Atkins diet and muscle growth?

**snowfox** · 05-04-2006, 05:57 PM

Is it even possible to grow muscle while doing atkins? Why is it so essential to use carbs to grow muscle as muscle is made out of protein.

I'm on atkins right now and aas, but it takes tremendous time and effort to put on a little bit of muscle...not to mention my strength improves very very slowly.

I certainly feel it hinders my gains enormously...it does however works wonders for fat loss. I just want to lose fat (not weight) and gain muscle. Should I just dump that keto shit and go with more cardio/ clean diet and perhaps some eca?

**steve0** · 05-04-2006, 06:05 PM

Originally Posted by snowfox

Is it even possible to grow muscle while doing atkins? Why is it so essential to use carbs to grow muscle as muscle is made out of protein.

I'm on atkins right now and aas, but it takes tremendous time and effort to put on a little bit of muscle...not to mention my strength improves very very slowly.

I certainly feel it hinders my gains enormously...it does however works wonders for fat loss. I just want to lose fat (not weight) and gain muscle. Should I just dump that keto shit and go with more cardio/ clean diet and perhaps some eca?

Ok, your muscles are made from tissue not protein, protein is used to rebuild /repair muscle breakdown..

your body uses carbs for energy there for you need them before and after a lifting session IMO, the reason you are slowly gaining stregth is because you have no energy source to use !!!, its impossible to loose fat and gain a lot of muscle mass while low carbing, you just need them, therefore pick a road and stay on it.

**Superballer** · 05-04-2006, 06:22 PM

atkins on aas... don't know why but that sounds scary.

**snowfox** · 05-04-2006, 06:28 PM

how about body opus style of keto and carb up days? Would that be a good idea?

**MarkyMark** · 05-04-2006, 06:37 PM

Who told you to go on Atkins ? Get off that and start eating....

**snowfox** · 05-04-2006, 06:48 PM

I eat loads...just under 50gr of carbs.

**1buffsob** · 05-04-2006, 06:54 PM

Anaerobic activity (such as lifting weights) requires glycogen as fuel. If you're glycogen depleted, which you will be if you're on atkins, how do you think your body makes up for it? *Waves goodbye to muscles*

1buffsob

**Jakt** · 05-04-2006, 06:59 PM

sounds like a horrible approach... idk... unless you are doing mad gh and test...

**ascendant** · 05-04-2006, 11:11 PM

having studied numerous diets, i can tell you of all the diets i've studied, atkins is the worst. you know you're following the diet of a person who had 4 heart attacks while on his own diet because of how unhealthy it is, and finally died on the 4th one?! what are you doing?!

atkins forces your body to burn ketones, which sends it into a state of semi-shock. this causes tremendous stress on the body, including but not limited to: catabolism (aka eating away of muscle tissue), decreased immunity system (leading not only to increased likelihood of colds/flus, but infections as well), decreased body organ function (liver, kidneys, etc), decreased good cholesterol and increased bad (increasing likelihood of heart attacks and strokes). do you see where i'm going with this? you're basically slowly killing yourself right now. you'd be better off smoking 3 packs of cigarettes a day!

any strength you're gaining right now is most likely due to neurological muscular adaptation and certainly not muscle hypertrophy (muscle growth). one reason people lose so much weight on atkins is because not only do they lose fat fast, but they lose muscle faster. the weight loss caused from an atkins diet is far from good for bodybuilders or anyone looking to have a well-figured body, unless of course you like the flabby-skinny look.

that's the thing atkins always left out of his documentation was to actually measure a persons bf% during their weight-loss while on his diets. not only did findings show that most people's bf% did not go down, but in many, it goes up because they're losing muscle faster than the fat and their body is trying to store all the fat it can because once again, it's in that state of shock and panic. so yes, you're losing weight, but not the weight you want to lose.

you need to drop that diet and eat like a human being is supposed to. just keep the fat intake low, carbs moderate, and protein high while doing lots of cardio and you'll get far better results. however, expect an initial weight gain, as your body is surely now extremely carb sensitive in attempts to adapt to the stress you've put it through. in the long-run though, you'll be far better off and get far better results.

