Outline of Dave Palumbo's Diet For Cutting

[Sick]

The premise of the diet is high protein (about 1- 1 1/2 gram per pound), moderate fat (about 1/2 g per lb) and low low carbs (no direct sources of carbs). During this diet, the brain goes into ketosis (it uses ketone bodies for energy-- fats) and thus the energy requirements by the body can almost all be supplied by fats (which you'll be taking in plenty of). The only activity that uses carbs will be the weight workout which may use 40grams per workout. You will get these 40g indirectly through the foods you'll be eating. As a backup, the cheat meal you'll be having once per week will provide a storehouse of glycogen (glucose) in case of emergency. So, you see, very little gluconeogenesis in the liver will be occurring. If we keep cortisol low (by
restricting STIMULANTS) we'll ensure that muscle is spared!

HAVE YOUR CHEAT MEAL ON THE SAME DAY EVERY WEEK, last meal of the
day so you dont cheat again.

Fiber helps burn fat! Everyone should take fiber 2x per day. Fiber actually helps increase the absorption of calcium.
When following my diet plan (which includes getting your brain into ketosis), there can be NO starchy carbs eaten!



For a 200lb man:

MEAL #1
5 whole eggs (make sure to buy OMEGA-3 EGGS from the supermarket. They contain virtually NO saturated fat and tons of good OMEGA-3 fats); add another 4 egg whites to this (they don?t need to be the Omega-3 ones; you can use liquid egg whites)

MEAL #2
SHAKE: 50g Whey Protein with 1 ? tablespoon of All Natural Peanut butter (no sugar)

MEAL #3
"Lean Protein Meal": 8oz chicken with 1/2-cup cashew nuts (almonds, or walnuts)

MEAL #4
SHAKE: 50g Whey Protein with 1 ? tablespoons of All Natural Peanut butter (no sugar added)

MEAL #5
"Fatty Protein Meal": 8oz Salmon, Swordfish, or RED MEAT with a green salad (no tomatoes, carrots, or red peppers) with 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil or Macadamia nut oil and vinegar

MEAL #6
SHAKE: 50g Whey with 1 ? tablespoon all natural peanut butter or 4 whole (Omega-3) eggs and 4 extra whites

For a 250lb+ man:
Meal 1 6 whole Omega-3 eggs
Meal 2 8oz chicken with 1/2 cup raw almonds
Meal 3 50g whey with 2 tablespoons all natural peanutbutter
Meal 4 8oz salmon with 1 cup asparagus with 1 tablespoon macadamia nut oil
Meal 5 50 g whey with 2 tablespoon PB
Meal 6 6 whole eggs

Remember, it takes 3-4 days to get into a strong ketosis where your brain is using ketone bodies (fats), instead of carbs, for energy. Be patient.

Many times I'll switch to an alternatiing diet where one day it will be protein/fat......then another protein/vegetables (very little fat). The great thing about the body and fat is that ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS can be stored in the muscle for several days, up to 2 weeks......therefore, once an adequate storehouse of Essential Fats are built up, the body can be "tortured" a little and it still won't give up muscle (that's assuming you're still taking in adequate protein. Protein can't be stored).

1oz almonds equals 6g carbs (2 of those grams are fiber) and 2oz equals 12g of carbs.

With the beef meal (any fatty protein meal), you should have the green salad with 1 tablespoon of Olive or Mac oil INSTEAD of the nuts. Only eat the nuts with the LEAN PROTEIN MEAL (chicken, turkey, lean fish)

The best fat sources come from the essential fatty acids-- Omega-6 and Omega-3's. Most of us get plenty of Omega-6s from cooking oils, ect..........however the Omega-3's are harder to get. I recommend WHOLE OMEGA-3 EGGS, FaTTY FISHS like SALMON and SWORDFISH and TUNA and MACKEREL, ALMONDS and WALNUTS have some OMEGA-3's (as well as OMEGA-6s). ANother great fat source is MONOUNSATURATES such as EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL and MACADAMIA NUT OIL.....they aren't essential but they are great for the metabolism (great source of energy) and they are extremely good for your heart.

You're not getting any indirect sources of carbs (just from the 1 spoonful of PB.... you may want to have at least one 1/3cup nuts meal. Remember, Olive or Macadamia nut oil is predominantly a MONOUNSATURATED FAT (good for the heart, but not essential)........ the nuts, and fish oil have the essential fats in them. Also, with regard to FLAX SEED OIL, the OMEGA-3 Fatty Acids found in them (alpha-linolenic acid) has a very poor conversion to DHA and EPA (Essential Omega-3 intermediates) in the HUMAN........therefore, you're much better off taking in FISH OILS (that already contain DHA/EPA) than FLAX SEED OIL.

