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-   -   Working out a lot more - do I need more carbs? (http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=462866)

aamama Mon, Sep-29-14 09:29

Working out a lot more - do I need more carbs?
 
Hi,

I've been doing yoga a couple days per week for a couple of years now, and lifting light weights for a couple of months. I've recently (September 1st) gotten back on track with my LC woe after some difficult times. Anyways, I've lost 6 inches since September 1st, which feels great, but I can't stand my loose, dimply skin all over. I desperately need to get some toning and tightening happening here. I feel great IN clothes, but would love to feel better without them too. ;) this has led me to seek a way to firm up.

Since my life is chaos (I own my own business so I work from home, but one of my kids isn't yet school aged, so he's home all day too), I've turned to home-based workout programs I can do early in the morning before everyone is awake. After much research and talk with some of my fittest girlfriends, I've borrowed Beachbody's Brazil Butt Lift program and started it this morning. Ugh it's hard. But lots of fun. My stamina needs increasing. Anyways, I know many of my LC friends here don't do much for heavy exercise, and I'm just wondering about how my LC eating will affect my workouts. The program is an hour of cardio, lots of lunges, squats, ab work, lots of dance moves, and I do this 6 days, rest 1 day, then repeat. I intend to add 30 mins of daily weight lifting afterwards also, since my arms are one of my worst "loose, hanging" spots. I will do this for 8 weeks and see where I'm at.

For those of you out there that do workout, do you find you need more carbs?

Also, the girlfriend I borrowed the DVD from is recommending I try the "shakeology" meal replacement program by the same company. There is 11 NC per serving, which is over half of what I'm used to trying to stick with. I like the idea of all of the other nutrients packed into the shakes, but am nervous about pushing my carbs higher after so many falls off the wagon trying to work up the carb ladder. Anyone out there use this product?

Thanks in advance!

bkloots Tue, Oct-14-14 15:24

Hi, Cara. I see that your post has been neglected. Sounds like you've set yourself up for a pretty challenging program.

I used to lift often and fairly heavy--a combination of gym workouts and home workouts (when I had lots of equipment at home, and a library of great videos.)
You can see the results in my Gallery photos. (I was 61 then, 68 now.)

As for the loose skin and dimply stuff...I dunno. I've got dimply thunder thighs--always have, always will. The only solution is cover-up and (occasionally) spandex. The arms looked pretty good though when I was at a lower weight and working out regularly. I am working back to that again.

If you want to lift every day, alternate upper and lower body. Otherwise take a break. Three times a week should be plenty for a full body workout. My current favorite video (Ellen Barrett) is a fusion workout with light weights and continuous movement--good cardio and lots of reps. I like it a lot. I also enjoy a weight workout with Jari Love called Ripped! Eventually I might be able to use the weights I used to--but I don't see building myself another home gym.

I never thought I needed more carbs, as I eat plenty of fat (60-70%) for energy, and stay ketogenic. I don't favor any kind of meal replacement stuff.

Best wishes.

Nancy LC Tue, Oct-14-14 17:10

I personally wouldn't do an hour of aerobic exercise. It can slow your metabolism. Focus more on weight lifting and muscle building. Phinney/Volek talk about this in their books and there were articles recently about how terrible the metabolisms of "Biggest Losers" participants are. Even worse than people who didn't do all that exercise and lost a lot of weight.

I do a little cardio (5-10 minutes before I lift and a class 1-2x a week) and then do my lifting. But I think you're quite likely to be disappointed that exercising really, really hard doesn't return the results you expect.

jaywood Wed, Oct-15-14 06:39

I lift and do a fair bit of cardio as well. Generally speaking I lift on 5 days a week, and do cardio on 4 days a week.

On that kind of set up I eat less than 30 gm carbs a day, when your body is in ketosis you just up your ketones during exercise. Me oand OH tested our BM's her sugar level went from 5.4 to 8.6 mine was 5.0 before and after cardio, ketone levels were 0.0 for OH before and after, mine was 0.7 the. 2.6 after.

However I am not suggesting you do that :-)

I do not know why exercise is supposed to slow down metabolism, I have never bothered to find out how or why it does this, it does however make you hungry and this is more true of cardio than lifting. If you start upping the cardio you do not need extra but you may find yourself wanting it.

I will also say that it is very hard to build enough muscle to fill the looser skin. If anything it will make the muscles smaller and tighter, which might have a worse effect.

Personally I think that lifting helps weight loss as it can help mood, and gives us a good maker point that will change and improve as time goes on, even if weight loss stalls.

There is no need for shakeollogy or anything like that, just stick to your real food :-)

Don't overdo things, and importantly set achievable goals.

Wishing you success with it all

bkloots Wed, Oct-15-14 07:07

Lots of good advice here. I just wanted to revisit your question about loose skin.

It happens, of course, when you lose subcutaneous fat. That's a good thing! Depending on how much the skin was stretched, and also your age, the skin may shrink over time. You might check out some techniques for improving the blood circulation in the surface. Skin brushing, loofah, massage, etc. However, filling out the skin with muscle is probably not going to work for most women.

