Trying to cut as slowly (muscle sparingly) as possible.
M-F = Low Carb <50g
Sat-Sun = High Carb (at least 50g per feeding
No Cardio except for 10 min warmup on recumbant bike to loosen up my lower back on leg and back days
So far, 6 weeks in, I’m averaging .5 - 1.0 lbs lost each week, with no visable loss of muscle or strength. I take a bunch of fish oils and BCAAs (halfway through training) as added prevention of muscle loss.
[quote]esk221 wrote:
I understand your point, but keep in mind - What works for one person doesn’t work for another. Not until I really cut down on my carbs did I start to get leaner. I just figured out what works for me, YMMV. [/quote]
I felt the same way, I used to cut my carbs and before you knew it I was decently lean but I had lost most of my gains.
[quote]Growing_Boy wrote:
esk221 wrote:
I understand your point, but keep in mind - What works for one person doesn’t work for another. Not until I really cut down on my carbs did I start to get leaner. I just figured out what works for me, YMMV.
I felt the same way, I used to cut my carbs and before you knew it I was decently lean but I had lost most of my gains. [/quote]
Did you try cutting carbs less severely? Or lowering the volume/increasing the intensity of your workouts? Increasing your protein intake? Cutting out cardio?
Maybe you process carbs very well, and don’t need to reduce them, but personally, I’d do a lot of experimenting before deciding that low carb doesn’t work well for me.
[quote]Growing_Boy wrote:
esk221 wrote:
I understand your point, but keep in mind - What works for one person doesn’t work for another. Not until I really cut down on my carbs did I start to get leaner. I just figured out what works for me, YMMV.
I felt the same way, I used to cut my carbs and before you knew it I was decently lean but I had lost most of my gains. [/quote]
Well, surprisingly I’ve not only been able to keep my gains but gasp build muscle! Everybody is different.
low cal/low carb doesnt maintain strength and lbm, the weight loss will be muscle, u will look and feel worse than before if u r in the 10-15% bodyfat range. however if u arent then lowering carbs is the right approach
for fairly lean people cycling carbs will increase ur strength(or at least maintain it), and strip off stubborn bodyfat very quickly.3day cycles(high-low-no) work very effectively, and are very simple to follow,speaking from personal experience.
Of course it’s all a personal thing. I find that the more LBM you have, the higher the number of overall cals and carbs that you can effectively ‘diet’ on. I actually bump up my cals and carbs for a few weeks before I start cutting. This way my body adjusts to the new, higher levels, and then by going to my previous ‘maintenence’ level, it seems like a reduction.