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So I am just starting CN and I have read most of the posts, there are a lot of useful comments. It would be nice if you would just post your best piece of advice for someone new to CN. Maybe a mistake you made or something great that you have found out, because I know a lot of you have knowledge that takes months to acquire.
lol @ Dmunee, yes keep the fat at a 50:50 ratio (thx Naomi) or if you go over go to fat as the overage. As far as diet make sure you get enough fiber (review the zero usable carb veggies) The basic breakdown of diet will vary to what works for you but no more than 30 grams of usable carbs/day. To maximize the benefits of a carb nite refer to carb backloading principles, good workout an hour or so before you commence the carbs and then load up on the junky carbs (mmmm frosted sugar cookies). If you are after fat loss then you can just do whatever works but if you want to get the most benefit for possible muscle gain this is a good strategy and served me well on carb nite. I skipped breakfast to maximize fat loss just taking in coffee, whipping cream (2 tbsp) and coconut oil.I recommend coconut oil, it was a great addition to my diet, and watch the fiber intake, you want to have that in there to keep things moving lol.
1. Coconut Oil / Butter (medium chain triglycerides)2. Skip breakfast for at least 3 hours3. That headache means you aren't getting enough fat.4. Plan your food out ahead of time and try to have as much prepared the night before as you can. Without the food readily available, you are bound to cheat, and one small cheat can reset your entire progress on CNS.5. Lots and lots of green veggies flavored with butter 🙂6. Unflavored, unsweetened Psyllium Fiber. Mix it with whey isolate to make it tolerable.7. Whey Isolate. I don't think this gets enough emphasis in the book. CFM Whey Isolate from Protein Factory is my preference.
If you buy snacks specifically for Carb Nite and don't finish them. THROW THEM OUT!!! If it's in the house you will eat it, so do yourself a favor and don't give yourself the option.
Ive just picked CN back up after screwing it up the first time. So a few questions for anyone out there that can lend advice. I understand the more fats part, but should it be more from saturated sources or still stick with all three. Processed foods: sausages, burgers, cold cuts, are these acceptable food sources or get cleaner sources just add more fats to them (chicken, fish, lean meats)Natural PB..............yay or nay?I also drink a intra-post workout drink (powdered BCAAs that has Sucralose in it.......toss it, or not. If toss it......what should I be drinking in order to help with fat burning. Don't know of any other quesitons right now, I'll ask as they arise.
Ive just picked CN back up after screwing it up the first time. So a few questions for anyone out there that can lend advice. I understand the more fats part, but should it be more from saturated sources or still stick with all three. Processed foods: sausages, burgers, cold cuts, are these acceptable food sources or get cleaner sources just add more fats to them (chicken, fish, lean meats)Natural PB..............yay or nay?I also drink a intra-post workout drink (powdered BCAAs that has Sucralose in it.......toss it, or not. If toss it......what should I be drinking in order to help with fat burning. Don't know of any other quesitons right now, I'll ask as they arise.
All the things I'm going to tell you will OPTIMIZE the diet, but realize that none of this is really NECESSARY to get results. Just follow the book, and you'll be fine. Anyway, here's my $0.02Try to get a good amount of mono-unsaturated fats in along with the saturated fats. Saturated fats are not bad, and actually awesome for you if coming from grass-fed sources (due to the high CLA content)Processed foods in general arent great for health due to the fact that they're normally prepared with trans-fats and other preservatives (and may hamper your fat loss to some degree). The lean meat+fat option is something I've done with success (plus it's cheaper for a broke-ass student such as myself ;D)Nut butters are fine (watch out for useable carbs though). However, PB is ...meh. Peanuts aren't really nuts, they're peas. Try and find almond/pecan/cashew butter if you can. Farmers markets or "Whole Foods" will have plenty of options. To be honest the diet is already taking care of the fat burning for you. An intra-workout drink isn't necessary on the diet. However, if you are getting tired during your workouts than try have coffee/cream before-hand, or you can mix a little (half a scoop or so) of protein powder with some coconut oil/milk to drink peri-workout for some fuel. I however cant train with anything in my stomach, but to each their own.Hope this helps, and good luck!
Ive just picked CN back up after screwing it up the first time. So a few questions for anyone out there that can lend advice. I understand the more fats part, but should it be more from saturated sources or still stick with all three.
A variety is good.
Processed foods: sausages, burgers, cold cuts, are these acceptable food sources or get cleaner sources just add more fats to them (chicken, fish, lean meats)
Necessary evils of convenience and boredom-avoidance.Have you ever had salami with cream cheese in it? My new favorite snack.
Natural PB..............yay or nay?I also drink a intra-post workout drink (powdered BCAAs that has Sucralose in it.......toss it, or not. If toss it......what should I be drinking in order to help with fat burning. Don't know of any other quesitons right now, I'll ask as they arise.
If your workout lasts an hour or more, then sure, an intra-workout concoction like that is a good idea. If it's your standard 45-60 minutes, then don't bother. There's nothing you can intake during a workout to help with fat burning -- training fasted is your best bet.You CAN, however, have some MCT oil or coconut oil for a nice little pre-workout energy boost. MCT oil is rapidly converted to ketones (coconut oil is usually about 65% MCTs) and will stoke the ketogenic fires.