The dimply stuff is a genetic trait. In spite of the many proposed cures for "cellulite" there's no changing it. Even skinny people have it. Not your fault!

Stay hydrated. Don't overdo the exercise. Eat real food. Enjoy your life.

Seejay Wed, Oct-15-14 07:29

There is some good info on skin tightening from T-Tapp, also a home workout that is very effective in reducing inches. They do skin brushing along with exercise and it seems to help.

Also on carbs - a couple of posts from Mark Sissons you might want for background. One is "chronic cardio," a discussion of what is going on with the body with an hour every day of cardio and then weights. Another is "what about low carb and high volume exercise." He advises adding carbs when you have more than an hour into intense exercise every day.

Google "chronic cardio" and "Primal compromises for athletes"

Sorry I can't give you personal experience because I would never do that much intensity every day, LOL, it's not exhilarating but just makes me feel wrung out. Doing intense sessions only 2-3 times a week feels much better, and low level activity all the rest of the time. Like playing croquet and badminton and walking.

aamama Wed, Oct-15-14 09:22

Hi All!

Thanks immensely for all of your input. After spending much time reading at MDA I'm trying for a workout plan much closer to his Primal Blueprint Fitness, instead of the intense cardio. So I'm lifting 4 days per week (this is a bit addicting for me - I love lifting!), doing light cardio stuff every day - extended walking the dog, riding bikes with my kids, taking the kids to the park or the pool, then doing "sprints" (as Mark calls them) on my spinning bike once per week. This seems very "maintainable" long-term. I'm losing inches but not losing much for weight, which is fine with me.

I checked out both the posts seejay recommended, which were great reads, so thank you! The chronic cardio post will also be helpful to my husband who has been experiencing some heart arrhythmia.

As for the loose skin - most of it is on my belly, and is mostly just the result of really bad stretch marks from both my pregnancies. Now that there's a lot less fat in there it's pretty "floppy". I'm sure I won't get it tightened up without surgery at this point, but am not really interested in going that route. So it will just have to be :) my arms are already down a couple of inches and seem much more toned up to me. Fortunately I don't really have any cellulite - my legs are quite lean (somehow?). I was definitely someone who carried most of my weight on my "trunk" and my belly. Can you say pre-diabetic... ;) :lol: I guess I'll take what I get in the loose skin department. Better than 30 or 40 extra lbs on my belly...

Thanks to Nancy for the Phinney/Volek info, I'll be spending some more time delving into this. Very interesting :)

As per all of your suggestions I will be sticking to 30g or less for carbs and keeping my fat intake up, as I continue working out this way. No shakes, bars, or anything but real food. I feel great so that's all I need right now :)

Seejay Wed, Oct-15-14 09:44

Sounds great. you are getting me excited for you, so active and feeling so good. :)

Nancy LC Wed, Oct-15-14 11:26

Quote:
Originally Posted by jaywood
I do not know why exercise is supposed to slow down metabolism, I have never bothered to find out how or why it does this, it does however make you hungry and this is more true of cardio than lifting.

Hamster-wheeling raises cortisol in many (most) people and other counterproductive hormones.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-...chronic-cardio/

Like I mentioned to the OP, Phinney/Volek discusses studies done that show the metabolism can slow as much as 15% in people doing a lot of cardio. Combine that with an increase in appetite and it becomes hamster-wheeling in the truest sense of the word: going around in circles and getting nowhere. Gary Taubes discussed "Fat guy running syndrome" too. I think that's where I first heard about it. Exercise really isn't all that helpful for weight loss.

Still, most people have it ingrained into their consciousness that more is better.

jaywood Wed, Oct-15-14 14:13

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nancy LC
Hamster-wheeling raises cortisol in many (most) people and other counterproductive hormones.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-...chronic-cardio/

Like I mentioned to the OP, Phinney/Volek discusses studies done that show the metabolism can slow as much as 15% in people doing a lot of cardio. Combine that with an increase in appetite and it becomes hamster-wheeling in the truest sense of the word: going around in circles and getting nowhere. Gary Taubes discussed "Fat guy running syndrome" too. I think that's where I first heard about it. Exercise really isn't all that helpful for weight loss.

Still, most people have it ingrained into their consciousness that more is better.


Thank you :thup:

I didn't doubt what you were saying, its just I've never come across the reasons. I really need to read some more on the subject.

I have always felt that increasing lean body mass is the way to increase metabolic need, and that cardio is best done by skipping the sandwich rather than running the 5 km :-).

OP, Your plan sounds good, as someone who lifts way to often I totally understand the addictive part.

costello22 Mon, Oct-27-14 08:57

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nancy LC
Exercise really isn't all that helpful for weight loss.


Thank you! I'm on a ketogenic diet group on facebook, and I was told what an idiot I was last night when I said this. I've tried exercising to lose weight. Several times. Never worked. And, furthermore, the research confirms my personal experience.

Nice to be amongst people who get it. :)


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