1. Not Drinking GOMAD. GOMAD stands for Gallon of Milk A Day. You won’t gain 25lbs in 25 days if you only drink 1/2 or 1/4 gallon of whole milk a day. For best results, you need 1 gallon whole milk a day on top of your food intake.

If you’re really skinny and struggle to get your food in, then you can build up to 1 gallon a day by starting with 1/2 or 1/4 gallon a day. Realize though that this weight gain approach is slower. Switch to GOMAD asap.

2. Not Drinking GOMAD Consistently. GOMAD doesn’t work if you drink 1 gallon of whole milk 3 days out of 7. GOMAD also doesn’t work if you drink 1 gallon of whole milk on your training days only.

It’s what you’ve done at the end of the day, month, year that matters. Buy 7 gallons of whole milk each week. Drink 1 gallon a day, every day, until you’ve reached your goal weight. Consistency is key if you want GOMAD to work.

3. Not Drinking Whole Milk. You won’t prevent fat gains by drinking fat free or skimmed or half-skimmed milk. It’s the carb content in milk that causes fat gains by spiking insulin. Drink whole milk.

• Calories. Half-skimmed/skimmed/low fat milk makes you lose 400/800/1000kcal per day. You’ll have to make up the difference in food, which will be hard since milk already fills your stomach.
• Saturated Fat. Whole milk tastes better since it’s rich in saturated fats. These increase your testosterone levels (muscle building hormones).

4. Not Drinking Milk. Every now & then, someone on the forum comes up with an alternative to GOMAD. Thinking it will be better than the approach that has been around since years. Some alternatives that won’t work:

• Soy Milk. Less calories and potentially dangerous when taken in excess — as in 1 gallon per day. Read the whole soy story.
• Peanut Butter. Solid food is harder to eat than liquid. Peanut butter also contains no saturated fats for testosterone levels.
• Weight Gainers. Full of sugars which will make you gain fat. Also more expensive than whole milk. Read this post.

It’s not just about the calories. The combo protein, saturated fat & carbs is key to GOMAD. You only get this by drinking full fat whole milk.

5. Caring About Fat Gains. Because you want to gain weight without gaining fat. Or because you’re skinny, used to be fat and now fear getting fat again.

People who want to gain weight without gaining fat usually get nowhere. Gain weight first. The added strength & muscle mass will make it easier to lose fat afterwards.

6. Whining. Bloating, diarrhea, acne, sleepiness, … Yes GOMAD has side-effects. This isn’t meant to be easy. Focus on the positive: your weight gain. You won’t be doing GOMAD for more than 1-2 months and it gets easier every day.

7. Not Eating On Top of GOMAD. GOMAD accounts for 2400kcal. You won’t gain weight if you drink GOMAD without eating on top of it.

• Eat Breakfast. Gets you calories from the first hour and sets the tone for the rest of the day. Build the habit of eating breakfast.
• Eat Every 3 Hours. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, post workout, pre-bed and 2 snacks. Prepare your food in advance so you don’t miss meals.
• Use Fitday. You’re skinny because you don’t eat enough but think you do. Track everything using fitday. Aim for at least 5000kcal/day.

8. Not Squatting. If you don’t Squat, you’re not training. No matter what you’re excuse is. GOMAD works best when you combine it with Squats. Lots of Squats and heavy Squats. These give your body the stimulus to build muscle.

If you don’t know where to start: check StrongLifts 5×5. It takes 3×45mins per week. Make sure you’re not missing workouts. GOMAD without lifting will make you gain fat, especially belly fat.

Most importantly: stop making excuses. You don’t have money: find money or earn more. You tried GOMAD 1 day and it was hard: persist, it gets easier each day. You can’t do it: others have done it before, so can you.

The only thing that really prevents you to get where you want, is you. Stop making excuses, follow GOMAD as laid out and make it happen.

StrongLifts.com © 2007-2009. Disclaimer.

While it’s a high quality problem, it remains a problem. So know that Sean is helping me tweaking everything. The long-term solution is to switch server. Meanwhile, if the site goes down: try again later.

Blog Posts June 2009. The Anabolic Diet & GOMAD posts were the big ones this month. Especially those on the Anabolic Diet: I rewrote the old ones and published 8 new posts. This month’s articles:

• 01: How to Get Your Daily Protein When You’re Vegetarian or Vegan
• 04: Cholesterol & Eggs: How Many Eggs Can You Eat Per Day?
• 08: How Many Calories Do You Need to Eat Per Day?
• 11: Anabolic Diet 101: The Definite Anabolic Diet Guide
• 11: 10 Anabolic Diet Mistakes You Must Avoid
• 11: 7 Things You’ll Experience The First Weeks on The Anabolic Diet
• 11: The Ultimate Anabolic Diet Food List: 101 Foods You Can Eat
• 11: 21 Anabolic Diet Recipes for Breakfast, Snack, Lunch & Dinner
• 11: Post Workout Nutrition on The Anabolic Diet: Spiking Insulin?
• 11: How to Gain and Lose Weight on The Anabolic Diet
• 11: Hacking the Anabolic Diet: Midweek & 24 Hour Carb Loading
• 15: GOMAD: How to Gain 25lbs in 25 Days with Squats & Milk
• 18: How to Lose Fat with Cardio: Long Distance Cardio and HIIT
• 23: Cheat Your Way Thin: Speed up Your Fat Loss Eating Junk Food
• 25: Cheat Your Way Thin Q&A
• 26: GOMAD: First Week Experiences & Side Effects

Best of The Forum in June 2009. StrongLifts.com also has a forum with +5200 members and +110.000 posts. The forum has lots of knowledgeable members, is very active and free. Some of the best threads:

• Attitude
• How Taxing?
• Why do people get freaked out (GOMAD)
• Fasting: Your Experience?
• Front squat replacing back squat
• Great Two Months – Coaching by Mehdi
• Confused about Bench Press technique
• The Squatter’s Shorts Graveyard
• 100 Kilo Squat Club
• Knee Frustration
• Training Partners
• Results 9 Weeks in

You can keep a training log for free in the forum. Record the weights you lifted and how you felt. Get advice from other members and compete with them. The training logs are great motivators. I highly recommend you to start one.

