Long before Dr. Robert Atkins published his diet plan, there was “The Drinking Mans Diet” and “Calories Don’t Count,” both of which were books written by people who had discovered that it is protein, carbohydrates, fats and fibers that To download my second ebook “The Real Truth About Abs” for free, please visit http://howmusclebuildingworks.com/go/truth-about-abs-bonus/
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count, not the calories. Both publications laid out a plan of counting carbohydrates instead of calories, much like The Atkins Diet. The contention was that if you kept your daily intake of carbs to less than 40 grams per day, you would lose weight. When you reached your preferred weight, you could raise the carbohydrate count to 60 for maintenance.
It sounds rather simple, doesn’t it? Modern nutritionists point out that it is the kind of carbohydrates we eat that is equally important. We tend to view all carbs as equal, but that’s not the case.
There are simple carbohydrates like refined starches and sugars and then there are the high fiber complex carbohydrates as found in fresh fruits and vegetables. The first sort should be avoided totally and the second are very necessary for the proper functioning of our metabolism, our organs, and our glands . . . our overall body health.
Low carbohydrate diets have been proven effective in dealing with excess weight, or people wouldn’t still be using them. Our bodies will convert muscle tissue into energy when we are in a state of deprivation, before it burns away all our body fat. This is some indication that our bodies recognize the need for carbs in our diet. Carbs are our protection against starving, according to our Paleolithic metabolism, so the very last thing to waste away is that last bit of fat, long after most muscle tissue has disappeared.
Some of the weight loss experienced by low-carb dieters is muscle tissue, not the body fat they are trying to lose. The conclusion is that even a bodybuilder on a low carbohydrate diet will lose some muscle tissue as his body cries out for energy.
Competitive bodybuilders will utilize extreme low-carb diets for a few weeks before competition. Their intent is to eliminate that last bit of subcutaneous fat from under their skin. They limit the scope of their extreme diet to 12 weeks maximum, but usually to about four to six weeks. They know that if they stay on it any longer, they will begin to lose muscle density and size, everything they have worked for so hard.
To download my second ebook “The Real Truth About Abs” for free, please visit http://howmusclebuildingworks.com/go/truth-about-abs-bonus/
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One of the early proponents of the high-protein-low-carbohydrates diets was The
Iron Guru, Vince Gironda. Vince trained many bodybuilding champions and was a contest winner himself in the 40s and 50s. He was renowned for his symmetry and muscularity, though he never weighed much more than 170
pounds in his life. Vince was also a master poser and knew how to show the muscular form in its best lights, highlighting the strengths and minimizing any weaknesses.
The Before-The-Contest-Diet that Gironda supplied his clients went like this:
Eat high protein and zero (or as close as humanly possible) carbohydrates for four days.
Every fifth day was a free day in which you could eat normally of a proper balance of proteins and carbohydrates.
High protein and zero carbs for four days.
Fifth day is free again.
Keep on this cycle for approximately four to six weeks.
Supplement your diet daily with:
o Lipotropic 3 compound (three essential amino acids) o Kelp tables (vegetable protein and fiber)
o Cold pressed wheat germ oil
No alcohol or caffeine during the diet period.
Drink copious amounts of water to flush your system.
A number of modern takes on a competition diet are available on the internet.
One of them that came from a major bodybuilding site is as follows: To download my second ebook “The Real Truth About Abs” for free, please visit http://howmusclebuildingworks.com/go/truth-about-abs-bonus/
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