Atkins and weight lifting

[soldier_13]

Question.... Has any one had Negative results(Ie no muscle gain but a catabolic effect) while on the atkins program? I'm gonna keep up with the weights and especially cardio but worried about the possible catabolic effects?? Thanks!!!!

[forbey]

Re: Atkins and weight lifting

First, if you are overweight and have fat to burn. Atkins should help you burn it.

Second, if you are consuming sufficient protein and essential nutrients, increasing resistance training should allow you to put on weight in the form of muscle.

Combining the two should, not only slowly increase muscle mass, but also increase your metabolism, which should also help, decrease your body fat.

If you'll notice, I used the word "should" a bunch. That is because there is a large number of variables that must be aligned to your specific needs in order for it all to work out.

I do not believe it is possible for anyone but you (and your dr. and/or trainer) to determine what all those variables are and how they mesh for success.

For no other reason, resistance training, as part of your exercise regimen, will help strengthen bones, muscle, tendons and ligaments making your body healthier and more resilient against injury. (That is unless you should tend to over do it, then you are in for a lot of pain... Don't ask me how I know that... I just do!)

Good luck!

forbey

[Carne!]

Re: Atkins and weight lifting

I have been weight training for three weeks and have noticed no adverse effects from doing Atkins. To the contrary, I have made very good gains in both reps and weight load. I recently went from a 60lbs chest press to 72lbs, and increased my leg press by 20 pounds in one week. Eating adequate protein and fat is good for your body

Even with lifting heavy weights (for me), I have lost 9 pounds and about a dress size in under 3 weeks. Atkins + weight training is awesome.

[soldier_13]

Re: Atkins and weight lifting

Yeah i agree with what you said, BUT the body will go into a catabolic state when the body doesn't recieve adequate levels of protein and carbs. Especially post workout for replenishment purposes. I'm going to continue to train as I have and keep upping the cardio and I will asses it as I go. I was curious because most people I have met tend to side more with a CKD (cyclic ketogenic diet) vs atkins and i wanted to get some others input from here ::

[forbey]

Re: Atkins and weight lifting

the body will go into a catabolic state when the body doesn't recieve adequate levels of protein and carbs.

Actually, on Atkins, the goal is to make sure you get sufficient protein and fat. What carbs you take in are only controlled by the stage on Atkins you are in.

Once into lypolisis, your primary source of energy becomes fat (ketones). I know we have runners and . I'm sure other types of exercisers all living quite well on Atkin's controlled carb, sufficient protein and increased levels of fat.

Building muscle requires the controlled ripping of muscle tissue and the repairing of those rips with new muscle tissue. It is the quality and quantity of the protein you take in that will determine how those muscles rebuild. As with cattle, it is also possible to have fat contained within muscle (in cattle it is called marbling). You might see a decrease in muscle size at first as your body fat percentage works its way down. Then, at some time in the future, you will begin to see the muscle size increase.

The only way your body will actually enter a catabolic state is if your energy sources do not meet your metabolic needs and the only other source of energy is through the burning of protein.

Again, calculate your protein needs, provide the controlled level of carbs to meet the requirements of Atkins and then make sure your fat intake is sufficient to meet your metabolic needs (unless you are looking to loose weight, then you provide sufficient fat to kick you into lypolisis, then let your body burn its own fat.)

Dr. Atkins makes two arguments against the cannibalization of the muscle. One, when man (as recently as the first few decades of the 20th century) had plenty of carbs to eat, he burned carbs. During the times when carbs were not available, he hunted meat and used ketones for energy. He remained much healthier than most men today, Second, the reference of the grizzley bear was used. The bear eats carbs all spring, summer and fall, building a good reserve of fat. In the winter he goes into hibernation, converting his system to burn fat, so he can sleep all winter and come out thinner, hungrier but no worse for the wear.

forbey

[forbey]

Re: Atkins and weight lifting

Another concern that weight lifters may have is that while on Atkins they may experience no weight loss or even a weight gain.

If you loose a pound of fat and gain a pound of muscle, you will weigh exactly the same as you did before the "switch". However, a pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat, so you will be smaller. Another factor is in a body building/ Atkins weight loss program you will tend to gain the muscle around the areas you work the hardest, while, your weight loss will be aroud the areas you tend to work the least.