You can discuss blog posts in the article section. I’m committed to answer your questions, even if they’re controversial. I’m open minded and don’t pretend to know everything. Please join the convo with the same mindset.

Upcoming Posts July 2009. Here are some of the articles you can expect next month on StrongLifts.com.

• How to Build Bigger Arms
• How to Minimize Fat Gains on GOMAD
• Why Healthy Nutrition is Important (and Why NOT)
• Hardgainers: 8 Reasons Why You Can’t Gain Weight
• How to Lose The Skinny Fat Look
• And many more.

I publish the articles 2x/week. You can get these automatically delivered in your mailbox for free. Click here to get free updates (no spam guarantee).

Fitness Coaching: Last Chance. I won’t accept new applications anymore after Tuesday June 30th 2009 at 1pm EDT. This means you have 2 days left to apply to my fitness coaching program.

I’m closing the coaching because I’ll be vagabonding in August/September. So if you apply now, you’ll get 1 month of coaching max. This is enough to show you what you’re doing wrong and what you should do to get the results you want.

I don’t know yet if I’ll resume the fitness coaching when I get back. I do know that the price has increased and that since the site keeps growing and I can’t keep up with the demand, it will keep increasing.

I’m obviously pushing you to take action. But that’s because I’m confident that whatever your problem is, I can help. To read the details of my fitness coaching program and how to apply, click here now.

Support StrongLifts.com. If the free articles, ebook, videos & forum are helping you, consider supporting StrongLifts.com.

• Make a Donation. Keeps the content free. I appreciate any amount. The most common donation I receive is 20$.
• Get a T-shirt. Get a t-shirt, tanktop or hoodie branded StrongLifts.com. I get 2 to 5$ per sale and you help spreading the word at the gym.
• Join Facebook. Join the Stronglifts.com group and help me spreading the word by inviting your friends. You can add me as a friend too.

Next update: Thursday. Remember you can get that article and all the next ones delivered for free in your mailbox. Click here for more info.

StrongLifts.com © 2007-2009. Disclaimer.

What follows is a list of things you might experience on GOMAD. I write “might” since much of this is individual: you won’t necessarily experience everything in this post. Just know that if you do: it’s normal. So stick with it.

Fat Gains. Expect 2-3% fat gain per month on GOMAD. You won’t need to do GOMAD for more than 1-2 months to get your goal weight. So you’ll gain 6% body fat at most. Keep these 3 points in mind:

• You’re doing GOMAD because you’re skinny & under-weight. Your body fat is low and you have room for some extra. Even if you’re the skinny + fat type, you should ignore the fat gains for now.
• Gaining weight without fat is hard & slow. Those who try this usually get nowhere. Gain weight first, then focus on fat loss. It’s easier to lose fat with the added muscle mass & strength from the weight gain.
• You’ll lose most of the fat gained when you stop GOMAD. Simply apply the 8 nutrition rules and keep getting stronger. You’ll lose fat without losing weight. Read Bluestreak’s story.

Don’t make the mistake of using low fat or half-skimmed milk. The fat gains on GOMAD come from its high carb content which spikes insulin, not from the fat content. You need the saturated fat & calories from whole milk.

Bloating. Cause: you weren’t eating much before. Bloating will go away if you persist with GOMAD. Your body will adapt. 2 tips in the meanwhile:

• Spread Your Milk Intake. 1/4 gallon at breakfast, 1/4 gallon at lunch, 1/4 gallon post workout, 1/4 gallon at dinner.
• Increase Milk Intake Slowly. 1/4 gallon of whole milk a day the 1st week. 2/4 gallon the 2nd week. 3/4 gallon the 3rd week. 1 gallon in week 4. This gives your body time to adapt, but gains will be slower.

Diarrhea. Lactase breaks down the lactose in milk in your stomach. If lactase is unavailable, milk will make you sick. You’ll get cramps, bloating, gas & diarrhea. This is called lactose intolerance.

If things don’t improve after 1-2 weeks, take lactase pills. They’re as efficient as lactaid milk, but cheaper. How much lactase you need varies. Most people need 16 pills for 1 gallon of whole milk. Take the pills with your milk.

Acne. This is caused by the increase in testosterone levels from the saturated fat content in milk. If not: you’re allergic to dairy. You won’t do GOMAD for more than 1-2 months so stick with it. 3 tips meanwhile:

• Eat Healthy. Eat whole, unprocessed food 90% of the time. Limit your junk food consumption. Apply the 8 nutrition rules.
• Take Fish Oil. Reduces inflammation, including skin inflammation. Eat fatty fish like salmon, mackerel or sardines and consider fish oil.
• Take Zinc. The most important skin nutrient. Most people are zinc deficient. Take a zinc supplement, at least 30mg per day.

Sleepiness. Milk is high in carbs. Carbs increase the release of serotonin. This can cause sleepiness & tiredness. Remember they told you to drink warm milk before going to bed? This is why.

