Low Carb Diet Expectations/Help

Number-LL

Number-LL

Vet
Joined
Jan 3, 2012
Messages
738
I got a royal kick in the ass today when I saw my final set of lab results. These results may tell the reason my heart rate is up. Nurse took my blood pressure before my Magnesium IV and it shot up to 150/90 after looking at them. It was 130/80 two days ago. I have a doctor appointment Monday to discuss them in detail. I don't really feel like sharing in detail mainly because I'm embarrassed/scared/doesn't matter.

Let's just say I need to go back on a low carb diet for a couple reasons. I did low carb for about 4 months about 5 years ago. I had stopped working out and felt bad. It helped me a lot. I felt better and my labs looked better.

I know there are a few low carb guys around and I was just wondering what to expect with weight training and a low carb diet. Will the muscle still come or will I be lucky to maintain. I don't care if my muscles disappear because my health is more important. Just curious.

Do you still take in some carbs pre/post workout? I use to put some skim milk and waxy maize in my post shake.
 
I got out of control over the holidays a little and got up to 225. After January 1st i calmed things down and the last 5 days i went loe carb. I'm down to 215 and I feel and look a whole lot better. You will drop 10 lbs almost as soon as you go keto of you go low enough to go keto. For me after the first 15 it's a grind. then you are looking at a lb a week average once you've lost the majority of the water. Every week or so you will drop what seems like more water. That's pretty much how the weight comes off.
 
Glycomann said:
I got out of control over the holidays a little and got up to 225. After January 1st i calmed things down and the last 5 days i went loe carb. I'm down to 215 and I feel and look a whole lot better. You will drop 10 lbs almost as soon as you go keto of you go low enough to go keto. For me after the first 15 it's a grind. then you are looking at a lb a week average once you've lost the majority of the water. Every week or so you will drop what seems like more water. That's pretty much how the weight comes off.
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That is what I remember from last time. You get pretty excited with all the water weight coming off and then reality sets in. :)

I haven't done it along with weight training so was wondering what to expect as far as muscle and energy is concerned.
 
it helps a lot with sides from AAS. You drop the water. I got blood work done while on and doing keto and labs were really good. You hold your muscle mass and look better and better as the weeks peal off. You look really good if you do a well controlled refeed and you get a wicked burst of strength at re-feed. You don't get cravings like other diets and if you pick the foods your body agrees with you get to the point where you could almost put up with it as a life style.. keto.. refeed.. keto.. refeed. I did it with 200 mg of test and 50 mg/d of var once and looked really good to the point where chicks would grab my ass in the gym. One was a big money gilf and the other was this cute Hispanic chicka. i kept my penor in my pants though but it was fun. VAr and low dose test really went well with keto, especially after a refeed. Lean, vascular and you hold your strength and ZERO side effects.
 
It is looking like it might be a lifestyle for me just to be safe. It seems to be the only way to keep my labs looking good.

Tell me more about the refeeds. How often? How much? What? I don't know if I will take that step because this is more about my overall health but a refuel every once in a while shouldn't hurt me long term.
 
I have been low to no carb now for several years to keep from taking meds to control type II diabetes. I eat basically no carb throughout the week. Chicken, celery, broccoli and such is my mainstay. Saturday evening through Sunday I enjoy "some" carbs, pasta, bagels or whatnot. Sunday may see a little Ben and Jerry's. . . .

Before training I take 20g BCAA's and two glucose tablets http://www.cvs.com/shop/product-detail/CVS-Glucose-Tablets-Orange?skuId=149650 and these will give me enough "boost" to get through an ass busting leg workout. Post workout sees 10g BCAA's and 50g Whey protein mixed in water.

At first, I dropped "weight". . . . after a couple of months of tweaking protein amounts, meal timing and training, I actually added about 15lbs over the first year of low to no carb eating. Not too shabby for an old fart. Last time I was on a scale was when I was visiting Freezerdude's gym last month and I was a solid 256. After you get the eating "pattern" down, it's not so tough to stick with it. And some good salty sugary garbage once in awhile is just fine.
 
I'll have to say Mondo is good about sticking to his diet he came in town for a couple days right after Christmas and I took the old timer out to eat tring to get him to eat some steak but all he would eat is a shit load of Chicken.. :squintfin Now who knows what trash he snuck and ate from the store beside the motel he stayed at :unno: lol, now day two after a good workout I did get him splurge on a large pizza with a couple pound of crawfishs and a couple pounds of shrimp on the side for supper :headbang:
 
Mondo said:
I have been low to no carb now for several years to keep from taking meds to control type II diabetes. I eat basically no carb throughout the week. Chicken, celery, broccoli and such is my mainstay. Saturday evening through Sunday I enjoy "some" carbs, pasta, bagels or whatnot. Sunday may see a little Ben and Jerry's. . . .

