Thread: Can you do "Atkins" and still gain mucsle?

I would say no, you cannot gain LBM through Atkins, unless you're at the stage of Atkins where you are taking in a steady amount of low GI carbohydrates daily. If you're in the keto period, and you're not incorporating carb-ups, then no, you are not going to see gains in lean muscle mass. Also, your diet needs work. 16 ounces of chicken breast at once? That's how much chicken I eat in three separate meals! You should be eating 6 meals, spaced 3 hours between each other. Also, cherry tomatoes are tiny, and aren't Atkins friendly either, are they? Change the tomatoes to cruciferous vegetables, romaine lettuce, cucumbers, kale, endives or spinach...or a blend of all of them...

Also, what is your water intake? If you want to gain muscle mass...you NEED carbs...you CAN lose weight AND eat carbs at the same time..you jst need the right carbs.

Peace.

Originally posted by mantosof
Hi
I need help.

My diet looks like this:
BR: 1 egg + 5 whites, 2 cups brocolli, 2 oz cheddar cheese
Lnch: Can of Tuna, 2 tb Mayo and 2 cups salad.
DR: 16 oz chicken breast + 10 cherry tomatoes.

I also take a Ultra Vita-Man multi vitamin ( seems loaded with stuff).

Im happy i lost so much weight but is there seomthing i could do to DO THIS BETTER??

Thanks!

Dude this is only about 1200-1400 calories by my estimate, which is way too little for you. Your diet needs to be more consistent by eating more often throughout the day and include more calories. Right now your body is eating all of your muscle (a common occurence with the Atkins diet). Healthy weight loss is one to two pounds PER WEEK, which means you are losing weight too fast.

Your muscles will not grow unless you do things properly. You are in the right place for advice, though...first thing I would do is add two snacks to your daily meals in between your breakfast/lunch and lunch/dinner.

You could always read this Guide to Cutting, Bulking & Maint.

Why does everyone not see this Sticky

Hmmmm....................why should I read when someone will tell me??

That was my opinion on the general consensus

Originally posted by Jodi


Why does everyone not see this Sticky

I think this is b/c most people use the "see new posts" link which shows by-passes the stickies.

Thanks for the tips. What im gathering is that i cant do both,

When your chubby - its hard to NOT want to lose weight as quickly as possible. Socially and emotionally.

So i can either:

stay at 1400 calories a day and do only cardio. Then when im thin, i can lift and eat 2500 calories a day to maintain low body fat, and build muscle.

or
lose only a pound a week (ie..increase my calories to around 2200 a day). Lift and cardio, and only lose a pound a week. Will take a year to get down to goal.

Should i add a Whey protein powder as well?

Thanks

ps - that would explain why im always sore - day after a lift im sore. I was taught you dont get sore once your muscles get used to the motion and weight.

Originally posted by mantosof
Thanks for the tips. What im gathering is that i cant do both,

When your chubby - its hard to NOT want to lose weight as quickly as possible. Socially and emotionally.

So i can either:

stay at 1400 calories a day and do only cardio. Then when im thin, i can lift and eat 2500 calories a day to maintain low body fat, and build muscle.

or
lose only a pound a week (ie..increase my calories to around 2200 a day). Lift and cardio, and only lose a pound a week. Will take a year to get down to goal.

Should i add a Whey protein powder as well?

Thanks

ps - that would explain why im always sore - day after a lift im sore. I was taught you dont get sore once your muscles get used to the motion and weight.

I understand exactly what you are saying here. I am down about 50 lbs (70 of fat) and am very tempted to cut my calories to speed things up. However, that will do nothing but 1) kill my metabolism and 2) make me more likely to gain the weight back when I up my calories.

It sucks, but the best thing you can do is just keep your calories a little below maintenance and let time do it's thing. This is what I am doing and I have little fear of putting my weight back on b/c it has become habit now.

FWIW...Pepper

Originally posted by Pepper
I think this is b/c most people use the "see new posts" link which shows by-passes the stickies.

Any suggestions on a different name to make it more noticable?

Originally posted by Pepper
I think this is b/c most people use the "see new posts" link which shows by-passes the stickies.

Fade does that but I just don't like it myself

Originally posted by mantosof
ps - that would explain why im always sore - day after a lift im sore. I was taught you dont get sore once your muscles get used to the motion and weight.

Pretty sure that's a big ole myth! My hubby has been working out consistently for 15 yrs at least and he still gets sore.

And I know I can do the same leg workout from week to week and sometimes I VERY sore afterwards and other times I'm not at all

Originally posted by Jodi
Any suggestions on a different name to make it more noticable?