Solution: spread your milk intake through the day and limit your carb intake to post workout only the rest of the day. So pasta, rice, oats, breads, … post workout. Rest of the day veggies, fruits, proteins, healthy fats & milk.

Lowered Appetite. Milk fills your stomach. You’ll struggle to eat on top of the milk the first days or weeks.

• Eat First, Milk After. If you’re drinking milk with your meals, eat your meal before you drink the milk.
• Spread Your Milk Intake. Drinking 1 gallon of milk at once is harder. So spread your milk intake through the day.
• Persist. This is like building the habit of eating breakfast. The only way to get used to it, is by doing it. Drink your gallon no matter what.

Milk Cravings. After a few weeks GOMAD you’ll start craving for milk. You’ll also be more hungry than before. Drinking your daily gallon of whole milk will be easy, even though you’re eating every 3 hours on top of it.

This is why GOMAD gives permanent gains: milk teaches you to eat more. You’ll never be skinny again. Avoid fat gains by applying the 8 nutrition rules..

There’s no something for nothing. GOMAD has side effects, but you should focus on the positive: your weight gain. You won’t do GOMAD for the rest of your life, only for 1-2 months max. So stop whining and do it.

StrongLifts.com © 2007-2009. Disclaimer.

Q&A 1.

Nice one Mehdi thanks, after reading your article I decided to pull the trigger on this one.

Some interesting stuff, great idea, few concerns though. Mainly being the overall amount of calories that is recommended seems to be extremely low, due to the formula he is using to calculate your daily needs. That leads on to my concern about the start up phase which seems to just mean many days in a row of very low calorie intakes.

Wouldn’t the start up phase at the least course the body to crash?

-jj23

The 1st week on Cheat Your Way Thin starts with a huge caloric spike. So your carb stores will be full enough to get you through that week. Training can be a hard though, much like the first 12 days on the Anabolic Diet.

The 2nd week carbs are reintroduced so no more problems there.

Note that the Deluxe Upgrade of Cheat Your Way Thin has a more accurate calorie calculator.

Q&A 2.

I’m interested in this one too. Mainly though, I’m interested in the science behind it.

I wonder how this is different from a junk day that we usually seem to take in this forum.

Do you know if the basic version is enough? Or the advanced version is a must have..?

-zizzy80

Cheat Your Way Thin has all the science. It explains how junk food helps fat loss and problems you encounter when restricting calories for extended times.

The difference with what most people do is that with Cheat Your Way Thin you have to be strict 6 days a week. Then only do you deserve the junk food. The 90% rule remains. But you get all your junk meals on 1 day.

Eating junk food the other days will mess things up. You must be stricter.

I feel this works better. You’ll tend to stick better to your diet on weekdays since you’re busy with work and everything. Bigger temptations in weekend with social stuff & general laziness to cook.

The Deluxe Upgrade of Cheat Your Way Thin is worth it if you don’t want to do the thinking yourself recipe-wise. You’ll get 130 recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack and shakes. And also 84 days of meal plans.

Q&A 3.

Oh right so I’m guessing the cheat day you do right before you start sees you through the week then.

What about the amount of calories though it seems so small compared to any other diet/calculator I’ve come across before?

Sorry for the questions, I just don’t wanna end up losing any of my hard gained muscle even for the sake of a big fat loss!

-jj23

Yes the cheat day gets you through the week, that’s the point.

The cheat day spikes your calorie intake. If you look at how many calories you get at the end of the week or month, you’ll see that you won’t eat less than before on average when doing Cheat Your Way Thin.

And don’t worry too much about the first 3 weeks. Those are just to get you ready.

Q&A 4.

Can u give me examples of meals on a daily basis with meals including cheat meals.. like for example if i wana eat in and out?

-Richard

On Cheat Your Way Thin you alternate between:

• Low Carb Days. Protein, fats, veggies, no carbs. Example: eggs, spinach, mushrooms.
• Low GI/GL Days. Protein, fats, veggies, low gi/gl carbs. Example: chicken, brown rice, orange.
• High GI/GL Days. Protein, fats, veggies, high gi/gl carbs. Example: oats, blueberries.
• Cheat Days. Junk food. Pizzas, burgers, ice cream, pancakes, … whatever you can think of.

The Cheat Your Way Thin guide has a full list of foods to choose from depending on the day. If you don’t want to do the thinking yourself, the Deluxe Upgrade has 84 days of example meal plans and 130 recipes.

Special Offer for StrongLifts.com Readers. You can get Cheat Your Way Thin at less than half the price until Friday June 26th 2009 12AM EST. It will teach you exactly how to accelerate your fat loss by eating junk food.

Click here to go to Joel’s site.

If you go to CheatYourWayThin.com, you’ll pay the normal price like everyone else is doing now. So make sure you use this link:

Click here to go to Joel’s site.

Cheat Your Way Thin comes with a 60 day risk free money back guarantee. If you don’t like it, contact Joel and you’ll get your full money back. I’m confident, however, that you’ll like the information in his system.

StrongLifts.com © 2007-2009. Disclaimer.

You don’t need to get extreme and consume healthy whole foods all the time. The difference in fat loss when sticking to a diet that consists of whole foods only and one with 10% junk food is insignificant.

This means that eating foods like pizza, ice cream, pancakes or burgers won’t prevent you to lose fat. In fact, this will accelerate your fat loss.

How Junk Food Helps Fat Loss. When you try to lose fat by restricting calories for long periods of times, your body enters starvation mode. Your metabolism, fat burning enzymes & good hormones decrease. Hunger increases.

