Adelfo Cerame: Carbophobia a Thing of the Past - How a Love-and-Hate Affair Turned into a Productive Friendship

The very latest progress pictures from "Your's Truly"; Adelfo Cerame Jr. posted only a couple of hours ago on Facebook - I guess there is no doubt about the success he has with his old fiend and new friend - in "moderation" as he says ;-)

It's Thursday and about time for another update of "Your's Truly" Adelfo Cerame Jr. from the photo Adelfo posted on facebook earlier today (see image on the right), you can see already that he actually not approaching, but more or less already in contest shape, but before I hand the virtual microphone (actually I should type keyboard ;-) over to Adelfo, here is the brief primer on today's SuppVersity Science Round-Up on Super Human Radio.

As you should really know by now, you have three options (not listenting to it is not among them ;-)

1. listen live at 1PM EST,
2. download the show ~2h later either from the "Physical Culture for Your Ears" menu in the sidebar of the SuppVersity, or
3. download the podcast load it right over right over at www.superhumanradio.com

And just to make sure that you know that it will be well worth it, here's the sneak peak on the topics Carl Lanore and I have lined up for you, today:

• the real-world benefits of caloric restriction - what's that all about?
• intermittent fasting works - regardless of whether you do it w/ liquid or solid foods
• alpha lipoic acid (ALA) - still a potent supplement - but who benefits?
• the usual suspects - omega-3, omega-6 & vitamin D
• acidity, diabesity, muscularity and ... ahm, there is no "-ity" for chronic fatigue, I guess

As you should know by now, additional topics and things I mentioned that ended up not making it into the show due to time constraints will be part of tomorrow's SuppVersity Science Round-Up Seconds... that's it. Let's go Adelfo!

Fully and completely getting over my phobia of carbohydrates

It's plain to see and hard to deny: Me + Carbs a.k.a. Mrs. Jones = Got a Thang Goin’ On…

In light of some of the comments I’ve been getting on FB about my carbohydrate intake being very high, I thought it would be prudent to address the issue in my weekly blogpost. Firstly, this saves me hours of precious time, since I don't have to answer the same questions dozens of times, and secondly - my gut tells me I would have benefited, if someone had written a post like this in the past: an article that would have had me rethink my own nutritional regimen, which and this is something I want to point out before I even get into any details clearly isn't "high carb"! With 150-200g of carbohydrates and thus <800kcal of my daily energy intake from carbs this may be high for a "carbophob", as I've been one myself before, but it would still be considered "low carb" both, in the mainstream, as well as in the context of classic bodybuilding diets. Be that as it may, I personally feel a huge relief now that I have finally liberated myself from my personal fears of carbohydrates and have learned to embrace "carbs" in all its forms - my diet has become more flexible, I have a greater variety and - what's most important - I see nothing but benefits from it.

I’ll be the first to tell you that Mrs. Jones (I’ll refer to her as that because this is how I felt about carbs for a while) and I were not on the best terms. It was a 3-year love hate relationship. Just like cash, I thought she was the root of all evil. The first time I ever downloaded and read Dr. Mauro DiPasquale’s Anabolic Solution, I for sure thought I found the Holy Grail to dieting and bodybuilding (true story!), and that’s where my phobia and our tragic love-hate relationship actually began. I thought that I would be shredded year round if only I lived the low carb lifestyle. It worked for a while but then eventually the magic I thought I was experiencing, when I started out, didn’t work any longer. 

Even during my bulk I thought I would still manage to look ripped because I was on low carbs, but again I was wrong! Lol. But I still insisted that carbs were evil just because… honestly, I don't even know why!? Probably because for 2 years I had avoided my Mrs Jones like the plague and only devoured her on my refeeds, cheat days and special social events, which eventually turned into binge fests and late nights in my bed being in a fetal position because I would eat myself silly.

No, carbs just had to be bad,... otherwise I would have had to admit that I'd a mistake, yet not only once, but 365 days a year!

Suggested read: Adel's old post "Carbohydrate Shortage in Paleoland" The article explains pretty well why 150g CHO is something any not 100% sedentary diabetic can easily handle.

