Low-carb diets= Muscle loss?

[C33]

I have been doing a lot of research on the net, but I am not an expert at all.

The most success I ever had dieting was with low-carb diets and a lot of exercise ( 1h30 minutes at least 4 days a week with 45 minutes of cardio minimum each time). I did weight training with a personal trainer, and the difference was amazing, yet, as soon as I stopped training ( within 2 weeks), I would start losing muscle and weight ( meaning that as soon as I went off the diet, and would stop exercising) I would gain 10 pounds within 3 weeks.

I have a hard time motivating myself to exercise again, because my beautiful results go down the drain within 3 weeks of stopping exercising, even with eating healthy food.

I read that you need 130 grams of carbs per day in order to build muscle and keep it, and on those diets, my carb intake was about 10 grams.I am very confused as to which information is right. I intend on losing weight ( and have started losing weight woo hoo!) but I want to make sure that I do it the right way and gain muscle the right way.

I am an ovo-lacto vegetarian and a lot of trainers have told me it is very difficult to lose weight without eating at least fish. I plainly refused to eat fish, but I was told many times that I would have a very hard time gaining muscle: is it true?

[joey m]

Unfortunately most trainers don't have much of a concept of nutrition, except for what they read in muscle magazines. And, unfortunately, muscle magazines make money largely from the protein supplement manufacturers. In other words, they believe the hype about protein being the absolute key ingredient to weight loss, which is of course silly.

I am a trainer myself, and am a vegan. I have no trouble gaining muscle, and I have no trouble losing fat. It is a matter of eating appropriate foods (and calories), and working out correctly. The trainers you have spoken to are not particularly knowledgeable.

Best,
Josh

[Jessica Adlin]

Yes, your body needs at least 130 grams of carbohydrates each day, preferably in the form of mostly vegetables and some fruit. This is still considered a low-carb diet as the typical American consumes well beyond 300grams each day. While you will see weight loss with a diet containing only 10 grams of carbs, this is NOT healthy in the short-term or in the long-run.

Also, because muscle mass is so costly (from the body's perspective) to maintain, if you stop lifting weights, you will lose some of the muscle that you gained during your training.

It seems like finding a lifestyle of diet and exercise that you can maintain over time would be your best bet.

Cheers-
Jess
Live Well