Hey TrainerDan:

I'm thinking of doing the CKD thing, but I'm a little worried that the radical shifting from a carb-based diet to a ketogenic diet might be stressful and difficult for my body to adjust to. You know-- having to alternate enzymes in such relatively rapid succession. (Of course, I won't go into all the stressful things I've been known to do to my body when it comes to bingeing and switching rapidly from one way of life to another). But to voluntarily subject my body to that dietary stress... is it safe?

Missydog

I wouldn't go so far as to say that it is dangerous ... It is actually a pretty good balance and still remains effective at producing results.

I won't get into the deep biochemistry of it, but using a CKD does have benefits to the hard training fitness enthusiast/athlete that a standard LC diet does not offer. If you want me to get specific, let me know. I don't want to bore anyone needlessly.

But, as the disclaimer goes, everyone's body is different and people all react differently to changes in diet. I have never seen a case of a CKD producing negative effects on health though ...

Hi Dan, Please would you go into it? I would be very interested to read that information. Thanks in advance, Doods.

Hi,

I also have a question for TrainerDan

I am thinking of doing a CKD diet and I have read a lot of information on it, so i am pretty well acquainted with the details.

My question is about the carb-up days and exercise.
I am thinking of starting my carb-up around 6-7pm on Friday. Is it a good idea to do 25 minutes of cardio first thing in the morning on Friday, and another 25 minutes of cardio around 4pm? And should I absolutely avoid doing any cardio on Saturday and Sunday while I am still carbing up or can I do 30 minutes of cardio?

Oh, and 1 more theoretical question... what are the benefits of the 1 week cycles? What would happen if I do low-carbing for 11 days (Monday of week 1 to Friday afternoon of week 2) and then do the 2.5 days of carbing up?

Any help regarding these questions would be much appreciated

Mary

Sorry, 1 more question

TrainerDan, you don't mention anything about supplementing with Glutamine. I have read a lot of positive posts and articles about Glutamine and that it is very beneficial especially when you are heavily training/exercising.

What are your comments and thoughts about Glutamine and should I take it while on the CKD diet?

Thanks again,

Mary

I have similar questions Mary! I hope Dan answers. I have thought of either a modified carb up or less often. I have Lyle McDonald's book and it seems like I am never going to work out to the degree that the diet is intended for. Therefore, I thought I would modify the carb up...do less carbs in less time or less often.

ABout Glutamine: To me, if you are weight training, it is a must have supplement. The only must have supplement but one that is remarkable. If you weight train and forget your glutamine, you will feel it!!!

I can attest to this. While I would still be able to follow my intense program w/o Glutamine the quality of my non-training time would be severely comprimized. The week before I discovered this supplement I would cringe at the thought of walking down the stairs. Now I can feel my workouts but there is absolutely no soreness .

Nat.

P.S. I take 5g three times a day; mixed in with one litre of water you do not notice it at all.

The benfits of a CKD as opposed to a standard LC WOE are best applied to the hard training athlete or fitness enthusiast who has a combination goal of fat loss and muscle gain.

That said, it has been shown that when a person stays on a LC WOE for an extended period of time, thyrois hormone levels may become depressed (specifically, T3 which is THE powerhouse of the thyroid hormones.) By breaking the low carb sessions up with the weekend carbs ups, you are keeping your thyroid active and your metabolism revving high.

Also, there are benefits to the insulin spike that the carbs will give you each weekend (or whatever 54 hour period you choose). As you go through the low carb portion of the week, you will deplete your glycogen stores so that you will enter ketosis by Monday night ... so you are running on ketones all week until Friday night when it is time for carb-up and the great insulin spike that follows.

Everyone has heard of insulin. Few truly understand it. Understanding this important hormone can help you understand why the CKD will maximize muscle growth and minimize fat accumulation.

Insulin is secreted by the pancreas. More specifically it is secreted by the islet cells within the pancreas. There are three types of inslet cells - alpha, beta and delta. The beta cells secrete insulin. What dictates the secretion of insulin is the ever changing level of sugar/glucose in the bloodstream.

The human body works to maintain blood sugar/glucose in a very narrow range. When blood sugar/glucose is high (after a carb meal) insulin is released to transport the blood sugar/glucose out of the bloodstream and into tissue.

As blood sugar/glucose falls insulin secretion is reduced. The primary deposit site for insulin transported blood sugar/glucose is muscle tissue and fat cells. In response to insulin, muscle and fat cells absorb glucose from the bloodstream effectively lowering blood sugar/glucose levels. However, since muscle cells are depeleted of carbs at this stage of the CKD EVERYTHING is stored in your muscles ...

Insulin facilitates muscle cell glucose uptake. Glucose can only enter your muscle cells through insulin mediation. Insulin also stimulates the uptake of amino acids, contributing to it's potent anabolic effects. Low insulin levels shifts the balance towards protein degradation.

As you can see, manipulating insulin at certain times can enhance nutrient utilization and ultimately enhance muscle growth.

