Advice on Carb Cutting and Boosting Energy Levels?

Hey, two-part question about both bulking and cutting.

I've recently been thinking about entering a bodybuilding contest. I don't expect to win or anything; it's just something I wanted to do before and am now well enough to do. So I'm trying to shed some fat whilst maintaining my muscle. I've followed the standard advice of slowly decreasing my intake of carbs whilst maintaining the amount of fats and protein I consume. However, I've noticed that my energy levels have plummeted whilst doing this. Realistically, I need to shed more weight to look decent but not sure how I will be able to cope. Anyone have any tips on how to healthily raise my energy levels whilst carb cutting?

When not cutting, I'm an avid powerlifter. I consistently hit a bodyweight plateau at 80kg. I'd like to gain some weight to help build some muscle and make it easier to hit some new PBs, but I seem to be unable to gain weight no matter how much extra I eat. Anyone have any tips? I currently already take a protein shake and creatine. Thanks!

Nice, keep at it. I can tell you from experience that even though I haven't been able to get into the gym due to surgeries, I manage to gain while staying pretty cut. My secret is most of what you described but with one key difference, I don't eat ANY added sweeteners. None, brother. No grain (still quinoa, chickpea flour pasta, aka wheat rice subs) and no sweeteners beyond dates, and only on occasion stevia. This will keep any crashes at bay while still letting you load up on calories. Like...1 cup of quinoa 2 cups+ of water in a rice cooker. Throw in some shrimp, whatever veg. ya like, set on white and wait 30 mins. Stuff yourself without crashing and take in a shit ton of protein. I also try and stay away from dairy and red meat for protein. Something about how plant-based protein, while not as easily absorbable, produces more nitrogen per gram. And the lack of absorbability is also offset but simply taking in more. Great for building, cause that just means more calories that plant-based are pretty short on anyway. Last, dairy is slightly acidic. Which means that while it often has vitamin D and protein in it, your body has to leach calcium from your bones to raise the pH back to where it can be absorbed, a taxing process negated when you eat plant-based protein. ...also your shit won't smell quite as bad, lol. Anyway, when I can lift again stay tuned, I'll pack on another 15 in no time, always do and I'm 30 now. So best of luck brotha.

Thanks for the reply,

I hadn't thought of cutting sweeteners and grains out of my diet, I'll try that while loading up the calories and see how that affects my energy levels. I expected some side effects, but considering I'm doing a gradual cut, the crash has been too much. I dread what it would be like if I were to cut further, ha.

I've been meaning to try going dairy-free for a while. I have a J-pouch and heard that dairy can have a negative effect on the pouch, so hopefully this might spur me on to actually stick with it.

Thanks again, man. Let me know how you get on once you've recovered and start hitting the gym again.

Maybe you guys can help me!! I don't have problems with gaining muscle, but what can I do to help me put on the pounds that I need? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. And good luck to you both in achieving your goals in life.'

Hey Survivor #15

So I'd recommend doing something similar to what I do and then tailor it to suit your lifestyle. How serious you want to take it, but by starting it, you'll get an idea of how much you should be eating.

Use an online calculator to work out how many calories you should be eating. If you're gaining muscle, you should be eating around a gram of protein for every lb you weigh. Slightly less if not looking to gain muscle. You want to be hitting around 60 grams of fat and then the rest of your calories will be made up of carbs. The exact amount to maintain, less to lose weight, and more to gain weight. This sounds like a lot of effort and you'd be right, but it's pretty handy in showing how much you should be eating. With us having digestive issues, you may find you have to tweak how much you eat, but this is something you have to work out yourself. For example, are you hungry all the time? Then you're probably not eating enough.

Personally, with exercising and because of my J-pouch, I tend to break my meals up and eat around 5-6 smaller meals a day with snacks and protein shakes thrown in. I'm not sure if you need to do the same with a colostomy, but it has helped my pouch. I tend to always stay off hunger by eating regularly, so gas and things like that have really reduced. So if you struggle at all with that, it might be worth trying out.

Anyway, I hope that helped. If you want to know anything else, like what I specifically eat, let me know.

Getting Support in the Ostomy Community with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

521 It's Kemo. I keep and gain muscle mass on my diet of meat, veggies, milk, granola, and granola. One meal a day, drink a lot of juice, eat a lot of Hershey's chocolate. Sugar only makes your stool stick to pouch. Granola keeps stool formed. Try chess and isometrics. Only use the bar without the bells. I swing and play with a 12 lb sledgehammer, holding it up over me keeps me in good body tone. Your energy, you will have to take more breaks, drink more juice. No sodas or alcohol, no cigs. Keep it simple. Good day, mate.

Thank you so much, Anthony!! I have an ileostomy and I'm 6' 2" and weigh about 168. My ideal weight would love to hit the 200 mark. I had ulcerative colitis at the age of 13 years old, so I just never could get the weight on me. I did get close with the help of the Prednisone they had me on for a while, but I would never take steroids unless I had to for medical purposes. Thank you again, my friend, for your help and I will let you know how it goes :)

Cutting carbs will help shed fat, but the carbs you eat need to be eaten at a time that will provide energy for your workouts. I try to work out in the mornings that way I am not eating carbs late in the day where they could become stored fat.

I concur with the fact that I have my meal by 1 PM every day. I snack on granola, fruit juice, and water - and plenty of it. I run dry all morning and up until the time I start eating. Then, a small movement, and then dry up until evening. Then, a small movement, and then dry all night until after 6 PM. A small movement, and then dry until I start the first meal day in and day out. I hope I have helped you, Kemo Jerz.

The more developed your muscles are, the less likely you are to suffer injuries. You can help your body build muscle by eating a diet high in protein. Building muscle depends just as much on your diet as it does on your workout: if you don't eat right, your body has trouble putting on and maintaining muscle mass.