Loading day – the second phase of the diet
The second phase of the anabolic diet is also called the refeeding phase or loading day, as it lasts only one or two days at most. The aim is to “recharge” the muscles with carbohydrates. You can distinguish between a clean and an unclean loading day.
The loading day is called “clean” if an optimal nutrient distribution is maintained for this phase. This is the case when the carbohydrate content of the food consumed is >70%, the protein content is a maximum of 20% and the fat content is a maximum of 10%. In contrast, the loading day is described as “unclean” if the carbohydrate content is only 45-60%, the protein content is about 10-15% and the fat content is about 30-40%. If the loading day is unclean, it is not necessary to pay particular attention to the type of food consumed. Burgers, French fries, sweets and other carbohydrate-rich foods that are “forbidden” in Phase 1 can be consumed.
Anabolic diet for muscle building
The idea of the Anabolic Diet is to reduce body fat while maintaining muscle mass. Often an additional increase in muscle mass is also desired. It should be remembered that a muscle build-up requires a calorie or energy surplus, i.e. more energy must be supplied through food than the body consumes.
Irritating the muscles through targeted strength training leads to the restructuring of the musculature with an increase in strength and girth. However, the aim of anabolic diets is the reduction of fat deposits and the reduction of the body fat percentage, which can only be achieved by a deficient intake of energy. In addition, in the anabolic phase the carbohydrates are greatly reduced, which play a decisive role in muscle building in addition to amino acids from proteins. The reduction of body fat, however, leads to a more defined protrusion of the muscles under the skin. A prerequisite for maintaining muscle mass with a reduced energy intake is, in addition to sufficient protein intake, targeted strength training to protect the muscles from breakdown.
How long should one follow an anabolic diet?
There is no general guideline as to how long an anabolic diet should be followed. In principle, the diet can be continued until one’s own goals, for example the desired weight, have been reached. After that you can slowly return to a normal diet.
However, it is important that the transition to a normal diet is made slowly and not abruptly, so that the body has time to change back. Otherwise, it can happen that the weight lost through the diet is put back on very quickly and the body quickly rebuilds fat (yo-yo effect). It is also important to know that it can take several weeks before the body has even got used to the anabolic diet. Especially in the beginning it is often very difficult to give up carbohydrates, as the body is used to get its energy mainly from carbohydrates. Until the metabolism has adapted to the new situation, this can be a very stressful time for the person on the diet.