This is when you start hitting plateaus. Your body fat no longer goes down. The diet you used for weeks doesn’t work anymore. You lose motivation.

Spiking your caloric intake regularly keeps your hormones – like leptin – sharp and your metabolism high. Which means: no fat loss plateaus.

Eating junk food is the easiest way to spike your caloric intake. It also makes dieting psychologically easier: no more feelings of guilt or anxiety.

Cheat Your Way Thin. For years I’ve been eating 100% healthy from Monday to Saturday, but junk food all Sunday. I never had problems keeping my body fat around 10% using this diet approach and it keeps me motivated.

I found out this worked through experimentation. It took a few years before I saw research explaining how it’s possible to lose fat eating junk food. Much of this research – especially regarding leptin – is fairly new.

And then Joel Marion contacted me. He said he released a system a month ago that scientifically teaches you how to use junk foods to accelerate fat loss.

His system is called “Cheat Your Way Thin“.

Now when someone from the fitness industry contacts me and asks to take a look at their product, I’m sceptic. Most products aren’t worth looking at. But since I don’t want to limit myself, I was open minded & gave it a look.

And I admit I was impressed. In fact I found Cheat Your Way Thin so helpful, that I decided to recommend it here. So I joined Joel’s affiliate program.

Cheat Your Way Thin is a 7 components package that includes manuals, audios, video, workbooks & checklists. It contains all the research on how you can lose fat eating junk food. 308 research papers to be exact.

More important: Joel has perfected his Cheat Your Way Thin system by working with clients for years. His site is full of case studies with before & after pictures.

But what really impressed me is that Joel explains exactly how to use junk food to accelerate your fat loss. Cheat Your Way Thin is the only system that I know of that gives out this kind of information.

Special Offer for StrongLifts.com Readers. When Joel Marrion released Cheat Your Way Thin last month, he ran a 3-day promotion in which you could get the full package at less than half price. But since he contacted me afterwards, we missed this promotion.

Luckily Joel proposed to do that same 3-day promotion again for StrongLifts.com readers. This means that if you want to learn exactly how to accelerate your fat loss by eating junk food, you can get Cheat Your Way Thin at less than half the price during the next 3 days. That’s until Friday June 26th 2009 12AM EST.

Click here to go to Joel’s site.

If you go to CheatYourWayThin.com, you’ll pay the normal price like everyone else is doing now. So make sure you use this link:

Click here to go to Joel’s site.

Cheat Your Way Thin comes with a 60 day risk free money back guarantee. If you don’t like it, contact Joel and you’ll get your full money back. I’m confident, however, that you’ll like the information in his system.

StrongLifts.com © 2007-2009. Disclaimer.

Cardio is the most popular way to lose fat. But is it the best? And should you do long duration cardio or HIIT? Empty stomach cardio or not? This article will teach you how to really lose fat with cardio

Wrong Ways to Use Cardio. Cardio only speeds up fat loss. You can lose fat doing strength training & eating healthy only. 2 common cardio errors are:

• Neglecting Strength Training. Don’t try to lose fat doing cardio without strength training. Excessive cardio burns muscle, causing the skinny-fat look. You need strength training to prevent muscle loss & build muscle. Check StrongLifts 5×5, it only takes 3×45mins/week.
• Eating Unhealthy. Cardio without healthy nutrition is a waste of time. A healthy diet will make you lose fat faster. Apply the 8 nutrition rules.

Long Duration Cardio. This is cardio for 30-45mins at a steady state. On a machine or long runs outside. Pros & cons of long duration cardio:

• Burns Fat. 30mins long duration cardio burns about 500kcal. This allows you to create a caloric deficit without dropping your daily calorie intake.
• Increases Endurance. If you’re out of shape, long duration cardio is the easiest way to increase your cardiovascular fitness.
• Boring & Time Consuming. For maximal fat loss you’ll need 3 sessions of 30-45 mins per week. This can be boring & repetitive.

HIIT. High-intensity interval training. Example: alternate 60sec jogging with 30sec sprints for 15mins. Pros & cons of HIIT cardio:

• More Efficient. Burns more fat and increases your cardiovascular fitness more than long duration cardio does.
• More Fun, Less Time-Consuming. Takes only 15-20mins and is much more fun than 30-45mins long duration cardio.
• More Difficult. HIIT will make you puke if you’re a beginner with zero endurance. HIIT can also mess with your recovery.

Long Duration Cardio or HIIT? If you’re a beginner with 20-30% body fat, lose fat using long duration cardio. This is physically & mentally easier than HIIT. Couple this with strength training & healthy nutrition.

Your endurance will increase once you can Squat 1.5x your body-weight for at least 1 rep. That’s 300lbs if you weigh 200lbs – with your hips going lower than your knees. When you can do that, you’r ready for HIIT.

Realize that although long duration cardio is less efficient than HIIT, it burns fat. While our body fat might not go down as fast, it will go down. And since long duration cardio is easier, you’re less likely to skip workouts or quit.

How to Do Long Duration Cardio. I recommend long duration cardio if you have zero endurance. Remember: cardio without strength training & healthy nutrition is useless. Do StrongLifts 5×5 & apply the 8 nutrition rules.