Once fat loss slows, I always increase cardio first, then I increase the amount of fat burners (clen, cytomel, lipolyze).........After those other methods are exhausted, only then, do I play with the diet.

Always eat BEFORE lifting........never BETWEEN lifting and cardio.
Artificial Sweetners:
The artificial sweetener itself (eg. aspartame, sucralose) wont cause a problem. It's what some companies complex it with. For example, EQUAL and SPLENDA combine their aspartame and sucrolose with 1g of maltodextrin........whereas, in diet drinks, they don't do that. So, diet drinks are okay, SPLENDA and EQUAL must be used in moderation (STEVIA BALANCE is fine though since they use inulin fiber instead of maltodextrin

Forget using:
-MCT's are a waste when you're dieting. If you're gonna use FATS for an energy source, they might as well serve a function in the body. MCTs are useless. They can only serve as a source of energy!
-Arginine is not going to do anything. It will DO something; just not dramatic.

Cardio:
CARDIO should be performed at a low intensity (under 120bpm heartrate). This will ensure that you use FAT as a fuelsource since as your heartrate increase, carbohydrates begin to become the preferred fuel of choice for the body. When on a low carb diet, you're body will break down muscle and turn that into carbs. Remember, Fat CANNOT be changed into carbs. Therefore, for bodybuilding, the rule of cardio should be LONG DURATION, LOW INTENSITY

never do less than 20 min per session

The BOTTOM LINE is that low intensity cardio (while you might need more of it) ensures that fat is utilized and muscle is spared (especially while on my high protein/moderate fat/low carb diety).

Do you feel the treadmill is better for cardio, or is the bike(stationary or recumbent) just as good? As long as the intensity is LOW, it doesn't matter which piece of equipment you use

Q&A:
Q: Is gluconeogenesis inevitable in your diet?
Dave Palumbo: NO

Q: If so do I need to consume more than 1.5 grams of protein per lb of LBM so as not to lose muscle?
Dave Palumbo: The fat spares the protein....when the brain is in ketosis, the carbohydrate requirements are very very low.

Q: How much (percentage) of my protein intake would be turned into glucose (gluconeogenesis)?
Dave Palumbo: Very little (maybe 10%)

Q: What do you think of submersion in cold water as a means of burning bodyfat (thermogenesis)?
Dave Palumbo: HOCUS POKUS!

Q: How about drinking lots of cold water (I think this was even suggested by Elligton Darden) to help lose bodyfat?
Dave Palumbo: RIDICULOUS

Q: Do you think drinking lots of Green Tea is beneficial to fat loss?
Dave Palumbo: Somewhat helpful.

Q: How much is the ideal dosage of Omega 3 for a 220 lb. individual ?
Dave Palumbo: Try to take in about 9g per day

Q: How many Tbs of peanut butter could I have instead of 1/2 cup of cashewnuts?
Dave Palumbo: 2 tablespoons, two tablespoons of Peanut Butter contains 190 calories and 16 grams of fat (so 1.5 tablespoon equals about 12 grams fat) ...whereas......... 2oz (1/3 cup) almonds (about 40 almonds) = 12g fat

Q: I want to add that if I cant find the omega eggs here locally. Can I use international egg whites and just take an omega supplement?
Dave Palumbo: You can get away with 5 whole eggs (regular ones) once a day........not a big deal. You'll be burning up all that fat anyway.

Q: Whats the max cups # of coffee ( no sugar ) can consume on Dave's diet ?
Dave Palumbo: Try to limit to 2 cups per day.......I realize that towards the end of the diet you may need more to help you get through the day.

Q: If you cook tilapia in macadamon nut oil?do you coun't the oil as your fat for that meal! Depends how much you use.
Dave Palumbo: If you just grease the pan with it, no!

Q: what is the protein,carb and fat ratio for offseason
Dave Palumbo: 50% Protein, 25% fat, 25% carbs

Q: and the ratio for contest prep.
Dave Palumbo:60% protein, 30% fat, 10% carbs

[MattyH7688]

im doing that diet for my contest

[Cuchulainn]

I'm doing something very similar and the results are good.


Thanks for the good read. Repz on recharge (if I don't rep PM and remind me).

[-Aaron-]

In before the LISS cardio police come in.

[Kovalchuk]

Great diet. Palumbo is the man when it comes to conditioning.

[MattyH7688]

Originally Posted by -Aaron-

In before the LISS cardio police come in.

LISS cardio?

