Carbs/Calories

Not sure how carbs work in relation to energy. Can someone please help me understand - do we burn calories or carbs when we exercise? What's the relationship there?

When you eat carbs your body does a few different things with it. Carbs are converted to glucose. That glucose is then used for energy needs. What’s left over is stored as glycogen in muscle or liver. When you eat more carbs you burn more carbs but since you’re using more carbs for energy, less of your energy needs will be filled from other sources.

In the big picture, it’s irrelevant what your body burns during exercise. Your body doesn’t usually use a single energy source for anything. It’s mostly using multiple sources and it just shifts the favor to one side or the other. To lose weight, the bottom line is you need to eat less calories then your body used in a day. To minimize muscle loss and maximize fat loss, you’ll need to intake sufficient protein. Carbs can also help stave off muscle loss but that doesn’t mean you can’t cut fat efficiently with a low carb diet. Most ppl tolerate carbs just fine hence my general recommendation to eat as many as possible but still making sure to get enough protein and fat. If you don’t tolerate carbs well then you’ll be better off eating more fats and keeping carbs lower.

The first 10lbs you lost was primarily water and glycogen. If after another week or two you get no additional weight loss then it’s time to reduce calories further and/or make sure you’re weighing and tracking your intake properly.
 
Everyone will be a little bit different. Your TDEE will be different, how your body responds to calories and macros will be different as well everyone's body to certain foods be different.

You have some pretty good advice above. All I will add is trial and error, start at maintenance levels and cut 300 to 500 cals serving where that gets you. Then tweak from there. I find for me, tweaking my carbs will help me drop a few pounds. I dropped 133 lbs in 2 years so know it can be done. Like you I was lost and confused. It took me doing trial and error to find what worked for me.

Two other things you need...... Patience and Persistence.

Cheers
 
Care to expand on that?



You lowered your carbs and dropped muscle glycogen and water... It's one of the reasons people think keto works so well when they are only a week or two into it.

Worry less about carbs, worry more about calories. Keep it simple... Find your TDEE, how many calories you burn in a typical day, and eat less than that but don't get carried away and try to eat the least amount possible. Go for a modest calorie deficit, 500 calories or so... Keep your protein at ~1gr/lb of bodyweight and fill in the rest with foods you like... Preferably with as many "whole foods" as possible, but leave room for stuff you like too (within reason) so it becomes a sustainable diet for the long term.

Unless you're getting ready to compete, forget getting a coach. A nutritionist can be helpful, but a lot of this is going to be things you learn through trial and error... You'll figure out what fits and what doesn't.

Is your opinion the Keto is no good?
 
You cut carbs out to under 100 grams a day you're gonna cave in and fuck up. Don't do it, everyone is gonna tell u to drop all carbs but most ppl aren't overweight from being carb sensitive, they're overweight from eating bullshit and not exercising. I see no reason to go that extreme, you said you have about 100lbs to lose? Surely just a lifestyle change and increase in activity level will get the ball rolling. Your weight loss has come to a halt because you're doing too much and your body is stalling. Eat some carbs, eat some healthy fats, eat some protein. Just eat clean and work hard. It's better than creating a yoyo effect
 
Can you actually build muscle as well on Keto without carbs? Seems like one would need the carbs.


Code:
https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/can-you-build-muscle-on-a-ketogenic-diet.html

You can still refill glycogen stores in muscles by following a ketogenic diet. The ketogenic diet decent for building muscle as well because the protein intake is relatively high and you’re unlikely to lose muscle mass.

Carbohydrate restriction provides an adrenergic stimulus to the body that has been found to prevent muscle breakdown. In other words, when blood sugar levels are low, the body releases adrenaline, which prevents muscle proteins from being broken down.

Although ketones and adrenaline can help preserve muscles mass, this doesn’t mean that you should eat less protein. It is essential that you eat the appropriate amount of protein that you need to meet your goals.

Personally not a fan of the diet -- but doable
 
I disagree. I find my cravings are gone now that I've cut carbs and I don't want to cheat.
Oh cravings. I absolutely ate clean as fuck for the better of 2 years and now everytime I have a little indulgence the cravings fucking kill me. That and the Tren wants the carbs.
 
Glycogen stores homie. This also relates to why morning cardio is great (actually cardio directly after a workout is the best) as your stores are close to being depleted. This will get you in fat burning mode and not carb burning zone.
 
