My DH lifts weights 3x a week and does his cardio from time to time while at the gym. Well he has been on Atkins since last Monday, has not lost a pound says his energy is so far down that he isn't getting as much out of the same weight and he said he can't do as many reps either. He has no cravings for anything that would make me think it was the "carb flu", not feeling bad at all but just says he has no energy at all. Tired, weak and that's about it.

He drinks pure whey protein shakes after his workouts and as a snack at work during the night (midnight shift)..what's happening? He's getting discouraged because no weight loss and the weakeness both. He has lifted for years so it's not anything new to his muscles that he has to get used to at all, he is very muscular and built but just wants to lose around his belly.

Anyone who has any ideas please share before he gets to discouraged and goes back to eating normal (bad) foods..I'm lc and would love the whole family to stay that way..we have a fighting chance at being healthy if we do.

Thanks for your input..

Your husband's body is adjusting to low carb. He's depleting stores of glycogen in his liver and his body is now being forced to function using his fat stores as a source of energy. The transition period for me was about three weeks before I started burning energy efficiently. Tell your husband not to worry; he'll adjust. I run six days per week and lift four days per week. I also marathoned on very low carb.

The body is resilient. He's just adapting.

Also, does he have anything BEFORE his workouts? I always make sure to have protein for breakfast so that my muscles have raw building material WHILE I'm working out, then I have another shot of protein after.

I'm lifting more and using heavier weights than I used to.

I agree with Newbirth. Also, does he complete bulking or cutting phases normally? I don't typically eat protein after, but I make sure to have a clean source of protein two hours prior to a tough workout. If I'm in a cutting phase, I actually wake up in the middle of the night to eat a hard boiled egg to keep amino acids and protein flowing to the new striations.

As I used to be on Atkins, and very low carbohydrates, and did work for me when I started out.

however,
Now that I have a different goal, (gain muscle mass and loose the last flab I have) I turned to more of a "body building" diet.

which consists of clean foods - good low-fat protein i.e. chicken breast, egg whites, lean meat, whey protein etc and low glycemic carbs like brown rice, oats etc.

I try to get in six small meals a day.

I don't want to discourage anyone who is on Atkins or anything, what works go with it.

but for myself, I couldn't imagine maintaining my current lifting schedule and alternating cardio days with very little or no carbs. I just wouldn't have the energy to lift as hard or sweat as much.

Ive gained about 25 pounds of muscle in the past 6 months (started around the begining of April) and have lost about 10 - 15 of fat as well. Right now I'm about 160 pounds.

but yeah, what works for your husband may be different. but It could be his glycogen stores are very low.

I used to get that weak feeling as well, especially if I didn't get enough veggies. I found that a small can of V-8 juice solves that problem. Just a little can, I think about 7 carbs, but it helped me a lot.

Have him check his carb intake. He may not be getting enough of the veggies his body needs. And check water intake as well. With all the lifting he's doing he may need a tad more extra water.