up my running and joined a gym with a personal trainer. I only used the trainer for weight training... We couldn't work on my core because apparently I have a lower abdominal hernia caused by the rapid weight loss and "doing too much too quickly." I stopped using my trainer this past April. I now lift 3 to 4 days and run between 20 to 30 miles a week. While I try to eat lower carb, I cheat about 3 to 4 times a week.. The cheating has been going on for a few months, but my exercise routine covers up my sins and my weight is still trending down.

 

[Ixian]

I now lift 3 to 4 days and run between 20 to 30 miles a week. While I try to eat lower carb, I cheat about 3 to 4 times a week.. The cheating has been going on for a few months, but my exercise routine covers up my sins and my weight is still trending down.

At that point, it seems silly to call it cheating still; you might as well just officially integrate carbs into your diet (particularly on lifting days), they're obviously not affecting you adversely.

 

[paolo11]

Thanks, all. Starting April 1 of last year, I began a lower carb diet. That spring and summer, I spent a lot of time doing yardwork and began walking daily.. My walks started at 5K and then doubled a month or so in. Late last summer, I began to run portions of my walk and eventually replaced the whole thing with running. Last fall, I kept up my running and joined a gym with a personal trainer. I only used the trainer for weight training... We couldn't work on my core because apparently I have a lower abdominal hernia caused by the rapid weight loss and "doing too much too quickly." I stopped using my trainer this past April. I now lift 3 to 4 days and run between 20 to 30 miles a week. While I try to eat lower carb, I cheat about 3 to 4 times a week.. The cheating has been going on for a few months, but my exercise routine covers up my sins and my weight is still trending down.

Can I ask? You eat lower carb for 3 days and have cheat days for 4 days? How much weight do you lose per week?

And what is your food menu for lower carb?

 

[jmdajr]

Holy Shit, Bombasador owning life. Incredible.

 

[Rabbi_Vole]

Can I ask? You eat lower carb for 3 days and have cheat days for 4 days? How much weight do you lose per week?

And what is your food menu for lower carb?

I eat eggs every morning. For lunch I may eat a salad, tuna, beef hot dogs, misc meat leftovers. Dinner, when I'm good, is meat and often veggies.. I mix in blueberries / strawberries on occasion. I snack on assorted nuts while watching TV.

i eat a few cheat meals/snacks a week. Usually pizza, ice cream, popcorn (when at the movies), Five Guys , Chinese, sub sandwiches. I never cheat if I haven't run that day or plan to run after.

I rarely drink beer, but I put away a lot of coffee throughout the day.

 

[Kickz]

I eat eggs every morning. For lunch I may eat a salad, tuna, beef hot dogs, misc meat leftovers. Dinner, when I'm good, is meat and often veggies.. I mix in blueberries / strawberries on occasion. I snack on assorted nuts while watching TV.

i eat a few cheat meals/snacks a week. Usually pizza, ice cream, popcorn (when at the movies), Five Guys , Chinese, sub sandwiches. I never cheat if I haven't run that day or plan to run after.

I rarely drink beer, but I put away a lot of coffee throughout the day.

Thats cool, how far/long did you walk starting out??? Also how much did you lose before starting weight training?

I need to lose a good 40-60lbs, and need to start soon =[

 

[Rabbi_Vole]

Thats cool, how far/long did you walk starting out??? Also how much did you lose before starting weight training?

I need to lose a good 40-60lbs, and need to start soon =[

I started walking just over 3 miles at the beginning. I probably lost about 15-20 lbs just on diet alone. I didn't ramp up weight training until late summer/early fall last year. I think I was around 265-270.. down over 70 lbs.

 

[Hoagmaster]

You're an inspiration to us all, Bombasador.

Numbers today aren't so great: ate more than I should have and moved less than I should have, but I won't let one bad day derail me. Feeling pretty good about keeping up with MFP for two months now. Pants are noticeably loose on me at times even with my belt as far as I can clip it. And the feeling of putting my hands on my sides and looking at a mirror is motivating. Maybe new clothes aren't too far off!