Before training I take 20g BCAA's and two glucose tablets http://www.cvs.com/shop/product-detail/CVS-Glucose-Tablets-Orange?skuId=149650 and these will give me enough "boost" to get through an ass busting leg workout. Post workout sees 10g BCAA's and 50g Whey protein mixed in water.

At first, I dropped "weight". . . . after a couple of months of tweaking protein amounts, meal timing and training, I actually added about 15lbs over the first year of low to no carb eating. Not too shabby for an old fart. Last time I was on a scale was when I was visiting Freezerdude's gym last month and I was a solid 256. After you get the eating "pattern" down, it's not so tough to stick with it. And some good salty sugary garbage once in awhile is just fine.
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Thanks for the advise. I trying to avoid creeping into that health problem. I'm not going for zero carbs but very low carbs. It is damn hard to eat zero carbs unless you only eat meat with nothing on it and no vegetables.

I want to try a small amount of carbs before and after workout for energy and a little insulin to help the muscles recover.

How do you time your meals? How much before a workout do you eat?

Freezerdude said:
I'll have to say Mondo is good about sticking to his diet he came in town for a couple days right after Christmas and I took the old timer out to eat tring to get him to eat some steak but all he would eat is a shit load of Chicken.. :squintfin Now who knows what trash he snuck and ate from the store beside the motel he stayed at :unno: lol, now day two after a good workout I did get him splurge on a large pizza with a couple pound of crawfishs and a couple pounds of shrimp on the side for supper :headbang:
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You need a cheat, I mean refuel :) , day here and there. I did this the last time I did low carb. Once a week I ate either a sweet potato or some brown rice. I don't know if once a week is too often?
 
Hi Number,

In August 1 of this year, by Drs orders, I went pretty much no carbs...only greens, asparagus, broccholi, salad.

My doc specializes in bodybuilders so he was well aware the concern here was to keep gaining muscle..not to lose.

Some key things I did: Buy Egg beaters and drink 50gs of protein and take 5-6 tablespoons of Olive Oil for a few of your meals each day. The Olive oil will do many good things but especially it will keep your calories up-190 calories per tablespoon. Olive Oil is good fat not bad. Eggs of course are one of those perfect foods loaded with protein and aminos. Drinking eggs amy sound bad but losing muscle is worse. It just tastes like unsweatened egg nog. Credit to Darkness for telling me about the liquid eggs.

Learn to deal with carb cravings. They are powerful and come on strong at night.

They can be tricked by splenda and other sweeteners and by eating steadily throughout the day

Perhaps the best remedy for them at night is just go to bed.

Another key: Amino Acids before, during and after your workout and once or twice daily on non workout days. I love mine. If your interested pm me.

Cheating is fine and will happen. I did because sometimes I just could not stand the parade of shit carbs marching throught my house eaten by normal people who live here and don't understand my weird bodybuilding ways.

In time the desire to cheat will diminish.

Muscle will grow and become wonderfully defined. I got the most compliments ever.

Aim for six meals every 2-3 hours. In a hurry...drink the eggs +Olive Oil = a meal

Reg meal get some rotisserie chicken and salad or green veggies

I did this because of food sensitivities. The happy side effect :my cholesterol went from disaster to completely normal.

Good Luck Number. You can do this and still grow!
 
willi said:
Hi Number,

In August 1 of this year, by Drs orders, I went pretty much no carbs...only greens, asparagus, broccholi, salad.

My doc specializes in bodybuilders so he was well aware the concern here was to keep gaining muscle..not to lose.

Some key things I did: Buy Egg beaters and drink 50gs of protein and take 5-6 tablespoons of Olive Oil for a few of your meals each day. The Olive oil will do many good things but especially it will keep your calories up-190 calories per tablespoon. Olive Oil is good fat not bad. Eggs of course are one of those perfect foods loaded with protein and aminos. Drinking eggs amy sound bad but losing muscle is worse. It just tastes like unsweatened egg nog. Credit to Darkness for telling me about the liquid eggs.

Learn to deal with carb cravings. They are powerful and come on strong at night.