Maybe make the stickies a different color to make them standout???

Originally posted by mantosof
Thanks for the tips. What im gathering is that i cant do both,

It IS possible but your training and diet have to be dialed in to perfection.

stay at 1400 calories a day and do only cardio. Then when im thin, i can lift and eat 2500 calories a day to maintain low body fat, and build muscle, or lose only a pound a week (ie..increase my calories to around 2200 a day). Lift and cardio, and only lose a pound a week. Will take a year to get down to goal.

One thing you left out is what your estimated bodyfat % is. Dropping from 230 to 180 is fantastic. Now your goal is 150. Ask yourself what would you rather be. 180 lbs at 10% BF, or 150 at 15%? The vast majority of us IM'ers would pick 180 lbs at 10%. To do this from here you MUST increase your calories. Atkins is ok for jump starting your diet. Losing 50 lbs, you've more then jump started, you kicked it's ass . Now you need to concentrate on lowering fat intake, increase carbs to a moderate level (or do Carb Cycling, just read the damn sticky's), and increase your protein intake to 1-1.5 grams per pound of current BW. Eat 5-6 meals a day and strive to evenly distribute your protein intake, and workout with heavy weights with low to moderate reps to maximize muscle gain

Should i add a Whey protein powder as well?

Great way to add protein to your diet. It is best to use whey right after your workout.

There is a lot to know about proper diet. Read Jodi's sticky. It is excellent reading.

Originally posted by vanity

Just throw in a few pictures of scantilly clad women along with the sticky. That should solve the problem.

Now THAT, is a great idea!

a) why is this question continually asked?
b) Who the hell wants to do the atkins diet anyway? Why would you want to give up carbs? Ketosis is not neccesary for fat loss.

Ive been on every diet on earth - and failed. Atkins worked for me because it reduces your cravings and hunger - thus you stay on it longer - the KEY factor in any weight loss plan. I could never have lost 50 pounds in 5 months any other way. But that me - everyone choses what plan works best for them.
That said - im totally ignorant as to weight lifting tips and muscle building skills etc..and i appreciate the responses ive received.

ive decided to continue weight lifting and cardio as before. I will add calories mostly in protein (chicken and whey powder) and add more berries to get my daily carbs up to 40 for the day.

Wont gain tons of muscle..but when im down to 150 ill be lean and mean.

I would say that you are not seeing your muscles grow for a couple of reasons:

1) carbs are anabolic......insulin is anabolic......want muscle?? Need insulin.

2) your carbs are so low that you probably always look depleted. More carbs=more water retention=larger, fuller muscles.

Why not add some oats or brown rice for carbs?

.... and some black beans.

Hey man 150 n 5'7"

THATS WAY TO LEAL...lol...
try staying 18.....n loosing foody fat n adding muscel mass....

trust me iv been from very fat to very skinny to what i am now....
SKINNY isnt alll that great...LOL...........

T.P

Maybe you should try the CKD diet http://www.c-k-d.com
Low carb on the weekdays carb up on the weekends.
Retains muscle mass while losing fat.

Yes. - I've gone from 20 stone 99.98% bodyfat (lol) i.e. no muscle.

To 15 stone, doubled the amount i can lift on ANY exercise, gained ALOT of muscle and lost STONES of bodyfat, in about 12 months. With no more than 20g/carbs a day the whole time.

(I only kept on atkins this long because i was massively overweight).

Originally posted by Ezrolith
Yes. - I've gone from 20 stone 99.98% bodyfat (lol) i.e. no muscle.

To 15 stone, doubled the amount i can lift on ANY exercise, gained ALOT of muscle and lost STONES of bodyfat, in about 12 months. With no more than 20g/carbs a day the whole time.

(I only kept on atkins this long because i was massively overweight).

what the F#$k is a stone?

Originally posted by IronSlingah
what the F#$k is a stone?

It is a British measurement. One stone equals about 14 pounds.

You should be getting about 200 grams of protein, 100 carbs, and about 60 grams of fat, mostly non-saturated

I think it is virtually impossible w/o a PH or AAS to lose weight as fast as the OP and retain any lean mass, especially on Atkins.

The only nutritionists who recommend Atkins have $ to gain. I worked for Arnold's assistant on the President's Council on Fitness in the late 90s, and Atkins is a sham.

Yes, you lose weight quickly, but you lose your lean muscle mass and you train your body to eat in a very unhealthy way that is impossible to maintain for a lifetime without damaging your heart and your ability to grow msucles.

Old fashioned hard work (i.e. tons of cardio) and smart eating is the only way to lose weight safely while maintaining LBM. If Atkins was so magical, competition athletes would use it.