In an effort to get in better shape, gain lean muscle and loose fat I shifted my diet to a "Paleo like" diet. Nothing official, but I've been conscious of cutting way back on my sugars and simple carbs and getting a lot of protein daily.
My question is about ammonia smelling sweat. I typically get it when I've been to BJJ class (grappling for an hour and half). My weight lifting is typically pretty intense, but it doesn't usually occur then. Cardio, like running or biking, might bring on the ammonia sweats and might not. I don't really care about the stink, since post shower it isn't a problem and my clothes smell fine after a wash cycle, but I'm more worried about implications for health and gaining muscle while losing fat.
Yesterday's googling has me vacillating between no big deal, just eat some more carbs on my more intense workout days, to get to a doctor before your kidney's fail. I now understand that if the smell is exercise induced it means my body is in ketosis, has run out of glycogen stores and is burning protein for fuel. That produces left over nitrogen, which is typically expelled in urine. If you're smelling ammonia in your sweat, that means your kidneys can't keep up and it's your body's way of getting rid of it.
So, my questions are:
1) If you're otherwise healthy and are on a high protein diet, is it something not to be too concerned about in terms of long term health?
2) If long term health issues aren't a concern, is this an indicator that my body is working against itself in terms of dropping fat and gaining lean muscle mass. In other words, am I just burning my muscle off during hard workouts instead of burning fat? I haven't lost any strength, but have plateaued.
In terms of diet, I'm currently 180 lbs and I've been pretty conscious about consuming about as many grams of protein a day as I weigh. Typically that takes the form of a couple of eggs in the morning (hard boiled or omelets) a plain greek yogurt with a scoop of protein powder for mid-morning snack and also for a post workout snack. Eat a chicken breast with my salads for lunch. I do eat carbs...lots of green veggies (broccoli and spinach salads and peppers). Granola in my yogurt snacks and a handful or two more as a snack throughout the day when I get hungry. Rice or some pasta as a side dish with dinner every couple of days. I also typically will eat a piece of fruit like an apple about 30-45 minutes before I work out (usually around mid-day).
Thanks in advance for your insights.
My question is about ammonia smelling sweat. I typically get it when I've been to BJJ class (grappling for an hour and half). My weight lifting is typically pretty intense, but it doesn't usually occur then. Cardio, like running or biking, might bring on the ammonia sweats and might not. I don't really care about the stink, since post shower it isn't a problem and my clothes smell fine after a wash cycle, but I'm more worried about implications for health and gaining muscle while losing fat.
Yesterday's googling has me vacillating between no big deal, just eat some more carbs on my more intense workout days, to get to a doctor before your kidney's fail. I now understand that if the smell is exercise induced it means my body is in ketosis, has run out of glycogen stores and is burning protein for fuel. That produces left over nitrogen, which is typically expelled in urine. If you're smelling ammonia in your sweat, that means your kidneys can't keep up and it's your body's way of getting rid of it.
So, my questions are:
1) If you're otherwise healthy and are on a high protein diet, is it something not to be too concerned about in terms of long term health?
2) If long term health issues aren't a concern, is this an indicator that my body is working against itself in terms of dropping fat and gaining lean muscle mass. In other words, am I just burning my muscle off during hard workouts instead of burning fat? I haven't lost any strength, but have plateaued.
In terms of diet, I'm currently 180 lbs and I've been pretty conscious about consuming about as many grams of protein a day as I weigh. Typically that takes the form of a couple of eggs in the morning (hard boiled or omelets) a plain greek yogurt with a scoop of protein powder for mid-morning snack and also for a post workout snack. Eat a chicken breast with my salads for lunch. I do eat carbs...lots of green veggies (broccoli and spinach salads and peppers). Granola in my yogurt snacks and a handful or two more as a snack throughout the day when I get hungry. Rice or some pasta as a side dish with dinner every couple of days. I also typically will eat a piece of fruit like an apple about 30-45 minutes before I work out (usually around mid-day).
Thanks in advance for your insights.