• Moderate Intensity. 60-70% of your max heart rate (which is 220 – your age). So if you’re 20 years old, that’s between 120-140bpm.
• 3×45mins. Start with 15mins straight post workout without eating in between. Add 1min each workout until you can do 45mins.
• Elliptical trainer. Most people enjoy the elliptical trainer most. But anything works: rower, stationary bike, outdoor runs, …

How to Do HIIT. The point with HIIT is to get out of breath. If you’re doing it on a machine: choose a resistance that allows you to go as fast as you can when sprinting. But better is to go outside and have fun. Some ideas:

• Sprints. You can do these on a machine, but outside is better. Alternate 60sec jogging with 30sec sprinting. Repeat for 15mins.
• Burpees. 5 sets of 10 burpees with 30sec rest in between. Always try to beat your previous time. Build up to 10 sets of 10 burpees, then to 100 burpees in a row. Make sure you do a Push-up from the floor.
• The Bear. Do without resting 1 rep Power Clean, Front Squat, Overhead Press, Back Squat & Behind Neck Press. Repeat 4x without resting. This is your 1st set. Do 5 sets with 30sec rest in between. Build up to 8 sets of 5. When that gets easy, start adding weight (5lbs/2.5kg). Video.

When to Do Cardio. Most people don’t have time to train 6x/week. Those who can often burn out physically & mentally after a few weeks.

• Post Strength Training. Harder, but you have more rest days and can do more cardio. Example: MO/WE/FR weights first, then cardio.
• On Rest Days. Include days for total recovery: 3 days on, 1 day off, 2 days on, 1 day off. Example: MO/WE/FR weights, TU/SA cardio.

What About Empty Stomach Cardio? While it can be more effective for fat loss, I don’t recommend empty stomach cardio for 2 reasons:

• Time Consuming. You have to train 2/day since your Squat would suffer if you’d do cardio first. Means more driving back & forth and showering.
• Lower Back Health. Your spines hydrates at night. This makes it more prone to injuries. Your spine needs 1 hour on waking up to dehydrate. Loading & bending your lower back during that 1st hour is risky. Best is to have a solid breakfast, then do strength training and then cardio.

Do You Need Cardio for Cardiovascular Fitness? No, read this & this post. Strength training increases cardiovascular fitness. Personal example:

• I have a sedentary job. I do strength training 3x/week. No HIIT, no runs, nothing. You can follow my training log for more info.
• Last time I went for a run, I ran (not jogged) for 30 mins. Most people I know can’t even handle 15mins. When I went ski-ing, endurance was never holding me back while it was with some of the other guys.

Unless you do sports that need endurance (MMA, boxing, rugby, …) you don’t need cardio. Strength training will increase your cardiovascular fitness above average. Increase your Squat and you’ll see. The proof is in the pudding.

StrongLifts.com © 2007-2009. Disclaimer.

To gain weight you must eat more than you’re doing now. But if you’re skinny and struggle to gain weight, you know that eating more can be hard. You may feel like throwing up every time you try to eat more.

Luckily there’s an easy, fast & cheap way to gain weight naturally: GOMAD. Any “hard gainer” will gain weight drinking 1 US Gallon Of Milk A Day. This article will teach you how to gain weight with GOMAD.

Benefits of GOMAD. GOMAD stands for Gallon Of Milk A Day. GOMAD is a weight gain method that has been going around since years. Some benefits of drinking 1 US gallon (4 liters) of whole milk daily:

• Weight Gain. 25lbs weight gain during the 1st month is common on GOMAD. Read the GOMAD success stories, especially Bluestreak’s.
• Strength Gain. The protein & fat content in whole milk helps muscle & strength gains. The weight gain also helps strength gains.
• Easy. Liquid food is easier to get in than solid food and digests faster. Milk also needs zero preparation and is easy to take with you.
• Cheap. 1 gallon whole milk contains 2400kcal, 200g carbs, 120g fat, 120g protein and lots of vitamins & minerals for a relative low price.
• Natural. Some say that GOMAD works even better than steroids with beginners who want to gain weight fast.
• Permanent Gains. GOMAD teaches you to get more calories in, the key to weight gain. You’ll never be skinny again.

Why GOMAD Works. GOMAD equals 2400kcal. Eat every 3 hours and you’ll get 5000kcals/day. Eating this much will make most “hard gainers” gain weight. But GOMAD is not just about its high calorie intake.

• High Protein. You need protein to build muscle & prevent muscle loss. 1 gallon of whole milk contains 120g protein. 20% whey, 80% casein.
• Saturated Fat. Increases testosterone levels, which means more muscle & strength. Don’t believe the cholesterol myths: saturated fat is healthy.
• High Carb. The dextrose in whole milk spikes insulin, a muscle building hormone which tells your body to move the proteins into your muscles.

Is GOMAD Safe? Yes. Or we wouldn’t feed babies milk. And even if milk wasn’t safe, you won’t do GOMAD the rest of your life. Once you got your goal weight – within 1-2 months – it’s back to a regular diet.

• Cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol doesn’t affect blood cholesterol. Your body produces more cholesterol than you can consume.
• Kidney Stones. You can find studies showing that a high dietary calcium intake decrease the risk for kidney stones. It doesn’t increase it.

Should You Do GOMAD? If you’re skinny or under-weight: yes. No matter what your body fat is. You should weigh at least 1kg for each cm above 1m. Anything less you’ll always look skinny. Some goal weights depending on your height:

• 1m70/5″5″ at least 70kg/154lbs
• 1m75/5″7″ at least 75kg/165lbs
• 1m80/5″9″ at least 80kg/176lbs
• 1m85/6″1″ at least 85kg/187lbs
• 1m90/6″3″ at least 90kg/200lbs

Note that these aren’t ideal weights but minima. If you want to weigh more, go for it. Best is to aim for 10lbs/5kg more to make sure. As always: age & gender are irrelevant, GOMAD works for everyone.

