When following a high-protein low-carb diet, does that make muscles grow a lot bigger while weight-lifting, as compared to a lower-protein diet?
Thanks
Posted by ltlmt (Member # 33946) on :
You need a higher protein diet to help the muscles repair and grow. But you also need carbs to fuel the muscles. Glycogen ( I think that's the one) is stored in the muscles and used for fuel and comes from carbs. If you are trying to look more well defined try reducing fat comsumption and add some cardio.
Posted by James1979 (Member # 31926) on :
Thanks for the response.
I'm not actually trying to do anything. I just noticed that my muscles are now bigger than they've ever been in my life, and my only guess was that they must've gotten bigger because of the high-protein diet, since this is the first time in my life that I've been on such a diet.
I don't know, though. I guess it could be some supplements, too, and that's why I was just wondering if anyone knew that a high-protein diet can cause bigger muscles.
Posted by Harmony (Member # 32424) on :
no bigger muscles here
but seriously, I lost a lot of fat on the low-carb diet and feel a lot less hungry all the time - that I did notice - and that is cool
maybe you notice your mucles more / they are more defined because you shed some fat as well?
Did you loose weight?
Posted by James1979 (Member # 31926) on :
Well, I was never really overweight, but I lost about 10 lbs when I was sick with Lyme. Then when I started getting better I started weight-lifting, and as I was regaining the weight I noticed that my muscles were bigger than "usual".
I guess I'm just gonna assume that it's due to the diet, because I think I read somewhere (or maybe heard) that high protein diets can cause more muscle mass.
Not that I care, nor that I'm trying to be "big" or anything... I'm just trying to learn.
Posted by Harmony (Member # 32424) on :
yeah, yeah Posted by Harmony (Member # 32424) on :
by the way, I put a home-made chin-up bar up in the kitchen with a chain and a steel tube, hung over the rafters, so when I wait for water to boil or so, I can hang from the thing and try to pull myself up - for fun
it has done wonders for my arm strength
I love to lift, too, but have not done much since my bull's eye in June - oh man! thanks Bartonella! Posted by James1979 (Member # 31926) on :
Harmony - chin ups are my favorite, too! I think it really helps with posture and proper gait.
Posted by James1979 (Member # 31926) on :
Probably nobody else cares, but FYI, I think I found some evidence that high-protein diets do make the muscles get bigger.
By chance I saw a quote last night by the actor who played "Thor" in the recent movie, and he said that his trainer made him eat TONS of protein.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
I would say it DOES work, James.
Posted by Harmony (Member # 32424) on :
ok, you got it!
I do care
out of curiosity: are the bigger muscles supposed to be useful, i.e. strength or endurance wise, ot just look better on the body? I would think more tissue would translate into more performance, but who knows
I know a guy at the gym who lifts the highest weight stack on each machine and he looks very average, his muscles are not big
he siad he has been lifting almost every day for decades and just does what he feels like - he is incredibly strong without the muscle bulk
Posted by Harmony (Member # 32424) on :
by the way, I talked to another guy at the gym, who has really pronounced mucsles and he does reverse pyramid:
lifting the highest weight he can handle a few times until muscle exhaustion and then going to a smaller weight doing the same exercise again until that becomes impossible and so on - going down to 3 lbs weights to where you can't lift them for real:D
that way he exhausts the muscle thoroughly and it repairs to be bigger for next time
this is NOT a Lyme exercise recommendation!
