ALA and Keto dieting???

[Gonna Be HUGE]

I am considering starting a keto diet soon (mid cycle) to shed some pounds.. I have been using rALA to help with my bulking and was wondering what kind of effect this would have on cutting with a keto diet? I am not quite sure on how ALA effects insulin and blood sugar, but I think it lowers blood sugar for the most part. If this is true, then could one reach ketosis quicker? Or even looking from a different angle, could one still eat some small amount of carbs and still reach ketosis?

Generally, when I go on a keto diet, I keep carbs to less than 10g for the day, could I eat more than this as long as I am consuming 2-400mg rALA with each meal????

I don't know if this question makes sense or not, just looking for some feedback from you guys.

Just so you know my stats/current cycle:

21 years old, 229lbs, 14%bf, 5'10"

weeks 1-25, Test Enant 750mg/w
weeks 1-5, 50-100mg ** Dbol (I didn't respond well to them)
weeks 1-5, Homemade Fina 150mg/d
week 6, 2 shots of 5000iu HCG spaced 5 days apart
weeks 6-15, EQ 600mg/w
weeks 6-15, Winny 50mg/d
week 16, 2 shots of 5000iu HCG spaced 5 days apart
weeks 16-25, Deca 600mg/w
weeks 20-25, Dbol (gonna use thais, as they work better for me)
week 26, 2 shots of HCG again
weeks 26-30 Test Prop 100mg/d
weeks 31-33 Clomid

Currently on week 6, up 16lbs this cycle (started at 213).
If I start the keto diet, I would add in T3 in from weeks 6-15.

Later,
GBH

[OGPackin]

Hey bro, this is part two of Big Cats profile on ALA...Think it might answer ur questions?...I'll add the link to the bottom.

Before we get into ALA, let's take a look at what happens to food when it enters the body.

A normal meal:


Food is consumed.
This food is converted into glucose for energy.
Insulin is released by the pancreas to shuttle the glucose into muscle and fat cells (assuming liver glycogen levels are full). Once the muscle cells are full, all excess glucose is shuttled to fat cells.
Now let's look at a meal taken with ALA:


Food is consumed.
This food is converted into glucose for energy.
Insulin is released by the pancreas to shuttle the glucose into muscle and fat cells. Once the muscle cells are full, all excess glucose is shuttled to fat cells.
Now this is where ALA comes into play. In order for glucose to be carried into cells, it must be attached to insulin. ALA is shown to have an insulin mimicking effect. So then more glucose would be shuttled to fat cells because the muscle cells are full, right? Wrong! Studies show that ALA increases Glut-4 transporters on the outside of muscle cells. This means more glucose can be shuttled into muscle cells and away from fat cells. Studies show that the amount of glucose shuttled to your muscles can increase from 50-60%. For those who are not that good in math: This means if you ate 100 carbs and originally without ALA, 40 grams of glucose went to your muscles cells and the rest, 60 grams, went to fat cells. Now, by supplementing with ALA, you have the power to send 60 grams of glucose and only 40 to fat cells. That is a big difference! How you ask.

Insulin Effect

ALA has an insulin like effect. It does not take the place of insulin, only mimics it. (To learn about insulin and its effects you can read my Insulin article). ALA has been shown to increase glucose uptake by mimicking insulin and shuttling it to Glut-4 receptors as mentioned above. Because ALA has increased the number of Glut-4 receptors on the outside of the muscle, more glucose can be absorbed.

Effects of Increased Glucose Uptake

This increase of glucose does many positive things. These include:


Increased pump
Less fat accumulation
Increases Amino Acid transport
Increases creatine
Increased insulin sensitivity
Increased Pump

The increased pump is due to the increase in glucose uptake. Not only does this feel great, but it also contributes to muscle growth. By increasing the muscle cells volume, but nutrients are able to be shuttled to the muscle. Hence increased muscle growth.

Less Fat Accumulation

Again, due to the increase in glucose uptake by muscles cells, less glucose is stored as fat. ALA also lowers one's blood sugar levels, creating a more suitable atmosphere for fat burning.

