High Protein, Low Carb Diet

[Hyperborean Hulk]

I'm 42 years old. About 8 years ago, I fell on a pipe (I'm a plumber) and the pipe went all the way through me. After a couple of surgeries, they patched me up. Needless to say, I was unable to work out at all for almost 2-years. I lost lots of size and strength (I was bench-pressing 425-lbs. before my accident).

After numerous off-and-on attempts to get back to it, I just couldn't. Scar tissue from surgery and bad knees from years of plumbing were all catching up to me. Worse than losing size and strength, I gained weight. So now I'm weak AND fat...great!

I've finally gotten back into the swing after all these years. I started with an adkins-type low-carb diet and dumped a good bit of weight.

Then I started swimming. This helped build up my core. Surprisingly, with the swimming, almost all back pain disappeared. The pain from the scar tissue used to be 24-hours a day. I just learned to live with it. But residual pain from surgery is incredibly reduced.

So here's where I am now. I'm benchpressing a pathetic 235-lbs. (which is real hard on my prevous 425-lb. weight-lifting ego). I want that strength again. I loved the bulk and the raw power. Meanwhile, I've worked too damn hard to get this fat off and I'm not in any hurry to dump my high protein/low carb diet.

So here's my question... I want gains. Is it possible to get those gains if I remain on the high protein/low carb diet? And yeah...I want FAST gains. I'm topping out at 235-lbs. on my benchpress and I feel like a wuss. I can't stand it. (bench press is just an example. all the other lifts I do are equally weak and pathetic).

[Doug]

Hi welcome to the forum...

The atkins (or low carb) diet is no good for building muscle and strength, It is not carbs that make you fat, it is the wrong foods, and inactivity that piles the pounds on...

The low carb diets are ok for people who sit on their butt all day watching TV, If you want to follow a low carb diet for cutting up thats fine, but you have to have an energy source and that either comes from carbohydrates or fats, a low carb diet normally has to have a high percentage of fat as an energy source, normally in the range of 40-70% fat. Some people try to follow a low carb with low fat, that wont work....

Have a look at This Article about carbohydrates and the bodies requirements from carbs....

How many carbs per day do you have at the moment...???

[tadolfi]

Hulk - welcome to M&S!

Sorry to hear about your accident and I do hope that the progress has been steady as far as a full recovery.

My opinion on the getting back to higher weight is this;
Your body has suffered a severe injury and even though your recovery is 100%, you have aged joints, slower recovery times, perhaps some nerve damage that could take years to come back and a different eating plan than when you were benching 425.
If you are looking in the mirror and feeling as good or maybe even better about what you see than you did back then - why worry about how much weight you're putting up?
Wouldn't you rather know you're 42 but all the youngers at the gym peg you at the low 30's because of your physique?

Just something to think about Bro.

[Hyperborean Hulk]

Doug, I keep my carbs at under 30G per day while simultaneously keeping my fat intake very low as well. It's been working. Between diet and 5-hour/day at the gym, the weights been coming off rapidly. I've dumped 20-lbs. in less than a month.

Tadolfi, You are probably right. I'm not dissatisfied with where I am right now. I'm making great progress. But it really gets inside your head when you hop on the bench and max out at what used to be the lowest weight for the workout. But you're right. In my gut, I have doubts that I'll ever move any monster weight ever again. I reckon if I can get up to 300-lbs. on my bench, I'd be ok with that.

Like everyone else, I want that magic elixir and instant results. I know it doesn't exist. But for the first time in almost 8-years, I'm making my own results. I'm still not at peace with it though. I lost eight years and I bloody well want them back. I'm a little bit mad about the whole thing (probably venemously angry to be honest). But I guess we all play the cards we're dealt. At the end of the day, it's really not the destination, it's the ride.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by Hyperborean Hulk

Doug, I keep my carbs at under 30G per day while simultaneously keeping my fat intake very low as well. It's been working. Between diet and 5-hour/day at the gym, the weights been coming off rapidly. I've dumped 20-lbs. in less than a month.

Tadolfi, You are probably right. I'm not dissatisfied with where I am right now. I'm making great progress. But it really gets inside your head when you hop on the bench and max out at what used to be the lowest weight for the workout. But you're right. In my gut, I have doubts that I'll ever move any monster weight ever again. I reckon if I can get up to 300-lbs. on my bench, I'd be ok with that.

Like everyone else, I want that magic elixir and instant results. I know it doesn't exist. But for the first time in almost 8-years, I'm making my own results. I'm still not at peace with it though. I lost eight years and I bloody well want them back. I'm a little bit mad about the whole thing (probably venemously angry to be honest). But I guess we all play the cards we're dealt. At the end of the day, it's really not the destination, it's the ride.

What is it that you want....?? Change your body composition or lose weight.....If you just want to lose weight then continue with your very low calorie diet (VLCD) you "will" lose muscle tissue, and as muscle tissue goes down so you will also lose the water that is stored with muscle. Then your metabolism will slow down to what ever you are eating, the body releases an enzyme called lipoprotein lapase, which then makes you hold onto fat, when you come off your diet because of the enzyme release you will put all the weight lost back on plus more.....

Your body will only allow a max of 2lb of fat loss per week, any more than that will be muscle tissue and water..

Your 30g of carbs per day is not enough to fuel even normal brain function, your body switches from using and uses ketones, there are concerns that these types of diets, if followed long-term, may increase the risk of kidney, bone and liver problems.

[yitmy]

Ah, now I understand the importance of the diet. Thanks Doug! +ve rep points