CUT CARBS ONE FINAL TIME
You can slash carbs once more before you hit the lowest you can go. After all, you still need vegetables, and although they provide a good deal of fiber, they also provide real net carbs. Some experts recommend not counting carbs from vegetables as part of your daily total of carbs due to their high fiber content. Yet the carb content of most vegetables is less than 50% fiber. If you’re eating a lot of vegetables, this can add up.
Instead, I prefer to count even fiber as part of daily carb intake, but realizing that at the lowest point carb intake will still be a good 30-60 grams depending on the diet, or roughly about 0.25 grams per pound of body weight. There are also small amounts of carbs in most protein shakes. Since you need them to maximize your results in the gym, you’ll need to leave room in your diet. The bottom line is that even at the lowest point, you can never truly get to zero grams of carbs.
Dieting 101 Key: Don’t Forget Your Cheat Day!
During this phase of the diet, you should definitely include one high-carb day each week (Step #4). Having this day to look forward to will make a real difference in your ability to tolerate such extremes in dieting.
SAMPLE STEP #5 MEAL PLAN – DROPPING FROM 0.5 to 0.25 GRAMS OF CARBS
50 grams or of carbs total for the 200-pounder, dropping calories to 10 per pound of body weight or about 2,000 total
Breakfast
- 1 scoop Pro JYM protein powder
- 3 whole eggs
- 3 egg whites
- 1 tsp olive oil (scramble eggs in olive oil)
- 4 capsules Omega JYM fish oil
Fat-burning supplements (take between breakfast and late-morning snack)
- 1 dose Shred JYM
Late-morning snack
- 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
Lunch
- 6 oz. can albacore tuna
- 2 cups mixed green salad (add tuna to salad)
- 1 tbsp salad dressing (olive oil and vinegar)
- 1 dose Vita JYM multivitamin
Fat-burning supplements (take between lunch and afternoon snack)
- 1 dose Shred JYM
Afternoon snack
- 1 scoop Pro JYM protein powder
- 1 tbsp peanut butter
Dinner
- 8 oz. steak (or salmon or other fish, or chicken or other poultry, or pork)
- 2 cups mixed green salad
- 2 tbsp salad dressing (olive oil and vinegar)
Before Bed Supplements (taken at least 1 hour after dinner and at least 1 hour prior to before-bed snack)
- 1 dose ZMA JYM (females take 2/3 dose)
Before-Bed Snack
- 1 scoop Pro JYM protein powder or 1 cup cottage cheese
Pre-workout (30-45 minutes before workouts)
- 2 grams CarnoSyn® beta-alanine (the amount included in one serving/scoop of Pre JYM by JYM Supplement Science, along with other active ingredients)
- 1 scoop Pro JYM protein powder
Post-workout (within 30 minutes after workouts)
- 2 grams CarnoSyn® beta-alanine (the amount included in one serving/scoop of Post JYM by JYM Supplement Science, along with other active ingredients)
- 1-2 scoops Pro JYM protein powder
OFF DAYS SUPPLEMENTATION
On days you don’t train, continue taking 2-4 grams of CarnoSyn® beta-alanine, taking one scoop of Pre JYM and/or one scoop of Post JYM at whatever time of day you like. (Pre JYM and Post JYM each contain 2 grams of CarnoSyn® beta-alanine.)