The anabolic diet, popularized by Dr. Mauro Di Pasquale, is a dietary approach designed to optimize muscle growth and fat loss by strategically manipulating macronutrient intake over specific periods. This cyclical approach aims to maximize muscle gain while minimizing fat gain. In essence, the anabolic diet turns your body into a muscle-building, fat-burning machine by alternating low-carb and high-carb days.
Core Principles of the Anabolic Diet
The anabolic diet operates on the concept of metabolic flexibility, the body’s ability to efficiently switch between using carbohydrates and fats as energy sources. The diet’s core principle is to cycle between phases of caloric surplus (bulking) and deficit (cutting), with a maintenance phase in between.
The Three Phases of the Anabolic Diet
The anabolic diet is delivered in phases. Each one is designed for either maintenance, gain, or weight loss goals. The ratios stay the same in each one, but the number of total calories you consume will change.
Maintenance Phase
This phase focuses on maintaining current body composition. During the maintenance phase, the primary goal is to preserve your current body composition. This phase is crucial for stabilizing your weight and preparing your body for the subsequent phases. Caloric intake is set to match your daily energy expenditure, preventing significant weight gain or loss. The maintenance/induction phase is suggested for weeks one to four with caloric intake levels of 18 times your body weight in pounds. It’s designed to allow your body to become accustomed to the low-carb intake at the beginning of the diet and is used as a maintenance level throughout.
Bulking Phase
During this phase, caloric intake is increased to promote muscle growth. The bulking phase is designed to promote muscle growth. To maximize muscle gain, a higher carbohydrate intake is essential to fuel your training sessions and replenish glycogen stores. Protein intake remains high to support muscle protein synthesis, ensuring that the extra calories are utilized for building muscle mass rather than storing as fat. To establish your bulking calorie intake, Dr. Di Pasquale suggests using your ideal body weight in pounds, then adding 15 percent. As the cutting phase follows the bulk phase, going above your ideal body weight is thought to make subsequent fat loss easier. There isn’t a set length of time for this phase, as followers are encouraged to stay on until the weight gain is achieved.
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Cutting Phase
Caloric intake is reduced to create a calorie deficit, leading to fat loss. The cutting phase focuses on reducing body fat while preserving muscle mass. Carbohydrate intake is lowered to limit energy availability, forcing your body to utilize stored fat for fuel. Protein intake remains high to protect muscle tissue during the calorie deficit. During the final phase of the anabolic diet, you'll be at a caloric deficit. To determine your daily calorie intake, Dr. Di Pasquale suggests you cut 500 to 1,000 calories from the maintenance phase. This phase should be run until you achieve a desired body fat percentage, preferably less than 10 percent.
Macronutrient Ratios and Food Choices
The anabolic diet is based on nutrient cycling: low-carb during the week and high-carb on the weekends. Alternating low and high carbohydrate days prevents the body from returning to burning mainly carbs for fuel. The higher carb days also allow the body to replenish fuel lost during vigorous exercise. Your macronutrient ratio will stay the same regardless of whether you’re in a bulking or cutting phase.
Low-Carb Days (5-6 Days a Week)
During your low carb days, most people find it fairly easy to maintain a calorie deficit eating only proteins and fats. From Monday to Friday, restrict your carbohydrate intake (less than 30 grams per day) and utilize a high protein, high-fat diet.You'll be getting your calories mainly from red meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products. As I mentioned above, on the low carb days (5-6 days a week), you’ll be eating less than 30 grams of carbs. This is because during your low carb days, most people find it fairly easy to maintain a calorie deficit eating only proteins and fats. For the weekday phase, the focus should be on limiting carbohydrate intake to no more than 30 grams per day with caloric intake coming primarily from fat and protein. Ideally, the breakdown should be 60 to 65 percent fat, 30 to 35 percent protein, and 5 to 10 percent carbohydrates.
High-Carb Days (1-2 Days a Week)
The weekends are also pretty fun. You can eat loads of high carb foods, and not have it negatively impact your diet. After five days of low-carb intake, the weekend phase is designed to replenish carbohydrate stores in the body. Of weekend calories, 60 to 80 percent should come from carbohydrates, with 10 to 20 percent from fat and 10 to 20 percent from protein.
