Diet now finely tuned, hitting my macro targets each day with precision, I am taken aback by what appears to be something previously unthinkable: I am getting stronger, adding muscle, and losing even more body fat…. simultaneously.
I looked in the mirror the other day and was actually surprised for a moment. Seeing oneself each and every day makes progress difficult to spot. Whether you’re losing weight, gaining weight, growing a beard, or growing out your hair, the changes are subtle and slow so the accumulation of changes over time become nearly imperceptible. But the data doesn’t lie, and at some point, neither do your eyes. I am clearly thicker through the back and chest, my legs are getting more definition, my fitness tracking app has once again sprouted PR flags when I enter my lifts, and the scale and Skulpt measurements show distinct physical changes in body composition.
For years now I have touted what I felt were the benefits of a ketogenic diet, or at least a very low carb diet. I got very lean over the years and I naturally attributed this to the reduction of carbohydrates. However, what appears more likely is that the precise control of total calories and adjustments to those calories when needed was what caused the reduction in fat stores.
As we are prone to do, while I was eating low carb I looked for evidence that supported my conclusions. I read all the data I could find about ketogenic diets, read Ketogains regularly, and avoided information to the contrary. Having chosen to experiment again with a high carb diet, I was quite sure I would notice no difference in strength or muscle size but would slowly start getting chubby. I was wrong on all counts.
In just one short month of calorie controlled, high carb dieting, I have made gains in strength, added lean muscle mass and continue to get leaner. I think what is happening is that the increased glycogen stores are allowing me to get more reps per set, and more sets per workout, resulting in more overall workload being done, which is creating the stimulus for muscular hypertrophy. The increased protein intake, along with supplementing with HMB (which is shown to prevent excessive protein breakdown from heavy training) is giving my body the amino acids it needs to promptly repair muscle damage and spike muscle protein synthesis. I am eating just enough dietary fat to support hormonal profiles and allow for absorption of fat soluble vitamins, without adding too many calories to my overall diet. In short, I am eating more food without eating more calories and as a result, I am still reducing body fat stores.
I can only hope this ride continues unabated.
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