Using certain foods and supplements to manipulate insulin release while also supplying anabolic nutrients at key "insulin sensitive" times is paramount in building serious muscle.

It's a intricate balancing act. Kind of like the game where you have a steal ball resting on two movable rods that are at a slight uphill angle. The object is to move the rods apart to get the ball rolling upwards, but not too far apart that will cause the ball to fall through. It takes precision and control, but when it's done right the ball defies gravity by traveling up the incline. Glucose and insulin manipulation done right defies normal nutrient transport creating a hyper-nutrient transport environment.

Glutamine is the king of all supplements ... and probably one of the most under-rated. Here is just a sample of some of the info I have on it ... If there is interest, I will post a TON more ...

Glutamine is one of the most intensely studied nutrients in sports nutrition over the last 5 years.

It is one of the most versitile and useful nutients for sports performance. Research has shown that glutamine is very useful against the catabolic stress that is imposed on the body by resistance training.

Glutamine has also been used by athletes for 4 main reasons:

(1) Boosting GH levels - To do this, athletes take 10g of glutamine on an empty stomach upon waking.

(2) Accelerating muscle gylcogen synthesis - This is done by taking glutamine within 1 hour after severe exercise.

(3) Sparing glucose levels

(4) Off-setting overtraining syndrome - Glutamine plays a crucial role in the stimulation of intracellular protein synthesis if you are training hard. To get the full effect of this, you should be taking in at least 20g of glutamine per day.

During flu season, be sure to take even more glutamine to insure a well-functioning immune system.

It has also been noted that by super-supplementing glutamine, some athletes have reported breaking through training and hypertrophy plateaus by boosting glutamine intake to 60g - 80g per day.

This requires a dosing pattern of 10g upon waking, 5g every 3 hours, and 10g before bed.

It has been my experience that the cheaper brands of glutamine have an "off-taste" to them, while EAS and Twinlabs are taste-free.

Moving the carb-up period to where it works for you would seem OK to me ... I mean, 2 days and 6 or so hours of carb-up is the same no matter if it's a weekend or not ... there's nothing magincal about the weekends ... that's just when I prefer NOT to train.

As for shortening the duration of frequency of the carb-up ... that's kinda altering the basis of the program and you would be playing guinea pig at that point. Maybe it will work for you, who knows?

bought some glutamine yesterday, the only kind they had was pharmaceutical grade (not in pills) and am drinking it in water. no taste. the brand is Jarrow.
the taste issue was exactly what the lady at the store said. taste indicated less of a product.
was at "wild oats" store today, they sell glutamine by the bulk. go figure. 39.99 per pound.
regards,
brenda

Thank you for all the replies

A couple more questions though ...

is it bad if i do a 25-30 minutes of cardio on my carb-up days?

what kind of diet/WOE would you recommend for after I am done with CKD? Maybe Fern can answer this question since she has already been down this road

Thanks again

It's not BAD to do the cardio on those days, but you will be interfering with the whole glycogen supercompensation aspect of the CKD, which is kinda the big benefit of a CKD.

As for a diet to contimue beyond a CKD, you can gradully add carbs back to your system once you have achieved your goals ...
I generally follow a diet designed by a buddy of mine called "Nutrition Know-how", which calls for alternating protein/fat meals (low carb) with carb meals. Many people have used it to great success, and I find it a great way to come "off" of a CKD.

But just slowly re-introducing carbs until you feel comfortable is a good way to go about it. It is another area that is highly individual, so you will have to find what works best for you.

Thanks again Dan... you very been very very helpful

What is your opinion on Alpha Lipoic Acid?
I have read a lot about its benefits, and I am thinking of adding it to my list of supplements. I just want to be clear on a couple of things first though:
1. Exactly what kind of supplement is it... is it a type of fat (like flax-seed) and if so, what is its caloric value; or is it similar to vitamins?
2. Can you recommend a dosage for ALA on a CKD, both for low-carb and carb-up days?

I posted this question in the daily-lowcarber forum, but I didn't get any responses, and since you are so knowledgable on so many things, I decided to ask you
Sorry for all the questions, but I just want to get everything straight.

Again, thank you so much for all the information

ALA recycles other antioxidants and protects the nervous system. It is a powerful antioxidant that helps protect red blood cells from oxidative damage, which is the type of damage done by intense training.

(A Cosstantinescu, et al. "Alpha Lipoic Acid Protects Against Hemolysis of Human Erythocytes Induced by Peroxyl Radicals", Biochem Mol Biol Int 33.4 (1994): 669-679)

Whether you are carb-up or low-carb, you could take 50 - 120 mg of ALA per day as a protective effect, but some people go as high as 400 - 600 mg with no problems. Work it up slowly, as it is powerful.

ALA also helps the body with the uptake of glucose into muscle cells, and may actually help DECREASE the amount of glucose taken in by fat cells, so it is a supplement you may wish to consider using during a CKD.

(H. Trichtschler from Munich Germany: Diabetic Neuropathy Conference, 1995.)

It tends to be expensive, so that's up to you.