So, sonis and I....

[giveitup]

?

Unless you are competing, you are beginning to head into the danger zone for body fat... Your internal organs need 5% BF to support them. and going below that will reverse all the positive benefits of BBing.... Low carb diets also have a tendency to cause ketosis.... be careful and play smart...

[BBAddict]

I'm not sure what to think about ketosis. I've heard its bad but according to Lyle MacDonald, it is fine to be at low levels of ketosis for extended periods of time. I have ketosis strips to check myself occasionally. I was just doing this to see what it takes to get ready for a contest and to get to a point that I would feel comfortable doing a really intense bulking diet without getting too fat. However, I got laid on my back by a combination of a flu and exhaustion. I think not eating enough and perhaps overtraining just caught up with me. I clearly need to reevaluate some aspects of my training.

[redsquirrel]

Originally posted by BBAddict
I'm not sure what to think about ketosis. I've heard its bad but according to Lyle MacDonald, it is fine to be at low levels of ketosis for extended periods of time. I have ketosis strips to check myself occasionally. I was just doing this to see what it takes to get ready for a contest and to get to a point that I would feel comfortable doing a really intense bulking diet without getting too fat. However, I got laid on my back by a combination of a flu and exhaustion. I think not eating enough and perhaps overtraining just caught up with me. I clearly need to reevaluate some aspects of my training.

Some of what you lost could have been water and BF,...and some muscle, it's simply part of the game

You probably could benefit from a carb meal or two, and/ or even a cheat meals. On Thursday, eat this instead of your last meal:

6oz sweet potato w/ 1 tsp.of butter
1 med. banana
1/2c. oatmeal (precooked)
1c. green veggies

See how you feel on Friday, and then we will go from there. We may even throw in a cheat meal late next week. When you do have a cheat mea, it has to be only ONE energy source....either something like steak & eggs with bacon, or like pancakes & syrup..

I honestly think your low energy levels are from the low carbs. What is the cardio and training like right now?

[BBAddict]

The training is 5days/wk. It usually lasts a little longer than I want. I shoot for 45minutes, but it usually goes 1hr. I'm doing
Monday: Hams, calves, cardio
Tuesday: Bis, forearms, abs, cardio
Wednesday: nothing
Thursday: Chest, tris, shoulders, calves
Friday: Quads, abs, cardio
Saturday: Calves, cardio
Sunday: Back (including traps), abs

The cardio has mostly been walking on a treadmill at about 4.2mph at 10%incline for 35-40minutes. I think perhaps something I haven't taken into account is the cardio in the form of taekwando on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I usually eat right before taekwando and don't know what to eat right afterward. It seems like too short between meals to eat a whole meal again.

I've been doing the cardio immediately following the workout, so the workout lasts about 1.5hrs! Probably doing some things wrong, huh?

[redsquirrel]

Originally posted by BBAddict
The training is 5days/wk. It usually lasts a little longer than I want. I shoot for 45minutes, but it usually goes 1hr. I'm doing
Monday: Hams, calves, cardio
Tuesday: Bis, forearms, abs, cardio
Wednesday: nothing
Thursday: Chest, tris, shoulders, calves
Friday: Quads, abs, cardio
Saturday: Calves, cardio
Sunday: Back (including traps), abs

The cardio has mostly been walking on a treadmill at about 4.2mph at 10%incline for 35-40minutes. I think perhaps something I haven't taken into account is the cardio in the form of taekwando on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I usually eat right before taekwando and don't know what to eat right afterward. It seems like too short between meals to eat a whole meal again.

I've been doing the cardio immediately following the workout, so the workout lasts about 1.5hrs! Probably doing some things wrong, huh?

IMHO, you're doing too much activity. Period. You are not eating nearly enough calories to sustain those kinds of workouts. Unfortunately, I think you have burned some muscle. No wonder you're feeling so lethargic.

You should cut your cardio back by 1 or 2 days a week. Or stop the taekwondo completely until you're finished with the diet. You also shouldn't be doing cardio right after your workout. Your muscles need time to repair, and by doing cardio right after, you're only prolonging the start of the repair process, as well as expending even more energy.

Short, but mutliple cardio sessions is what seems to be effective for most. Try doing 20 min in PM. Because you started doing so much cardio in the beginning, it will be hard to keep your calories where they need to be and still continue to lose BF and maintain muscle. We'll have to play it by ear, but for now cut back on your cardio and add that carb meal tomorrow.;)

You are also absolutely overtraining. YOU MUST allow your body to rest. Right now, you are only giving your body one day off per week. With weights and cardio, that's okay when dieting for a show. But when you throw taekwondo in there, it could be distastrous.

[BBAddict]

Done, taekwondo is done for now. I would be very happy to split up lifting and cardio-they sucked to do back to back. Is the amount of weight I'm lifting a decent way to judge muscle loss? I've actually had some personal best lifts in the last two weeks.

Well, I'll change things up and let you know how it goes!

[redsquirrel]

The only true way to gauge your muscle/ fat loss is through weekly BF testing and LBM calculations.

That's great you've had your best lifts....but that also may have attributed to your lethargy. Right now is not a time for growth. The time now is to maintain as much muscle as possible, and lose as much BF as possible.

I'm sure you haven't lost as much muscle as you think. Some of it was probably water