Have you ever had salami with cream cheese in it? My new favorite snack.
Try a little horseraddish in the cream cheese, then on the salami....Yummy
Alright, so I have made some switches. I have upped my fats and Im going on day three………..I do not feel any diferent. I know it takes like at least 3 days for all the glyCogen to leave the body and ketosis to start. However, Im not having any lethargic feelings, Im really not even feeling as hungry as one should being carb depleted. So how do I know that Im doing this right, or if I f'ed this up again and I need to start over. What are the signs that I will have achieved ketosis, because maybe Im an impatient ass……….but I need to know when this kicks in so I know Im on the right track. I do not want to waste another 8 weeks trying to reach the stage to where I have to start over again, very frustrating.
Can you post a food log?Keep carbs *ultra* low - ideally none. Throw in the odd HIIT session (30secs max effort, 3:30secs rest, repeat x 5) on your non-training days (twice a week is good).3 days in isn't long - start to worry after 8+ days.Also, it might be that symptoms of carb-depletion are just mild for you - I was kinda 'fuzzy' for a couple of days, but no more really than that. If you're eating enough fat you won't necessarily feel hungry through carb-depletion, I never did. In fact I felt more the other way!Trust in the plan - don't overthink it:* eat fat until you're not hungry* eat protein (up to 50:50 *by weight* with fat, e.g. 130g protein: 130g fat)* try and eat zero carbs (and if you do make them fibre heavy)* lift heavy stuff and do occasional HIIT to help burn off the carbs* look forward to your 1st Carb Nite!Hope that helps.
OK, here is a breakdown of yesterday (non-workout, only HIIT session)7: 30am wake up, drink cup of coffee w/ 2 tbsp coconut oil and 2 tbsp whipping cream11 am: 2 Chorizo sausages cooked in 1 tbsp olive oil w/ 2 oz cheese1pm: 4 pieces Taylor ham (pork roll)4pm: 1 cup of coffee w/ 2 tbsp coconut oil & 2 tbsp whipping cream6pm: 3 tbsp Cashew butter (delicious)Stats: 200lbs...........want to get 180lbs. A few more questions:Should I be mixing BOTH coconut oil & whipping cream?I bought heavy cream because I saw it posted by someone on the site..........what would it be good for?Creatine, how should I use it and when?Sodium levels? Keep 'em low?How will I know when I am exactly in Ketosis? What sign should I look for? Dizzy spells, dark urine, hair growing on the chest..........what? I already know about ketostix but do not have any.
OK, here is a breakdown of yesterday (non-workout, only HIIT session)7: 30am wake up, drink cup of coffee w/ 2 tbsp coconut oil and 2 tbsp whipping cream11 am: 2 Chorizo sausages cooked in 1 tbsp olive oil w/ 2 oz cheese1pm: 4 pieces Taylor ham (pork roll)4pm: 1 cup of coffee w/ 2 tbsp coconut oil & 2 tbsp whipping cream6pm: 3 tbsp Cashew butter (delicious)Stats: 200lbs...........want to get 180lbs. A few more questions:Should I be mixing BOTH coconut oil & whipping cream?I bought heavy cream because I saw it posted by someone on the site..........what would it be good for?Creatine, how should I use it and when?Sodium levels? Keep 'em low?How will I know when I am exactly in Ketosis? What sign should I look for? Dizzy spells, dark urine, hair growing on the chest..........what? I already know about ketostix but do not have any.
I'd only have 1 tbsp of coconut oil with your coffee, but that's a small change. The only reason is too much MCT's (which makes up about 60% of coconut oil's fat profile) at once will cause an unwanted spike in ketones. Some is good, too much is undesirable. However, there's no harm in mixing it with cream in your coffee (plus it taste good ;D)However, since you're around 200 lbs it shouldn't be too much of a concern either. Kiefer goes over this in his "Justbig" radio interview in greater detail.Watch the sugar content in ham products as I've found most have added sugar...no buenoI'm assuming you're counting the carbs from the nut butter, but just be sure you're not going over 30g's which is easy to do with those since they're pretty carb denseJust take a tsp. of creatine a day however you want. Pre-workout, post-workout, before bed...doesn't matter just get it in at some point. The effects are cumulative not acute so don't worry about creatine-loading or getting to specific with it. I wouldn't worry about too much sodium, however if you start feeling like shit you may want to buy some "lite salt" which is a 50/50 potassium sodium mix. There's no problem with sodium, what gets most people in trouble is the fact that they're VERY deficient in potassium. It's when the balance between the two gets way out of whack that you run into trouble. As far as knowing you're in ketosis....-energy out of no where means you're probably burning fat- bad breath-urine has pungent odorAnd don't bother with ketostix. They're good when you first switch to ketosis because you're body isn't great at using ketones and will therefore excrete them in your urine. However, once your body actually knows what to do with them (use them for energy), you won't excrete as much and therefore the ketostix will tell you that you're not in ketosis. It's always better to just go on feel.Hope that helped, and if I'm way off on anything please feel free to correct me 😀
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