Increased Amino Acid and Creatine Uptake

This comes back to the increased pump. Because the muscle cells are in an enlarged state, more amino acids and creatine can reach them. Insulin increases amino acid and creatine uptake. Remember, ALA mimics insulin, which means it also increases amino acid and creatine uptake. There are a ton of creatine products on the market that are loaded with sugar. This is because sugar causes an insulin spike, which carries the creatine to muscle cells. The problem with this is an excess amount of sugar with cause you to gain fat. By supplementing with ALA you can carry more creatine to muscle cells without swallowing 75+ grams of sugar. I still recommend taking a simple sugary carb after your workout, but ALA can increase creatine uptake while you take a lower amount of sugar. This is very important for those who are cutting. They can get the same effects post workout without having to worry about storing excess carbs as fat.

Increased Insulin Sensitivity

This is great news for bodybuilders! When I go on a bulking cycle. I find that about after two months, my gains slow drastically. One way to combat this is to go on a brief cutting cycle to and your insulin sensitivity rebuild. Supplementing with ALA could allow you to add more mass as a result of your insulin sensitivity not reducing.

Results During Cutting vs. Bulking

Results will differ depends on your diet. If you are bulking, you can expect to less fat and more muscle gain because of ALA nutrient partitioning effect.

Results from cutting are increased fat loss and a muscle sparing effect. Because your muscles are storing more glucose, your muscles will not become as depleted as they usually do when cutting. This helps you look full and not flat.

Dosage (per day)

200-600 mg will increase insulin sensitivity and lower blood glucose levels. Lower than 200 mg won't give you noticeable effects, except for ALA antioxidant properties. 600 mg-1200 mg will give you an increase in #1 1200-2000 will give you an increase in #1 and more noticeable fat loss. 3000 mg is "said" (Not a fact, just what has worked best for ALA users) to be the ideal dose to assist in massive fat loss, increase in insulin sensitivity, and increasing glucose.

I got these doses from experienced ALA users and other information I've read. They are a general ranges. It is best to divide you dosages up throughout the day. For example, if you are taking 1000 mg a day. You could take:


300 mg with breakfast
200 mg with a carb meal
300 mg post workout
200 mg with last meal
Buying ALA
When buying ALA, you have to be careful. ALA is very unstable and rapidly degrades when exposed to the outside atmosphere. Some people think that as long as it is not exposed to atmospheric conditions for extended periods of time, it will be fine. But even a brief period of time can cause massive degeneration of the product. That is why it is not wise to buy ALA in powder form. It is most likely useless. An especially big no-no is buying creatine products with ALA already in them. The only thing you are paying for is the creatine, because there isn't any ALA in those tubs. The solution, buy ALA in capsules! Most companies are very careful when capping their ALA. AST, for example, uses ALA that is vacuum packed in UV protected plastic. Therefore, I do not recommend buying ALA from no name companies. I'm not saying their ALA is not quality ALA, but it's your money and I know I'd rather play it safe.

Well there is what ALA can do for you. In my next article, we will look at different tests and scientific data that backs up what is stated above.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/teen/derek30.htm

OG

[Gonna Be HUGE]

Thanks, bro. That's exactly what I was looking for.

I upped the ALA to 3000mg a day (600mg with each of 5 meals).

If I am using r-ALA, does that make a difference in the dose?

Later,
GBH

[OGPackin]

Originally posted by Gonna Be HUGE
Thanks, bro. That's exactly what I was looking for.

I upped the ALA to 3000mg a day (600mg with each of 5 meals).

If I am using r-ALA, does that make a difference in the dose?

Later,
GBH

Anytime bro! Iv been taking 2000mgs every day and have seen really good results with loosing bf. U'll be surprised! Good question on the r-ALA?? Not sure about that?? Im not sure the difference between the two? I'll have to do some more research. I get mine here btw... http://www.anabolical.com

OG

[ulter]

You don't need that much. I answered you on another board I think.
100-200mg with >50 gr of sugar carbs
300mg with 100+ gr of sugar carbs
300mg with pre/post workout shake

Skip the keto. You don't need it with r-ALA when you cut.