Anyone here have success cutting with carbs?

[F355]

Alright, so for the past month and a half I've been actively keto for a good 40 days of it. I've seen some pretty good leaning out but the lack of energy and endurance has been just ROUGH. I'm talking lethargy to the point where I've been skipping classes and been late on assignments. It's not only physically draining but, IMO, it's even harder mentally. I seriously have no drive or focus, it feels like the days just go by in a blur or something, I dunno. For those who've ran a keto diet for a good amount of time know what I'm talking about, regardless if their side effects weren't as severe as mine. Also my body does seem leaner but only in certain areas and not overall. My back seems to be the most lean but my chest, legs and glutes still need work. Seeing as how I respond to ketogenic diets, I think I can lean out and still cut weight with carbs. I just want to get other people's views and experience on what worked for them.

Because of this I was thinking of going for a different route in this cut. I thought to myself why not just incorporate carbs but in a simple caloric deficit; applying rule #1 in weight loss cals in vs. cals out. This is pretty much my issue here, have any of you guys have reasonable success trying to lose BF with carbs? I was thinking of the simple 40C/40P/20F ratio but just in a restricted calorie routine, 2100-2200.

What are the best carbs to cut with? Should I leave the whole wheat spaghetti/pasta and just mess with oatmeal, yams, green veggies, and fruit? Which also leads me to another question. I hear fruits, specifically the sugar they carry, fructose, is a very unnecessary sugar and mostly useless and on the other hand I hear fruits is one of, if not, the best carb to utilize on a cut because of the energy they harness and vitamins they give. Personally, I don't see how a banana, oranges and berries can hurt in ANY diet, besides ketogenic diets.

Also since I am going to be taking it in rougly 210g carbs/day, I am going to dose Anabolic Pump before breakfast, PWO and my last carb containing meal. I'm hoping this can help with my cut. Also thinking about getting some bulk amino acids to help spare muscle as much as possible. Again, I'd like to get your guys' experience and views on this, thanks.

 

[Dadof2]

Instead of going 180 why don't you try the Anabolic Diet? It allows you 30 carbs a day, and carbs from fiber do not count. I routinely enjoy broccoli, cabbage, onions, and cauliflower during my low carb days. On the weekend I eat basically whatever I want.

When I started the AD about 5 weeks ago I was at 274, and I weighed in today at 260. My strength has gone through the roof ( I don't do one rep max, but on leg day this week I squatted 405 for 5 reps, just 6 weeks ago I was squatting 315 for my last set. My bench has improved from last set of 245 for 4-5 reps to 315 for 2). I am hardening up, down two notches in my belt, and feel really energetic all week long.

Since you have been low carb for a while now, you are probably fat adapted, and going to the AD wouldn't be too tough a transition.

 

[adnscmplx]

Dude, how many cals are you eating on your keto diet? I am also on keto and I feel like **** when i'm too low.

 

[Ironpounder33]

You can cut with carbs NP. Weightloss is just slower.

 

[EasyEJL]

really if you are eating within 500 cal of maintenance or so, the difference in losses between keto + non keto are minimal. Keto makes more of a difference when you go lower in cals, or if you are trying to get below maybe 8% bf. It seems to work well for people who are overweight largely because they dont have to change their eating habits by as much, they can still eat bacon, cheese etc

 

[Irish Pilot]

Here is my experience in the past several months...

I did the full 28 days of the Velocity Diet with success.
I did two months (not consecutive) of strict Keto with success.

Recently I hit diet burnout. I had no issues in the gym, I was just exausted with being SO specific on my diet. I didnt allow for any cheats. I figured to get into single digit bf (which Im still trying to do...and hopefully will be there in the next two weeks based on current numbers and math) I had to be rediculously strict. I keep reading people say that it takes such amazing resolve to get into single digit bf that I became paranoid about my intake.

Recently (the past month or just shy of) I decided to relax and just eat clean, with about 60% protein, and a mix of fat and carbs. Some days it ends up 10% carbs, some days 30%. I just keep the diet at a large mix of chicken, fish, protein shakes, almonds, etc.