 

[U2NUMB]

As of yesterday I weighed in 92 pounds down since January 5th this year.. and overall 141 pounds down since 2010.
Went from size 48 pants to wearing 34.

Not ready to post body shots before after as I have about 20 more to go but it is amazing how even my clothes from 11 years ago are too big. I will post a pic of my head difference.

Keep up the great work everyone!

Bombasador...great job... we started out about 1 pound away from eachother

I started at 343 and I am currently at 202 looking to get to 185 or so.. I am 6"3 but grew up rail thin so we shall see if I can get back there. You look amazing man... big inspiration!


2010 - 2014 (most of it lost in 2014)

 

[Horseticuffs]

As of yesterday I weighed in 92 pounds down since January 5th this year.. and overall 141 pounds down since 2010.
Went from size 48 pants to wearing 34.

Not ready to post body shots before after as I have about 20 more to go but it is amazing how even my clothes from 11 years ago are too big. I will post a pic of my head difference.

Keep up the great work everyone!

Bombasador...great job... we started out about 1 pound away from eachother

I started at 343 and I am currently at 202 looking to get to 185 or so.. I am 6"3 but grew up rail thin so we shall see if I can get back there. You look amazing man... big inspiration!


2010 - 2014 (most of it lost in 2014)

Wow, that's fast and amazing work. Keep it up and I'm sure you'll reach your goal.

 

[Rabbi_Vole]

As of yesterday I weighed in 92 pounds down since January 5th this year.. and overall 141 pounds down since 2010.
Went from size 48 pants to wearing 34.

Not ready to post body shots before after as I have about 20 more to go but it is amazing how even my clothes from 11 years ago are too big. I will post a pic of my head difference.

Keep up the great work everyone!

Bombasador...great job... we started out about 1 pound away from eachother

I started at 343 and I am currently at 202 looking to get to 185 or so.. I am 6"3 but grew up rail thin so we shall see if I can get back there. You look amazing man... big inspiration!


2010 - 2014 (most of it lost in 2014)

Thanks, man.. Looking great!

I'm 6'2" and originally just wanted to get down to 220. 15 years ago, I looked fantastic at 220.. Now, not so much. I'm sitting at 210 and in 34"s ( started at 48/50 ") and plan to be out of the 200s by the end of August. I don't want to be rail thin, but 32" with decent muscle mass will do. I don't want to shoot for something unsustainable.

 

[PontyfaxJr]

I'm 6'3 and 336lbs. Once I realised I'm heavier than Homer was in the episode where he gets really fat I realised shit was gone too far.
I don't have a Mr Burns to make me do sit ups but me and my girlfriend have started going to Weightwatchers as of last week, first weigh in is tomorrow.

I will be subscribing to this thread.

I also have an exercise bike and some dumb bells which I will be using regularly from now on.

 

[Horseticuffs]

I'm 6'3 and 336lbs. Once I realised I'm heavier than Homer was in the episode where he gets really fat I realised shit was gone too far.
I don't have a Mr Burns to make me do sit ups but me and my girlfriend have started going to Weightwatchers as of last week, first weigh in is tomorrow.

I will be subscribing to this thread.

I also have an exercise bike and some dumb bells which I will be using regularly from now on.

Best of luck!

I remember being like 12 or so and playing the Simpsons Arcade game and the character screen for Homer coming up and seeing him listed a 236 or 240 pounds or so made me feel like shit because I weighed more than that. Not shitty enough to stop me from playing, mind you.

 

[Wafflecakes]

Ugh. Having no luck at all with low carb this time around.

Think I may transition into simple calorie counting to see if that works better.

 

[Schlep]

Ugh. Having no luck at all with low carb this time around.

Think I may transition into simple calorie counting to see if that works better.

Exercising at all? It seems to me that makes the difference.

 

[Wafflecakes]

Exercising at all? It seems to me that makes the difference.

Not really, but I barely exercized the first go around when I lost 110 lbs.

*sighs* I guess I should finally figure out where my apts fitness center is.

 

[Schlep]

Not really, but I barely exercized the first go around when I lost 110 lbs.

