[Sydaycymn]

That's true, the body can't store much glycogen, and needs constant replenishing (from any source), otherwise it will dive into it's fat stores. This is exactly what someone who is trying to lose weight wants: the body to dive into it's fat stores!!! By eating fewer calories per day you are doing the exact same thing, encouraging your body to dive into it's fat stores.

By eating low carb all you are doing is keeping your body used to consuming fat for fuel, instead of carbohydrates. This helps you lose fat a little quicker than if you were eating low calorie and high carbohydrate, because your body would have to switch back and forth, and you would often feel hungry while it was in the process of switching.

Fats and proteins are good for long sustained energy. Carbohydrates are good for giving the body short bursts of energy--this is exactly what many people trying to lose weight are trying to avoid, those "short bursts of energy" are blood sugar spikes up and down, which encourages you to eat more. However, in a lot of sports those "short bursts of energy" are exactly what someone wants, and hence carb-loading before a big event. This practice, however, is currently under a lot of debate.

[FreeDownloadOEMsoftware]

yes weight trainer here glad to see ya on here please see my other posts as more detail but in short am cutting up period at moment (am not that big or muscular)

regards mick

[SnareeWer]

Not true. The body can't store much glycogen, and it needs constant replenishing from carbohydrates. If you're an athlete who wants to lose weight, then simply eat about 200-400 calories less per day than you burn.

[ElectraDupu]

I simply can't risk any damage to my knees, so I do power walking for cardio, and of course ice skating.

When I have a hockey game, I burn the equivalent of about 150 would-be carbs, so I find it hard to play while just burning protein. Usually about 2 hours before a game, I will snack on a couple bananas and maybe a muffin or something, or I will eat a sandwich with whole grain bread. I just need those carbs to make it through all 60 minutes, since being goalie I don't get a break like players do.

[ELURNSERB]

"By eating low carb all you are doing is keeping your body used to consuming fat for fuel, instead of carbohydrates."

Explain to me then how the body is supposed to perform supramaximal (anaerobic) activity?

As I said previously, if you want to be anything more than a novice athlete, you need carbs. To improve your cardiorespiratory abilities, you NEED to get your heartrate up and above 70% of its maximum. Below 70%, fats are the main source. Above 70%, carbohydrates are the main source.

[gamecasta]

siny-

I would recommend making sure you keep your weight training going. The reason is lean muscle tissue is the most metabolically active tissue in your body. It requires a certain number of calories each day to maintain itself. Therefore, the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn even when you’re just sitting around.

To keep your workouts new and exciting, here are a bunch of different exercise guides I found online:

Exercise Guides Database

Best of luck!

[Svatudjw]

I've done cardio and weights off and on for years, and now I lift two to three times a week, doing a full body workout, as well as throwing in some cardio. I've noticed that in the first day or two of strict induction, I can't do much, because I get light headed and a little sick feeling, but after I've gotten used to things, I do just fine. I still feel that I can't work out quite as hard as I could before, but it helps if I have a snack before I go. Of course, a snack before has always helped me work out harder, no matter what my eating habits were.

As for if it helps me, I believe it helps alot. I've always liked to have muscles, and being able to see some muscles is a great psychological boost, especially if the scale won't budge.

[PVaQlNaP]

True, but this could be because many serious athletes are already in very good shape - they don't need to lose weight, so they need the carbs to burn to prevent that weight loss. Athletes with weight to lose should not ingest so many carbs, so that they end up burning off the weight instead of just what they eat.

[Endatrybeeddy]

As a cyclist and a weightlifter, I wouldn’t recommend the Atkins diet for anyone who wants to be anything more than a novice athlete.

Carbohydrates are extremely important to maintain a healthy body (the brain needs a LOT of them to function properly), and I have consume upwards of 12+ grain servings per day (primarily whole-wheat) to get the energy I need for exercise. This is especially true during days on which I cycle, where my required calorie count (for a single day) in sometimes in excess of 5000.

Also, many nutritionists will recommend athletes get 55-65% of their calories from carbohydrates, exhibiting their significance.

[L0KoxewQ]

I run. I found it very difficult with low-carbing, until I was able to increase carbs to a certain level.

[Fruriourl]

Bumping this thread up.

I've begun going to the gym and working out...


Mostly cardio, but I do have a couple days of light-medium weight lifting as I'd like to build more muscle again.. (back to my hs days. )


I've read that I need glycogen post weight lifting to encourage my muscles to grow and replenish themselves. Glycogen being simple carbs...

Can anyone shed light into this with the atkins diet?

[*Playergirl*]

here's what I found on a google search:

"Complicated Diet? No Way!
Many bodybuilders use a food scale and notebook to map and record their nutritional regimen. One important goal in this tedious process is to ensure that muscles become fully saturated with glycogen.

Derived from carbohydrates, glycogen is the chief fuel source during weight training. If glycogen stored in muscle falls to inadequate levels, your performance diminishes, your intensity level diminishes and the result is a sub-par workout. This could lead to overtraining and even a loss of muscle tissue. When glycogen levels are low, the body calls upon protein, in the form of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), as a backup fuel source. Some of these BCAAs come from protein foods, but others come from your hard-earned muscle!

Daily workouts continually stress your glycogen stores. With the full-body blast, muscle-glycogen levels are typically high. Though large amounts of glycogen are used in the workout, you have 2–3 full days between workouts to increase your muscle-glycogen stores with adequate carbohydrate intake. Furthermore, it’s easier to keep your glycogen stores high because you don’t continually deplete them each day. This allows you to train with peak intensity — the kind that’s required for muscle growth."

The above was found on: http://www.thepumpingstation.com/feature.html

Also another helpful tidbit:

"Question: Should I do my cardio before or after weight training?

Response: Glycogen stores are stores of energy that your body uses during weight training and cardiovascular exercise. Although, during weight training glycogen stores are the only energy source used. Thus, completing your cardiovascular routine before weight training will substantially deplete your energy (glycogen) stores needed to complete a proper weight training program. Also, completing your weight training before your cardiovascular program significantly decreases you glycogen stores. So, when you begin your cardiovascular training your body burns less glycogen and more of your stored fat. In summary, to reach you optimal fat burning stages and to have the proper energy to utilize an exercise program, complete your weight training before you cardiovascular training."

The above was found on: http://www.changingshape.com/resourc...q.asp?faqid=10

[maniaringsq]

WOW !
I have always done the reverse. I never thought about doing cardio after weight training, I always thought I'd be sore and wouldn't be able to do as much. Thank you for the science.