I should try this for some time! :D
In our last post on gaining muscle and losing fat we discussed that while these goals do indeed require different training and nutrition strategies, these strategies are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
Meaning: You CAN lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously provided you use a strategic, timed approach.
Also in that post, I loosely gave mention to several different methods to achieve both goals simultaneously, and in these next few posts I want to take a deeper, more specific look at each.
Today’s method: MEGA Carbohydrate Loading
With this type of carb loading, you will consume 50% of your total daily caloric intake and 95% of your daily carbohydrate intake within 3 hours of beginning your muscle building workout.
By doing this, you provide your body with a massive surge of carbs and calories at the exact time that it is most responsive to suck up all those nutrients and use them for muscle repair and recovery.
NOTE: In order for this to work, you’ve got to be doing INTENSE, high volume workouts.
Go with a macronutrient breakdown of 30% protein, 40% carbohydrates, and 30% fat.
Assuming a 45-minute workout, the Mega Carbohydrate Load starts with your pre/during workout beverage, followed by your post workout beverage, followed by a carbohydrate containing protein shake 1/2 hour later, followed by two whole food meals.
The first whole food meal should be consumed 45 minutes after the carb containing protein shake, and then the second whole food meal another 45 minutes later.
The rest of the meals of the day should be protein + fat + veggies (with minimal carbs).
Also, by doing this the bulk of your calorie and carb intake comes at the most anabolic time of the day, and the rest of the time you are actually in a caloric deficit while limiting insulin and carbohydrate.
Here’s an example:
8:00 am: Low-carb protein shake with added fiber; 2 tablespoons of olive oil
10:30 am: 3 eggs plus 4 whites scrambled with 2 slices of cheese; 4 strips of bacon; 1/2 package of spinach
1:00 pm: Low-carb protein bar; 2 oz of dry roasted nuts
3:00 pm: 8 oz Cheeseburger (no bun, wrapped in lettuce); large salad with very low-calorie dressing
5:00 pm (immediately pre-workout): Quickly digested protein/carb beverage
5:45 pm (immediately post-workout): quickly digested protein/carb beverage
6:15 pm: Protein/Carb shake with Skim Milk
7:00 pm: 2 oz of pasta (dry weight); 4 oz of chicken breast; 2 slices of 12-grain bread; package of broccoli
7:45 pm: 2 oz of pasta (dry weight); 4 oz of chicken breast; 2 slices of 12-grain bread; package of asparagus
10:00 pm: Low-carb protein shake with added fiber; 1 tablespoon of olive oil; 2 cups of green beans; 20 grams of fish oil
NOTE: Do not directly copy my diet as it likely calls for far too many calories for your size and build. Instead, copy the structure and the overlying principles based on your own calorie needs. Also, it is fundamentally important to consume just as many green veggies throughout the day in non-workout meals, as is apparent in my example above.
How’s THAT for free content?
Want Method #2? At least 250 comments and I’ll post the “Anabolic Burst Cycling method” tomorrow!
Talk to you in the comments section!
Joel
P.S. Want to know ANOTHER brand new technique for simultaneous fat loss and muscle gain right now?
Check out the below video from my buddy Kyle explaining one of the NEWEST methods we’re using:
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271 comments - add yours
Joel,
Great info. Thanks for sharing. Do you find that you have to get used to the large caloric intake per meal over a few days or weeks, or do you not have problems at all with the large meals? Thanks!
-Mark
The point is to use carbohydrates and therefor insulin to your advantage when you need it most, the workout. By doing this you are more likely to use those nutrients to support your training/muscle as opposed to storing it as body fat. During the rest of the day keep your protein regular but your insulin low by consuming less carbs.
I dont think the point is to follow this plan step for step but make it your own. Obviously everyone leads different lives and must use the concepts and adapt them to their own situation.
A couple things I would change about this specific plan though. I like the concept of using carbs mostly when you need them ie around the workout but I also think breakfast is a good time to have some. I prefer portein/carbs for breakfast and before/after training then protein/HEALTHY fat for the rest. Which leads me to my last point. I would opt for some healthier fat sources than a cheeseburger and bacon as suggested above. I would likely go for some lean protein coupled with almonds and a green vege before cheeseburgers and bacon.
I would like to know wich kind of fiber source do you use ?
I workout at night finishing at 10pm and having 4 meals in 2 hours post workout seems a bit too much, even if i dindnt..
Also i know the nice effects it has but 20g of a quality fish oil a day seems a bit too expensive for most people, is there any other option ?
Most studies say it takes 3 days for your body to addapt to a caloric change either defficit or surplus, so is using this technique something proven ?
It looks like a bulking phase trying to get the least fat possible, not loosing it..
Terrific insight as always, Joel. I’ve learned so much from you and your compadres over the last year, and the biggest piece of advice I could give the skeptics is to PLEASE take the information, tailor it to your own needs, and realize that at the end of the day, YOU are responsible for your own progress. You can always find an excuse why any regime “can’t” work for you, but it takes motivation, discipline and accountability to make yourself the best version of you as possible. Change of any kind is only reached by stepping outside your comfort level. Just make it happen.