They can be tricked by splenda and other sweeteners and by eating steadily throughout the day

Perhaps the best remedy for them at night is just go to bed.

Another key: Amino Acids before, during and after your workout and once or twice daily on non workout days. I love mine. If your interested pm me.

Cheating is fine and will happen. I did because sometimes I just could not stand the parade of shit carbs marching throught my house eaten by normal people who live here and don't understand my weird bodybuilding ways.

In time the desire to cheat will diminish.

Muscle will grow and become wonderfully defined. I got the most compliments ever.

Aim for six meals every 2-3 hours. In a hurry...drink the eggs +Olive Oil = a meal

Reg meal get some rotisserie chicken and salad or green veggies

I did this because of food sensitivities. The happy side effect :my cholesterol went from disaster to completely normal.

Good Luck Number. You can do this and still grow!
Click to expand...

Thank you willi! Darkness got me thinking about drinking eggs too and I just got 4 gallons last week. Muscleegg.com is running a great sale, buy 2 gallons get 2 free. The shipping is $22 but it still comes out cheap. You can freeze the stuff for up to a year. I like eggs so the liquid egg whites don't bother me. I got the organic ones too. I have been microwaving them a little for snacks during the day.

My doctor has me on Carlson Cod Liver oil. I take 1-2 tablespoons a day. I also make my own salad dressing with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, spicy mustard, and stevia.

I have done the low carb thing before. I just fell off the horse. :) I just need to stay motivated. It needs to be a lifestyle for me because my labs look terrible when I don't do it. Maybe I will stay around a little longer to make my wife mad. :)

I now have chicken salad, extra lean hamburger(browned & seasoned), canned chicken breast, canned tuna, free range frozen chicken breasts, veggies for salads, and frozen green beans and broccoli ready in the frig and pantry. Every weekend we either grill hamburgers or steaks.

I work from home a lot so meals are easy. When I travel, I usually drive and take my dinner anyway. The hotels I stay in have free hot breakfast so I load up on scrambled eggs. The hard part is going to be when we go out for lunch when I'm out of town.
 
Number-LL said:
Thank you willi! Darkness got me thinking about drinking eggs too and I just got 4 gallons last week. Muscleegg.com is running a great sale, buy 2 gallons get 2 free. The shipping is $22 but it still comes out cheap. You can freeze the stuff for up to a year. I like eggs so the liquid egg whites don't bother me. I got the organic ones too. I have been microwaving them a little for snacks during the day.

My doctor has me on Carlson Cod Liver oil. I take 1-2 tablespoons a day. I also make my own salad dressing with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, spicy mustard, and stevia.

I have done the low carb thing before. I just fell off the horse. :) I just need to stay motivated. It needs to be a lifestyle for me because my labs look terrible when I don't do it. Maybe I will stay around a little longer to make my wife mad. :)

I now have chicken salad, extra lean hamburger(browned & seasoned), canned chicken breast, canned tuna, free range frozen chicken breasts, veggies for salads, and frozen green beans and broccoli ready in the frig and pantry. Every weekend we either grill hamburgers or steaks.

I work from home a lot so meals are easy. When I travel, I usually drive and take my dinner anyway. The hotels I stay in have free hot breakfast so I load up on scrambled eggs. The hard part is going to be when we go out for lunch when I'm out of town.
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What a cool place: Musclegg.com. Im checking it out!

You will be fine and you will be huge AND defined!
 
willi said:
What a cool place: Musclegg.com. Im checking it out!

You will be fine and you will be huge AND defined!
Click to expand...

The workout today wasn't too bad. I felt weaker on a few sets but I think I just need a little more rest between sets.

Thank you for the encouragement!
 
Number-LL said:
How do you time your meals? How much before a workout do you eat?
Click to expand...

I get in 2 to 3 high protein low-low carb, moderate fat meals a day between 1pm and 7pm. I train at 10am. I train on an empty stomach aside from the BCAA's and 2 Glucose Wafers. And more BCAA's mixed with whey protein after training. Depending if 2 or 3 meals, calorie count is around 1,400 - 2,000 daily and I maintain 250+ 12% - 14% at 6' 1". However, 10 years ago I would have wasted away on anything less that 4,000 - 5,000 calories. It's an aging thing I suppose.

Unless you are competing I wouldn't worry about meal timings and such. The edge it allowed me back in the day was minor at best. However, when competing, that "minor" can make all the difference where you stand on the podium.