Lymies are not supposed to damage the muscles like that, I think
because the repair mechanism is not something we want to bother our bodies with right now and it may be immune suppressing and giving the bacteria an advantage, making us more sick in the end, I think
even though I have done this and had fun, even while I had Lyme and Bart and did not know it yet... go figure
I am a bit confused about the Dr.Burrascano guidelines - wonder if he just does not like to work out that hard - because I have often felt a lot better with exercise, even hard aerobics, 40 minutes ellipse at a good clip and then 20 min rowing
sure sometimes I'd go the gym and just drag my butt around and leave after 10 minutes (bad days with lots of throbbing = inflammation?) but on good days I'd feel really good with a hard work out
I am not recommending it - just saying this is my experience....from what I can tell
Posted by James1979 (Member # 31926) on :
Harmony - concerning your question on if the bigger muscles are just for looks or not:
I really think that they're NOT just for looks. Of course some people want to be sexy and all that, but I think there are other benefits which are more important.
I don't know the science behind it, but I know for sure that I feel a lot better when I'm in the habit of lifting weights. I think it raises the metabolism so that we feel more energetic.
Also I think it's a great mood-booster. It probably greatly helps in the prevention of depression, and also I think it's a great stress-reliever. I've never really studied about the benefits, but I know for sure that it makes me feel a lot better.
Yeah, other recent threads were also contesting Dr B's recommendations on exercising. IMO I think everybody's different, so different things would be beneficial for different people. But in general, I think he's probably right that too much aerobics can temporarily lower the immune function and cause us to not improve.
Posted by James1979 (Member # 31926) on :
Can you guys believe that the guy who played "Thor" only weight-lifted for 3 months to get that big, and beforehand he had never lifted weights in his life?? That's what he says.
I wonder if he took steroids...
Posted by Harmony (Member # 32424) on :
James, I did look into the exercise-mood relationship some before, long before I knew about Lyme, because I had horrible insomnia and the regular docs were going to put me on SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors) and I refused -
learned that you can "make serotonin" on the treadmill and off to the gym I went and it worked - I slept better and got more energy and more positive, like you commented
SSRIs are not for me, as I think the body reduces serotonin production even more if SSRIs are taken orally and if you ever try to get back off the drugs, you crash really hard... not something I was going to risk
especially given the delicate balance I had established with my system given all the other problems I had already
where is the thread on the Dr B ex recom?? could you point me to it please??
Posted by James1979 (Member # 31926) on :
They weren't the one I was specifically thinking of, but I couldn't find that one. But I think they all pretty much say the same thing.
Exercise seems to be one of those repeated topics which comes up every month or so, and which receives the same type of responses... That, and "sexual transmission" of Lyme! If only people read the stickies, huh Tutu? Posted by Harmony (Member # 32424) on :
Hey, thanks, appreciate it, James!
Posted by BleedGreen (Member # 33468) on :
I've been weight lifting for mass for years. Protein is the building blocks of muscle, so yes you're increased protein intake can cause your muscles to grow with a proper exercise routine.
Generally if you weren't physically active and then start to work out you will loose weight as you burn fat, you'll then start to gain as you build muscle.
As stated above carbs are also essential for mass, many body builders have a high protein, high carb diet to bulk. If you cut carbs and increase protein this is basically the Atkins diet, you probably are getting cut and not bulk. As you cut your muscles become more defined, but you stay the same size or even get smaller. You just have the illusion of looking bigger due to the muscle definition.
If you cut carbs and increased protein, but never really worked out before there's a good chance that you are getting bigger and getting cut. You won't look like the hulk without the carbs though.
Either way, no matter what your goal, take pride in looking and feeling better. I've been at it for over a decade, any time I take a break for a month or two I can't wait to get back into it.
Posted by James1979 (Member # 31926) on :
BG - thanks a TON for your info! That was a 5-star reply!!
I was especially interested in the info about getting more "cut", with the illusion of looking bigger. Very interesting!
I also feel like I'm missing something whenever I stop weight lifting for a month or two. Sometimes, if I don't lift weights enough, I start to get aggressive, and I feel like I want to break something! Is that normal?
One big thing I've noticed with weight lifting is that it seems to help a lot with the posture. I feel like I'm walking with perfect posture, all without any effort. But when I wasn't able to lift for a while due to Lyme, my posture was horrible (of course some of that was also due to my illness).
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