Quote:
Originally Posted by corianin
Thanks for the advice!!! Nearly all of the bodybuilding books I've read talk about higher carb ratio to proteins and fats. I know that LC burns fat, I've lost 35lbs of it since January. But up until now I wasn't lifting. Now how do you know what you're doing is working? If you're gaining inches and gaining weight from muscle mass how are you sure that what you're doing is burning fat and gaining muscle instead of adding on fat? I'm just all paranoid about doing the wrong thing. There is just so much info on bodybuilding! Do this, don't eat this, lift this way. It's pretty overwhelming for a newbie. Thanks again for the help! It's good to know there are other LC lifters out there!!!
~ Cori ~
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MUSCLES burns fat. Low carb just helps them do it.
It is a LOT easier to burn fat than build muscle. You can't build muscle as fast as you can burn fat. If your weight goes up more than a couple of pounds, it's fat.
I started this little adventure at 170 pounds. I'm hovering in the high 130s now. I figure in two and a half years of lifting, eating TONS of protein, really watching my diet, and lifting as heavy as I can and training like a fiend, I MIGHT have put on about 12 lbs of muscle. So That means I've actually probably dropped about 40-45 pounds of fat.
This actually blows my mind.
I'm 5'8", and most people who don't lift figure I weigh at least 15 pounds less than I do. Muscle is heavy. But it REALLY takes a long time to put on.
There is something BBs know about with neophites - it's called the "newbie phenominon" - newbie women training and eating right can expect to gain 8-10 pounds of muscle their first year. They can also expect to drop fat at the same time.
This will never happen again. Once you get past this initial, remarkable phase, you have to pick whether you are going to bulk, or cut. You can't do both well.
The scale will go down as you become more muscular, because the muscle will burn off the fat.
You will also either freak out or be overjoyed at the "huge" muscles you think you are putting on in that first year.
As I enter my third year doing this, I am hoping that I MIGHT put on another - wait for it - two or three pounds of muscle THIS YEAR. And this might be optimistic, but hey, ya gotta have goals
Don't be afraid of your muscle growth. Just let it happen. I kinda have this conjecture that we are meant to be whatever size we end up - and the women you see who are very large and bulked up - they take steroids to achieve this look, because they really want it and because they work hard to achieve it. It's not for me, but it's a choice. It does NOT happen by accident. So just lift. Experiment with the carbs. And I do recommend TKD pre workout carbs for the lifting, but only once you are lifting heavy enough that you are stalled and can't lift anything heavier. You will find this will get you to the next dumbbell size, and trust me, you find yourself REALLY looking forward to your lifting days lol!