I went on a weight loss kick about a year (maybe more) ago and lost almost 40 lbs eating low-carb. Of course, I lost bit of strength, but my goal was fitness and fat loss. I kept going to the gym, just did more sets, more reps, more cardio.
For the last couple months I have been concentrating on strength gain. While not “bulking”, Ive been eating more food, still low carb (but not NO carb), and notably more “quality” food. Sugar in my diet has really become almost extinct.
Result - I gained 7 lbs to 178 but my max bench is back to 315! Thats the same as it was when I weighted 208, so Im pretty happy about it. Not a staggering number to be sure, but not too shabby. I havent tested my deadlift and squat yet, but my 8 rep sets are higher on both of those, so Im betting my max is higher as well.
This is really a game of patience and persistence, isnt it?