*sighs* I guess I should finally figure out where my apts fitness center is.

Actually I meant it the other way around. If I'm lifting, I can't lose worth a damn on low carb. If I'm being a fatass and gaming on low carb, pounds drop like magic.

 

[Wafflecakes]

Actually I meant it the other way around. If I'm lifting, I can't lose worth a damn on low carb. If I'm being a fatass and gaming on low carb, pounds drop like magic.

lol. I do some minor resistance exercises.

Usually only 5-10 minutes a day before I sit down to do paperwork.

 

[Schlep]

I'm trying carb back loading for a month starting tomorrow. Up 5 pounds from when I started on June 29th, so something has to change. Only at 2000 calories a day, so obviously something is stuck on neutral.

Hopefully CBL kicks it in gear. I'll update as I go, because I get bored at work and no one can stop me... lol.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I'm trying carb back loading for a month starting tomorrow. Up 5 pounds from when I started on June 29th, so something has to change. Only at 2000 calories a day, so obviously something is stuck on neutral.

Hopefully CBL kicks it in gear. I'll update as I go, because I get bored at work and no one can stop me... lol.

I'm definitely interested in seeing how it works for you.

How often are you lifting in a week? Just wondering how frequently you're going to back load.

 

[Schlep]

Four times a week. Push (Tuesday), pull (Thursday), shoulders/traps/arms (Saturday), and legs (Sunday).

I'm thinking <30g carb on off days, nothing before training (1-3p depending on the day) and high protein moderate carb after training. Mostly whole foods except probably Saturday nights. Sound about right?

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Four times a week. Push (Tuesday), pull (Thursday), shoulders/traps/arms (Saturday), and legs (Sunday).

I'm thinking <30g carb on off days, nothing before training (1-3p depending on the day) and high protein moderate carb after training. Mostly whole foods except probably Saturday nights. Sound about right?

Sounds like my understanding of it, and you'll be going clean, too.

Excited to see how it works for you. If nothing else, you'll probably see some gains in the gym.

 

[Schlep]

lol already been seeing very quick gains, but I really need to lose fat as a priority. Really counting on this doing something.

 

[Schlep]

I'm thinking <30g carb on off days, nothing before training (1-3p depending on the day) and high protein moderate carb after training.

Quoting myself just to point out how completely wrong this is. Based on a lot of reading and video watching tonight, it should be the other way around. You should only carb backload on days where you'll be lifting the next day. So the example I gave above combined with my current split would be:

Sunday: Legs, <30g carb
Monday: Off, carb backload
Tuesday: Push, <30g carb
Wednesday: Off, carb backload
Thursday: Pull, <30g carb
Friday: Off, carb backload
Saturday: shoulders/traps/arms, carb backload

Not going through the prep phase (10 days <30g carb), because it seems gimmicky. Starting tomorrow with <30g carb. I'll probably make the CBL days dirty the first couple weeks just because I'm very curious about what will happen.

Also of note, he advises against eating a lot of eggs, saying that they act to raise insulin. I'll either cut them out completely or knock it back from 3 to 2.

 

[jts]

So back in 2011 I got my all time high weight of 100kg by the 1st of january. Started a revolution on that day and lost 25~30kg in a matter of 6-8 months.

That was an amazing time. I hadn't been fat for life before that, but I had been overweight for the last 3-4 years.

I managed to keep the weight away until late 2012. Then it started creeping back and I always took half measures, just slowing down the weight gain, 1 step front and 2 steps back kind of thing.

Anyway this time I got to 90kg (although with more muscle, since I've been lifting for the best part of the last year) when I said it was enough by August 1st. I have a family wedding to attend in 2 months too, so I think now is the deadline to make any worthwhile effort for that. It's a nice kickstart incentive.

It was hard, because my hunger pangs were all over the place during last month. Had to eat so many processed carbs daily to be satisfied. I ballooned 5kg or something. It was mental to convince myself I had to stop eating shit, full stop.

Anyway, since I started, I've stayed clean for the last 4 days. With a mix of fasting and low-carb (no processed carbs at all, only from veggies and stuff) I lost the initial "water weight" of around 2.5kg. What's best is that I've killed the sugar crave and I think I'm over the withdrawal.

