Abs Are Made In The Kitchen -- The Cyclic Ketogenic Diet

Abs are made in the kitchen. You can train your abdominal muscles every day your whole life, but if you aren't under 16% body fat, you won't even BEGIN to see them. It is different for everyone, but for me, I start to get oblique definition at around 16%, upper abs at 14%, and I have never been below that. My goal for October is 12% BF. I believe I am currently at 17% or so. I can currently do the maximum weight for three sets of 30 on every abdominal machine in the gym, but I can't see my six pack at all. The same is true for every muscle actually. If you never lifted a day in your life, but dieted down to 6% body fat, you would LOOK jacked, but be weak as hell. People who look strong, aren't necessarily strong, they just diet well, or run a lot, or both. My goal in lifting has ALWAYS been strength, I didn't really care how I looked (as long as I wasn't a fat blob). That's kind of why this new blog/Halloween thing is exciting to me, I've never trained with the idea of looking good in mind. In the end, you are what you eat.

Before I started this blog, and keeping track of my weight and what I eat, I was 240lbs, the heaviest I had ever been in my life. This was due to what was essentially 18 months where I could not lift, workout, or be active due to various medical issues. Thankfully, 13 years of weight training, an active life style, and an uber metabolism have still left me fairly muscular and in good shape, but nowhere close to my goals. Step one in Super Saiyan training, is to lose weight (preferably mostly fat), so I can afford to put it back on in the form of muscle.

Most everyone knows what Atkins is -- a low carb diet for those who are usually quite sedentary, don't work out, and just want an easy way to shed the weight quick. Atkins works quite well for the duration you stay on it. Many people swear by it. The Cyclic Ketogenic Diet (CKD) is for people whose main concern is FAT LOSS, and muscle preservation. It is almost impossible to lose weight while retaining muscle mass and strength, but CKD does a very good job at it.

Here's a quick overview of CKD:

CKD's are based on periods of your body being in a state called ketosis. Being in ketosis means your body produces ketones, which burn fat cells for energy instead of carbohydrates (glucose). Your body will actually naturally want to break down your muscle mass for energy. After 5 - 10 days (your preference), you begin a period of carbohydrate 'loading'. The theory behind CKD's is that breaking Ketosis every 5 to 10 days for 1-2 days of high carbohydrate intake will:
Restore muscle glycogen (the energy in your muscles)
Restore gym performance
Rebuild any lost muscle (and hopefully add some new muscle)

As a bonus, by loading in carbohydrates from a depleted base it is possible to super-saturate our muscles with glycogen. That is (in lay terms) muscles that are almost empty of glycogen (and water) are so hungry for glucose that they can be 'tricked' into taking up as much as 50% more glycogen (and water) before they realize why or what has happened. In this super-glycogenated state our muscles look and feel perpetually 'pumped' and swollen. And swelling a muscle cell to the limit is a powerful stimulus for muscle growth.


Explaining it a little more, carbohydrates in your diet cause insulin (a storage hormone) to be created in the pancreas. It is used to store glycogen, pump amino acids into muscles, while causing excess calories to be stored as FAT. If the purpose of this diet is to break down fat, how can you do that when your body wants to store it for later (just in case it needs it)? It is difficult to do.

Once on CKD, and your body realizes that it is out of carbs to burn for energy, it must find another resource: FAT. This will happen during a metabolic condition known as "Ketosis". This is when your liver is out of glycogen, and starts to produce ketones. If you are fed pretty much entirely fat, and protein, your body will use the dietary fat, along with body fat for energy, while the protein goes to muscle repair. So, ironically, you need to EAT FAT, to BURN FAT. You generally want 70-80% of your daily caloric intake to come from fat. The diet allows for some fibrous vegetables at dinner time (broccoli, asparagus, spinach) to help… move things along, so to speak.

My daily diet looks like this:

7am: 3 eggs, 3 sausages/bacon/steak (all cooked in coconut oil) and green tea to drink
10am: 4 slices of salami, 4 pieces extra sharp cheddar cheese, water to drink
1pm (after workout): Tuna/chicken salad (spinach) with walnuts and peppercorn-ranch dressing and green tea to drink
4pm: protein shake (40grams protein) with 1tbsp all natural peanut butter, and 1tbsp coconut oil, water for a drink
7pm: Salmon/swordfish/steak (all cooked in coconut oil), water again
+ almonds
10pm: More coconut oil / peanut butter / flax or fish oil. more water

This is my food pyrimand, minus the fruits:


There is a reason for the coconut oil, you can do some research on MCT oil (or coconut oil) but it is essentially fat, that tastes amazing, that WILL NOT STORE AS FAT. It also helps your body get into a state of ketosis quicker. There is lots of science behind this.

Now, what is the most effective way to lose weight on this diet? Walking. Yup, that's it. If anyone has ever been on a treadmill, you see the cardio zones, right? warm up, fat loss, cardio, max, or whatever they are labeled. Having your heart beat around 120-130bpm (which I think is about 60-65% of maximum) is OPTIMAL for fat loss. Even if you are not in ketosis, your body will want to burn fat more. Just an aside here for those who lift, and run in the same workout: LIFT FIRST!!!! If you run first, your body will use its stores of glycogen right away, which you NEED (unless in ketosis) in order to build muscle. If you run after your workout, it doesn't matter, you are still burning calories.

I have been on this diet three weeks, while eating junk food and drinking booze like a motherfucker carbing up on weekends, and I have lost 15lbs. I am down to 225. My goal weight before I start putting on muscle again is 205lbs (maybe 210 if I get impatient).

The only lifting I have been doing at the gym is shoulder-rehab-physical therapy type stuff just to make for DAMN SURE my labrum is 1000000% when I actually resume weight training (lightly) next week.

I will remain on this ketogenic diet for at least two more weeks. I am going to switch my cardio to High Intensity Interval Training soon, which also lends itself to fat loss, but I don't know if it is a good combo with CKD -- I guess I will find out. Until then, I'll just be walking a lot -- outside (took a nice long walk under a full moon that warm night a few days ago) and at the gym

And now, your weekly DBZ spoof.