Carbohydrates. Some of us know all too well how addicting they can be. They can be our best friend, and our worst enemy; sometimes both in the span of 5 minutes.
Like that fat emo kid in high school, they are greatly misunderstood, misrepresented and far too often, loaded in bad calories. I personally have a love hate relationship with them. Refer to Louis C.K. for how I feel sometimes about sugary treats. Louis C.K.'s Love Hate Relationship with Cinnabon. This is an extreme example, but I do feel that way sometimes. Luckily, I rarely get THAT bad with my carb cravings.
Back in February, I noticed a beautiful thing as I was preparing for my brother's wedding. I, like many others, wanted to look my absolute best for what would be a day well-documented in photograph and video for the rest of my life. February 7th, the day after the Super Bowl, I was close to 240 lbs. I was loaded, bloated, and felt disgusting.
PICTURE OF ME THE MORNING AFTER THE SUPER BOWL.
I still looked drastically better than I did a couple years prior, but definitely not happy with myself. So I said fuck it. Let me cut breads, grains, sugars, refined carbohydrates, and any other starchy bullshit foods completely out of my diet and see what happens.
The results were nothing short of astonishing. Literally in 2 weeks, I had dropped 15 lbs. Now, before you jump through the screen and are all like "WAIT BUT ITS NOT ALL FAT NO WAY LOL", I'm not stupid. I fully understand that at least 10 of those lbs. were excess water weight. Any time you go on a "low carb" diet, the absence of Insulin (the hormone released by your body whenever your blood sugar goes too high from Cinnabon) results in your body flushing out water. More Insulin = more water weight. Talk to any diabetic who takes Insulin and they will likely tell you that they battle water retention issues. For the wedding on March 4th, I was coming in at about 215 lbs. I looked lean, mean, and as dry as a bonefish (for my standards at least. I've been around 240-260 my whole adult life.)
My analysis for that diet program was the following: Refined carbohydrates have absolutely no consistent place in my current nutritional planning. For the first time, I was eating in a way that made me feel, look, and lift so much better. I had already cut milk, whey, and all dairy out in December 2011, except the occasional cheese product. My meal planning comprised of mostly meats, vegetables, eggs, nuts, fish, seeds, occasional Atkins bars, and a ton of Coconut Oil. The key to eating foods such as those, which can be relatively high in saturated fats, is making sure that you do not let your blood sugar go up too much by eating them with high glycemic carbs, as an Insulin release will cause some nasty things, (as well as too much fat storage) to occur. This way of eating is very similar to a Paleolithic Diet, give or take a few things.
Now before you jump to conclusions, I'm not saying this
Also worth noting, is the fact that a Paleo/Mediterranean type diet which includes a lot of fats, is actually BETTER for your cardiovascular health than a diet which contains a lot of carbs.
The following is found on www.livestrong.com
http://www.livestrong.com/article/269187-health-benefits-of-a-low-carb-diet/
A 2010 Heartwire report notes that individuals on a low-carbohydrate diet have higher HDL cholesterol levels than those adhering to a low-fat diet plan. HDL or "good" cholesterol, carries LDL cholesterol through the bloodstream to the liver, where the liver removes it from the body. The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute notes that the higher your HDL cholesterol level, the lower your risk of ever developing heart disease, since LDL cholesterol could otherwise build up along the walls of your arteries -- restricting crucial blood flow to your heart.
http://www.theheart.org/article/1108461.do
As if that isn't good enough, low carb is good for blood pressure too.
The BBC News reports that a report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine demonstrates that low-carbohydrate diets are beneficial at reducing blood pressure. High blood pressure, a condition known as hypertension, can cause blood vessels to constrict and increase your risk of a stroke.
While weight loss often lowers blood pressure levels, the study suggests that limiting your carbohydrate intake can have a added positive effect on your blood pressure. A total of 47 percent of the study's low-carb dieters were able to stop taking their blood pressure medication as a result of reducing the carbohydrates present in their diet while only 21 percent reduced their blood pressure levels enough to cease their medication when adhering to a low-fat diet.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8478629.stm
So yeah. Not all fats are created equal. And furthermore, your body can handle fats in all of their glory when not combined with carbohidratos. (That's Spanish for carbohydrate.)