So, your arms, legs, butt might be tighter and growing while your waist line is shrinking.

[forbey]

Re: Atkins and weight lifting

Another tidbit (or set of tidbits):

Calories are release for use as energy first by sugars, next by fats and lastly by proteins.

Protein and carbohydrates (I mean useable net carbs) gain approximately 4 kilocalaries per gram (kcal/g) , while fats release 9 kcal/g. (alcohols get 7 kcal/g)

A calorie is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celcius. (That is over simplified, but works for what we need.)

So, if you are consuming (or wearing) sufficient fat to be used as a source of energy, once the metabolism is aligned properly to use fat as a fuel, the end result is more than twice the number of calories of heat (or energy) is gained from burning fat as is gained from sugar.

To me, that would indicate that if provided as a fuel source in our food, you can get more done with less fat than you can with more than double the amount of sugar.

Hope that isn't boring!

[ziggy]

Re: Atkins and weight lifting

it takes a good 6 weeks before your body's muscles adapt enough to low carb that you can work out good but id say give it a good 10 weeks

a person who eats naturally no junk food no whole wheat and just food they find in nature which is naturally a low carb diet his muscles will be in short ' insulin senseitive '

but a person who has ate bad carbohydrates like bread for along time his body had to adapt and remove alot of the insulin receptors from his muscles so that they did not over flood with glucose which is bad so in short a high carb diet persons muscles are ' insulin resistant '


right now your muscles are still insulin resistant and your body needs to adapt and produce more insulin receptors in order to work out good and this adaption takes along time

this 6-10 week adaption is especially hard on people who work out and athletes it is extremely hard on them to wait that 6-10 weeks feeling weak the whole time and most can't handle it and give up and say they NEED carbs

most also don't know there body is produceing more insulin receptors so that if they do wait they will then beable to fuel there muscles much better and easier and much healthier with insulin senseitive muscles you can fuel your muscles eating healthier foods like meat and berries and maybe a little fruit and but with insulin resistant muscles you need to eat horrible foods like pasta to beable to fuel your muscles


i have alot of insulin receptors on my muscles now aka very insulin senseitive muscles now and i tested a few times what would happen if i ate lots of bad carbs candy,bread,potatos in one day with insulin senseitive muscles well what happend was all of my muscles on my whole body got soo sore i could barely move. i see clearly why are bodies do not want are muscles to over flood with glucose


and atkins will make you gain muscle and lose fat there is no catabolic effect even though it feels like it from what was just explained

but also one guy had muscle cramps for the first 4 months of atkins so maybe it can take alot longer for the muscles to adapt for some people

[2big4mysize]

Re: Atkins and weight lifting

the UCONN study proved atkins folk add muscle mass eating atkins even if they don't exercise.

I did the BFL lifitng program and added 11 pounds of lean body mass while doing Atkins OWL and dropped body fat too.

If the pics are still on the mens forum you can see the guns created by several of the boys doing atkins and lifitng

[forbey]

Re: Atkins and weight lifting

One of the biggest reasons for cramps for a new weight lifter or a weight lifter new to Atkins is the added stress of increased cellular waste (and intracellular waste) of running both Atkins and weight lifting. (This would also be a problem of any other intensive exercise program, like marathon training, etc.) Replacing electrolytes and flushing the system with lots of good clean water should limit problems with cramping. Add to that an extensive stretching program to keep the muscles loose.

[forbey]

Re: Atkins and weight lifting

Hopefully, the following comments don't offend anyone. They come as much, or more, from the experiences I have had dealing with me as they are from any other source:

An integral part of the Atkins approach is the necessity of increased activity. For the clinically obese to the morbidly obese, who tend to avoid as much activity possible (I'm the prime example), exercise is just a PAIN. Getting our keasters out of the recliner causes us problems with joint pain (ankles, knees, hips and spine); causes us to huff and puff, we can get to a point where walking a few steps to a flight of stairs and feel like we are going to pass out. Heck, at one point I bought slip on shoes, because bending over to tie my shoelaces made me feel like I was suffocating and the blood rushing to my head (and back when I stood up) made me feel like I was going to pass out. So, many of us are as sedentary as a human can get. Our muscles begin to atrophy simply for lack of use.

