Confused about milk

Hi coach:
I am about four months in to NLP. 42 y/o male, 5'9" 205 lbs.
Current lifts (for reps)
S: 305
B: 195
P: 135
D: 365

I had a physical yesterday and my fasting blood glucose was in the pre-diabetic range; also my cholesterol levels are high. Now, this is just a snapshot and we don't have any real history to go on, because I haven't had a physical since I was 18. Dr is not concerned; he wants me to continue what I am doing in terms of exercise (NLP 3 days a week, light cardio 2 to 3 days a week) and focus on dietary adjustment. Contributing factors: I reckon my metabolism is already pretty out of whack due to heavy alcohol use (I got sober 6 months ago) and the ensuing "eat all the sugar" run for the first 4 or so months of sobriety.

I haven't started tracking my calories or macros but I have a pretty solid understanding of what I need to do in terms of carb intake going forward. My question is about milk. I have seen conflicting information about whether it contributes to insulin resistance and high blood sugar or not, despite it being relatively low on the glycemic index. I have been supplementing my calories with 16-32 oz of whole milk a day, which has really helped me keep my lifts progressing, but if it is going to negatively affect my blood sugar, I will look for other options. I haven't had chance to discuss this with my doctor since the bloodwork came back.

So, milk. Drink less, none, or the same? Thanks!

Thanks for posting Matt. First, congrats on kicking the booze, I'd imagine this was a difficult feat and even moreso kicking the subsequent sugar. To answer your question about milk you should definitely be doing nonfat or lowfat if your goal is to supplement calories. You are not an underweight teenaged boy and you are getting closer to an age where the heart disease can manifest. The blood glucose and cholesterol numbers are a pretty good indication that this may be in the cards so a gallon of whole milk per day is definitely out in this case for multiple reasons. Whether you need "milk" or not depends on why you are consuming it. It's a good source of carbohydrates and protein and it will absolutely not cause insulin resistance just because it is milk. That is not correct and mythology.

Thank you, Robert.

I have not been GOMADing at all. I've been supplementing my meals with whole milk because I have a toddler in the house who drinks it, so it's a convenient source of extra calories. And it has helped keep my LP going.

I hadn't been overly concerned with trying to lose excess fat, as much as getting stronger, but I could lose some inches off my belly (currently about 37" waist measurement). If I understand what you're saying, I should focus on lowfat protein sources and low GL carbs?

I feel optimistic about the fact that my sugar cravings have already evaporated over the last month or so. That makes this next challenge a lot more manageable.

You are understanding correctly. To phrase more concisely: If you have fat to lose and are running an LP (by fat to lose i mean >20% body fat) then cutting fat from your diet while keeping carbohydrates up should allow you do accomplish this.

Thanks again, Robert.

I know I need approximately 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight; so about 200g per day. What should I be aiming for in terms of carbs and fat?

I calculated my bodyfat at 26% using the Navy calculator: 15" neck and 39" waist at navel.

Also as I've been reading through these threads, you seem to ask about chins, which I didn't include in my numbers above. I am up to 3 sets of 7 at bodyweight. (Dead-hang chins for full ROM).

Thank you again!

Very good on chins! I ask about them because they are part of the program. The part people like to skip. The part that builds your upper body in addition to the press, bench press, and deadlift.

If you'd like to chat about specific macros I'm happy to schedule a consult if that's an option for you. Shoot me an email and we can go from there.

Just wanted to update this.

I've been tracking my macros daily, been aiming for 200g of protein and over 300g of low-glycemic carbs. Averaging a little over 2600 calories per day.

In a month and a half I've lost about 12 lbs and about 2.5" off my waist. Crazy thing is that my lifts got a lot less grindy once I started getting adequate carbs.

Programming has changed slightly: I'm now taking two days between workouts, and have added a light squat day, all based on Practical Programming. I've also switched to triples for now on my press/bench press, also per PP. Lifts are still progressing (with the exception of a couple missed workouts due to outside circumstances).

My sense is that the additional recovery day is probably driven by my caloric deficit, whereas the pressing change is due to where I'm at in the program. I anticipate having to switch to Nick's intermediate upper body programming sooner than later but I am going to try to keep progressing on squats and DL as long as I can.

So, thank you for the advice. It's working.

Question: at what point do I go back to maintenance or surplus? Should that be dictated by programming needs or by waist circumference (currently 36.5" at 195 lbs or less)?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Matt James

Just wanted to update this.

I've been tracking my macros daily, been aiming for 200g of protein and over 300g of low-glycemic carbs. Averaging a little over 2600 calories per day.

In a month and a half I've lost about 12 lbs and about 2.5" off my waist. Crazy thing is that my lifts got a lot less grindy once I started getting adequate carbs.

Programming has changed slightly: I'm now taking two days between workouts, and have added a light squat day, all based on Practical Programming. I've also switched to triples for now on my press/bench press, also per PP. Lifts are still progressing (with the exception of a couple missed workouts due to outside circumstances).

My sense is that the additional recovery day is probably driven by my caloric deficit, whereas the pressing change is due to where I'm at in the program. I anticipate having to switch to Nick's intermediate upper body programming sooner than later but I am going to try to keep progressing on squats and DL as long as I can.

So, thank you for the advice. It's working.

Question: at what point do I go back to maintenance or surplus? Should that be dictated by programming needs or by waist circumference (currently 36.5" at 195 lbs or less)?

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Glad the carbohydrates worked well for you. Imagine that, more carbohydrates, calorie restriction, smart programming, fat loss and strength gain. Not a bad a problem to have. I'd go down until you start feeling early signs of energy drop and then go to maintenance for 1 month, then surplus for 3, maintenance for 1, recycle.

Just wanted to update this.

I had bloodwork done last week (about 6 months from the initial test). My a1c and fasting blood glucose are back in the normal range. Cholesterol numbers are generally improved too with the exception of LDL which is a few points higher. Triglycerides dropped way down and HDL is almost up to normal.

I have been at maintenance calories or slightly above since the end of October when I transitioned to intermediate programming. (Couldn't do the volume work on a deficit). Weight is holding steady at about 190, waist is under 36", and weekly progress has been consistent on a 4 day split. Really the only change I made diet wise was to go to low fat dairy instead of nonfat dairy. I still get about 45% of my protein from dairy sources and the rest from fish, meat, and vegetable/grains/legumes.

Current numbers on the bar, for what it's worth:
Press: 177 for singles across
Bench: 245 for triples (best singles 255)
Squat: 345 for triples across
Deadlift: 395 triple
Chins: 10x3 at bw

So for anybody out there wondering if this shit really works, it does. Listen to Bob.

Glad to hear it. Amazing how uncomplicated this whole thing is isn't it?