If you have a closer look at Not until last year did my opinion start to change towards carbohydrates. My relationship with Mr. Jones gradually improved ever since I started using Intermittent Fasting a la Leangains last year to prepare for my 2013 bodybuilding shows. But even then I still shied away from breads, oats, grains and even rice and just stuck to your typical sweet potatoes and yams. I guess you could say that she and I were at a truce, but not necessarily friends, like secret lovers we knew our boundaries and kept our distance… I stayed away for the majority of the week with the exception of 1-2 days of debauchery out of the week (refeeds).

During the last year, however, a revelation started to dawn on me. Finally, I began to understand the importance of carbohydrates, when it came to performance and the importance of performance, when it comes to making progress - regardless of whether we are talking, cutting, bulking or becoming stronger! More and more foods I had avoided or restricted, because I deemed them "bad" or "extremely detrimental" for my physique found their way back in my diet and not one of my fears about what would happen, when I consumed them more than maximally once per week materialized.

Me + Carbs = Best Friends

Though carbohydrates are not an essential nutrient like fats and amino acids; I’ve realized when it comes to performance and bringing in your best physique… carbs are necessary.

I really kept an open mind when approaching my 2013-2013 contest preparations. Just as I had an open mind with giving intermittent fasting a go last year for my prep, I’ve also had an open mind with giving IIFYM a try this year and combining the two, and needless to say I am very happy that I did. I thought that I enjoyed the perks of Intermittent fasting last year?... Well I’m really enjoying the perks of applying both IF & IIFYM this year! A

Admittedly, it certainly helped to have a coach I can trust. It gave me a lot of reassurance in keeping an open mind – especially when you’re still trying to grasp the fact that all foods are OK to eat in moderation - and yes this includes ice cream, beer and bacon (before some of you new readers out there go nuts and tell me how unhealthy my new protocol is, please refer to my last article and the follow up discussion, so you’ll understand what I’m taking about).

My Take Away: As I always say, balance, moderation & consistency are the keys to a long-term successful diet. Though carbohydrates and I are pals now, I still show the same amount of love to protein and fats as I did before; the only difference is that carbohydrates is treated as an equal now ;-)

Adelfo Cerame: Intermittent Fasting Done My Way - How I Break My Fast, Plan & Time My Macros and Use Caloric Zigzagging & Re-Feeds on a LeanGains Inspired IF Regimen

Image 1: Intermittent fasting, breaking the fast, macronutrient ratios and timing, caloric zigzagging and refeeds - learn how it can be done, learn how Adelfo does it!

Today's thursdaily SuppVersity post by Adelfo Cerame starts with an advertisement... "What? I thought the SuppVersity was ad-free!"... I see you are shocked!? Well, actually it ain't a real ad anyway, it's more a plug and what's best, I am plugging myself, or rather the new, likewise thursdaily radio show I am going to do with Carl Lanore. Those of you who have tuned in live or listened to the podcast (click here to download) last Thursday, when Carl was sitting alone in the studio going over the latest news-stories from the realms of health, nutrition and exercise science and I shot him an email, whether he did not want to call me to have some company, will probably already know what to expect. For the rest, I would say, the best way to describe what you will  hear today at 1PM EST on Super Human Radio would be "On Short Notice", or, in SHR-terms "Casual Sciency Thursday" - call it whatever you like, but don't forget to tune in live, or come back and download the podcast (update: click here to download the podcast), in case you already missed it

But now, without further delay Adelfo Cerame's Thursdaily Suppversity post for YOU to enjoy (the rest is ad-free, I guarantee ;-)

The intermittently fasted physique (re-)engineering nutrition 101 ;-)

If I had to name one question I get most, by clients, but even more so, by people who see me train in the gym or read my blogs, here at the SuppVersity is how I am timing my carbohydrates and meals. Especially with the folks who follow an IF style protocol, questions such as ...

