Low carb + building muscle?

[viciouselipse]

So I posted this on the fat loss forum and was directed here.

The past 3 weeks I've been doing a low carb diet, averaging about 20-30 carbs a day after subtracting fiber. 14g of those carbs come from taking 2 scoops of n.o.-xplod pre-workout. I'm guessing those count as 'bad' carbs though they are not listed as 'sugar' but also no listed as 'dietary fiber'.

I have high energy on this kind of diet, i've done it before with some success (that quickly went away during a 2 year relationship with someone that loved her fast food and quick and easy meals! Blame myself though for being lazy. . .) and feel good doing it. I really don't miss carbs that much as meat, cheese, eggs, ect are some of my favorite things to eat anyways.

But, from perusing the forums on fat loss and building muscle, iv'e seen so many people saying that this lack of carbs promotes muscle loss. Now, over the past three weeks, i've lost 7 lbs..not including that first day or two of dramatic loss mostly due to dropping water, but I've also been steadily adding weight and reps to my routine without any falloff, and have made soem noticeable muscle-mass improvements in that time, probably moreso than before when i was eating a more balanced 40/40/20 diet.

What I'm wondering is what you guys recommend for carb intake pre/post workout to promote muscle gain. I lift weights 5 days a week for about 60 minutes.

Thank you much for any input - I'll continue perusing the forums as I've been for about the past 30 minutes and see fi i can find answers on my own but haven't come up with anything straight-foreward to my question just yet.

[skelooth]

All that crap about low carbs = muscle loss is a bunch of bullcrap. People have been regurgitating that crap for ages, and it's still as much of a crock of poop as the first day they said it. There's even 'credible medical research' that says low carb diets = muscle wasting...

But you know what? Some of the people who post on this low carb board are some pretty big mofos. Not to mention every single one of us has experience much better energy levels on keto. A few of us (myself included) have experienced strength gains during a proper CKD.

So basically... don't believe everything you read. No matter what the source.

Edit: Be forwarned.... the "general fitness crowd" does NOT approve of our low carb lifestyle. They call us liars, tell us we're ruining our bodies, etc. Welcome to our secret club. Mention low carbing out in public and you risk being tied to a stake and burned alive....

[Gr3g_Lycan]

Proteins can convert to carbs, although slowly and at about 30% efficiency.

Stay on you low carb plan, and eat plenty of low carb veges - mushroom, tomato, broccolli, strawberries, etc.

[viciouselipse]

yeah i think some people just have a problem accepting the fact that some people can be perfectly content and happy without eating carbs and can do so while still having energy.

Personally if I eat carbs in any moderate or large amount, even 'high fiber whole grains' ect as people advocate, I end up feeling a lot more sluggish than i do if i eat meats and healthy fats, making sure i get my water and mutlivitamins and such in.

Anyhow thanks for the support =) I think you posted on my thread on the fat loss forum a while back skelooth and pretty much suggested i drop the carbs i was eating.... good riddance really. I kind of wish I wasn't having such good results with no-xplode, but honestly as overrated as people have said it is, i think it's benefitted my workouts quite a bit but ends up taking up a lot of my carbs for the day.

I'll just stick with it. Yesterday I put up 280 lbs on the bench press, only twice but that's over 100 lbs higher than i could even push up once a few months ago. yesterday i put on a tshirt i haven't worn in nearly two years...it was still a little tight as Ive got about 40-45 lbs i still want to lose, but it still felt good and it was much tighter around my chest and shoulders from gaining muscle than it was around my gut.

[justanothagirl]

haha the trainer at my gym was pretty optimistic about the whole keto-dieting i told him about though.. and my friends and some family are too

[skelooth]

you know it's kind of funny. I always catch all types of flack for advocating low carb, but I think every single person who's taken my advice has not regretted the decision

Just goes to show that sometimes you gotta go against the grain.

[chimponarope]

Welcome to the dark side

[smackdaddyD]

I've been on a keto diet for four months now, and have gone from benching 225x2 to 315x2 in that same time.

I'd say it's possible to add muscle on a keto diet

[Minotaur]

Thoughts (smell the smoke?)...

All that crap about low carbs = muscle loss is a bunch of bullcrap. ...
But you know what? Some of the people who post on this low carb board are some pretty big mofos. Not to mention every single one of us has experience much better energy levels on keto. A few of us (myself included) have experienced strength gains during a proper CKD.

True. I'm gaining size, I do believe. I'm definitely gaining strength. I'm making lifts now that I did not make before I did ckd.

eat plenty of low carb veges - mushroom,

Mmmm... Shrooms!

and my friends and some family are too

Here's a shocker... my endocrinologist said keep doing it when she saw how my blood work improved.

[siamesedream]

A lot of people do something called "The Anabolic Diet" which is the exact same thing as the CKD diet here, except they eat in caloric surplus every day of the week. Some people have good results doing ketogenic bulking, while others fare much, much better on typical higher-carb bulking diets (such as me, though only for bulking).

[Dirty Shoez]

Haven't done much lifting, but I know my cardio is staying really steady even at higher Inclines, Resistance, etc. .....lotta help, i know!

[ironman1964bc]

I read somewhere that when you are fully fat adapted, the muscles will burn fatty acids for fuel instead of glycogen. This is good since burning fat won't produce any lactic acid. The study went on to say that after a week of intense workouts consisting of weightlifting and aerobics, the no carb eaters had no loss of glycogen in their muscles, so either the glycogen wasn't being used or it was being replaced by gluconeogenesis (sp?).
Bottom line is forget the carb ups....you don't need them.

[brollickby06]

so your saying that if you live without carbs for long enough...your body will adapt to working without them. There will be no muscle loss? Youll still be able to lift normally?
So basically, its eating atkins style, correct?

[OmniPotentTitan]

Originally Posted by brollickby06

so your saying that if you live without carbs for long enough...your body will adapt to working without them. There will be no muscle loss? Youll still be able to lift normally?
So basically, its eating atkins style, correct?

you can use a CKD or a TKD but carbs have to come from somewhere, sometime.

[Anssi Manninen]

Originally Posted by skelooth

All that crap about low carbs = muscle loss is a bunch of bullcrap.

Agree..

http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/3/1/9