Aug 1 89.9kg
Aug 2 88.8kg
Aug 3 87.9kg
Aug 4 87.3kg
Aug 5 87.5kg

My goals are to get under 80kg by late September and to hover around 70kg by the end of the year. Btw, I'm 5"9ish tall.

Posting in this thread to hold myself accountable this time around and to get advice from fellow diet/weight loss gaffers!

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Quoting myself just to point out how completely wrong this is. Based on a lot of reading and video watching tonight, it should be the other way around. You should only carb backload on days where you'll be lifting the next day. So the example I gave above combined with my current split would be:

Sunday: Legs, <30g carb
Monday: Off, carb backload
Tuesday: Push, <30g carb
Wednesday: Off, carb backload
Thursday: Pull, <30g carb
Friday: Off, carb backload
Saturday: shoulders/traps/arms, carb backload

I don't think that's accurate. I've listened to pretty much all of his podcasts, and I forgot exactly what is outlined in the book. but he definitely recommends backloading immediately after training. He even talks about how the body tries to hold onto newly replenished glycogen stores for a certain amount of time (24+ hours), so backloading, taking a rest day, and training again the following day is really the best way to go about it.

Not going through the prep phase (10 days <30g carb), because it seems gimmicky. Starting tomorrow with <30g carb. I'll probably make the CBL days dirty the first couple weeks just because I'm very curious about what will happen.

I wouldn't recommend skipping the prep phase unless you've been very low carb for a while now. The whole point of it is to get your body into a "fat-adapted" state so it uses fat preferentially as its primary source of energy.

Also of note, he advises against eating a lot of eggs, saying that they act to raise insulin. I'll either cut them out completely or knock it back from 3 to 2.

This is not entirely accurate. He has clarified that eggs are just fine in just about any amount as long as they are consumed with a compensatory amount of dietary fat. So, scrambled eggs with a bit of heavy cream and cheese fried in butter are perfectly fine, but a few hard boiled eggs could be counteractive to your goals.

 

[Schlep]

I don't think that's accurate. I've listened to pretty much all of his podcasts, and I forgot exactly what is outlined in the book. but he definitely recommends backloading immediately after training. He even talks about how the body tries to hold onto newly replenished glycogen stores for a certain amount of time (24+ hours), so backloading, taking a rest day, and training again the following day is really the best way to go about it.

I can't find anything saying that you should backload before an off day. Granted I haven't read the book, but what I've found says that you should carb up the night before you lift so that you have energy for the workout. Carbing up two days before doesn't make a lot of sense?

The video is no longer available, but in the transcript he says to only CBL before a training day:
http://athlete.io/2783/carb-back-loading-post-workout-when-to-eat-carbs-explained/

I wouldn't recommend skipping the prep phase unless you've been very low carb for a while now. The whole point of it is to get your body into a "fat-adapted" state so it uses fat preferentially as its primary source of energy.

Most accounts of the prep phase say they just lost water weight, and the ones who started, dropped off, and then started again without the prep phase were fine. I've done VLC before for several weeks, which I think is fine if you're not exercising. Add in lifting, and it just results in very tiring, weak sessions, even with a pre wo.

Worst that can happen is I have to go back and do the prep, but for the moment, it's not appealing.

This is not entirely accurate. He has clarified that eggs are just fine in just about any amount as long as they are consumed with a compensatory amount of dietary fat. So, scrambled eggs with a bit of heavy cream and cheese fried in butter are perfectly fine, but a few hard boiled eggs could be counteractive to your goals.

Good to know. More options for breakfast!

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I can't find anything saying that you should backload before an off day. Granted I haven't read the book, but what I've found says that you should carb up the night before you lift so that you have energy for the workout. Carbing up two days before doesn't make a lot of sense?

I've read the book and consumed a ton of the content he puts out, and it's most definitely recommended that you carb up immediately after training (ideally in the evening) to take advantage of the lowered insulin sensitivity and elevated GLUT4 content on the surface of the muscle cells.