• “When should I eat my carbs?”
• “How should I distribute my carbs?”
• “What should my carb intake be on training days & rest days?”
• “What about caloric zigzagging”

are things male and female gymrats appear to waste more time thinking about than about their significant others! As funny as that may sound - and to a certain degree it certainly is - there is actually an often overlooked correspondence between finding the ideal partner and the ideal nutrition regimen. Not only is it rarely your first love that you will end up marrying and spending a part if not your whole life with, it is also a matter of personal preference: Luckily, I mean if it wasn't all the guys would be chasing the same girl and all the girls would jump at just one guy ;-)

Image 2: When you are approaching this degree of leanness, you can still start worrying about all the intricacies of dieting many people waste far too much time on, when it would not even matter for them.

With nutrition things are not so much different and yet strangely people tend to lose themselves over details that would be equivalent of the size of your significant others right ear in comparison to her/his left one. What I am hinting here is that you must not lose sight of the big picture and lose yourselves in intricacies like these and their respective nutritional counter-parts before you haven't laid the nutritional foundations: Get rid of processed food, learn to cook, learn the basics about macronutrients and micronutrients how much you need and what your body needs them for and develop a sense for the energetic content of the foods you eat... "What? Calories, but I thought..."

Yeah, I know you thought "A Calorie is Not a Calorie" - that may be true, but only as long as you are referring to the black on white figures you see printed on the labels of the junk you can buy at the supermarket - intermittent fasting or not, at the end of the day, the most important determinant of whether you are or aren't progressing towards your goal is still the difference between the energy you derive from the foods you eat and the energy your body actually expends. 

You may notice that I am not talking about simple "calories vs. calories out" calculations you could do based on calorie tables and the figures your stupid heart rate monitor or treadmill are displaying. I am talking about the BIG PICTURE you always have to keep in mind and which must be set straight and be geared to your goals, i.e. weight loss, muscle or strength gains, etc., before you even start thinking about whether any those  "optimizations" of which I found that they work for me will work for you, as well.

My Twist to the Original Leangains Regimen

For those of you who have been following my Thursday Blogs for the past year or so, it won't be news that follow a 16/8 intermittent fasting protocol (this means 16h of fasting are followed by a 6h feeding window) - this protocol is based on the same fundamental principles as Martin Berkhan’s Leangains regimen. I don’t follow the exact protocol to a “T’’ (you know I am not changing Martin's girlfriend either ;-), but I stay along the guidelines, with added tweaks here and there to what’s suitable and work well for me… So here is what I prefer to do   when I break my fast and do my meal/carb timing during my 8 hour feeding window.

• When do I eat my carbs? On training days, I prefer a protein + fat meal before I train because I feel my body runs better on dietary fats, when I train as oppose to having a big carb meal – so a protein shake + coconut oil (as a sponsored athlete I obviously use Myotropics Physique 2.0 and while I would recommend you give it at least a try, you can certainly use your favorite protein powder - preferably no whey isolate, but something "slower", like milk or a protein blend). The nourishing and long-lasting mix of WM-HDP, milk protein + MCTs from the coconut oil  is more than enough for me to fuel my workouts.
  
  

  

  Image 3: As it turns out the "anabolic window" is more of a barnyard door, than ...read more

  When I am back home from my workout my first real meal of the day is the one, where I place the lion's share of my carbohydrate intake. So, the meals after I train are usually high in protein and moderate to high in carbohydrates, while keeping the fat intake very modest. The reason I use this strategy is to make full use of the repartitioning effect after the workout, when your muscles will suck up more glucose in the presence of relatively moderate insulin levels. Since this "post workout window" (suggested read "Opening the 'Anabolic Barn Door' With the Key of Exercise and Nutrition Science!") also happens to fall in the evening, I don't have to worry about (a) bunking later in the day or (b) overeating and feeling sluggish, I just fill myself up with carbs and relax... when I go to bed later, I am still happy and satiated and ready to get some quality sleep.

• Which carbohydrate sources do I use on workout days? While I am now going to give you a list, the latter is not supposed to be extensive - it's more to give you an idea of the broad range you can pick from without ever having to resort to the "carbage" that's making people fat and sick and has brought all carbs into disrepute.