If you’re skinny + fat: gain weight first, then lose fat. It’s easier to lose fat once you’ve gained weight: you’ve got more strength, more muscle mass, … People who want to gain weight without gaining fast usually get nowhere.

Which Milk to Use for GOMAD. Don’t waste your time with low fat, skimmed or half-skimmed milk. They’re lower in saturated fats & calories and won’t give the same results. Go with whole milk, it also tastes better.

• Whole Milk. Full fat milk which contains 3-4% fat. Alternative names: full cream milk or homo milk.
• 3-4% fat. Check the nutrient data on the whole milk you buy. It should contain 3-4g fat, 3g protein & 5g carbs per 100ml.
• 2400 Calories. Whole milk contains 60kcals per 100ml. This accounts for 2400kcals when you drink 1 gallon whole milk.

Pasteurized, UHT or raw? These processing methods don’t matter as long as you’re drinking whole milk. If you’re lactose intolerant: take lactase pills. They’re as efficient as lactaid milk, but cheaper.

How to Do GOMAD. GOMAD won’t work if you drink 1 gallon of milk 3 days out of 7, skip workouts and neglect eating. Be consistent!

• 1 US Gallon Milk Daily. Equals 4 liters. Spread your intake. Example: 1/4 at breakfast, 1/4 at lunch, 1/4 post workout, 1/4 at dinner.
• Eat Every 3 Hours. Eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, pre-bed and post workout. Milk as snack is ok. Don’t be hungry: eat your stomach full.
• Squat. Lifting weights gives your body the stimulus to build muscle. Squat a lot. Check StrongLifts 5×5 if you don’t know where to start.
• Track Progress. Take pictures front/back/side, track body fat using a fat caliper and weigh yourself every 2 weeks. Keep a training log.
• Use Fitday. Unless you’re very active, you’ll need about 5000kcals/day to gain weight. You’ll get this doing GOMAD + eating every 3 hours.

Do GOMAD until you got your goal weight. Best is to aim for 10lbs/5kg extra just to make sure. If you’re consistent you won’t need to do GOMAD more than 1-2 months to get your goal weight.

How to Make GOMAD Easier. If you’re 110lbs/55kg GOMAD will be hard at first. You might feel bloated. Solution is similar to StrongLifts 5×5: start light and add milk progressively.

• Week 1: eat every 3 hours, apply the 8 nutrition rules.
• Week 2: eat every 3 hours + ¼ gallon whole milk a day
• Week 3: eat every 3 hours + ½ gallon whole milk a day
• Week 4: eat every 3 hours + ¾ gallon whole milk a day
• Week 5: eat every 3 hours + 1 gallon whole milk a day

This gives your body time to adapt. Drawback: weight gain is slower since it takes 4 weeks before you’re drinking 1 gallon of whole milk daily.

Example GOMAD Meal Plan. Spread your milk intake through the day. If you have milk with meals: eat first, drink the milk after. Eat your stomach full on each meal and make sure you eat every 3 hours.

• Breakfast: eggs, veggies, orange, green tea.
• Snack: 1 liter milk, mixed nuts, banana
• Lunch: chicken breast, mixed veggies, peer
• Snack: 1 liter milk, mixed nuts, apple
• Post workout: 1 liter milk, oats, banana
• Dinner: ground round, pasta, tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese
• Pre bed: 1 liter milk, berries, ground flax seeds, cottage cheese

Room temperature milk isn’t tasty. Buy thermoses, fill them with cold water for 5mins, then drain them and fill them with milk. Milk is 87% water so you won’t need to drink that much water on top of your daily gallon of whole milk.

Once You’re Done GOMAD. Stop GOMAD once you’ve reached your goal weight. This shouldn’t take you more than 1-2 months if you’re consistent. Things you can expect when stopping GOMAD:

• Fat Loss. You’ll gain 2-3% fat per month on GOMAD. When you stop GOMAD: follow the 8 nutrition rules and keep getting stronger. Your body fat will decrease, but your body-weight won’t change.
• Weight Loss. 1 gallon of whole milk a day means lots of carbs. Carbs bind to water. Expect weight loss when stopping GOMAD: water loss. That’s why you should aim for 10lbs/5kg extra as goal weight.
• Increased Hunger. You’ll be more hungry than before. This is your body telling you to eat to maintain your increased body-weight.

You can keep drinking milk if you want after stopping GOMAD. Just know that if fat loss is your goal, best is to drink milk post workout only.

Note that GOMAD is not the only way to gain weight. But it’s definitely the most efficient way to make anyone gain weight fast naturally. Read:

• Bluestreak’s Story: 25lbs in 25 Days
• GOMAD Success Stories

More on GOMAD. You’ll get more articles during the next weeks about GOMAD. Remember you can get these posts in your mailbox automatically for free. Click here for more info. Upcoming posts:

• GOMAD: First Week Experiences & Side Effects
• 8 Common GOMAD Mistakes You Must Avoid
• 7 GOMAD Alternatives You Think Will Work But Won’t
• How to Minimize Fat Gains on GOMAD (and How NOT to)

StrongLifts.com © 2007-2009. Disclaimer.

The Anabolic Diet does this by manipulating your muscle building hormones. Key is eating the right combination of foods at the right time. Not easy, but works if done properly. Here’s the definite Anabolic Diet guide.