Macronutrient Ratio
A typical diet includes:
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- 30-35% calories from protein
- 55-60% calories from carbs
- 15-20% calories from fat
Food Choices
You can usually eat the same foods while bulking or cutting - it’s the amount, not the content, that fluctuates.
- Meats, poultry, and fish: Sirloin steak, ground beef, pork tenderloin, venison, chicken breast, salmon, tilapia, and cod
- Dairy: Yogurt, cottage cheese, low fat milk, and cheese
- Grains: Bread, cereal, crackers, oatmeal, quinoa, popcorn, and rice
- Fruits: Oranges, apples, bananas, grapes, pears, peaches, watermelon, and berries
- Starchy vegetables: Sweet potatoes, corn, green peas, green lima beans, and cassava
- Vegetables: Broccoli, leafy greens, tomatoes, green beans, cucumber, zucchini, asparagus, peppers, and mushrooms
- Seeds and nuts: Almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, and flax seeds
- Beans and legumes: Chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans, black beans, and pinto beans
- Oils: Olive oil, flaxseed oil, and avocado oil
While it’s important to eat a variety of different foods, there are some you should limit when bulking and cutting:
- Alcohol: Alcohol can negatively affect your ability to build muscle and lose fat, especially if consumed in excess.
- Added sugars: These offer plenty of calories but few nutrients. Foods high in added sugars include candy, cookies, doughnuts, ice cream, cake, and sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soda and sports drinks.
- Deep-fried foods: These may promote inflammation and - when consumed in excess - disease. Examples include fried fish, french fries, onion rings, chicken strips, and cheese curds.
Before going to the gym, you may want to avoid foods that can slow digestion or cause stomach upset during your workout. This includes:
- High fat foods: Fatty meats, buttery foods, and heavy sauces or creams
- High fiber foods: Beans and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower
- Carbonated beverages: Sparkling water or diet soda
Sample Anabolic Diet Meal Plan
Here are some examples of anabolic meals to help you navigate the different phases of the anabolic diet.
Weekday Meal Plan Example:
- Meal 1: Breakfast
- 3 whole eggs
- 1 oz. cheddar cheese
- 1 tbsp. oil
- 2 links turkey sausage, cooked
- Nutrition: 511 calories, 43.5 g fat, 28.7 g protein, 1.4 g carbs
- Meal 2: Snack
- 6 oz. 1% cottage cheese
- 1 tbsp. almond butter
- 1 tbsp. flaxseed meal
- 1 tbsp. oil
- Nutrition: 410 calories, 28.4 g fat, 28.3 g protein, 11.5 g carbs
- Meal 3: Lunch
- 4 oz. cooked chicken breast
- 1 hard-boiled egg
- 2 cups romaine lettuce
- 2 tbsp. oil
- 1 tbsp. vinegar
- Nutrition: 508 calories, 35.8 g fat, 42.5 g protein, 3.8 g carbs
- Meal 4: Snack
- 4 oz. ground beef
- 1 oz. cheddar cheese
- 2 tbsp. peanut butter
- Nutrition: 513 calories, 32.6 g fat, 49.5 g protein, 6.7 g carbs
- Meal 5: Dinner
- 4 oz. cooked chicken breast
- 2 cups romaine lettuce
- 1 tbsp. flaxseed meal
- 1 tbsp. oil
- 1/2 tbsp. vinegar
- Nutrition: 352 calories, 20.4 g fat, 38.5 g protein, 5.4 g carbs
A Typical Week of Meals
- Monday
- Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with mushrooms, oatmeal, and a pear
- Snack: Low-fat cottage cheese with blueberries
- Lunch: Venison burger, white rice, and broccoli
- Snack: Protein shake and a banana
- Dinner: Salmon, quinoa, and asparagus
- Tuesday
- Breakfast: Protein pancakes with light syrup, peanut butter, and raspberries
- Snack: Hard-boiled eggs and an apple
- Lunch: Sirloin steak, sweet potato, and spinach salad with vinaigrette
- Snack: Protein shake and a peach
- Dinner: Ground turkey and marinara sauce over pasta, with a side of cauliflower
- Wednesday
- Breakfast: Chicken sausage with egg, roasted potatoes, and an apple
- Snack: Greek yogurt, strawberries, and almonds
- Lunch: Turkey breast, basmati rice, and mushrooms
- Snack: Protein shake and grapes
- Dinner: Mackerel, brown rice, asparagus, and salad leaves with vinaigrette
- Thursday
- Breakfast: Ground turkey, egg, cheese, and salsa in a whole-grain tortilla
- Snack: Yogurt with granola and a pear
- Lunch: Chicken breast, baked potato, sour cream, and broccoli
- Snack: Protein shake and mixed berries
- Dinner: Stir-fry with shrimp, egg, brown rice, bell peppers, peas, and carrots
- Friday
- Breakfast: Blueberries, strawberries, and Greek yogurt on overnight oats
- Snack: Jerky and mixed nuts with an orange
- Lunch: Tilapia fillets with lime juice, black and pinto beans, and seasonal veggies