  

  Figure 1: Recommended (mean) carbohydrate intake in %-age of total calorie consumption ... read more

  • sweet fruits like ripe bananas, pineapples, mangoes, cherries, papayas 
  • starchy carbs like sweet potatoes, organic russets, yams, colored potatoes, butternut squash, rice
  • variety of veggies
  If my macros allow for it and I can sneak it in – ice cream, Hawaiian bread, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, cheesecake, mochi - but occasionally!
  
  On non-training days I spread my macros pretty evenly across the 6h feeding window, with a lower carb intake on non-workout days and mostly being from veggies and fruits this will allow for optimal insulin levels all-day. Consequently, all my meals are high protein + high fat based; I've always fared very well with this strategy and feel that my body doesn’t need much carbohydrates on days I don’t train and those I do eat mostly come from...
  • a variety of veggies, which I always eat to satiety
  • a couple of slices of tropical fruits such as pineapples, papayas, plantains, kiwi, mango, coconuts, guava…
  In the end, most of my non-training day meals will thus be more or less "Vince Gironda"-ish, such as the food he consumed on his steak & eggs diet, or his Hawaiian diet that consists of a combination of lean meats and tropical fruits.
   
• Caloric ZigzaggingCaloric zigzagging is another one of those advanced techniques I hinted at in the introductory part of this blog, it can facilitate and optimize fat loss, but is neither necessary to make progress nor optimal for everyone.
  
  
  Caloric zigzagging is not a must and not for everyone, either: In my opinion, caloric zigzagging, is not a beginner technique and the benefits are too small to risk getting totally confused . For beginners or people that just get confused with tracking numbers its much easier to just diet down and incorporate re-feed days rather than having to remember “x amount of carbs on this day, and x amount of carbs on that day” … But for individuals like myself… I don’t mind. Plus, with the protocol I follow, where I eat starchier carbs on training days and more fibrous carbs on non-training days; my caloric intake will tend to be lower on rest-days, anyways.
  Rather than just following a regular downward spiral, where you continuously decrease a constant daily calorie intake (independ of whether you work out or not) over a pre-defined, short timespan (4-6 weeks), caloric zigzagging will add an andditional "zigzag" component to the regimen, where you will now vary your calorie (and macronutrient intake according to whether you train or rest on a given day: Basically the idea is you will eat a little bit more, when you train to make use of the priming effect workouts have on the departments (muscle vs. fat) your body is going to store the nutrients, respectively the energy it derives from it in. On non-training days, on the other hand you eat less, and have your body feed of his body fat stores. There is however one thing you must never forget: At the end of the day it’s still about energy in, energy out, and your overall food consumption. Caloric zigzagging is just another one of those little pieces to the BIGGER PICTURE in which, as Dr. Andro would say it,  "weight gain and weight loss are nothing but the two complementary and yet incommensurable sides of the same coin".
  
  So, for example, my training day macros can look something like this; 200g protein/ 150g carbs/ 65g fat – then my rest day macros would look like this: 200g protein/ <100g carbs/ 65g fat. And again, different scenarios or phases in your cut will dictate how you make your macronutrient adjustments. Sometimes I can start off doing caloric zigzagging and by the tail end of my diet; I’m back to the good old proven and effective downward dieting.
   
• How do I incorporate refeeds into my intermittent fasting routine? Re-feed days are usually incorporated into a diet once an individual starts to get leaner, calories are decreased, and metabolism starts to level out. In my experience, I did not have to incorporate re-feeds into my diet for the first 3 months. I had a cheat day, when Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years came around but those were the only cheat days I incorporated into my diet for the first 3 months from October – January. The rest of the days out of those 3 months, I did just fine.
  
  I didn’t start incorporating re-feed days until around maybe mid-January, when I was really starting to dip into the single digit body fat % range. I would then still follow my 16/8 protocol and break fast on Sunday as I would any other day, but the leaner I got, the bigger and more important my Sunday refeeds became - to the point, where I was starting my re-feeds and breaking fast @ 10am and ending my them at 11pm. Lol.
  
  During my first contest prep of this year my re-feed days were pretty ridiculous. I never kept track of what I ate on my Sunday re-feeds. The only guidelines I followed were keep protein moderate, fats low, and carbs HIGH! And I ate literally the whole day. I never kept track but one Sunday I was curious to see how much carbs I was taking in, and I must have had almost ate 800+ grams of carbs that whole Sunday! And just in case you’re curious about this type of re-feed type style, it’s called skiploading (google it, and you’ll get the concept of it)! Or you can just double back to one of my re-feed blogs from a couple months back.
  
