HELP..not sure where to got from this point!

[Gymgurl]

I have a question and I am sure most of you have heard it a thousand times, but I do value your input. I have lost 30 pounds with a low carb diet the past 4-5 months. I work out 5 days a week with weights and cardio. Currently I'm at 20% bodyfat.

I want to build muscle but I still have a little more weight and fat to lose. The problem is the low carb (atkins style) is not working anymore for me and I'm not sure why. Does anyone have any advice as to where to go from here.

Thanks so much for reading!!

 

[overhead]

I would say you need to track calories. Adjust them up or down to fit what you are trying to do. Atkins tends to make you feel like you are eating more than you actually are. I found that when my fat loss stopped that if I up my fat intake and include one day of carb loading with total calories almost double what I take in normally , the weight loss continues. Your body will adjust to the calories you are taking in, when that happens the idea is to up calories real high atleast once a week, and eat more often the rest of the time. It worked for me, you might want to give it a try.

 

[Gymgurl]

So for one day a week I should up my calories and my carbs? Should this be done on any given day?? I will try any thing to get this moving again!

 

[sawastea]

So for one day a week I should up my calories and my carbs? Should this be done on any given day?? I will try any thing to get this moving again!

That is correct, you should have a cheat day, so to speak. Normally, people tend to do this on a weekend, either Saturday or Sunday. It's a good way for your body to get it's weekly carbs

I think it will benefit you...

Keep on drinking that WATER

 

[JJFigure]

What does your diet currently look like? Will you post up a sample day? Do you carb load at all?

If you've done the same diet religiously for 4-5 months, you could probably stand to change your macronutrient breakdown. At the very least, you should be cycling carbs in to some degree, especially if you're lifting.

 

[Babyfaced Assassin]

the reason why most diets stall is cos your body gets used to the diet you're doing, if you reduce calories (Which is the underlying factor in weight loss, not how many carbs you eat) then your body will adapt especially as you lose weight so when you stll you have to re adjust your calorie levels.
For sure have one or two dayss when you bump up total casl to keep your metabolism from adapting

 

[Deleted member 33117]

Right, if you wish to make gains in lbm, and keep your metabolic rate elevated on a keto diet you must have periodic carb ups. What does your current diet look like?

 

[Austrian]

So for one day a week I should up my calories and my carbs? Should this be done on any given day?? I will try any thing to get this moving again!

depends on how you are doing w/o carbs in the gym. Some lose strength, some actually do better in lifting on Atkins. If you lost strength, feel sluggish in the gym, do a carb up. If not, then just rotate calories. You might want to up your fat intake. But also watch your calories. Atkins is no miracle, eat too much and you will get fat even on Atkins.
Besides doing a Cyclical Ketogenic Diet (CKD - the carb up thing), you could also try a Targeted Ketogenic Diet (TKD), where you eat carbs only prior to workouts. There are good manuals for all these diets by Mr. X., look them up here or on www.massmonsters.com.

 

[onerepmaximum]

Since you have already recieved a ton of great advice about your diet on this thread, I won't say anything about that. It will benefit you to vary your workouts too. Whether you are doing weight training or cardio in a given day, you need to vary the itensity and duration to force your body to adapt. If you've been running on the treadmill for your cardio, try sprints. Don't be afraid to try new things in the gym. Your body gets accustomed to a certain workload and it will stop making progress unless you constantly challenge it.

 

[Gymgurl]

Okay here is a sample day from my jounal:

1 cup f/f ricotta cheese

3 cups greek salad w/ dressing
4 ounces grilled chicken breast

6 ounce baked lean porkchop
1 tomato cut up

diet jello/flax meal

I never rotate carbs, unless I just over ate which is maybe once a month at the most. I might add some all-bran in or a low gi fruit once in awhile. Like I said I have done this for about 4-5 months. My weights are heavy with low reps and about 3 sets. cardio is about 30 minutes 5 days a week and I do a mixture of walking and interval. Thanks again for all the input and I plan on using it!!