Keto and gaining muscle ?

[a4ken]

I'm new the board and have a few questions.

At the end of June I weighed 175 lbs and stand 5'9". I don't know my body fat % but I definitely could stand to lose some. So I went on the Atkins diet, pretty successfully and dropped down to 163. I have since started lifting weights and doing cardio on alternate days and changing my eating habits.

On Atkins I was happy eating steaks and salads,... but I have since switched to a 6 meals a day with balanced carbs and protein. I am on day 9 of my training program and weight hasn't fluctuated and I think it's too early to tell about muscle mass or strength gains.

My goals are to lose body fat, stay around the same weight and add muscle. Should I revert to a Keto type diet with my training or should I stick to carb/protein balance ?

Thanks

 

[MS]

"My goals are to lose body fat, stay around the same weight and add muscle. Should I revert to a Keto type diet with my training or should I stick to carb/protein balance ?"

My first advice is that you should choose your goals more carefully. Unless you are currently overweight (unlikely given your stats), it will be pretty tough (ie lucky) if you can lose fat AND gain muscle at the same time, no matter which diet you choose.

My other question is , what do you call a balanced protein/carb diet?? Give us some exact details of what you put in your mouth each day please.

Other than that I would strongly recommend you find someone who knows how to monitor changes in %bf. A loss of 12 lbs on a keto diet doesn't really tell us what the weight loss is made of, especially if you're female or a sodium sensitive/insulin resistant male. I gain or lose 8-10lbs of water in a matter of days by merely manipulating my carb intake and salt intake (I'm female). We really need to know a lot more to decide if you need to avoid carbs, sodium, or none of the above to lose fat. True muscle gain is another matter.....

 

[a4ken]

thanks for the advice...

ok so my goals by priority are

1. increase muscle mass ( arms especially )

2. lose fat ( mostly around my gut )


my daily food intake goes something like this...

1. low fat cottage cheese ( 250 grams ) mixed woth low fat yogourt

2. tuna salad

3. steak and brown rice

4. shake ( whey protein )

5. chicken breast and whole wheat pita bread with hummus

6. shake again...

that's a pretty typical day...


my training routine goes like this, alternating lifting ( upper body one lifting session and lower body the next ) and cardio...

I do 6 sets ( starting with 12 reps ) with increasing weights and decreaing number of reps for each muscle group and 20 minutes of interval running on cardio days...

any comments... can I benefit from cutting back on the carbs even though they are the "good" carbs ?

 

[a4ken]

oh and I almost forgot... about a gallon of water a day... although it is generally cool to room temperature, rarely ice cold...

 

[MS]

It's really impossible for us to tell if you're gaining muscle or not. As I hope you know, you can't always tell by changes in weight, and increases in strength can be from neural adaptations without any measurable muscle gains. Basically the only way you're gonna know if your diet and training program is working is either to look in the mirror (taking photos is even better since you can compare them over time, and get second opinions), or have regular body composition measurements. Your diet looks OK assuming your getting enough calories and protein. Do you eat any veggies?? I hope so....stick with it for at least 6 weeks and if you find it's not working after 6 weeks, you could try something else.