Carbing up two days before makes perfect sense if the next day will be a rest day. It's not like you're going to be depleting your refilled muscle glycogen stores just lounging around the house.

 

[Schlep]

I've read the book and consumed a ton of the content he puts out, and it's most definitely recommended that you carb up immediately after training (ideally in the evening) to take advantage of the lowered insulin sensitivity and elevated GLUT4 content on the surface of the muscle cells.

Carbing up two days before makes perfect sense if the next day will be a rest day. It's not like you're going to be depleting your refilled muscle glycogen stores just lounging around the house.

Ok, I'm gonna trust you on this and go back to the original format, lol. Any idea why he made that video saying the opposite?

The part of it that would make sense to me is that if you train and then don't load yourself down with food, your body has to turn to metabolizing something for energy. Haven't read enough to know whether or not its preference is catabolic.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Ok, I'm gonna trust you on this and go back to the original format, lol. Any idea why he made that video saying the opposite?

The part of it that would make sense to me is that if you train and then don't load yourself down with food, your body has to turn to metabolizing something for energy. Haven't read enough to know whether or not its preference is catabolic.

Yeah, I'm not entirely sure on that one, but maybe that's why he made the video private.

Either way, an insulin spike after hard training is important as he says in that video, and it seems like it would be most convenient for most people to just get their carbs with that insulin spike. If you can spike insulin independent of carbs by using other substances, then backloading the day before the next training may work better for some people, but I can't speak to the minutia here.

I'd recommend listening through his podcasts over on Body.io if you can find the time. The thing I like about the guy is that he is relentlessly researching this stuff and always checking the latest studies and data, and adjusting his recommendations based on them. That makes it difficult to put out a book with static content, obviously, but the base principles remain unchanged:

As close to zero carbs as possible in the morning/afternoon. Train heavy (preferrably in the evening). Eat your carbs at night.

That's really it in a nutshell.

 

[PontyfaxJr]

Down 7.5lbs in my first week of weightwatchers, pretty happy!

 

[Schlep]

Down 7.5lbs in my first week of weightwatchers, pretty happy!

Always a good feeling to see the scale drop that much.

Decided I'm going one step further than MyFitnessPal and will be posting everything I eat over the next 3-4 weeks to Instagram as a carb backloading log. Link is below for anyone who's willing to critique or loves food porn lol:

http://instagram.com/schlepnt

 

[Ixian]

I love me some meat and rice. <3 My post workout meal is grilled chicken strips with a big pile of brown rice, guacamole, and pepper jack cheese.

 

[Schlep]

I love me some meat and rice. <3 My post workout meal is grilled chicken strips with a big pile of brown rice, guacamole, and pepper jack cheese.

Sounds pretty close to what I order at Freebirds. Vietnamese food is great, because I think it's honestly one of the simplest cuisines out there. Seasoned pork + plain white rice + we cut up some raw vegetables for you to eat. Amazing.

 

[Dead Prince]

I made baked honey mustard chicken wings. They homey mustard could be better but I like the sweetness

 

[Schlep]

Think I'm gonna have to make it <50g carbs on off days. <30g is absolute murder short of just eating meat all day.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Think I'm gonna have to make it <50g carbs on off days. <30g is absolute murder short of just eating meat all day.

You're doing "Schlep's Carb Back Loading" if you go with that. It may work, but I wouldn't recommend it, at least at first.

I've never really found it difficult to stay under 30g. I just make sure most of my meals are comprised of things that have 0 carbs. Almost all of my carbs come from fibrous vegetables and that's it.

meat, fish, eggs, cheese, vegetables

 

[Schlep]

Yeah, but as an example, my first meal today was mixed greens with some broccoli and cauliflower (not much), chicken tossed in buffalo sauce (0g carb sauce), and a couple tablespoons of ranch. 11g carb, 3g fiber.

I would've thrown in more chicken, but the Kroger stuff I bought in a rush last night has 2g carb for some reason. Gotta just go with non-frozen in the future.

I'll figure it out, just a bit disheartening that a salad, of all things, would eat up almost 1/3rd of my daily net carbs.