**snowfox** · 05-05-2006, 03:04 AM

Wow, that's one scary situation I'd rather not be in. Is there any good way then to loose fat while gaining muscle or just bulk all the way and cut afterwards?

**alo5603** · 05-05-2006, 06:50 AM

not on atkins but bodyopus style by DD works.

**stayinstacked** · 05-05-2006, 07:11 AM

Atkins is bullshit, total setup for muscle loss and fatigue. The best diet I've seen as far as mainstream shit goes is the South Beach diet, but like I said, mainstream and mainstream isnt bodybuilder anymore.

**novastepp** · 05-05-2006, 07:20 AM

Originally Posted by snowfox

Wow, that's one scary situation I'd rather not be in. Is there any good way then to loose fat while gaining muscle or just bulk all the way and cut afterwards?

bulk then cut. and post your diet, i'd like to see how big of a load you are eating. what are your stats?

**1buffsob** · 05-05-2006, 07:25 AM

I'm with stayinstacked. Unless you are seriously obese, atkins diet is horrible. And just because you're on atkins, does not give you the right to eat a pound of bacon anymore. I think people hear "no carbs, and lose weight", then go out and buy pork rinds.

Horrible diet for a body builder. And yeah, South Beach is probably the best/healthiest 'public' diet there is.

1buffsob

**steve0** · 05-05-2006, 07:58 AM

didnt atkins kill some people as well ? well actually they killed them selves by eating what atkins said to.....but yeah bruh low glycogen levels turn into NO glycogen levels then your muscle tissue goes out the door.

**Boyindasouth** · 05-12-2006, 05:56 PM

Atkins didnt die from a heart attack, he died from falling down some stairs and landin on his head. I have heard many many stories of people lowering their cholesteral and being able to stop taking their High blood pressure meds after being on the atkins diet... So I wouldnt dog it too bad.

**ascendant** · 05-12-2006, 06:21 PM

Originally Posted by Boyindasouth

Atkins didnt die from a heart attack, he died from falling down some stairs and landin on his head. I have heard many many stories of people lowering their cholesteral and being able to stop taking their High blood pressure meds after being on the atkins diet... So I wouldnt dog it too bad.

you've gotta be kidding me. first of all, he did die of a heart attack. what you heard was the cover-up so the rest of his family could continue making money off his diet without him being discredited due to health concerns on his diet related to his death. even if what you said were true, there's still the fact that he had, if i remember correctly, either 3 or 4 heart attacks while on his diet himself. there have also been numerous documented cases of people having strokes and heart attacks on his diet as well, the numbers of which go well beyond chance and were clearly contributed to by his diet.

as far as what you heard about people lowering their cholesterol while on his diet, his diet is not a "low cholesterol" diet. due to his high fat diet and disregard for good and bad fats, it is the exact opposite, a "high cholesterol" diet. if people modified it to be otherwise, then it is no longer an "atkins" diet.

i just had to jump on this cause the majority of us know better than to say anything even the slightest bit good about atkins diet and encourage anyone to be on it. it is a horrible diet for bodybuilders, powerlifters, and anyone else looking to keep muscle mass while losing bodyfat. it's also horrible for anyone looking to stay healthy, cause you can't argue the fact that his "forced ketosis" state is very stressful on the body, and it lowers the immunity system, slows metabolism, decreases energy, etc.

if you think you have any good supporting arguments in defense of this ridiculous diet, please post credible info indicating where this diet is at all in the slightest bit a "healthy" diet?

**chest6** · 05-12-2006, 07:01 PM

Why in the world would someone get on the Atkins diet and then get on aas? Thats one of the dumbest things I have ever heard

**biglouie250** · 05-12-2006, 07:04 PM

Originally Posted by stayinstacked

Atkins is bullshit, total setup for muscle loss and fatigue. The best diet I've seen as far as mainstream shit goes is the South Beach diet, but like I said, mainstream and mainstream isnt bodybuilder anymore.

im not a fan of this approach either. i guess stage 3 makes sense but you wouldnt need the hell that is stage 1 if you did your AM cardio and excercised regularly.