The human body is a fantastic piece of machinery. Find out what yours uniquely requires for fuel and it won't give two-shits when it receives it. I have a fellow I train with who is 37 6' 5" 295 under 10% and eats only once a day! I suppose my point is that things have become just to damn complicated anymore and I hold the fitness "money-makers" responsible.

For low carb eating and nutrition, you may wish to contact Ron Kosloff at NSP Nutrition in Detroit He is a "free" flowing fountain of information and a former protege of the late Vince Gironda, who was preaching low-carb decades before anyone.
 
Number-LL said:
It is looking like it might be a lifestyle for me just to be safe. It seems to be the only way to keep my labs looking good.

Tell me more about the refeeds. How often? How much? What? I don't know if I will take that step because this is more about my overall health but a refuel every once in a while shouldn't hurt me long term.
Click to expand...

Just keto for 2 weeks. No refeed. Then after that one refeed meal per week.
 
Mondo said:
I get in 2 to 3 high protein low-low carb, moderate fat meals a day between 1pm and 7pm. I train at 10am. I train on an empty stomach aside from the BCAA's and 2 Glucose Wafers. And more BCAA's mixed with whey protein after training. Depending if 2 or 3 meals, calorie count is around 1,400 - 2,000 daily and I maintain 250+ 12% - 14% at 6' 1". However, 10 years ago I would have wasted away on anything less that 4,000 - 5,000 calories. It's an aging thing I suppose.

Unless you are competing I wouldn't worry about meal timings and such. The edge it allowed me back in the day was minor at best. However, when competing, that "minor" can make all the difference where you stand on the podium.

The human body is a fantastic piece of machinery. Find out what yours uniquely requires for fuel and it won't give two-shits when it receives it. I have a fellow I train with who is 37 6' 5" 295 under 10% and eats only once a day! I suppose my point is that things have become just to damn complicated anymore and I hold the fitness "money-makers" responsible.

For low carb eating and nutrition, you may wish to contact Ron Kosloff at NSP Nutrition in Detroit He is a "free" flowing fountain of information and a former protege of the late Vince Gironda, who was preaching low-carb decades before anyone.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much for all the information! 2-3 meals a day huh? I don't think I can do that. The last two days I have eaten full meals 3 times a day and snacked on scrambled egg whites and chicken salad between.
 
Glycomann said:
Just keto for 2 weeks. No refeed. Then after that one refeed meal per week.
Click to expand...

Thanks Glyco! I guess that is what I kind of remember from the first time. You get all your water dropped in a couple of weeks and then I started having one "cheat" meal on the weekends.

I doesn't look like I was tracking my weight real close back then but I did see a point where I dropped 17lbs in one month so that was probably my first low carb run.
 
Mondo said:
I have been low to no carb now for several years to keep from taking meds to control type II diabetes. I eat basically no carb throughout the week. Chicken, celery, broccoli and such is my mainstay. Saturday evening through Sunday I enjoy "some" carbs, pasta, bagels or whatnot. Sunday may see a little Ben and Jerry's. . . .

Before training I take 20g BCAA's and two glucose tablets http://www.cvs.com/shop/product-detail/CVS-Glucose-Tablets-Orange?skuId=149650 and these will give me enough "boost" to get through an ass busting leg workout. Post workout sees 10g BCAA's and 50g Whey protein mixed in water.

At first, I dropped "weight". . . . after a couple of months of tweaking protein amounts, meal timing and training, I actually added about 15lbs over the first year of low to no carb eating. Not too shabby for an old fart. Last time I was on a scale was when I was visiting Freezerdude's gym last month and I was a solid 256. After you get the eating "pattern" down, it's not so tough to stick with it. And some good salty sugary garbage once in awhile is just fine.
Click to expand...

Looks like an interesting run buddy. I think I could do it if I could ever make it through the first two weeks and get settled on what shopping to do etc.
 
OCD really has its bebfits with things like sticking to an eating program. . . .
 
Well, I'm 10 days in and it hasn't been as bad as I remembered it last time. I haven't weighted in a few days so I'm sure I'm down more but the last time I weighted I was down 8lbs. My ass is kind of dragging in the gym. I felt I was still increasing from muscle memory but that slowed way down with the diet. I'm still gaining slowly on most exercises but a few kind of stalled for now. I think in a couple of weeks my body will be more adjusted and start up the strength again. If not, it will be time to change up my routine and scare the Hell out of it. :)

BTW, I made some no bean chili last night that was excellent. It got heaped on my scrambled egg whites this morning.
 
This is a good thing to do once in awhile to throw something new at your body.
 
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