I was thinking about lifting weights again but I heard someone say that I won't make any muscle gains on the atkins because of the low carb diet eats muscle as well as fat. any info on this subject?
also what kinds of fruit do you guys eat? God I miss a good orange ( i used to eat them all day)

Yes we are here.. check in the "Exercise" forum.. you will find many lifters there..

As long as you are getting enough protien, you won't lose muscle mass. Low carb will not cause muscle deterioration. Atkins even recomends strength training as a way to increase your critical carb level once you reach maintanance.

I started lifting a little bit after starting atkins and I can notice a Huuuuuuuuge difference
and have increased my benching by 60 pounds in 4 months
just eat enough protein which is not hard at all on this diet

i'm an avid weight lifter and feared this plan wouldn't work becasue its so low in carb initially. The first time I did atkins, I found weightlifting very difficult, not enough energy because didnt have enough glucose in my system. Thats what I thought. But I think I was feeling fatigued partly becasue I wasn't supplementing with potassium, magnesium, b complex or zinc. So I was electrolyte imbalanced. But I think once I am off induction and able to increase my carbs a bit, and use the aboove mentioned supplements I won't feel fatigued this second time round on atkins. Thats my plan this time. To excercise but not do the hardcore workouts I was doing until I can increase my carbs a bit. So while I am on induction I'll do lighter workouts, and cardio.

Thats what works for me. Its tough lifting alot without having the glucose to support u. ARE u lifting now? are u a beginner at lifting? by all means try lifting and see how u feel. are u on induction? all these things make a difference. let us know how your doing!

Piera

Definitely check out the exercise forum - you'll find many of us are lifting the heavy weights.

Just to set your mind straight - LC is very muscle sparing, assuming you're eating adequate calories from fat and sufficient protein to maintain a positive nitrogen balance (I would say at least .7g of protein per lb of lean body mass). Studies show that those doing LC lose more fat and less lean mass than people following a low fat / restricted calorie diet.

Using the correct supplements will definitely make a huge difference, as Piera mentioned. Also, easing into intense exercise when you being a LC WOE is recommended. If you're alreayd lifting heavy and intense you might notice a drop in energy and strength at first, but as your body switches to fat burning and becomes more adept at it that will become less noticeable (although it's always there to some extent because glycogen levels are low when LCing)

Cheers,
Nat

I lift weights too. I do circuit training monday wednesday and friday and i do gain muscle. I lift two 30lb dumbells. I eat alot of tuna and meat and veggies. I do not use any pills.

i lift 3 days on - 1 day off...... ive noticed that i dont have as much energy, but i can still put em up. I think its just harder to build muscle even tho you are eatin a lot of protien - i think its cuz sugars are good transporters.

nonetheless - im still liftin and doin fine

heya johnson...are you lifting 3 days in a row working the same muscles?

About four years ago (way before I went low carb) I started working out in the morning, which I really felt. It was on an empty stomache, and I felt pretty weak. However, lifting is all about adaptation, and I did adapt. Pretty soon I was increasing the weight on every exercise. This may be the reason I have not noticed any big changes in my lifting while on Atkins. In fact, I'm pleasantly surprised. I thought that with no sugar I would get much less of a pump, but not so.