- Snack: Protein shake and watermelon
- Dinner: Ground beef with corn, brown rice, green peas, and beans
- Saturday
- Breakfast: Ground turkey and egg with corn, bell peppers, cheese, and salsa
- Snack: Can of tuna with crackers and an apple
- Lunch: Tilapia fillet and potato wedges with steamed broccoli and cauliflower
- Snack: Protein shake and pear
- Dinner: Diced beef with rice, black beans, bell peppers, onions, cheese, and pico de gallo
- Sunday
- Breakfast: Eggs sunny-side up and avocado toast with fresh fruit
- Snack: Protein balls with almond butter and an orange
- Lunch: Pork tenderloin slices with roasted garlic potatoes, green beans, and carrots
- Snack: Protein shake and strawberries
- Dinner: Turkey meatballs, marinara sauce, and parmesan cheese over pasta, with a side of sautéed kale
Benefits of the Anabolic Diet
The anabolic diet offers a host of advantages for those seeking to optimize their body composition and overall fitness. Many people that stick to the diet will see an increase in strength and noticeable muscle gains.
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Muscle Growth and Fat Loss
The anabolic diet can be a powerful tool for optimizing body composition. The anabolic diet, a dietary approach popularized by Lyle McDonald, is designed to optimize muscle growth and fat loss by manipulating macronutrient intake over specific periods. An anabolic state is essentially when your body is building muscle instead of reducing size. This eliminates the issue most fat-loss diets present. In order to lose fat, the body must be in a caloric deficit, meaning you are burning more calories than you consume. The opposite is true for building muscle. For making large gains, instead of focusing on calorie restriction, you consume a surplus of calories to feed and repair muscle tissue. This surplus will fuel your workouts for increased strength.
Metabolic Flexibility
The anabolic diet operates on the concept of metabolic flexibility, the body’s ability to efficiently switch between using carbohydrates and fats as energy sources.
Hormonal Balance
One of the key benefits anabolic fasting meal plan users experienced was an increase in testosterone and growth hormone due to an increase in fat consumption. Because of this balancing of hormones caused by a carb spike, for best results, we suggest consuming your carbs closer to the end of the day. Spiking at night will allow your body to experience deeper sleep. Dietary fat, especially a high intake of saturated fat, is known to positively regulate testosterone and androgen production.
Potential Risks and Considerations
While the anabolic diet can be effective, it's important to be aware of potential risks and considerations. However, I would say that the Anabolic Diet is definitely not for all people. The anabolic diet should only be followed for a set period of time. While the diet may increase lean body tissue while decreasing body fat stores, it doesn’t mean the diet is healthy.
Cardiovascular Health
You are taking in a lot of fat - much of it saturated - so this is definitely a risk. Compared to mono- and polyunsaturated fats, saturated fats increase cholesterol and triglyceride levels. This increases cardiovascular risk.
Nutrient Deficiencies
Since the diet restricts fruits and vegetables during weekdays, the diet can lead to deficiencies in fiber and micronutrients. The primary drawback to the anabolic diet is the lack of fiber and micronutrients, primarily from minimal vegetable, fruit, and legume intake. While the weekend phase does allow for high carbohydrate intake, few vegetables, no legumes, and zero fruits are recommended for the weekday phase. This imbalance will result in a decreased intake of antioxidants, essential for combating oxidative stress created by exercise. Because the diet also lacks fiber, it can lead to an overgrowth of unhealthy gut bacteria and chronic constipation.
Insulin Resistance
According to some animal studies, insulin doesn’t work as well on high-fat, ketogenic diets like this one. In order to metabolize carbohydrates - even the small amounts in the weekday phase - you need insulin. Chronic high-fat diets can lead to insulin resistance, which can increase risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. With the recommended 60 to 65 percent calorie from fat intake, even a moderate amount of time spent on the anabolic diet could lead to insufficient insulin function. As the amount of fat intake is decreased, insulin function will return to its normal state.