The weight loss has continued to be the same, and I feel I have much more energy in the gym, and for the first time in a few months I just feel generally good about what I eat. Its damn nice to be back to just enjoying healthy food rather than stressing too much about macros, what "fits", etc. Food is fuel, not math.

Eat clean, work hard, and keep your caloric deficit. It works for me, it may work for you.

 

[Irish Pilot]

...and of course Ill put the disclaimer on it...Your Mileage May Vary.

 

[faceman35]

I just recently started carb cycling. I to am trying to get into the single digit bf%

 

[carpee]

The 40/40/20 ratio is a good way to go. I personally don't believe that diets lacking in either 3 (carbs,prot, fats) should be implemented over long periods of time. Keto diets are good for a short run...and are effective from everything I've read. But think about it, the RDA recommendation for carbs is 55% of your total Cals...so if your cuttin them all out, its gonna effect your body. Not just your muscles or energy, but carbs help with brain activity. I dont know the extent of the AD diet, but it sounds like it has good results also.
I tried to stay on the low carb, higher fat for a recomp, and the past week I've been extremely exhausted.
You could also look into some Anabolic Pump or P-slin for carbs. I honestly believe with AP you could eat 200 grams of carbs a day (depending on your size) and still lose BF.

 

[babywifey]

Alright, so for the past month and a half I've been actively keto for a good 40 days of it. I've seen some pretty good leaning out but the lack of energy and endurance has been just ROUGH. I'm talking lethargy to the point where I've been skipping classes and been late on assignments. It's not only physically draining but, IMO, it's even harder mentally. I seriously have no drive or focus, it feels like the days just go by in a blur or something, I dunno. For those who've ran a keto diet for a good amount of time know what I'm talking about, regardless if their side effects weren't as severe as mine. Also my body does seem leaner but only in certain areas and not overall. My back seems to be the most lean but my chest, legs and glutes still need work. Seeing as how I respond to ketogenic diets, I think I can lean out and still cut weight with carbs. I just want to get other people's views and experience on what worked for them.

Because of this I was thinking of going for a different route in this cut. I thought to myself why not just incorporate carbs but in a simple caloric deficit; applying rule #1 in weight loss cals in vs. cals out. This is pretty much my issue here, have any of you guys have reasonable success trying to lose BF with carbs? I was thinking of the simple 40C/40P/20F ratio but just in a restricted calorie routine, 2100-2200.

What are the best carbs to cut with? Should I leave the whole wheat spaghetti/pasta and just mess with oatmeal, yams, green veggies, and fruit? Which also leads me to another question. I hear fruits, specifically the sugar they carry, fructose, is a very unnecessary sugar and mostly useless and on the other hand I hear fruits is one of, if not, the best carb to utilize on a cut because of the energy they harness and vitamins they give. Personally, I don't see how a banana, oranges and berries can hurt in ANY diet, besides ketogenic diets.

Also since I am going to be taking it in rougly 210g carbs/day, I am going to dose Anabolic Pump before breakfast, PWO and my last carb containing meal. I'm hoping this can help with my cut. Also thinking about getting some bulk amino acids to help spare muscle as much as possible. Again, I'd like to get your guys' experience and views on this, thanks.

Carb cycling has worked very well for me. In 6 months I've gone from 23% BF to 17%. You can read up on it and figure out if this is something that would work for you:

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/the_carb_cycling_codex

When eating carbs throughout the day on a cut, the lower glycemic the better (unless you are wanting fast digesting carbs to fuel your muscles around a workout) Oatmeal is a great choice, as well as barley and beans. The less processed the better, IMO. Some fruit is better than others. Bananas are very high in carbs and don't provide many other benefits. On the other hand you have berries which are higher in fiber than many other fruits and they are loaded with antioxidants. Grapefruit, peaches, nectarines, kiwi are all great fruit choices.