Originally Posted by DannoXYZ

Sure, you can do both. Focus on the maximum-performance path and the weight-loss is an automatic side-effect. You'll gain some muscle and lose some fat while making big improvements in strength and cardio systems. The weight loss, realistically, will be 1-lb a week max without sacrificing muscle or performance.

It's a different pathway and programme than a low-carb/low-calorie diet for sedentary folks that can lose 10-15 lbs a month. With that rapid of weight-loss, there's no way to prevent losing 25% of that in muscle as well, and the body-fat percentage actually stays fairly constant after the first couple months after you hit a plateau around 20% body-fat. This is the kind of instant-fix that's really appealing to couch-potatoes. They don't realize they aren't really improving their health or fitness* in any way, just losing weight.

These are two complete different diet-plans for two completely different lifestyles aiming for two completley different results. The bigger problem is not being able to distinguish these two programmes as being different and taking this low-carb diet idea into the performance arena. The increased calorie-expenditure from exercise combined with the low-carb sedentary diet results in even faster muscle destruction and severely limits the fitness-improvement rate. If you're getting sufficient carbs, like a 4:1 ratio, you're on the maximum-performance plan. Your high-GI recovery food are fine too, except the ice-cream's a little high on fats.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

* I define health&fitness in terms of RHR, LT (muscle-strength/efficiency), HR recovery-rate VO2-max, lean-muscle mass, none of which can be improved through dieting.