Unsustainable for Some
There isn’t a lot of wiggle room in this diet. You can’t eat any carbs during the week at all.
Additional Tips for Success on the Anabolic Diet
- Plan your meals: This is especially important with this type of diet because quick, on the go solutions, are often carb-heavy. Pack your meals ahead of time to avoid having to splurge on carbs.
- Maintain consistency: As with any diet, you can’t expect to see substantial results overnight. Maintain consistency and don’t get too radical with your calorie consumption.
- Consider supplements: For the best results on your anabolic fasting diet, we suggest incorporating dietary supplements. As we mentioned before, maintaining quality nutrition will be essential for diet success. If you aren’t the greatest at making sure you get your 8 servings of vegetables each day, consider a vitamin supplement or daily greens product.
- Monitor progress: The easiest way to determine how many calories you need is to weigh yourself at least 3 times a week and record what you eat using a calorie tracking app. If your weight stays the same throughout the week, the amount of calories you eat is considered your “maintenance” level. You’re not losing or gaining weight but maintaining it.
The Importance of Nutrient Timing
Nutrient timing is a popular nutritional strategy that involves the consumption of combinations of nutrients--primarily protein and carbohydrate--in and around an exercise session. The basis of nutrient timing involves the consumption of combinations of nutrients--primarily protein and carbohydrate--in and around an exercise session. The strategy is designed to maximize exercise-induced muscular adaptations and facilitate repair of damaged tissue. Some have claimed that such timing strategies can produce dramatic improvements in body composition, particularly with respect to increases in fat-free mass. The post-exercise period is often considered the most critical part of nutrient timing. An intense resistance training workout results in the depletion of a significant proportion of stored fuels (including glycogen and amino acids) as well as causing damage to muscle fibers. Theoretically, consuming the proper ratio of nutrients during this time not only initiates the rebuilding of damaged tissue and restoration of energy reserves, but it does so in a supercompensated fashion that enhances both body composition and exercise performance. However, the importance - and even the existence - of a post-exercise ‘window’ can vary according to a number of factors. Not only is nutrient timing research open to question in terms of applicability, but recent evidence has directly challenged the classical view of the relevance of post-exercise nutritional intake on anabolism.
Glycogen Replenishment
A primary goal of traditional post-workout nutrient timing recommendations is to replenish glycogen stores. Glycogen is considered essential to optimal resistance training performance, with as much as 80% of ATP production during such training derived from glycolysis. Muscle anabolism and catabolism are regulated by a complex cascade of signaling pathways. Several pathways that have been identified as particularly important to muscle anabolism include mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and various calcium- (Ca2+) dependent pathways.
Muscle Protein Breakdown
Another purported benefit of post-workout nutrient timing is an attenuation of muscle protein breakdown. This is primarily achieved by spiking insulin levels, as opposed to increasing amino acid availability. Studies show that muscle protein breakdown is only slightly elevated immediately post-exercise and then rapidly rises thereafter. In the fasted state, muscle protein breakdown is significantly heightened at 195 minutes following resistance exercise, resulting in a net negative protein balance.
Muscle Protein Synthesis
Perhaps the most touted benefit of post-workout nutrient timing is that it potentiates increases in MPS. Resistance training alone has been shown to promote a twofold increase in protein synthesis following exercise, which is counterbalanced by the accelerated rate of proteolysis. It appears that the stimulatory effects of hyperaminoacidemia on muscle protein synthesis, especially from essential amino acids, are potentiated by previous exercise.
Is the Anabolic Diet Right for You?
The anabolic meal plan can definitely give you an edge when it comes to fat loss and building muscle, but it should only be used for a limited time to reach a specific goal. However, it requires careful planning, discipline, and a solid understanding of macronutrient ratios and caloric needs.
Who Might Benefit
- Bodybuilders and weightlifters preparing for a competition
- Individuals seeking to maximize muscle growth and fat loss
- Those with a solid understanding of nutrition and macronutrient ratios
Who Should Avoid
- Competitive athletes with higher carbohydrate needs
- Individuals looking solely for weight loss
- Those with a history of cardiovascular issues or insulin resistance
- People who struggle with highly restrictive diets