Anyone who has ever spoke to their friends or loved ones about a high protein, high fat diet invariably gets a shitstorm of "OH WELL FATS ARE BAD" and "OH MY GAWD WHAT ABOUT YOUR HEART ????????"
Well, speaking from an evolutionary point of view, we know our ancestors ate a shit ton of fat and meat. And those fuckers back then, they ate the WHOLE animal, not just the thigh or rump. They ate eyeballs, bladders, brains, kidneys, and blubber too. What's the difference? THEY DIDN'T HAVE SUPER HIGH GLYCEMIC PROCESSED FOODS that we wash our burgers, bacon, and cheese down with everyday.
Okay. So we've established that a diet low in carbs but high in protein and fat can be great for fat loss, while still being healthy for our hearts and cardiovascular health.
The remaining questions are:
Why are they so conducive to fat gain, and conversely, how can we manipulate carbohydrate intake to actually burn fat and build muscle?
It is possible.
The funny thing is, I stumbled upon this fact before even reading about Kiefer and Carbohydrate Backloading. I started carb cycling after my brother's wedding and noticed I was getting bigger and a little leaner; I just could not understand why. A good friend of mine mentioned Kiefer to me, as did some customers in my store. When I started reading about his ideas and nutrition plans, I was astounded. This guy basically had done ALL of the scientific explaining and reasoning behind what I was already doing. To understand how we can utilize glycogen, insulin, and junk food to our advantage, we must understand how carbs work in the body.
First and foremost, I just want to put it out there that the protocol and steps I'm about to lay out are an outline/brief synopsis. It is not my brainchild or design. For the full nutritional plan word for word, as dictated by the man himself, you need to purchase Kiefer's book and read it for yourself. As I stated before, it is very similar to something I stumbled upon in my own nutritional experimentation, but the wise and ever so intelligent Kiefer over at www.dangerouslyhardcore.com is responsible for putting science and fact into Carbohydrate Backloading.
Step #1: Carbohydrates as an Energy Source
Okay. So your body prefers to use carbohydrates for energy. It's quicker, it's more efficient, and it's easier for your body to use. Your body has a storage of carbohydrate energy in your body referred to as glycogen, found in the liver and in muscle. The average diet has most people's storage reserves fully topped off, and the average diet has carbs in every meal. This means your body is essentially trained to always be burning carbohydrates for fuel that either:
A) You just ate.
or
B) You have stored in your body as glycogen.
If you keep eating carbs, your body is going to keep burning them. But what happens if your "Carbohydrate Storage Unit" is full, and you eat a gigantic meal?
 |
| The Wonderful Carbohydrate Storage Unit, filled to capacity. Wait, is that Taylor Swift? |
You guessed it. It's going to your ass. Or your love-handles. Or your foot. Well probably not your foot. It's one of the other two, or your gut.
This fucker would argue otherwise...
It's going to fat cells.
Your body is a bastard. In fairness though, your body doesn't know for sure that you will ever eat again, so to be safe, it stores whatever can't be stored in the liver or muscle into fat cells. And what if you don't eat ever again? You'll be glad you got those two orders of boneless buffalo wings and three Pepsi's. (And in my case, a Cowboy Burger to boot. I can't help myself sometimes.)
As you could imagine, this scenario happens a lot. Although it may not always be as drastic as a 2500 calorie fuckfest in your gut, it happens on a smaller scale quite often. The way a typical American eats, our "Carbohydrate Storage Unit" is always full, (see above) or close to it. So unfortunately, most the food we eat is getting stored as fat.