Hi Joel,
I’m a recent entant into the world of fitness/body building and am always looking for tips and hints to help me progress and gain muscle. I started about nine months ago and gained over 20 lbs and lost 2 inches of my waist in the first four months. Things slowed a little after that so I changed my routine and changed my protein shake, and things started to move on again. However, around November last year, things started to conspire to keep me from training. A house move, then a shoulder injury sustained in the move, then two bouts of Flu with prolonged chest infections have all conspired to keep me out of the gym until this week. During all this time, I have lost most of the weight I gained and put those two inches I lost back on my waist !
Back to square one – talk about demoralising !
I also work a 12 hour shift system that involves two days, two nights then four off and the work I do ( Emergency Service) means that even in a twelve hour shift, it is almost impossible to eat more than once during a work shift, also, two days out of eight, I have to treat the twelve hours when most people are sleeping as a day which completely screws up any hope of sitcking to the diet routines suggested by yourself and many other “Fitness Gurus”. I have found that I find myself relying on protein shakes when on shift – as many as five a day, just to keep up my protein intake to the recomended minimum 1.5g per lb level. I also have (and always have had) a relatively small appetite for a person of my height and weight – prior to me starting training, my normal calorie intake ( worked out over the course of a normal week ) would be around 1100 calories on average. I am 5’9″ and normal body weight was 10st 6lb before I started training.
Thankfully, I enjoy most of the foods that are considered essential eating, so, this makes eating a reasonable healthy diet much easier. I have changed a few things in my diet, such as dropping white bread and swapping it for a reduced amount of Burgen or similar type seeded bread, increased the the amount of high protein foods, changed a few of the fats from bad to good, etc.
As for training, I train on the four days off, and during the afternoon on the two days where I work the nightshifts. I don’t train at all on the dayshift days – far too tired !
How do other people cope with diet and shift work ? I would be interested to hear anyones views on this.
Wow, great info! Looking forward to seeing Method #2!
I really like things spelled out in this way. Of course, as you mentioned, the caloric intake is too high and I’d prefer having a plan like this already adjusted for lower calories (so I don’t have to go to the trouble… as I’m not quite sure how to do it, anyway).
One thing that bothers me is that there are SO many plans/strategies with conflicting info and it’s hard to know the best route to go. I am currently doing your “Cheat to Lose Diet”, which I’m assuming is an earlier version of “Cheat Your Way Thin.” (Is it??) Next week I will be starting XFLD. (Gulp). Then there are recommendations such as the one you just posted, which doesn’t really fit into EITHER program. How does one know the best route to follow?
With that said, keep these coming. :-)
so someone who has an endo-mesomorphic build such as myself, what would their meal look like? thanks!
Wow, that is some eating for one day!
I’m looking forward to the Anabolic Burst Cycling method tomorrow.
Anything wrong with eating those 2 whole food meals together (one large meal) 45 min after the last shake instead of separating it out into two smaller meals?
vince and lees 27 day lean bulking program easy as that
Is the 7:00 pm and 7:45 pm just supposed to be a spaced out meal for digestion/fullness purposes? Show method II!
Interesting, let’s hear method 2.
Ok that look good, but how many calorie should i ingest if i want to gain muscle and losse fat?
I am a 118 pound 48 year old woman who works out at least 3 times a week (short, difficult, quick recovery weight and sprint workouts). Everyone says I look great, but I still have that bit of flab around the stomach and love handles. I cannot shake them!!!! I know that diet is the key, and I follow Isabel’s organic, real food approach to the tee. I want to trim up. I know that it is possible! But, based on the diet that you provided, I would pop. I know that you said to adjust to our size, but I feel that your guidance is for dudes looking for big muscles. What about we women that don’t need to drop a ton of weight, but want to get ripped.
Excellent information, as always!!
I can not agree more with Janie Browwn comment above. What about women??. How about an example day for us, including meals, hopefully ones with less protein shakes and bars, workouts (toning and shaping) for thighs, butt generally lower body.
Very interesting. I’m looking forward to the next post.
I’ll have to give this a try. Thanks for all you do Joel!
That’s good i try something similar once upon a time, and got good results, but you cant do it forever you need to change also your nutrition and workout in some point…
Good article but if you want 250 comments maybe you should try answering the comments you get. Especially the questions.
I will also agree with Janie and Gloria. I am a 43 yr old woman, about 117 pounds and mother of 2. I work out 4-6 times a week (depending on the week) but also can’t get rid of some stomach flab and love handles. I mostly do body weight exercises. High intensity, interval training. I work out first thing in the morning (6am) before kids wake up and i have to go to work. I don’t eat before my workouts (this works for me). I also don’t want a day filled with protein shakes and bars. I do a shake after my workout. The woman who read your blog need some better guidance. If you can’t provide it, can you get a guest speaker who can relate and let them post on your blog? It would be greatly appreciated and needed.
Thanks.
I like to workout first thing in the morning – evening workouts keep me awake at night. How would this method work in this case?
How many days a week should one lift weights on this plan?
And should you maintain low carbs on all the other days including cardio days?
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Hey, it’s Joel! So you want to know a little more about me, huh? Well, I’d be happy to oblige :-)
I guess it all started back in 2001 (my freshman year of college) when I was just a “skinny fat” 19-year old kid. At the time, I was spending close to 2 hours a day in the gym (now my workouts last about 30 minutes), and despite my efforts, you’d probably never guess I worked out a day in my life by looking at me...