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Anyone doing lean gains?

23rochelle23
23rochelle23 Posts: 269 Member
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Hey lovely LC people
Just wondering if anyone is following the lean gains carb/cal cycling routine?
I’ve kind of hit a bump with my energy for the gym but while I was on holiday and eating higher carbs noticed that I had a great lifting session so have decided to give it a run through.
If you’re following it, how are you finding it?

I’m not concerned about the low carb days as been lazy ketoing for 4 months now - but the amount of carbs set for my lifting days :o crazy high compared to what I’ve been eating!

I’m still cutting fat so in a deficit but hoping this will bring my energy up a tad. Unfortunately with my work schedule I won’t be able to stick to the 8hr window religiously but all things going well will do so on about half the days.

Replies

  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    I did a LC version of leangains with great success, 5% body fat lost in about 12 weeks. I set my goals to about half the carbs calculated using this calculator:
    https://rippedbody.com/how-to-calculate-leangains-macros/

    Currently I'm doing a keto version (88 on train days/30 on rest days) but while it's great for controlling my migraines it's not as effective in boosting my lifting or changing my body composition.
  • 23rochelle23
    23rochelle23 Posts: 269 Member
    Ah right - the carbs for my workout days feel crazy high - I’m torn between dropping them or trusting the process and staying low carb (it will in fact be effectively keto 4 days a week). I guess if I start out and see how I go - I’ve got no medical reason to be keto so it’s just a plan for losing fat and keeping/gaining muscle
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    My biggest issue with the high carb days was food cravings triggered by the extra carbs, so I usually kept them around 175g and I was good with that level. If I went over 200 I found the cravings were terrible and I have zero willpower so that was just a recipe for disaster. Definitely tweak as you need to meet your needs, and definitely get all your protein as a priority, that will help with the muscle building.
  • 23rochelle23
    23rochelle23 Posts: 269 Member
    Yeah I’m sticking to the protein as a min (and the fat) carbs are a max. Also trying to get bulk of my carbs in pre workout - I must say it’s opened up my diet a lot though my preworkout meal today is pasta and watermelon (yum)
  • canadjineh
    canadjineh Posts: 5,396 Member
    I think @LolaDeeDaisy23 was doing something similar and having good results....calling her out for this thread :)
  • LolaDeeDaisy23
    LolaDeeDaisy23 Posts: 383 Member
    I didn’t exactly follow Lean Gains protocol. I at first followed what Lyle McDonald prescribed in his Ketogenic Diet book, but like @tcunbeliever said, as carbs climbed, so did my cravings. I could literally eat 500g of carbs without blinking an eye lol kind of scary when I think about it. I changed my protocol to high carb days revolving around rice, potatoes and beans. No bread. It works for me. And I’ve seen tons of muscle gain and muscle strength with carb cycling vs straight keto.
  • 23rochelle23
    23rochelle23 Posts: 269 Member
    Thanks lovely - I’ve yet to hit my carb target on lifting days (mine is around 250) I’ve been under 200 every day - although I’m still using products like shiritaki noodles and cauliflower rice to maximise my food intake (plus cooking for one it’s easier to be able to spread meals across two days regardless of carb intake) - Have noticed a slight increase in weight (unsurprising with higher carb) but am noticing a difference in body comp already so am happy with that! Pleased to hear it’s helped with your strength and muscle gain - will definitely keep on with it for now and see how I get on! :-)

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