experienced low-carb dieters

[doodle]

Does anyone here stay on a relatively low carb diet year round on or off cycle, and also do you find it hard to maintain muscle/add muscle.

[MaDmaN]

Does anyone here stay on a relatively low carb diet year round on or off cycle, and also do you find it hard to maintain muscle/add muscle.

Tough to do,workouts suffer,body suffers and the mind..IMO

I used to do it all the time it's like a yo yo..

better to stick with balanced diet then adjust total calories for gain or loss..

[TheDrive]

Let me make something clear first before someone berates me later... I'm NOT saying that complex carbs are bad for you. There are many great, healthy foods full of complex carbs like oats for example. I have a hard time managing my weight. It seems to me that no matter how often I work out and no matter the intensity, my diet is in complete control.

I tried the low carb "Atkins Diet" for awhile. Good concept, but I modified it a bit and I still use this specific method today.

I consume a lot of meat, fish, eggs, peanut butter, nuts, you name it, if its protein...I eat it. I eat a healthy amount of vegetables and even more fruits than I do veggies... The atkins diet trys to steer you clear of fruits altogether to avoid the sugars which are seen as evil carbohydrates.

What I've learned is that the fruits contain the simple (carbs) sugars that provide a great source of quick energy, and are easily burned off. (Not to mention the additional advantages of fruits such as antioxidants)

The complex carbs in breads, pastas, and potatoes on the other hand, take a God awful amount of cardio to burn off!!! I lift in the gym only 3 days a week, but cover many muscle groups with extreme intensity. My next meal (not to be confused with a quick post workout shake) is packed full of protein, fruits, bread and potatoes to ward of any catabolism initiated by my workout and aid in muscle recovery. That is the only exception to my rule of complex carb intake. On my off days, I avoid bread and potatoes like the plague. A varying intake of certain carbs and/or lack thereof has also been theorized to keep your metabolism running hot. If you stick to a lot of carbs, or no carbs as a general diet that spans weeks or months your metabolism becomes accustomed to the regularity and becomes stagnant.

Keep in mind, everyone's body and metabolism is different. This is what works for ME. I urge you to try it if you like. A good solid month of this type of diet can yield very noticable results.