Help with diet & carb intake direction

[Charlie67]

Sorry this got so long, it's likely all nonsense.... Its a long winded carb-nonsense backstory, so if I'm way off base, feel free to speak up! But I could use some advice. The gist of all this is I'm not sure how to proceed with my diet, and that's my ultimate question. I meant this to be a simple question of, "should I cut calories, or increase cardio?"

Currently I'm eating about 110carbs/110fat/250protein Which is 2,4xx-something, I'm close to this.

Why am I only at 110g carbs: Blood sugar. For the last 5-6 years I've been eating about 300g of carbs (brown rice/oats mostly) per day, landing at about 3000-3300 cals a day (including fats and protein). When I ran a cycle this past Spring, I felt that I mostly just cycled into about 20 pounds of fat, then I lost that 20 pounds of fat afterwards when I cut back my calories. After talking and googling for a few days, I stumbled upon the idea of Insulin sensitivity* and began to think I was insensitive to insulin**. Also, I've heard coaches who say that the first step many they take with new clients is cutting back carbs to re-set their insulin sensitivity.

My past lab work has landed my glucose level around 99-105. So to figure this out, I bought a glucose meter and started taking my blood sugar. As consistently as I could, I tried to eat the same way every day and measured it for a week. It averaged 120 (less than 100 is normal). So I cut 50 grams of carbs for a few weeks and my BS was about 115. So I cut another 50, it was about 105, So I cut another 50, etc, etc... I did this from April through July, trying to eat the same protein and fat, and eating the same type of carbs. Today, I eat about 100 g of carbs a day (mostly veggies and rice) and my BS is about 96. My last round of lab-work had my glucose level down to 90, and I'm eating about 2450(ish) calories, 110carbs/110fat/250protein and I've been losing weight... until this past week.

*UPDATE* (jeeez this post is getting long(er))... I had thought I was "re-setting" myself to be more sensitive to carbs, which I wasn't even sure it was possible while still eating 100g carbs per day.... but then Cousinmuscles sent me this Dave Palumbo rant (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO48...ature=youtu.be). Now I'm wondering if its NOT sensitivity to insulin, but rather lack of insulin.... so I'm even more confused as to what to do.

Back to my original post:

So here I am in this board's competition:
https://forums.steroid.com/anabolic-...-start%5D.html

My weight has leveled off at 230 and I'm not sure what to do with my diet. I'm eating the same as I was before the comp started, I've only added 3 days of cardio, I eat a cheat meal Saturday night still, and since August 1st I'm down 10 pounds (from 240, to 230, 6'1", 46yrs old). But this past week I have leveled off a bit AND I'm going to start a test/mast cycle this week....

(Side note: I joined this comp late in the game, so it doesn't line up with my cycle plans. So be it, life goes on after this competition, and while the competition ends 10/24, my cycle tentatively will last longer, I'll only run mast for 10 weeks, then possibly switch to test/tren for 6 more weeks.)

So.... what to do? First, ignoring all the insulin talk, and making this just about losing weight, how do I keep shedding fat
Option 1) If I keep everything the same, but add the gear, I suspect I'll go up a few pounds on the scale, remain the same and mostly just waste the cycle.... maybe it'll re-comp a bit.
Option 2) I could increase my cardio from 3 to 5 days, stay at 2400 cals (same macros) for now, and start my cycle. see what happens.
Option 3) I guess I could focus on re-comp (which appeals to me), but I'd be tempted to add some cals when I start the cycle, but that runs counter to this competition.
Option 4) Try a genuine cutting cycle (never done) but I only have Test/Mast/Tren on hand... but I would like to run a longer cycle despite this competition.
Option 5) change everything, my macros/increase cardio/drop calories... etc.

Now adding in the Blood sugar stuff:
Option 1) stay at 100g of carbs for now, or until the competition ends 10/24 and then do 'something'
Option 2) cut carbs completely and see what happens.
Option 3) INCREASE carbs, and see what happens, but this too seems to work again the competitions goal.
Option 4) Listen to Dave's video and try that, add a bit of long lasting insulin for a few months... that seems excessive.
Option 5) ???


I open to any conversation about any of this. Terribly sorry for the long read, I meant this to be a simple question of, "should I cut calories, or increase cardio?"

