low-carb or cutting?

**Italian44** · 06-02-2004, 06:49 AM

Hey everyone, im new to this forum. I use other forums. Im 18 years old, Im 5'5, last time I weighed myself was 3 weeks ago and I weighed at 180. I also measured my muscles, and I have 13 inch arms, 38 inch chest, 25 inch legs, and 42 inch shoulders. I weighed 195 pounds last year, mostly fat...so I went on the atkins diet and lost 43 pounds..i weighed 155 pounds when I was done. Then i started working out, and I gained back 25 pounds, to weigh 180. But I dont look a thing like last year, most of what I gained I believe was muscle. I still look sorta lean. Now is where Im curious...its the summer, Im going away to college on September 4th in Canada, and I want to look my best. I want to look lean, lose my gut-lose my love handles and my "chest fat". I also want to have built arms, shoulders, chest, and all. So im deciding to either cut or just do low-carb. I want to get down to at least 160...so should i cut or do low-carb, then start working out again?? im not sure if i should cut, or stop working out for 2 months and do low-carb again...then start working out again and bulk. If I cut, my plan is to wake up, having some protein (maybe tuna-no carbs) and then run a mile and walk high intensity. Walking high intensity i hear prevents u from losing muscle, and so does having protein before cardio. Then every 2 hours i eat more protein (tuna, meat, salmon, mackerel, shake)...i go to the gym around noon and workout for 45 minutes, then do an hour or so of cardio, with a protein shake before the cardio. Ill also try not to consume sugar, leave all my carbs to complex carbs, and try to eat around 150-200g of carbs a day, ketogenic range. Also try to lower my caloric intake to around 2200-2500. Like I said, im gonna start this plan once school finishes for me, June 11th and go until September 3rd. Is it possible at all to drop 20 pounds, or maybe even 25 pounds (hopefully fat) with the diet plan im talking about? Like i said, i want to go to college looking lean and muscular. If not, then i guess doing low-carb until the end of July is a better idea, then start bulking in August?? What do you guys think?? My AIM screen-name is VenezianPrince if u want to give me advice, so any advice will be appreciated.

**Yanick** · 06-02-2004, 06:57 AM

150-200g of carbs/day is not ketogenic range.

you should always be lifting weights, whether cutting or bulking, and none of that light weight high rep bullshit, stick to what you've been doing.

i wouldn't suggest an SKD if you are trying to keep your muscle, if you must go the low carb route, look up the CKD (carb up on specific days) or TKD (carbs around workout).

Looks to me like you are doing too much cardio. 2x/day is pre contest territory.

Read the stickies in the diet and nutrition forum it will give you a better understanding of cutting and junk. You give me the impression from your post that you neglect fat in your diet. fat is important, saturated and unsaturated fats are both important, just don't go overboard on the latter.

**CowPimp** · 06-03-2004, 04:03 PM

If you want to keep your muscles, then don't use a low-carb/ketogenic diet. If you cut properly, then you have way more than enough time to get to your target build.

**LAM** · 06-03-2004, 04:36 PM

Originally Posted by CowPimp

If you want to keep your muscles, then don't use a low-carb/ketogenic diet.

have you ever used a low carb diet like a CKD or TKD ? I've used them several times while losing 4-5% bf with no loss of LBM...

**CowPimp** · 06-03-2004, 05:44 PM

Originally Posted by LAM

have you ever used a low carb diet like a CKD or TKD ? I've used them several times while losing 4-5% bf with no loss of LBM...

Lucky you. I don't think most people can get away with such a thing. Yes, I have done a diet kind of like that. I didn't count my macros perfectly, but I certainly ate a lot less carbs than normally. I lost fat like crazy, but I definitely lost a good bit of muscle too.

Also, we have to define what low carb means. There is lowering your carbs, and then there is Atkins level low carbs (Under 20g in a day). How many carbs per day are we talking on the CKD and TKD diets?

In addition, since this person has until September to get to his target weight, I don't think a low carb diet is really necessary.

**LAM** · 06-03-2004, 06:17 PM

Originally Posted by CowPimp

Lucky you. I don't think most people can get away with such a thing. Yes, I have done a diet kind of like that. I didn't count my macros perfectly, but I certainly ate a lot less carbs than normally. I lost fat like crazy, but I definitely lost a good bit of muscle too.

Also, we have to define what low carb means. There is lowering your carbs, and then there is Atkins level low carbs (Under 20g in a day). How many carbs per day are we talking on the CKD and TKD diets?

In addition, since this person has until September to get to his target weight, I don't think a low carb diet is really necessary.

when you go on those types of diets you need to modify your training routine by both decreasing the volume and the intensity of training sessions. the addition of L-Glutamine and BCAA's is also essential to combat catabolism due to reduced serum inuslin levels..

**Yanick** · 06-03-2004, 08:57 PM

I have to agree with LAM on this one. All of his points plus the fact that i find it easier to stick to the program when i'm looking forward to my weekend pig out. I think that is the most beneficial part of any cyclical carb diet.

**CowPimp** · 06-04-2004, 01:54 AM

Originally Posted by LAM

when you go on those types of diets you need to modify your training routine by both decreasing the volume and the intensity of training sessions. the addition of L-Glutamine and BCAA's is also essential to combat catabolism due to reduced serum inuslin levels..

Cyclical carb diets and low carb diets are different things, or at least I consider them different. If you are going super low carbs every day, then I would suspect that it would be harder, although not necessarily impossible, to maintain LBM. Again, I don't think it is necessary for this guy to do a low carb diet because he has adequate time to lose the fat on a standard lower calorie diet.

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