Those of us BIG BONED individuals fool ourselves into believing we are just naturally thick, when in fact we are wasting away from the inside out. I used to joke that I always believed the addage was "survival of the fattest" and I was going to live forever! You know the drill, "the doctor told me to watch my weight, I'm just getting out where I can see it."

Sorry, I can get long winded... So what does this have to do with Atkins and weight lifting?

Once you begin Atkins and you commit yourself to get moving, you can't help but build muscle. Whether it is getting your butt out of the chair to get the mail, ot to walking to the corner and back. Heck, drive to the park, walk to your favorite bench, sit down and catch your creath and then walk back to the car.

Every muscle you put to use starting today, that you didn't use regularly before is going to build muscle.

Again, when practicing Atkins , lifting weights or just getting yourself moving, you also must include increasing your water intake. I would guess, you have to push way past the 64 ounces of water per day to flush out the cellular wastes generated from the increased activity. PLUS! And, this is a big plus, making sure you get the nutrients and micro nutrients you need to keep your system running healthy.

Next stop, building muscle, without lifting "weights."

[soldier_13]

Re: Atkins and weight lifting

Forbey, I understand what you mean and I am sure you will acheive the results you are seeking in no time. Personally I'm looking to lose weight and do a body re comp. I have no issues in the fitness department but I know that at 190ish I feel more in my prime than now. Since I am currently still in the Army, the physical activity is always present and I'm always looking for more ways to stay fit.

[2big4mysize]

Re: Atkins and weight lifting

Forbey, I understand what you mean and I am sure you will acheive the results you are seeking in no time. Personally I'm looking to lose weight and do a body re comp. I have no issues in the fitness department but I know that at 190ish I feel more in my prime than now. Since I am currently still in the Army, the physical activity is always present and I'm always looking for more ways to stay fit.

Thank you for your service.

if you haven't already get measured at your neck chest waist hips thighs calves wrist and biceps. and then monitor those numbers as you eat your atkins and do your exercise. You should see gains in your muscles areas you are working and a loss in your hips, wrist, neck and waist.
Also if you can get your body fat measured that would help you see how well you are morphing your body working your atkins as you shed excess body fat and add lean body mass even if the scales don't reward you for your hard work.

[forbey]

Re: Atkins and weight lifting

FIRST! Thank you for your service!

I understand where you are at in your program, having spent 3 years in the Army and 4 in the Marines, a soldier "finding" PT wouldn't be a problem. Maybe if I spent more time in the gym 25 years ago, I probably wouldn't be in the situation I'm in now.

IF you choose to use Atkins as your nutritional approach, make sure you supplement with the right kind of nutrients and push the water. As others have said there might be an initial lag in progress and energy, but you should rebound and surpass what the "normal" diet would give you. Remember, once you get into the ongoing weight loss phase, pre-maintenance or maintenance, you will be able to increase your carbohydrate intake to match the intensity of your workouts.

forbey

[2big4mysize]

Re: Atkins and weight lifting

FIRST! Thank you for your service!

I understand where you are at in your program, having spent 3 years in the Army and 4 in the Marines, a soldier "finding" PT wouldn't be a problem. Maybe if I spent more time in the gym 25 years ago, I probably wouldn't be in the situation I'm in now.

IF you choose to use Atkins as your nutritional approach, make sure you supplement with the right kind of nutrients and push the water. As others have said there might be an initial lag in progress and energy, but you should rebound and surpass what the "normal" diet would give you. Remember, once you get into the ongoing weight loss phase, pre-maintenance or maintenance, you will be able to increase your carbohydrate intake to match the intensity of your workouts.

forbey

somebody needs to reread their DANDR.

Tolerence of carb increases will occur as one increase the duration and intensity of ones workouts, but it is the fatty acids and proteins from our atkins eating that will provide the fuel for production of the majority of our body energy units as no body part required dietary carbohydrates as its fuel source since the human body can make its own "carb" fuel as needed.