[vNQmO2BF]

Thanks Blue. This is very good. Unfortunately, it applies more to self 2 years ago than self now. As I am approaching my target weight, and desiring to continue to increase strength and musculature, I'm just not sure how to adapt Atkins for myself. Trial and error would be almost impossible to gather meaningful results.

I am considering eating a high carb protein bar (Detour bar) about 1/2 hour before each workout. I used to eat these frequently, and I gained significant strength and mass while eating them. It is packed with protein 30g, and carbs, ~50g. I think I would burn it up during the workout, and wonder if this would totally screw up my ketosis. Since I work out often (3-4 times a week), I'd be eating these quite a lot.

Right now, I am more interested in slimming down than growing big. I may hold off any changes until the fall, and continue to focus on increasing aerobics to burn fat, and lifting as heavy as I can to avoid losses.

[valiumcheepval]

5000 calories and 400g is low relative to WHAT?

For example, if you were to consume 5,000 calories, with 1600 of those calories coming from carbohydrate, then your diet derives 32% of its calories from carbohydrate. That's an example of carbohydrate intake expressed in relative terms.

If someone weighing 200 pounds ate two grams of carbohydrate per pound of bodyweight, they would also be consuming 400 grams of carbohydrate. This time, however, carbohydrate intake is expressed in absolute terms.

For many people, 400 grams of carbohydrate would be enough to keep their glycogen stores topped up — despite the fact that the diet appears to be low in carbohydrate when expressed in relative terms.

[MineOffedOvex]

For Brian.

4. Exercise & the Low-Carb Diet

From: http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com

"Another popular myth about the low carb diet..."

One of the most common criticisms of a low carb diet is that it can harm your performance in the gym. However, what's not so well known is that overweight people burn less carbohydrate and more fat when they exercise.

In fact, a recent trial shows that during 60 minutes of exercise,
overweight men burn almost 50% less carbohydrate than lean men. While a low carb diet might not be the best way for athletes to maximize their performance, it's a perfectly acceptable way to eat if you want to lose fat — even if you're exercising regularly.

There are many different variations of the low carb diet, ranging from an extremely low carb diet (such as the induction phase of The Atkins Diet) to a moderately low carb diet (such as The Zone). What all types of the low carb diet have in common is the fact they reduce the amount of carbohydrate your body stores.

Carbohydrate is stored in the form of glycogen (pronounced gly-ka-jun) in your liver and muscles. Glycogen molecules are linked together like a chain of sausages. They can range in size from a few hundred to several thousand glucose molecules.

In total, your body can hold 400-500 grams of glycogen (the equivalent of 1600-2000 calories). That's the same amount of carbohydrate found in 25 slices of bread. Of course, this does vary from person to person. The more muscle you have, the more glycogen you can store. Your body has a remarkable ability to adapt to what you eat. Follow a low carb diet for just a few days, and your body adapts by producing more of the enzymes that convert stored fat into energy. Not only that, the fuel your body uses during exercise also depends on how fat you are. Some
evidence for this comes from a trial published in Obesity Research.

Seven obese and seven lean middle-aged men with a similar level of aerobic fitness exercised on a bike for 60 minutes. Results showed that the overweight men burned almost 40% more fat calories than the lean men. The amount of glycogen used was also 50% lower in the obese men. There are anecdotal reports of people performing better on a low carb diet. However, most trials show that exercise performance is enhanced when your glycogen stores are higher rather than lower. The confusion in this area
often stems from the misleading comparison between absolute and relative carbohydrate intake.

• Absolute carbohydrate intake is usually described in grams relative to bodyweight.

• Relative carbohydrate intake is usually described as a percentage of total calorie intake.

For example, if you were to consume 5,000 calories, with 1600 of those calories coming from carbohydrate, then your diet derives 32% of its calories from carbohydrate. That's an example of carbohydrate intake expressed in relative terms.

If someone weighing 200 pounds ate two grams of carbohydrate per pound of bodyweight, they would also be consuming 400 grams of carbohydrate. This time, however, carbohydrate intake is expressed in absolute terms.

For many people, 400 grams of carbohydrate would be enough to keep their glycogen stores topped up — despite the fact that the diet appears to be low in carbohydrate when expressed in relative terms. The difference between absolute and relative nutrient intake is one reason why you'll see conflicting reports about the effect of carbohydrate on exercise performance.

The bottom line is that for people who want to lose fat, keeping glycogen stores topped up is less important than for someone aiming to improve athletic performance.

Reference
Goodpaster, B.H., Wolfe, R.R., & Kelley, D.E. (2002). Effects of obesity on substrate utilization during exercise. Obesity Research, 10, 575-584

COMMENT: I’m sure every low-carb reader of this e-zine will distribute this piece far and wide! Thanks to Christian Finn of Facts About Fitness for running this article. And in a related story.............

[Sydaycymn]

This is for general low carb diets and not specifically Atkins, so take it with a grain of salt.

[Koayrbzh]

lol, FA.

Interesting, this article bodes well for me.