I’ve only been dieting for 6 days, but I already noticed a pretty dramatic drop in gym performance and I’m trying to figure out if there’s a smarter way to structure my diet.
For context, I’m lifting in a calorie deficit (about 700 calories/day as a 270 pound male) and eating very low carb (under 20g carbs/day). Earlier this month, I was able to reach my lifetime goal of seated shoulder press with 60 pound dumbbells, which is probably my favorite exercise and the only lift I care most about preserving.
All week, I felt noticeably weaker and so I took a rest day yesterday, got plenty of sleep, and repeated my same exact morning routine from earlier this month when I finally hit my shoulder press strength goal on May 8th. (protein shake and banana 30 minutes after getting out of bed then gym 90 minutes later)
If I maintain a weekly calorie deficit of 3500 calories, is it possible to strategically have 1 (or maybe 2) higher-calorie days per week? Something like:
- Friday thru Tuesday 1000 calorie deficit
- Wednesday 500 calories surplus
- Thursday 1000 calorie surplus
- Do my strength workout on Friday morning after protein shake and banana
Would something like this work? I just grabbed these numbers out of thin air and would appreciate any guidance today on how to maintain strength while losing 1 pound per week. 💪
Just my opinion but I would level it out a bit, you don’t need that large a surplus to feel good for your workout, maybe just no deficit wednesday and 250 cal thursday.
Do you workout every day? And do you do just strength or also cardio?
20g carbs per day while doing sports is very low. It is possible your glycogen stores are depleting and making it harder for your muscles to keep working throughout your workout. So maybe also increase carbs on the days around your workout.
Finally, also eat slightly more just after your workout so your body feels it can put energy into muscle growth.
Maintaining strength with such a large deficit will always be super difficult, and remember that also weight moves weight, so don’t compare your pbs in weight as you shed pounds but in percentage bodyweight. The first weeks will be the toughest as your body adapts. Good luck!
Just to sidestep a bit, why do you want to prioritize this lift over losing weight which can be argued to be more important for health?
Just to sidestep a bit, why do you want to prioritize this lift over losing weight which can be argued to be more important for health?
Now that a few days have passed since my failed 60lb lift, I’m not as bothered by it anymore. I can still do triples (3 reps) of 50lb and I find that enjoyable and immensely satisfying, even on a hard deficit. 💪
Weight loss is now top priority with respect to physical fitness. Also, if I can hit 60 pounds at a much lower weight (at 220lb bodyweight), that will be more impressive than hitting it at 265 (my current weight). Plus it gives me a new challenge to pursue once I reach my target weight of around 220ish.
Keep going 👏. I refer to strength standards to see how much others lift at each bodyweight and aim for half of elite level 😆
So it’s possible to comfortably press 60lbs at 220lb.
https://strengthlevel.com/strength-standards/dumbbell-shoulder-press/lb
On the strength standards website, does this shoulder press exercise mean with no leg drive? I watched a Jeff Nippard video (or similar creator) a while back that said it’s almost impossible to not let your legs boost your strength, which is why you should always do seated version unless you are in a country or sport where standing shoulder press is the norm or customary variation (such as in military or firefighters).
I’ve never tried the standing version for that reason but I’m curious as to why the strength-level website doesn’t have the seated version, and I’m unsure if my seated numbers can compare directly to the standing version or if most lifters add their data with 10% boosted weight via leg drive?
You are 6 days into keto (<20g carbs per day). It takes about 3 months to become fully fat adapted. During that time your lifts will suffer a bit.
However, I don’t think a calorie deficit is necessary when your already doing keto, if you have fat to burn you won’t be as hungry and stop eating early anyway.
Have you also done keto? I started in March 2024 and lost about 110 pounds until January 2026 when I became complacent and put dieting as my 6th or 7th priority in life rather than top-3. My reason for asking is because Peter Attia said it took him 3 years to replicate his gym numbers and cardio fitness (like with running or HIIT) when trying to become fat adapted.
Yeah, I’m a big keto nut. I started the !ketogenic@discuss.online community. But I’m NOT a high powered athlete or lifter, so I can’t personally speak to adaptation recovery.
I became complacent and put dieting as my 6th or 7th priority in life rather than top-3
Yeah, Carb benders are a hazard for me as well.
My reason for asking is because Peter Attia said it took him 3 years to replicate his gym numbers and cardio fitness (like with running or HIIT) when trying to become fat adapted.
Yeah, the Volek and Phinny papers on fat adapted metabolism and endurance athletes are probably the most topical here.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.metabol.2017.10.010 - Keto-adaptation enhances exercise performance and body composition responses to training in endurance athletes
Compared to a HC comparison group, a 12-week period of keto-adaptation and exercise training, enhanced body composition, fat oxidation during exercise, and specific measures of performance relevant to competitive endurance athletes.
Adaptation does take time (but in the literature I don’t see anything mentioned longer then 3 months), there is some small benefit to micro carb loading for endurance athletes even if they are fat adapted (10g carbs when bikers bonk).
I’m not aware of any papers on ketogenic weight lifter performance.