Benefits of The Anabolic Diet. The Anabolic Diet is a high protein, high fat diet which involves carbs cycling. Some things you can expect:

• Fat Loss. You force your body to use fat for energy by avoiding carbs for 5 days. Your body stores less fat because you eat lots of fats. You’ll get rid of stubborn fat like love handles. 10% body fat year through is easy.
• Muscle Gains. Key to the Anabolic Diet is fatty read meat. This is rich in cholesterol and saturated fats which increase your testosterone levels. Testosterone is the muscle building hormone.
• Improved Health. Lower cholesterol & tryglyceride levels, less plaque build up, controlled insulin levels, less food allergies, less acne, … Do a blood test before starting the Anabolic Diet and compare months later.
• More Energy. Controlling your carb intake will make you wake up full of energy. You’ll never have blood sugar crashes or heaviness after eating again. Also less irritability & less mood swings.
• No Hunger. Fat satiates and makes you feel full longer. You’ll never feel hungry on the Anabolic Diet. You’ll have to remind yourself to eat even though you’ll be eating more than before.

How The Anabolic Diet Works. The Anabolic Diet works whatever your gender or age. And like any diet, it works best coupled with strength training. Here’s how your week looks like when you eat the Anabolic Diet way:

• Weekdays. Proteins, fats & veggies. Eat fatty red meat, fatty fish, whole eggs, full fat cheese, olive oil, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, …
• Weekends. Eat lots of carbs. Pasta, rice, bread, potatoes, oats, fruit, … Lower your protein & fat intake.

How to Get Started on The Anabolic Diet. Use FitDay to track your daily caloric and macronutrients intake. Anabolic Diet rules:

• Determine Caloric Needs. Rule of thumb is your BW x 18kcal, but the Cunningham Equation is more accurate. Read this post.
• 12 Days No Carbs. Eat proteins & fats only for 12 days. This forces your body to use fat for energy. After these 12 days, eat carbs for 2 days on. Then alternate 5 days no carbs and 2 days carbs.
• No Carbs Days. 40% protein, 60% fat, 25g carbs max. The carbs should come from foods like veggies, eggs, meat, … No oats or rice or milk.
• Carbs Days. 15% protein, 25% fat, 60% carbs. So 60% of your calories should come from carbs. These will fill your carb stores.

It takes about 4 weeks to adapt to the Anabolic Diet. Expect stomach issues, moodiness, tiredness, … Don’t give up. All of this will go away if you stick with the Anabolic Diet. Read first week experiences on the Anabolic Diet.

Example Meal Plan: No Carbs Days. Usually Monday to Friday. Eat protein & fat only, avoid carbs. For inspiration, read the Anabolic Diet food list.

• Breakfast. Whole eggs, bacon, spinach.
• Snack. Italian or french cheese.
• Lunch. Ground round, broccoli, olive oil.
• Snack. Italian or Spanish ham.
  
• Post Workout. Whey, olive oil.
  
• Dinner. Mackerel, salad, olive oil, cheese cubes.
  
• Pre Bed. French cheese, ground flax seeds, fish oil.
  

Example Meal Plan: Carbs Days. Usually Saturday & Sunday. Best is to avoid training on these days since the high carb intake tends to cause tiredness.

• Breakfast. Oats, raisins, milk.
• Snack. Lots of fruit.
• Lunch. Chicken breast, quinoa, spinach.
• Snack. Lots of fruit.
  
• Dinner. Whole grain pasta, tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese.
  
• Pre Bed. Cottage cheese, berries, ground flax seeds, fish oil.

Drawbacks of The Anabolic Diet. Your grocery bill will be higher at first and the weekends can turn into junk fests. More drawbacks of the Anabolic Diet:

• Hard for Weight Gain. The Anabolic Diet is high in fats which satiate & make you full longer. This makes gaining weight on the Anabolic Diet harder, but not impossible. GOMAD is better for weight gain.
• Complicate. You have to count calories, you’re cycling between carbs & no carbs days, food choice is tricky with all the hidden carbs, … A diet based on the 8 nutrition rules is simpler.
• No Good For Sports. Sports like rugby and MMA don’t mix well with low carb diets like the Anabolic Diet: they rely too much on carbs for energy. One solution is to use mid-week carb ups. But it’s not ideal.

Should You Do The Anabolic Diet? If you eat carbs on the days where you eat lots of saturated fat and fatty proteins, you risk obesity and diabetes. Stick to the Anabolic Diet rules or you’ll get adverse effects.

If you’ve never stuck with a diet, follow the 8 nutrition rules for 12 months. Then you’ll be ready for advanced stuff like the Anabolic Diet. If you still need it, since you’ll lose fat by following the 8 nutrition rules.

More on The Anabolic Diet. More articles on StrongLifts.com related to the Anabolic Diet. Read them all before you get started.

• 10 Anabolic Diet Mistakes You Must Avoid
• 7 Things You’ll Experience The First Weeks on The Anabolic Diet
• The Ultimate Anabolic Diet Food List: 101 Foods You Can Eat
• 21 Anabolic Diet Recipes for Breakfast, Snack, Lunch & Dinner
• Post Workout Nutrition on The Anabolic Diet: Spiking Insulin?
• How to Gain and Lose Weight on The Anabolic Diet
• Hacking the Anabolic Diet: Midweek & 24 Hour Carb Loading

Official Anabolic Diet Books.

• The Anabolic Solution for Powerlifters.
• The Anabolic Solution for Bodybuilders.
• The Metabolic Diet. Contains all the research.
• Free Abridged Versions. 80 pages of free content.

StrongLifts.com © 2007-2009. Disclaimer.

The Simple Way. Use the next formula to calculate how many calories you need to eat per day to maintain your body-weight.

• Your body-weight in pounds x 18kcal = your daily caloric needs

So if you’re 200lbs, you’ll need 200×18 = 3600kcal/day to maintain your weight. Eat less/more to lose/gain weight. Extremes on both sides can lead to fat gains instead of muscle gains and muscle loss instead of fat loss.

