Starting Keto. Critque?

[AMixedKid]

Tomorrow (Sunday 2/24/13) I'm starting the Keto diet, I'm starting at 180 pounds and from what I've been told around 18% body fat. This will be a challenge for me though I am ready, I've done IF before and saw my stomach get flatter though never truly saw a six pack which has been my goal for quite some time. Even though I am a very active guy, I eat very healthy for my age (18) and make much better choices than most of my peers around town, I've even got a great metabolism, I've eaten a whole bag of oreos with glasses of milk and haven't gained a pound (on that specific evening >.>) the six pack has just never shown. I've attached a starting picture of me (though disregard the sleepy look on my face :P) I've had throughout high school a muscular physique I've got good solid lifting routines and solid PR's. I've just never truly gotten a six pack and I'm trying to cut down BF with this keto diet to achieve it so wish me luck.

My total calories is 2200 Which I will intake everyday Sunday - Friday Evening

Proteins - 592 cals (148g)
Fats 1602 cals (178g)

I will follow this for two weeks and once through that initial phase I will carb load each week Friday Night through Midnight Sat.

I decided to carb load once a week and not once every two weeks and so forth because I feel as if I don't have much too lose, I am trying to hold on to as much muscle and strength as possible through this, yes I know some will be lost but I'd like to minimize it. I feel as if I'm not far off my goals just need something to really push it there, and once I'm there figuring out my correct macros to hit and maintain that.

Any advice is greatly appreciated and will be taken into account. Maybe some guys or girls who have done and seen success with the keto diet that has advice, tips, or warning would be great. Thanks!
I will try and upload progress pics once I well into my keto diet, next pictures I take will be after my two week intro is done.

[Justinfv41]

I wouldn't go for keto, personally I hate it. It's a great concept and all, but when I did it, I was unbelievably tired, and couldn't perform well at work (I work in construction, and after my boss heard what I was doing he told me to stop, because it was hurting my work, some of the best advice I've taken from him.) If I was you, I'd try to add in 20-30 mins of high intensity cardio, and sprints 4-5 times a week.

[packattack87]

dont take this the wrong way but... is this a joke? you've never seen your abs because you have no muscle... at all... period. dont cut, bulk and you might actually see some progress. what are you going to cut to? your bones?

[AMixedKid]

dont take this the wrong way but... is this a joke? you've never seen your abs because you have no muscle... at all... period. dont cut, bulk and you might actually see some progress. what are you going to cut to? your bones?

No offense taken. But I can tell you this. Everyone has abs everyone it's just a matter of whether your body fat is at a low enough percentage to see them. And second over the past four years I've lifted on and off I'm a high school athlete football and baseball. I've done the ab training for months over some summers and even have a new ab routine I've been doing for 3 months currently I have abs it's a matter of my body fat percentage

[Mr. Delts]

You're too skinny to do Keto. I wouldn't recommend it. You're better off carb cycling. Ex: 3 days low carbs followed by 1 day of high carbs. The poster before me is sort of right. You should put on some more muscle. We all have abs? True. But we all have every muscle. Do u see extrememly thin people walking around with every muscle showing? No. U have to build the muscle up, including your abs. Do you do cardio? What is your workout routine like?

[AMixedKid]

You're too skinny to do Keto. I wouldn't recommend it. You're better off carb cycling. Ex: 3 days low carbs followed by 1 day of high carbs. The poster before me is sort of right. You should put on some more muscle. We all have abs? True. But we all have every muscle. Do u see extrememly thin people walking around with every muscle showing? No. U have to build the muscle up, including your abs. Do you do cardio? What is your workout routine like?

Well I take weight lifting in school so it's upper body Monday Wednesday Friday and lower body Tuesday Thursday Saturday also each day after on upper body days I may go train biceps tris other days shoulders because in my weight class we only do main core lifts. On upper body days I do 30 min of low cardio like fast walking usually below 4 mph also on lower body days I do HIIT for 20-30 minutes I like doing my HIIT training on leg days even though most people don't. I've never really heard or seen results from people doin carb cycling how exactly does that work? Would I just start that or still do two weeks low carb then start that cycle?

[drewlifts]

At 6ft and 180lbs cutting should be a low priority for you. Based off your pic if you cut you will end up a 160-170 pound skinny guy with very little lean body mass. Who cares about abs at that point? Im new on the site and have a lot of weight to drop after being out of the gym for a very long time but I have a lot of experience with cutting and bulking. If i were to give you advice at your age and stats it would be to pick a good mass building program like a 5x5 which will have you lifting very heavy, eat at 500 or more cals above maintenance, 200+gms protein per day and ADD 30 lbs over the next year. You will have added a bunch of lbm, will look and feel strong, and when you cut there will actually be muscle left.

If you cut now, will be keeping yourself in an endless cycle of just being skinny and weak. Trust me. You never gain muscle ever if you are at a calorie deficit no matter how hard you are hitting the gym. If you don't want to take advice from a fat guy I get it, research on this site and you will get the same advice. Im on my way to low 200lbs while trying to maintain as much Lbm as possible. I need to cut. You don't. You are 17. Build now for the future.

[Electricheadd]

Well I take weight lifting in school so it's upper body Monday Wednesday Friday and lower body Tuesday Thursday Saturday also each day after on upper body days I may go train biceps tris other days shoulders because in my weight class we only do main core lifts. On upper body days I do 30 min of low cardio like fast walking usually below 4 mph also on lower body days I do HIIT for 20-30 minutes I like doing my HIIT training on leg days even though most people don't. I've never really heard or seen results from people doin carb cycling how exactly does that work? Would I just start that or still do two weeks low carb then start that cycle?

If your dead set on doing Keto go check out the keto forum, look into CKD (Cyclical Ketogenic Diet). You basically low carb all week then one day (usually on the weekend) you refeed to replenish muscle glycogen. As an athlete you probably want to steer clear of an Atkins style diet where you eat no carbs. All of that said, for a healthy lean guy like yourself keto offers 0 advantage over a regular calorie deficit.

[Keyboardsmasher]

You have no mass period. Cutting isn't something I'd be doing in your position; to each there own. Keto is great but get's old fast it's easy to run out of recipes and lacks in variety.

[dmacdonal9]

Bulking will improve your body composition more than cutting will at this stage mate.

Also, there is no advantage to keto unless you are obese and sedentary, it's just a useless pain in the ass.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16685046