what's the least carb intake; for a muscle to still be building?

[VeraDeMilo]

This is an awesome post.....Reed and I had it out a while back when he first joined the board and was preaching the Keto diet for cutting....Then almost at the same time, we both aplogized and bascially said, "different strokes, for different folks." All that matters is what works for you and its been my experience that trial and error is the only way to get there....Im like you, I have ZERO interest in cutting without carbs, my lifts suffer, my personality suffers, people around me suffer, lol. But thanks in part to this site and several of its members I have matured enough to know that this doesnt give me the right to bash someone else for using a dieting/training method that works for them, for any reason, whether it be a clinical based argument or real-life experience based.

I am the exact same way on a LOW carb diet. However on the keto diet, which is basically NO carbs/few indirect carbs, the result is very different. it takes about 4 days for your body to fully reach ketosis. In those 4 days, I am miserable, irritable, have no energy, can't think or focus well, don't want to lift, or talk to anyone, lol. But once my brain reaches ketosis, it is quite an amazing feeling. I wake up with all the energy in the world. And it doesn't change. My mood is pleasant, I have zero mood swings. My energy levels are steady, thoughts are clear, focus is amazing, I have very few food cravings. And it stays that way as long as you don't mess up your diet. However, a lot of people who have had bad experiences with it fail because they don't monitor their diet strictly. Even having a piece of breaded chicken or a tblspoon of bbq sauce will temporarily kick you out of ketosis and thats when you will experience a short term period of irritability and low energy. Because your body goes back to thinking is is running on glucose again instead of ketones.

As I told Nova before, I was very skeptical before I ever ran that diet because it basically went against everything I had ever learned before. And I had tried the low carb diets before and experienced the unpleasant feelings that you described. But I gave it a shot and absolutely love it. I am in no way preaching that it is the only way. It is merely a different way. And the way that I myself have personally experienced the most success while cutting fat and maintaining muscle without the help of outside dietary aids.

I absolutely 100% agree that each one of us is different. And what works best for one person, may not for the next. But I feel its important for each of us to give everything a fair try to see how we respond to everything.

[novastepp]

This is an awesome post.....Reed and I had it out a while back when he first joined the board and was preaching the Keto diet for cutting....Then almost at the same time, we both aplogized and bascially said, "different strokes, for different folks." All that matters is what works for you and its been my experience that trial and error is the only way to get there....Im like you, I have ZERO interest in cutting without carbs, my lifts suffer, my personality suffers, people around me suffer, lol. But thanks in part to this site and several of its members I have matured enough to know that this doesnt give me the right to bash someone else for using a dieting/training method that works for them, for any reason, whether it be a clinical based argument or real-life experience based.

i like what you said. i am stone cold advocate of the pro/carb method. and maybe i should change that to, "i am stone cold 100% for everyone trying it for at leats a month or two". i know it takes time to get used to using carbs and if after a long period of strcit dieting, it isn't working... then maybe try something else. i enjoyed reading your post.

I have tried this method before, with 3 protein/fat meals and 3 protein/carb meals alternating every 3 hours throughout the day. And to be honest, I did not see much of a beneficial difference in bodyfat storage from just having 6 balanced meals combining all 3 in each one. So this is the route I go now. (6 meals, pro/carb/fat in each)
Also, when bulking, I like to keep my insulin levels spiked as much as possible, so I feel having carbs with each meal may be a bit more beneficial to myself and my goals

that is where i am in regards to separation. sometimes they naturally separate (chicken and potatoes), other times my pro/fat/carbs are about equal (steak, cheese, potatoes).

I am the exact same way on a LOW carb diet. However on the keto diet, which is basically NO carbs/few indirect carbs, the result is very different. it takes about 4 days for your body to fully reach ketosis. In those 4 days, I am miserable, irritable, have no energy, can't think or focus well, don't want to lift, or talk to anyone, lol. But once my brain reaches ketosis, it is quite an amazing feeling. I wake up with all the energy in the world. And it doesn't change. My mood is pleasant, I have zero mood swings. My energy levels are steady, thoughts are clear, focus is amazing, I have very few food cravings. And it stays that way as long as you don't mess up your diet. However, a lot of people who have had bad experiences with it fail because they don't monitor their diet strictly. Even having a piece of breaded chicken or a tblspoon of bbq sauce will temporarily kick you out of ketosis and thats when you will experience a short term period of irritability and low energy. Because your body goes back to thinking is is running on glucose again instead of ketones.

As I told Nova before, I was very skeptical before I ever ran that diet because it basically went against everything I had ever learned before. And I had tried the low carb diets before and experienced the unpleasant feelings that you described. But I gave it a shot and absolutely love it. I am in no way preaching that it is the only way. It is merely a different way. And the way that I myself have personally experienced the most success while cutting fat and maintaining muscle without the help of outside dietary aids.

I absolutely 100% agree that each one of us is different. And what works best for one person, may not for the next. But I feel its important for each of us to give everything a fair try to see how we respond to everything.

i am still going to give your diet a shot when i feel the need to cut, so don't go changing your game up on me i'm going to need your help when i plan out the adventure.

comments

[VeraDeMilo]

Nova, I honestly think you will do very well on it. You are very knowledgeable about dieting and nutrition and it seems you are very disciplined in your daily eating habbits, so I think you are one of the people that will find great success on it. I definitely look forward to helping out