About the Book

When trying to diet to extremely low levels of body fat, muscle mass and performance loss, crashing hormones, runaway hunger and others are perennial difficulties that the non-genetic elite (or natural) dieter has to face.

The Ultimate Diet 2.0 (UD2) provides the answer to all of those problems and more. Building on previous cyclical diets such as the original Ultimate Diet by Dan Duchaine and Michael Zumpano, as well as Bodyopus, the UD2 includes a full discussion of the physiological hurdles that dieters must clear to reach their goals of extremely low body fat levels.

Based around cutting edge research into bodyweight regulation, calorie partitioning and more, The Ultimate Diet 2.0 is a coordinated program of training, nutrition and supplements that will let the most genetically average individual sidestep the problems I mentioned above.

Every aspect of the training cycle, what to eat, how to train and what supplements to take are described in detail. As well, modifications to the diet for different goals are described as well. Variations for powerlifters, endurance athletes and those seeking mass gains are detailed as well.

Please note: the UD2 is an advanced diet for advanced dieters and is only for those seeking very low levels of body fat. The diet is for male at roughly 12-15% body fat and females at 21-24% body fat and trainees must have at least 6 months of consistent training in the weight room under their belt before they even consider the UD2.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Introduction
Chapter 1: What this book is and who it’s for
Chapter 2: Your body hates you
Chapter 3: Why is it so hard: Part 1
Chapter 4: Why is it so hard: Part 2
Chapter 5: Fat basics
Chapter 6: Fat cell metabolism
Chapter 7: Muscle growth: Part 1
Chapter 8: Training systems
Chapter 9: Ultimate Diet 2.0 overview
Chapter 10: The low-carbohydrate phase
Chapter 11: The carb-load
Chapter 12: The weekend
Chapter 13: UD2 Variations
Chapter 14: Final commentary

Excerpt

The following is from Chapter 1: What this book is and who it’s for

What you should expect during the diet
I’ll say up front that the UD2 is not an easy diet. You’ll have to count/decrease calories and carbohydrates 3-5 days out of every 7. While you don’t get to eat everything in sight on the other days, it’ll sure seem like it. On some days you can even eat some junk food. If you use the fat loss variant, you should be losing a pound or more of fat per week, while gaining some muscle. At the very least you’ll maintain muscle without loss which can be an improvement for most people. Performance athletes can lean out while maintaining or even increasing performance as well. For the muscle gain variant, it’s a little harder to predict. Women, of course, will have slightly smaller changes overall for what should be obvious reasons.

Despite what you may be used to, you’ll only be lifting 4 days per week. Each workout should take about an hour or so, with one running maybe an hour and a half. If you can’t find 4 hours per week to train consistently, this diet won’t do you much good. Cardio is optional for men, but generally necessary for women to lose their lower body fat at any decent rate. Still, you shouldn’t need a ton of cardio with this diet, not nearly as much as you think anyhow.

There are only one or two required supplements, although there are some that can be genuinely helpful. Beyond that, the diet revolves around basic foods that you can get at any supermarket (I assume that bodybuilders and athletes have no problem with protein powder). While I’ll mention drug options to further optimize the diet, they are by no means required.

Reader Feedback

“Lyle McDonald is known in the industry for being able to sift through the most advanced and recent research on human physiology, and then distill it all into simple and effective methods which truly works! That is the true hallmark of a great writer in my opinion. Where most people who want to diet to extremely low body fat levels face the challenges of losing muscle and feeling like crap, The Ultimate Diet 2.0 is a set of guidelines for a specific, integrated dieting and training program which will allow you to lose fat safely and effectively, while not only retaining muscle but in many cases BUILD muscle and strength!

I’ve used The Ultimate Diet 2.0 to achieve the best conditioning of my life in national bodybuilding competitions, and on a multitude of clients in bodybuilding, fitness, and sports where functional muscle mass with low body fat is just the advantage they need to beat their competition. Make no mistake, The Ultimate Diet 2.0 is a tough program and requires you to adhere to a strict setup (although suggestions for alternate schedules are included), but the results you will achieve will be dramatic and beyond your expectations!” -Borge (aka Blade) - Norway - MyoRevolution

Weight -6.2 lbs
Waist: -1in
Hips: - 2.5in
R thigh: -1.5in
Bi’s: +.5in

“I’d been warned that, by using conventional dieting methods, I’d likely lose hard-earned muscle mass from my upper body and end up looking skeletal, while attempting to whittle away at the long-held stubborn fat on my lower body. On the contrary, with The Ultimate Diet 2.0, I was relieved to see not only the preservation of existing lean body mass, but also noticeable upper body gains, while fat loss on my lower body was well underway.

This book offers a detailed explanation of both the science and the process; I learned not only “how”, but also “why”. While the schedule and diet plans are strict and precise, variations are offered that allowed me to align the plan with my scheduling challenges and family obligations. The workouts and meal plans are varied enough to prevent boredom, while allowing me to partake in normal social events and enjoy most of my favourite foods without feeling deprived. UD2 isn’t easy, and requires discipline, but tangible results from week to week made it easy to stay motivated and compliant.” - Anne, Canada

3 Responses to “The Ultimate Diet 2.0”

1. Dave from Ohio on January 5th, 2009 6:45 pm
   

   Hi Lyle,

   I’ve been reading your pieces on line way back to the days where you documented your 14 week experience with Bodyopus. I too had success with that diet though a more clinical approach such as you took would have yielded better results I’m sure. I just loved the simplicity of the diet. I went through Wendy’s today and got a stacker with cheese and tossed the bun and a couple side salds. I’m lazy which thwarts my progress. I moved away from CKD in lieu of BFL by Phillips and FLR by Brink (great forum). The problem was I crashed on those as well. I know this goes against gurus like you (r) advice but I really f####ed up the past three months and lost any progress i had made with BFL or FLR. So I’m going long. If I can drop BF w/ CKD fast FOR JUST ONE MONTH do you think I’ll screww myself for moving into a more “sensible” plan like FLR. I just hate to cook and I’m lazy. Who wants to lose 2 lbs fat a week when i’m easily 25 plus percent. I can only deal with a calorie planner so much. Plus factor in that I’m lazy and don’t want to cook 10 chicken breasts on Sunday when i can be (sloppily) carbing up. So I guess what i’m getting at is why not a CKD when I’ll fall apart with BFL or FLR as well. At least I’ll have leaned out with the CKD a whole lot more with an agonizing 2 pound a week FLR or BFL. If you get this let me know what you think.

   Best regards,

   David King from Youngstown Ohio
2. Natural Appetite Suppressant on February 21st, 2009 11:18 am
   

   Natural Appetite Suppressant…

   This is a good source of information. Normally I found the same ole stuff but found some different stuff here. Good job and keep it up….
3. Bryan on May 26th, 2009 9:47 am
   

   It’s truly unfortunate that exercise alone cannot yield superior results for most people; I decided not long ago that I wanted to have sub-10% bodyfat, and upped the intensity of my workouts to do so. I lost some weight, but hit a plateau quickly because while I was eating clean, it was still too many calories.

   A friend recommended the UD2 as a dream come true- a way to lose fat and keep muscle. I’ve found that dieting isn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be because of the weekly carb-ups, and it’s definitely been working. I’m on my third UD2 cycle now and have 3 to go after this one. My bodyfat goals are in sight and I have this diet to thank for it.

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