The Cunningham Equation. The above formula isn’t accurate if you’re very light or big. And it doesn’t take into account activity levels, food choice and body fat. The Cunningham Equation works better since it uses:

• Lean Body Mass. Increasing your muscle mass increases the amount of calories you burn at rest and thus also your caloric needs.
• Food Choice. Protein has the highest thermic effect: your body burns more calories digesting proteins than carbs or fat.
• Activity Levels. You may weigh the same as your friend, but your caloric needs will be higher if you have a physical job and he has a desk job,

Forum member lovestolift has posted a guide to the Cunningham Equation and Rossi has posted a spreadsheet that calculates your daily caloric needs using the Cunningham Equation. Check these out and thank them.

Why Calories Aren’t The Key. There’s a lot of stress on controlling your calorie intake and portion size, but not enough on food choice. Calories aren’t made equal. Each macro has its qualities.

• Proteins. Satiate & makes you full longer. Help build & maintain muscle. Improve fat loss: your body burns more calories digesting proteins.
• Carbs. Promote fat gains: your body stores carbs as fat if your energy stores are full. And they make you hungry again faster.
• Fats. Satiate & make you full longer. Improve fat loss since your body stops holding fat when you eat healthy fats.
• Veggies. Fill your stomach but often contain “negative calories”: your body burns more calories digesting them than you get eating them.

That’s why a diet rich in proteins, healthy fats & veggies but lower in carbs will make you feel full longer and less hungry while improving fat loss and muscle gains. Check the 8 nutrition rules for an example of this kind of diet.

For fat loss or maintenance, counting calories is a waste of time. If you eat the right foods, you’ll never have to count calories. Just eat your stomach full every 3 hours with the right foods and you’ll get the results you’re after.

I do, however, recommend counting calories if you want to gain weight. Skinny people often think they eat a lot but don’t. Use Fitday to build awareness and keep track of a consistent caloric intake.

StrongLifts.com © 2007-2009. Disclaimer.

But everyone tells you you’re crazy eating so many eggs. They tell you eggs are unhealthy because they’re full of cholesterol. You’ll clock your arteries and die if you continue. Sounds familiar? Truth or myth? Let’s see.

Why People Say Eating Lots of Eggs is Unhealthy. Eggs contain high amounts of cholesterol. 1 large egg has about 200mg cholesterol and 5g of fat. Almost half of that fat is saturated fat.

The logic is that since eggs are high in cholesterol, a high egg consumption will increase your blood cholesterol. So by cutting eggs from your diet, your blood cholesterol will decrease. This, however, isn’t how your body works.

Facts on Cholesterol. You can find studies showing that high cholesterol levels will make you live longer and more immune to infections & diseases than low cholesterol levels. More facts:

• Your Body Makes Cholesterol. Your liver makes 3-6x more cholesterol than you can get eating eggs and other animal products.
• Cholesterol is Vital To Your Body. You need it for the production of steroid hormones like Testosterone and to build & repair cells.
• Dietary Cholesterol Isn’t Bound to Blood Cholesterol. There’s no relation to cholesterol & saturated fat intake to higher cholesterol levels.

Benefits of Eating The Egg Yolk. Eating the yolk makes your life easier since you don’t have to separate it from the egg white each time. Eating the yolk is also healthier for 3 reasons:

• More Vitamins. The yolk is full of vitamins A, D, E. Vitamin D is especially important since most people lack vitamin D.
• Twice The Protein. Eating whole eggs doubles the protein intake you’d get eating egg whites only: the yolk contains half the protein.
• Increased Testosterone Levels. Saturated fat and cholesterol increase testosterone production. Both are heavily present in the egg yolk.

How to Protect Yourself Against Heart Diseases. This is the real concern people have regarding cholesterol. Some things you can do.

• Lose Fat. People with high cholesterol usually have excess body fat. Read the article on fat loss and apply.
• Exercise. This will make you lose fat and improve your health. Check StrongLifts 5×5 if you don’t know where to start.
• Eat Healthy. No more junk food, sodas, artificial trans-fats and refined sugars. Apply the 8 nutrition rules.
• Get Antioxidants. Like berries and green tea. These keep your LDL particles acting normal, preventing blockage in arteries.
• Relax. Stress can negatively influence your cholesterol levels. Relax, take breaks, exercise, think positive, …
• Avoid Drugs. Cholesterol lowering drugs are harmful to your liver in the long-term and useless if you don’t eat healthier, exercise and lose fat.

If you tried the above and your cholesterol levels haven’t improved, then maybe you’re part of the minority of the population who’s genetically predisposed.

Weston Price vs. China Study. If you paid attention, you’ll have noticed that the nutritional advice on StrongLifts.com is inline with Weston Price’s studies. Which is: omnivore diet with lots of veggies & quality animal products.

The China Study, however, claims correlation between consumption of animal products & diseases of affluence like cancer or heart diseases. They’ll advice you vegetarianism or even veganism.

I’ve chosen my camp. Choose yours. Educate yourself, make your own decision on what you’ll believe & apply and experiment.

More Reading. Here are some books & articles on cholesterol, saturated fat and coronary heart disease that I recommend you to check out.

• The Great Cholesterol Con by Anthony De Celpo.
• Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes.
• Cholesterol Myths by Uffe Ravsnkov
• The Benefits of High Cholesterol by Uffe Ravnskov.
• Cholesterol: Friend or Foe? by Natasha Campbell-McBride

StrongLifts.com © 2007-2009. Disclaimer.