I'll bet that now you are thinking that maybe fat isn't so bad and that insulin is the real enemy. Well, insulin is still good. It has to be, doesn't it? After all, our bodies produce it naturally don't they? It is when insulin floods the bloodstream too often and in too high quantities or when it yo-yos up and down that it becomes a problem.
Insulin actually works along with the growth hormone and testosterone to increase muscle mass and to keep fat levels at a minimum. On the Abs on the Go diet, you will be eating high-fat/high-protein/low-carb during the week and you will be allowed to have your carbs and eat them when the weekend sets in. This means that during the week, you will be able to increase your fat intake and minimize your insulin levels. Your body will use the fat as energy and there will be no carbs to encourage the storing of fat in the body. On the flip side of the coin, the weekends will bring a carb load-up, which will bring on an insulin spike and push glycogen into the muscles. This will bring on added energy come Monday, when you go back to the gym for a great workout.
The two important hormones are the growth hormone and testosterone. First, we'll discuss the growth hormone. This is the hormone responsible for the growth and maintenance of cells. The production of this hormone also kicks into high gear when there is stress on the body (we'll address this in the next paragraph). When insulin levels are low, the growth hormone levels increase. This is what happens during the high-protein/high-fat/low-carb portion through the weekdays.
On the weekend, with the high-carb portion of the diet, the growth hormone remains in action. Normally, insulin acts to reduce the production of the growth hormone, but because you are loading up on carbs over the weekend and there is so much insulin released, the body considers this a stressful situation and reacts with increased levels of the growth hormone. This means you get the high insulin levels and the high levels of growth hormones and you get the benefit of the growth hormones throughout the entire weekend.
Testosterone levels also benefit from the high fat of the Abs on the Go diet. They generally increase with higher levels of fat, allowing you to experience better health and muscle growth.
The other thing you will find is that, when you load up on carbs on the weekend, your body will stuff your muscles full of glycogen. Glycogen is the animal equivalent to the starch found in plants. It is an energy form that is stored in the liver and the muscles.
When you have muscles full of glycogen and water and you then reach Monday and return to the high- protein/high-fat/low-carb part of the diet, you will experience the best pump ever! You will be a powerhouse.