protein shake while on the atkins

[silverstang1991]

hi.....i know on the atkins u just eat all protein.........what i was wondering is if i also take a protein shake a few times a day..........will this allow me to build muscle on the atkins and lose weight at the same time...........people say its not possible......but at a few different bodybuilding forums........they said i could do lose weight and build muscle at the same time.............that they didn't believe that all the time........is it bad to take in to much protein..........can it just turn into sugar if you take to much of it?

[Georgiana]

silverstang, Atkins is not a "just eat all protein" diet, but a high-fat diet. Judging from your question, I am assuming you are on induction. If this is the case, then approximately 65% of your calories should come from fat, 5% from carbohydrate and 30% from protein. To reach these ratios, you have to eat meat, fats (oil, butter, etc.), vegetables, eggs, cheese, plus a few other foods in the so-called "Special Foods" category.

If your intention is to do Atkins correctly, you should read the book (Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution (2002) -- DANDR 2002, see link below) or at least read the sticky threads on this board. I am pointing you to a few I consider to be relevant for induction, but ask more questions if you have any:
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...induction.html (What are the Rules of Induction?)
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...induction.html (What foods can be eaten on Induction?)

The book this board goes by, DANDR 2002, can be ordered on Amazon. Here is the link to it:
Amazon.com: Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution: Robert C. Atkins: Books

[SunnySmile501]

And, to answer your question, excess protein will be turned into glucose and stored as fat. That is why Atkins is high fat and not high protein. The body does use protein to build muscle, repair muscle and some other metabolic processes, but when done with all the protein needed for these processes, it can't store protein in the body, so any left over is changed into glucose and then stored as fat.

You can't build muscle just by eating protein. You build muscle by taking in adequate protein and plenty of fat for energy. Then you have to exercise your muscles to build lean body mass.

The more heavy exercise you do, the more protein you need. If you are a competition body-builder, then the ratios would change towards more protein. A regular person just exercising to lose weight, shape up and get fit doesn't need more than 30% protein.

Induction is high fat. Fat is what gets you into ketosis. As you add more healthy carbs on OWL, the fat goes down as the carbs go up. The protein stays the same throughout: 30%.