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Try to resist the brainwashing that goes around saying that you must eat carbs to gain muscle and mass - it is a myth and a lie that is continually spread around. Quite simply, carbohydrates and fruits do not provide the components that build muscle, meat does.
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This is true in one sense, Jayppers, because a person can build muscle just fine w/o carbohydrates, but I think it depends upon the intensity of the training and also the metabolism of the individual.
Anthony Colpo (
The Great Cholesterol Con author) does intense exercise and has found that his type of training can't be sustained w/o a certain amount of carbs. He said that he was zero-carb, high-fat for a couple of months, training all along w/o problems in ketosis, when all of the sudden he felt truly exhausted on a bike ride. He thought it was just a phase, but it lasted long enough for him to determine that he couldn't sustain his high-intensity workouts w/o carbs.
As for theBear, if you read over his words, you'll find that he takes two-three days off between workouts (three is better, he says) -- his recovery time is different than folks who still consume carbs, like Colpo. Different goals for different folks.
There are plenty of advocates out there who say that 70-80 grams carbs are a good limitation to daily carb consumption, w/ maybe a "carb-up" every now and again to replenish glycogen stores (usually w/ carbs eaten shortly before and after a workout). Greg Ellis is one name that comes to mind, along w/ Colpo.
What they all have in common is the belief that meat and fat are the best, most nutrient-dense body-building foods out there. And that carbs should be kept low.
meatzrus -- you're still a teenager, correct? And you have no digestive issues? Then adding carbs into your diet should be fine and may help you maintain your muscle mass better. But if you want to experiment w/ a very-low-carb or zero-carb diet, you may need to allow for an adjustment period, as well as have a good fat source constantly at hand so that protein is spared.
It took me a very short time (after beginning a good digestive supplement regimen) to begin to gain weight on a low-carb diet (80 g/day). I gained 25 lbs. very quickly. Maybe my hormones finally were kicking into gear and aiding muscle growth?
Life Without Bread, as recommended by Jayppers, is a 72g carbs/day meat & fat diet. It describes a client of Dr. Lutz's (the author) who was very skinny for quite some time. Then the client adopted low-carb nutrition, eating 150-200g of butter in addition to fatty meats of all kinds. He gained healthy weight back and looked like a completely different person.
Lutz says repeatedly throughout the book that, in order to be successful on a low-carb diet, a person must replace the missing carbohydrates w/ fat. I'm not sure if he means gram for gram or just calorically -- but the point is to develop your "fat tooth" and to not overdo the protein.