Increase calories (you're too low and you're going to cave in and/or fuck it up and make your metabolism come to a screeching halt), increase cardio, and report back after 12 weeks. 2 weeks is nothing. I've seen guys lose 20 lbs or gain 10 lbs, you can't always go by the scale. You may be adding muscle weight while reducing fat weight. The lbs lost isn't always respective to the fat lost.
 
I disagree. I find my cravings are gone now that I've cut carbs and I don't want to cheat.

How do you muster the energy to train without carbs? When I reduce from 350-400g per day to 200g I’m dragging. I give you guys mad credit for being able to push ahead with carb cuts.

Or does the lack of energy only last for a brief period?
 
How do you muster the energy to train without carbs? When I reduce from 350-400g per day to 200g I’m dragging. I give you guys mad credit for being able to push ahead with carb cuts.

Or does the lack of energy only last for a brief period?
I've been pretty damn disciplined over the last 2 years. I've lost a shitload of body fat and weight, but I am at point now where some carbs and a little treat here and there isn't going to hurt my progress. To be honest in order for me to bulk I have to get a little out of bounds with my eating. If not all I do is get shredded.
 
I've been pretty damn disciplined over the last 2 years. I've lost a shitload of body fat and weight, but I am at point now where some carbs and a little treat here and there isn't going to hurt my progress. To be honest in order for me to bulk I have to get a little out of bounds with my eating. If not all I do is get shredded.

Well getting shredded isn’t such a bad thing!!

So for the most part you keep carbs out? Does that mean under 50g per day or under like 200g per day?

I’m still trying to bulk and build muscle and the carbs just give me insane energy. I know this because when I start cutting them out I begin to drag and my pumps are not as good unless I have a good pump formulated pre workout
 
When I started the cycle I'm on I was going for cut pretty much running less than 50g of carbs, high protein, and good fats. My doc threw a curveball at me wanting some labs in 9 weeks. So I decided to just eat like a pig, blast hard, and make gains. I was just running a nice and neat cut making slow steady clean gains and had about 11 weeks left. Rather than waste the gear and since all my levels were already good and the gear was working I just kicked it up to high intensity. Ill do this for the next 5 weeks and drop to my TRT.

Test Cyp 500mg/wk up to 625mg/wk
Mast P 350mg/wk up to 500mg/wk
Equi 300mg/wk up to 750mg/wk
Tren A 350mg/wk up to 490mg/wk
 
When I started the cycle I'm on I was going for cut pretty much running less than 50g of carbs, high protein, and good fats. My doc threw a curveball at me wanting some labs in 9 weeks. So I decided to just eat like a pig, blast hard, and make gains. I was just running a nice and neat cut making slow steady clean gains and had about 11 weeks left. Rather than waste the gear and since all my levels were already good and the gear was working I just kicked it up to high intensity. Ill do this for the next 5 weeks and drop to my TRT.

Test Cyp 500mg/wk up to 625mg/wk
Mast P 350mg/wk up to 500mg/wk
Equi 300mg/wk up to 750mg/wk
Tren A 350mg/wk up to 490mg/wk

After Blasting all of that, about how much of the gains from this blast do you expect to retain once jumping on trt?
I’m asking because I’m still learning this stuff
 
After Blasting all of that, about how much of the gains from this blast do you expect to retain once jumping on trt?
I’m asking because I’m still learning this stuff
With the way I was doing I put on 6lbs of nice well defined gains while leaning out so I'm sure there was actually another couple of lbs of gains in there. Im not sure what ill gain just blasting and eating this last 5 weeks, but ill clean it up on my cruise and should have great retention. My doc has me on 210mg a week of cyp so that gives me good levels.
 
With the way I was doing I put on 6lbs of nice well defined gains while leaning out so I'm sure there was actually another couple of lbs of gains in there. Im not sure what ill gain just blasting and eating this last 5 weeks, but ill clean it up on my cruise and should have great retention. My doc has me on 210mg a week of cyp so that gives me good levels.
Would he freak out on you if he found out you run gear? I know a lot of doctors do.
The wellness clinic that prescribed me trt (150mg) told me if I decide to run gear to let him know so he can adjust treatment if needed. He’s a cool guy. I have yet to start trt though. The bottle is just sitting here. Still thinking on it
 
Would he freak out on you if he found out you run gear? I know a lot of doctors do.
The wellness clinic that prescribed me trt (150mg) told me if I decide to run gear to let him know so he can adjust treatment if needed. He’s a cool guy. I have yet to start trt though. The bottle is just sitting here. Still thinking on it
I'm not sure how he'd react. Its just easier for me to run my blast and drop with sufficient time for my levels to be where he expects.
 
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