Thanks for any thoughts:
C-

*For example: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/insu...t-for-good.htm
** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTjDi2ZO0n8

[Windex]

I'm a little confused by your post - lots of information. But 100g of carbs is pretty close to Keto -

for your carb concern : Have you ever considered trying to do a Ketogenic meal plan?

For your cycle concern if you've never run Tren before I would skip the masteron . If you have run it then you could do a cookie cutter 200/200/300 Test/Tren/Mast approach.

If you do decide to adjust carbs, I agree with you in doing it slowly - maybe 15-25gram incriments.

Not familiar enough with Dave's insulin theories to give you any advice there

[Charlie67]

I'm a little confused by your post - lots of information. But 100g of carbs is pretty close to Keto -

for your carb concern : Have you ever considered trying to do a Ketogenic meal plan?

For your cycle concern if you've never run Tren before I would skip the masteron . If you have run it then you could do a cookie cutter 200/200/300 Test/Tren/Mast approach.

If you do decide to adjust carbs, I agree with you in doing it slowly - maybe 15-25gram incriments.

Not familiar enough with Dave's insulin theories to give you any advice there

Thanks Windex. Sorry for the confusing post... As I tried to write everything down, it just kept getting longer, weirder, and harder to understand.

To ask a more specific question: If you were dieting down, and you stalled. Would in increase cardio first? or reduce calories first?

Second question: If you have an opinion on this... Is carb sensitivity a thing? and can you really re-set your sensitivity by going low-carb for a few months? If so, is 100g of carbs low enough to do that? Or do you need to be closer to zero?

As for the insulin stuff, who knows?? I can't imagine (given my now-normal bloodwork and current Blood Sugar levels) that I would need to try something like that. I'd rather just sit at 100g of carbs and live on. Ideally, I could test the idea of slowly increasing carbs and see how it goes.

Sorry for further rambling, I live in the middle of no-where so its hard to talk this out with anyone who actually understands what I'm saying

[Windex]

Thanks Windex. Sorry for the confusing post... As I tried to write everything down, it just kept getting longer, weirder, and harder to understand.

To ask a more specific question: If you were dieting down, and you stalled. Would in increase cardio first? or reduce calories first?

Second question: If you have an opinion on this... Is carb sensitivity a thing? and can you really re-set your sensitivity by going low-carb for a few months? If so, is 100g of carbs low enough to do that? Or do you need to be closer to zero?

As for the insulin stuff, who knows?? I can't imagine (given my now-normal bloodwork and current Blood Sugar levels) that I would need to try something like that. I'd rather just sit at 100g of carbs and live on. Ideally, I could test the idea of slowly increasing carbs and see how it goes.

Sorry for further rambling, I live in the middle of no-where so its hard to talk this out with anyone who actually understands what I'm saying

I've never heard of resetting carb sensitivity so that I don't have an answer for. I prefer to increase cardio rather than reduce calories. I recently got to a roadblock and rather than cutting 200ish calories I just introduced a second low impact cardio session

[Charlie67]

I've never heard of resetting carb sensitivity so that I don't have an answer for. I prefer to increase cardio rather than reduce calories. I recently got to a roadblock and rather than cutting 200ish calories I just introduced a second low impact cardio session

Thanks Windex, I'll give that a try first.

[ScotchGuard02]

Try a carb cycling diet. I use it to cut fat before competitions. Works really well in combo with a cut cycle and cardio.

[RaginCajun]

Try a carb cycling diet. I use it to cut fat before competitions. Works really well in combo with a cut cycle and cardio.

this is what i was going to suggest, a carb cycling diet

[Damienm05]

Honestly, I'm a big fan of keto for people who seem to be generally insulin resistant and have a propensity to stall on a more traditional plan. Before I get into that, though, to answer one of your specific questions above: I would always up the cardio before further reducing calories or adjusting your macros. Typically people just aren't as active as they think they are, overestimate their TDEE, and, in turn, sabotage their fat loss results.

As for resetting insulin sensitivity (carb sensitivity I think is how you phrased it?), that's where a cyclic style keto diet is very effective. Probably even moreso than a traditional carb cycle. Something like monday-friday 60%fat/35%protein/5%carbs(calories) with a clean carb load on the weekends following a heavy full-body workout. But that's a whole other can of worms you don't need to open right now. IF/Fasted training with back-loading carbs is another excellent strategy that will achieve similar results. Still, for right now, probably just keep it simple and eat clean with increased cardio.