Well after being on this diet for about a week I thought I might share how it's going as well as some of the concerns I have.
So far the scale says I have lost about 10 lbs but I'm guessing most of that is water weight. I am enjoying the foods I am allowed to eat and I'm usually never hungry after a meal. However, there have been some issues.
Most days I feel very weak, tired, and sometimes dizzy when I move around. This has been most apparent at the gym. I still cannot lift as much as I could before (3 sets of 8 reps of benchpress @ 225 lbs before, and now I can barely finish 3 sets of 8) and I don't have that extra reserve when I'm at the end of a set. For example, I used to be able to push out the last rep or two of my second or third rep but now I try I can't push it out no matter how much I try; it's like there's nothing left in the "tank". I would hate to have this low carb diet affect all the work I have put into the gym over the last few years (when I started going to the gym I could barely benchpress 45 lbs). I was doing some brief searches on the Net about low carb diets and some sites stated that because I do not have any carbohydrates for fuel my body is going to my muscles for fuel with means I am losing muscle mass? Is this true?
Should this type of feeling be going away soon? Will I get my strength back (i.e. not feeling weak and having nothing left in the "tank")? Is it even worth continuing this diet if my strength/muscles are being negatively affected?
There is nothing I would like more than to lose weight (255 lbs now @ 6' 3") but if it's at the cost of my health (tired, weak, dizzy) or my strength (i.e. muscles, weightlifting amount) I would rather eat the carbs.
Any thoughts?
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