[-Aaron-]

Originally Posted by MattyH7688

LISS cardio?

Low-Intense Steady States aka The Fat Burning Zone.

[tinyman5000]

wtf is liss cardio? And whats the benefit of eating so much omega 3? I am mini cutting in 4 weeks and want to do this diet because i have a few sacks of tilapia in my freezer

[MattyH7688]

hmm car insurance or dave palumbo contest prep........................

[-Aaron-]

Originally Posted by MattyH7688

hmm car insurance or dave palumbo contest prep........................

President Palmer from 24?

[MattyH7688]

Originally Posted by -Aaron-

President Palmer from 24?

lol wut

[in10city]

Originally Posted by -Aaron-

In before the LISS cardio police come in.

His heart would explode if he did HIIT

BTW, Good info OP... I've been too lazy to read this 1000+ page thread on MD

[MattyH7688]

Originally Posted by in10city

His heart would explode if he did HIIT

BTW, Good info OP... I've been too lazy to read this 1000+ page thread on MD

haha x2.. i wanted to do this diet but couldnt find the total overview

[Rodzilla]

OP did you just have somebody E-mail you the FAQ from MD and then copy and paste it in here?

or did you make that yourself?

[Sick]

Originally Posted by Rodzilla

OP did you just have somebody E-mail you the FAQ from MD and then copy and paste it in here?

or did you make that yourself?

I don't think theres a FAQ of Daves diet at MD, but I made this originally for a friend of mind who wanted to try out Daves diet. I know his thread over there is very cluttered and I thought this would some people out.

[Rodzilla]

Originally Posted by Sick

I don't think theres a FAQ of Daves diet at MD, but I made this originally for a friend of mind who wanted to try out Daves diet. I know his thread over there is very cluttered and I thought this would some people out.

impressive stuff.

There is a FAQ, its almost exactly what you posted. I had a guy email it to me.

[fates_child03]

Awesome job to the OP! Definitely interesting. Dave's a champion with conditioning. I'll definitely be using this come closet to spring for a cut.

[SoWise]

same diet i been on for the last 2 months with amazing results!!!

I dont agree with dave on a lot of stuff but the man is a nutritional guru and when he speaks about nutrition i usually listen in.

[MattyH7688]

Originally Posted by SoWise

same diet i been on for the last 2 months with amazing results!!!

I dont agree with dave on a lot of stuff but the man is a nutritional guru and when he speaks about nutrition i usually listen in.

yup.. it seems like his athletes always come in the best shape

[Mike83]

New pro Evan Centopani from my gym follows a diet like this and works awesome for him. I'm on similar diet now.

[njmuscle66]

this is excellent-I was over at the other board and just have a hard time working my way through the thread. IT is what I will be using for my next prep

rodzilla-could I get the FAQ you have?

[Rodzilla]

Originally Posted by njmuscle66

this is excellent-I was over at the other board and just have a hard time working my way through the thread. IT is what I will be using for my next prep

rodzilla-could I get the FAQ you have?

let me try and find it

check PM's

[njmuscle66]

anyone know what his stance is on bcaa's during this type of program

[Rodzilla]

Originally Posted by njmuscle66

anyone know what his stance is on bcaa's during this type of program

I think it would be rather low, for fear of gluconeogenesis.

and I know he is not a fan on sipping on things during your workout.

[njmuscle66]

Originally Posted by Rodzilla

I think it would be rather low, for fear of gluconeogenesis.

and I know he is not a fan on sipping on things during your workout.

that is what I figured-just thought I would ask.......keto diets are best at perserving muscle mass so yeah you are right it would be low

[Darnelle B]

Do u make this diet fit your calore limt or do u just fix it to fit how u want.

And does it have to be omegga eggs

[Sick]

Originally Posted by platinum18

Do u make this diet fit your calore limt or do u just fix it to fit how u want.

And does it have to be omegga eggs

In my original post, theres a meal outline for a 200lb indiviual and a 250+ individual. Also, heres the marcro breakdown: 60% protein, 30% fat, 10% carbs

Omega 3 eggs are better, but if you no other choice regular eggs are ok. Also, you don't have to have eggs, you can substitute with fatty fishes like salmon, swordfish, and tuna.

EDIT: Since you can't re-edit posts, I'll leave a link to an updated version of Dave's diet. http://bbing247.googlepages.com/davepalumbo%27sdiet

[Captain Sagara]

Great stuff

[-Aaron-]

Why do peanuts not work with this diet?

[Mike83]

Originally Posted by -Aaron-

Why do peanuts not work with this diet?

peanuts work fine for this diet!

Almonds are just better for you.