Would a no starch, high vegetable and chicken diet work?

[praetor]

Hello, first off I'd like to let everyone know that I am happy to have joined this forum and that I hope I achieve my goals with the help of others here.


Right now I am overweight and of course I plan on losing a lot of weight. Last year I went on a no starch, high vegetable and chicken diet and I lost a ton of weight. I achieved this pretty fast and I went off that organized diet right afterward but still ate right. This was midway through last year. Well I picked up bad eating habits and half a year later (now) I have gained all that weight back. I am not really ashamed of what happened as I did gain all of the weight I lost (which I lost pretty fast) in a very slow manner.

Well I'm planning on gaining some muscle (to begin with of course) while I go on my diet. What I'm wondering is if a very little carbohydrate (and they would be coming from the vegetables only), high vegetable and chicken diet will help me gain muscle. I heard that having fat helps one gain lots of muscle. If I go on my diet my body will default on my current fat for its energy and it will burn it up like crazy. Will my body also be able to use that fat that it burns up for muscle gains? Is my diet fine for muscle gaining? Thanks.

[grapemaster]

add some healthy fats to the mix and youare pretty close to a keto diet...
so yeah it will work... fats aren't just important for muscles by keeping your testosterone at mid to upper thresholds, but also in cell maintenance, skin, hair, and other bodily health functions. So I would definitely up the fat. You don't need all that protein.
i think you already know it will work and just looking confirmation, so, yeh... do it. BUT ..I would vary your food more? but if you really like chicken that much, ok, its not optimal but it should work...
while your at it check out the keto section.

[Lion Heart]

What always worked for me when cutting was to follow an approach like this

Meal 1: 2 eggs, 4 egg whites, 1/2 cup oats (dry measure) 1/4 cup blueberries

Meal 2: whey protein shake

Meal 3: Chicken breast, kidney beans, brussels sprouts

Meal 4: can of tuna

Meal 5: Haddock, black beans, brocoli

Meal 6: cottage cheese

That's just a rough outline.

The idea was to eat a dry carb source with maybe a little fruit (if eating oats or cereal) at the first meal of the day only. Then having two servings of beans a day (black, kidney, red, pinto) and green veggies or a vegie blend such as normandy blend as my carb sources for the rest of the day.

It works great for me. I don't like keto or super low carb. But lower carb definately works for me.

[jk21]

Look into the KETO diet You basically drop all starchy vegetables and stick to meats, fiborous vegies and healthy fats. People have been known to bulk on it but majority seem to use it for cutting, I start tomorrow lol :P

[praetor]

I wont be eating any fruits, they have sugar in them.

I read up on Keto and I was pretty much doing the stuff on that diet except I wasn't really consuming high fat stuff. I think I'll stick to chicken as it is low in fat and I really want to clean up my heart from whatever fat that may be there.

Good luck on your diet. Ketosis can be a great stage, you will feel really energetic once your body starts burning up all the fat, you'll feel like a train.

[jk21]

Thanks I hope so .. I know what you mean though, I wasnt too fond of keto at first either but thought I'll give it a try :P Why dont you include beef in your diet as well? Lean beef will usually have minimal fat.

[Lion Heart]

"I won't be eating fruit, they have sugar in them"

*pounds head against wall repeatedly*

Not all sugars are created equally. The sugar from fruit is actually fructose which is MUCH different than regular table sugar, which, in large amounts would hurt you.

The whole avoiding fruit thing is totally unneccesary.

[DWhealthy]

"I won't be eating fruit, they have sugar in them"

*pounds head against wall repeatedly*

Not all sugars are created equally. The sugar from fruit is actually fructose which is MUCH different than regular table sugar, which, in large amounts would hurt you.

The whole avoiding fruit thing is totally unneccesary.

:agreed:

The benefits FAR out weigh any harm that fruits could bring to a diet. Eat fruits at specifc times of day to make the most of what fruits contain. But that would be testing out what works best for you. For me I eat fruit on my 2nd break at work (just before my preW) and more fruit in my PostW.

[johnnyironboard]

Not all sugars are created equally. The sugar from fruit is actually fructose which is MUCH different than regular table sugar

Dieters avoid fructose because once the liver is glycogenated the remaining fructose goes to fat. That is why bodybuilders dieting for a contest eliminate fruit. If you are going to eat fruit while dieting the best are grapefruit(with coffee) and berries.

[johnnyironboard]

I read up on Keto and I was pretty much doing the stuff on that diet except I wasn't really consuming high fat stuff.

If you read on keto and are still avoiding fat you have a reading comprehension problem. Fat is not unhealthy nor will it make you fat so I'd like to hear why you are avoiding it.

[Crunchbar]

What always worked for me when cutting was to follow an approach like this

Meal 1: 2 eggs, 4 egg whites, 1/2 cup oats (dry measure) 1/4 cup blueberries

Meal 2: whey protein shake

Meal 3: Chicken breast, kidney beans, brussels sprouts

Meal 4: can of tuna

Meal 5: Haddock, black beans, brocoli

Meal 6: cottage cheese

That's just a rough outline.

The idea was to eat a dry carb source with maybe a little fruit (if eating oats or cereal) at the first meal of the day only. Then having two servings of beans a day (black, kidney, red, pinto) and green veggies or a vegie blend such as normandy blend as my carb sources for the rest of the day.

It works great for me. I don't like keto or super low carb. But lower carb definately works for me.

way to little fat

gotta keep that fat intake at atleast 20% of daily cals

[grapemaster]

The whole avoiding fruit thing is totally unneccesary.

unless your trying to stay in ketosis. but I would choose raw fruit over grains or legumes in a normal diet for sure.

To the OP, stop being scared of fats, being scared of fats and eating low fat stuff is probably what got you fat before.

[Datoyminaytah]

"I won't be eating fruit, they have sugar in them"

*pounds head against wall repeatedly*

Not all sugars are created equally. The sugar from fruit is actually fructose which is MUCH different than regular table sugar, which, in large amounts would hurt you.

The whole avoiding fruit thing is totally unneccesary.

Not all sugar from fruit is fructose. Fruits also contain glucose, as well as some sucrose (a disaccharide consisting of one molecule of fructose and one molecule of glucose, also called "white sugar".)

[Lion Heart]

Crunchbar:

I was writing at a late hour for me and didn't include everything. The fat content was MUCH higher than 20%.