Step #2: Carbohydrate Depletion and Ketosis
So you're off Carbs now. You're eating veggies, a few nuts, but that's it as far as carbs. Your diet consists of mainly protein and fat. Luckily, your body is pretty adaptable. It's actually able to convert both of those macro-nutrients into fuel. After a few days of not eating refined carbs, your body will actually start to utilize fat for the majority of it's energy. This process is referred to as ketosis. Your body has already gone through it's storage tank, so you are carb depleted at this point. This state is very good for your metabolism, health and well-being. (Although it sucks if you like to eat a lot of shit.) Your body is using excess body fat for fuel, and whatever else you feed it with. During this phase, I like to do a lot of fasting, up to 10 or so hours, which is tough, but very beneficial. Your body will burn a ton of fat this way, especially in the mornings, and when training on an empty stomach. I like to drink black coffee before training too, this assists in fat burning and energy production for the workout.
Step #3: Re-Feeding
Okay. So about a little over a week later, you're probably pretty bummed out on your new plan. The worst is over though. The first three to four days off of carbs are the worst - after that it gets easier. For a little while you were like Cookie Monster in rehab. But now comes the fun part. You get to pig out. I know, you're thinking of a Big Mac already. There's only one catch though. It has to be post-workout - after a demanding, evening training session. Depending on how much of a fatty you are, really determines how ape shit you can go with your re-feed. A guy like me, I'm 210 lbs., 6' feet, about 15% bodyfat, I don't go TOO crazy, but I do enjoy myself. I don't go to Applebees and slug down 2 boneless b-wings, a cowboy burger, and two beers, and drunkenly scream " YEAH THIS IS GREAT I'M REFEEDING ITS ALL GOOD..." But I will have some Taco Bell, maybe a cheeseburger, maybe an order of General Tso's chicken. Maybe just two of those, but probably not all three. It varies person to person. The main concept to understand, is that at this time, your body can store all of that food you just ate, not as FAT, but as glycogen. All of that food will refill your body's "Carbohydrate Storage Tank." The trick to this re-feed, and it's different for everyone, is to try your best not to avoid a fat spillover. If you go absolutely balls to the wall and suck down like 6 pints of ice cream, a pizza pie, and eat a stick of butter, there will be some spillover into fat cells. The way to avoid this and to maximize muscle gain, is so eat a good blend of very high glycemic carbs, (refined carbs and simple sugars) and a lot of protein. Have some fat so you can have fun, but generally you want this macro to be the lowest of the three consumed.
Step #4: What's Next?
Depending on your goals and depending on where you are at as far as bodyfat and such, you now have a few options. First and foremost, your next couple of training sessions should be high-octane, since you will be burning carbs for fuel. This is a VERY good time to get a monstrous leg day in. If you're like me and got a little chubbsy wubbsy in the midsection, I think it's a good idea to wait at least 5 to 6 days to re-feed again. You may feel you need more or less, depending on where you are at. I also generally have a very slow metabolism. If you really want to maximize muscle gains, it would be better to re-feed more often, making sure to keep your carbs post-workout. Again, at this point I wouldn't go too crazy because your "Carb Tank" is much closer to full than before. Luckily, right after a workout, your muscle cells are like little sponges that just LOVE to soak up nutrients, especially glucose/carbs. The majority of all carbs you intake will be soaked up into muscles, granted that there is room for them. Resistance training increases your muscle cells' affinity for glucose because of a protein dubbed "GLUT4" and it's increased ability to snatch glucose at this time. Less eating during the day, and more eating with some high glycemic carbs at night after you train. It's very simple.
So that's it. That is all there really is to know about carbohydrates. As far as Backloading is concerned, there is obviously SO MUCH more science and such to it than what I have laid out in this blog entry. Kiefer has gone to great length in meticulously crafting this system and all of it's "rules" and "exceptions." If you are really interested, do yourself a favor and read up on him and his nutrtional plans at www.dangerouslyhardcore.com and follow him on Twitter at @DHKiefer.
From a personal point of view, I can say that his shit works. I've been doing it, and I'm getting leaner and leaner. I'm just planning out when I eat my shit food the way he suggests, and again, it's working as intended. If you don't believe me, look up the people who he has trained; strength athletes, bodybuilders, etc., his system has made people lose body fat and build muscle.
Matty D
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