M5:D28 (D436) Low Carb Diets – Do they cause compliance to go down?

M527 (D435) How much intensity is enough?

There are some who believe that keeping carbs low causes cravings.  It is said that after a period of time on a low carb diet your craving for sweets and other unhealthy things goes up.  I wonder if this is really because of low carbs or because people just have a hard time staying compliant period.  I actually believe that low carb dieters do tend to have lower compliance in the long run, but not for the obvious reasons.

I believe that people who focus on very low carb diets tend to be way too strict about their diet overall.  They tend to be the type of people who are aiming for 100% compliance to their low carb decision.  It is precisely this need of their’s to have 100% compliance that causes their compliance level to drop.  Nobody can realistically expect to be 100% compliant for long periods of time.  This is actually where the concept of reward meals comes from.  However, even a scheduled reward meal every two weeks is a rather strict way to go about things.  Does this mean that low carb diets shouldn’t be followed because they cause your compliance to drop?

The answer is that people who want or need (due to carb sensitivity) to keep their carbs lower should have a better plan for how they are going to handle their meals.  This type of issue is what initially attracted me to the Anabolic Diet and it is why I’ve been compliant to my nutritional plan for such an extended period of time.  I just don’t mess up on my diet any longer.  When looking at my plan, my week basically starts on Monday.  Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday see me keeping my carbs extremely low.  I typically consume between 85 and 100 grams of carbs on these days and that is it.  I make up for the energy loss through an increase in fat grams.  However, it should also be noted that on the Anabolic Diet, vegetables are not counted towards the day’s carbohydrate portions. Additionally, I do not count my post-workout meal towards my carbohydrate count for the day either (because your body needs carbs immediately after a workout, especially a high intensity one). My typical daily menu (Monday through Thursday only) looks like this:

I eat very large portions of protein and I snack on almonds, peanuts and sunflower seeds throughout the day to get my calories up.  By getting my calories up I feel satiated and thus, I can stay on task with my nutritional plan. 

However, there is more to it than just being satiated, it is about having choices at some point.  Yes, my carbs are ridiculously low Monday through Thursday, but I know that after those 4 days I am free to eat what I want.  If I feel like eating pizza during the weekend it is allowed as long as I am keeping my calories where they belong.  The fact is that weekends are very relaxing now because I don’t worry so much about what I eat.  I keep my carbs under control at a normal level and just eat and eat alot.  It also gives me the flexibility to eat things during the week that I might not be able to otherwise.  If I happen to eat a little more carbs Monday through Thursday than I am supposed to, my body is ready for it because it has gotten efficient at using fat for energy.  This process has lead to some insane increases in lean body mass in a short period of time.  It has also lead to long term compliance to my nutritional plan.