  

  

  Image 4: It's not just the nasty subcutaneous water you can avoid, when you don't abuse your refeed days to binge like a maniac!

  During my 2nd contest prep of this year my re-feeds were a bit more controlled this time around. I learned from a couple of Dr. Andro’s articles (esp. "Carbohydrate Shortage in Paleo Land") that the average indidual would not need more than max. 400g of carbs  to refill his glycogen stores (needless to say that those must not all come from dextrose or be eaten in one meal).
  
  Moreover, our glycogen stores don’t get as depleted as we think. It’s damn near impossible to fully deplete your glycogen stores during a single workout. Even after an intense session of high volume training, I don’t think even 50% of our glycogen stores get depleted – So long story short, I realized that I didn’t need to go overkill on the re-feeds 400g is more than enough to fill glycogen stores.
  
  I stuck to this principle and it has not just always worked well for me, but also helped me to avoid the nasty bloating, the gastrointestinal distress and the all the other dreaded short term and often overlooked negative longterm health effects of stuffing yourself with carbage fooling yourself to believe you were "refuelling your glycogen stores".

I hope this helps you answer some of your questions, provide orientation and give you inspiration to design and tweak your own (intermittent fasting) diet routine. And while this is all I have for you today, SuppVersity readers you are of course welcome to post additional questions and comments in the comment area below! So, tune in next week for another session with yours truly ;-)

Adelfo Cerame: Intermittent Carbohydrate Modulation as a Stepping Stone Towards an Anatomy Chart Physique

Adelfo's goal is to look like an anatomy chart. Now, I don't know about you, but I have seen dozens of anatomy charts that reveal less details of the human physiology than this side-shot which was taken only three days ago.

If you read the headline of today's SuppVersity article, first, you will already know that this is not day 4 of the SuppVersity Exercise Science Week, but (finally) another of Adelfo Cerame's guestposts, here at the SuppVersity. You don't have to worry, there's going to be at least some exercise science in the SuppVersity Science Round-Up, which does (business as usual) air on 1PM (EST) live! on the Super Human Radio Network. So, if you want to be among the first to hear the latest about

• the ameliorative effect of no more than 3g of glutamine on skeletal muscle damage and reductions in immune functions, when you're training like a maniac (learn more about glutamine)
• the superiority of protein blends with respect to net protein retention and why the way most protein supplementation studies are designed has brought about an overreliance on whey protein and a questionable "post-workout window of opportunity" (suggested read: "Opening the Anabolic Barndoor With the Key of Science")
• what percentage of track and field athletes would consider using performance enhancing drugs, if they had the chance and how side effects and the possibility of being busted would influence their decisions (suggested read: "The Brocebo Effect")
• gluten degrading bacteria most of us already have in heir guts and/or mouths and how they could help fight celiac and co. (learn more about gluten & co)
• the importance of doing both, cardio and weight lifting for anyone who's interested in optimal heart health (suggested read(s): "Weights or Cardio, What Comes First?")
• the fat burning effects of sildenafil and how it's combination with EGCG from green tea may turn viagra into an anti-cancer drug (read more about viagra & natural alternatives)

... the podcast, which will be part of tomorrow's Seconds is not really an option ;-) That being said, I have already taken up way too much room in Adelfo Cerame's SuppVersity guestpost - it's high time to make room at the SuppVersity's "writer's desk" ;-)

Adelfo Cerame is back in the house

Well, after a short hiatus from SuppVersity (a well excused one by the way), I’m back to continue my responsibilities of making my guest blogs every other Thursday anin order to share my experiences with the SuppVersity readers as I continue my journey through the world of fitness, nutrition and physical culture ;-)

For those of you who have not been following Adelfo's blogposts right from the beginning: You can read up on his amazing and truly inspiring story how, he got injured and turned it life around in his very first SuppVersity post.

The reason I have been a bit inconsistent with my guest blogs the past few weeks was - as some of you may rememeber - the final weeks of school before the graduation, when I had to learn, juggle two part time jobs and prepare for my upcoming bodybuilding competition in March '13. Not that I’m complaining, I love what has been put on my plate as of late and I’m definitely not going to take it for granted. Still, I am honestly happy that the storm is over now, that I'm finally done with school and have accomplished a goal that I set for myself 4 years ago, when I realized what my calling was and made the decision to go back to school and finish my degree in nutrition science. So now that school is done I can really focus on personal endeavors and other goals I have in mind. - with the first and most obvious one being the dang overall at the show in Florida, so I can finally earn my pro card to become an IFBB wheelchair pro.

I’ve been chasing this piece of paper for a while now and fell short twice last year to two worthy competitors. And as bad as I want that title, I know it’s not priority and never have and never will hold that title on a pedestal to where it becomes my main focus in life. It's my passion, yeah, but in the end it’s just bodybuilding, and not that important when I compare it to other aspects or priorities in my life…

Don't get it twisted, though! I am a competitor ...

.. and I will bring my “A+” game this March, and feel that I’ve made all the necessary adjustments and right moves to put myself in that position. This year I’ve surrounded myself with a great support system of friends, family, mentors, coaches and teammates that have motivated and pushed me physically and mentally to better myself from last year and to put me in a great position to have a shot at that thing again.

Figure 1: Comparison shot this vs. last contest prep back double biceps(img. Adelfo Cerame. 2013-13)

I’ve noticed some significant changes in my physique this year… I’ve been able to put on a tad bit more size especially in my lower back, I’ve been able to add some thickness to it and just might be able to bring out that Christmas tree that I’ve always been looking for on previous preps.

Full, pumped and yet still more defined - what more can you ask for?

In case you don't remember the full story, here is how Adelfo Cerame finally turned his 3-year love and hate relationship with carbs into a highly appreciated ergogenic & delicious friendship (read more)

The biggest difference that I notice is yet that I’m a lot fuller and that despite the fact that my conditioning is a tad better than at the same timepoint during my last prep. And If you’re wondering what adjustments I’ve made this year to make that difference? I’m guessing it’s the higher amounts of carbohydrates I’m consuming this year. That, and the higher training volume I am thus able to sustain. Combined with an increased frquency in body part specific training and the minimal amount of cardio, I've been doing throughout my prep, I was able to keep my overall carbohydrate intake at 150-200g per day, which is - according to my own previous standards, almost hillariously high. I have to thank my coach Alberto Nunez for convincing me to give this high carb moderate-to-low fat approach a try. It has worked out perfectly and according to Alberto, it's also going to help me finally bring in the conditioning and fullness, I may haave been lacking on my previous shows.

I feel that I’m way ahead of schedule from where I was at last year. And from the conversations that coach Alberto and I had; he told me that we haven’t even begun to get serious yet. Lol. So if that’s the case, then from this point on, I’m pretty curious and excited to see for myself how much further I can push my body so I can really achieve that disgusting anatomy chart look ;-)

"Bring on those homemade cheeseburgers, slow churned ice, and poptart pastries!"

Learn more about the RPE routine Adelfo used earlier in his prep

The picture Adel edited in right on top of the article was taken on Monday, when I was exactly 7 weeks out and on the last couple of days of an intermittent 3-week intensive dig at only 100g of carbs/day coach Alberto put me on. As of Wednesday (yesterday), we have started to slowly bring the carbs back  up on regular days and refeed days (WOOOO!!! Right in time for Superbowl on Sunday). Based on what I gather from the weekly evaluations that I get from Alberto, he feels that my body is lean enough to really benefit from an increase in carbohydrates, which will now after this intermittent low carb period be directed right where they belong - into the muscle! So bring on those homemade cheeseburgers, slow churned ice, and poptart pastries! It’s time to get serious!  Oh… Also bring on the fruits and vegetables! Can’t forget about those!

Well that’s all for this week folks! I’m glad to be back on a more consistent level from now on. And please feel free to leave comments below, positive or negative I will try to respond to all of them! Thanks for your on-going support :-)