The ChillOut Log

[BikeSwimLaugh]

Originally Posted by BikeSwimLaugh
Each Wednesay & Friday I go to the gym and take 2 spinning classes back to back, about 2.25 hours of spinning cardio, then I jump in the pool and swim a mile. Ya know, one is lower-body working the big legs and the other is upper body working the arms, back & shoulders. In all, I do about 3.25 hours of exercise.

What is the reason for doing back to back spinning classes ?

What training do you do the day after your 2 hour plus spinning classes ?

Have you given any thoughts to trying more of a ' cross training' approach to cardio - i.e 1 session of spinning followed by 1 session of rowing or running or stairmaster or elliptical trainer ?

Also, are you swimming to get ready for a triathlon ? Are you an experienced swimmer or a newbie to swimming ?

I've recently been doing more spinning class for 2 reasons:

1) It's been a cold/wet/windy winter and my local trails have been nasty. The gym offers a nice atmosphere where I can "ride" without the perils of mud, cold or wind.

2) By spinning at the gym, I can immediately follow it up with swimming...so I get a nice lower/upper body workout...the two combine nicely.

Why 2 classes back-to-back?...because the first class is 45-1hr and that's like riding half my trail...so I stay-on for a 2nd class 1hr-1 hr/20 minutes to fully simulate a trail ride by spinning for about 2-2.25 hours total.

After the spinning class, my legs are done...so I revert to swimming and focus on strokes that are mostly upper-body. After spinning, I don't think a run on the elliptical would be in order. Spin & Swim IS cross-training, no?

I'm not training for a triathlon, I'm not a competitor...just trying to lose weight and get in shape. I can swim 3 miles non-stop (2.25 hours) and I'd consider myself an experienced swimmer.

I really like the Spin/Swim program....I get done feeling all-around wonderful. On these days I feel like I'm making my best progress towards weight-loss & fitness...these are my favorite days of the week and I enjoy & look-forward to them dearly. I'm addicted to it, I love it...I don't know why, but I do.

 

[BikeSwimLaugh]

Originally Posted by BikeSwimLaugh
The other days of the week I play racquetball 2x in league, weight-train, train with a trainer 2x, walk on the elliptical.

What does you trainer think about claims of " excessive " training on your part ?

Also, given you do such intense session of cardio as it is now anyway , why do you still set aside time to " walk " ( i.e much less intense ) on the elliptical - or is this elliptical session ( in reality ) an intense cardio session as well ?

My trainer Roz (not my nutrionist, Alan) think I need to exercise less and eat more. So does another nutrionist/trainer on this forum.

I'm only doing the elliptical on days when I don't spin/swim and every now and then when I fall out of sync with my routine. On Tues & Thurs I will usually weight-train for about an hour and then finish it off with some cardio on the elliptical. Or maybe later that day I'll some ellptical....it's just a way to fill-in some sweat and light-burn when I need it. Usually I'll do an hour and I'm doing interval stuff on the Weight-Loss routine. So in reality, YOUR RIGHT, I admit, it's still yet another intense cardio session, but still on the moderate side...I'm probably cruising at about HR 140, as compared to 150-158 in spin.

 

[[Focus]]

How much are you eating, BSL? Nutrition is 80% or so of the game.

It sounds to me like you are either in starvation mode or falling prey to 'aerobics instructor syndrome'.

 

[BikeSwimLaugh]

Originally Posted by BikeSwimLaugh
Now....people are telling me in order to lose weight and get where I want to go...I need to eat MORE and exercise LESS....WTF??????????? I don't get it. If I eat more or exercise less, the results are NOTHING.

Who is telling you this ?

Are you tracking your calories ...i.e how many calories do you take in both the day before and the actual day in which you do back to back spinning classes ?

And, how many of those calories come from carbs ?

Thing is, from what you've told us in earlier posts, you're working with a ' Class A ' trainer(s) are you not ? Why not tap into their expertise to help you get optimal results ?

My main (paid) nutrionist/trainer keeps telling me I'm doing awesome and everything is fine...but I just don't believe it. He pinches me at 11.8% body-fat, but I'm telling you, I've had another trainer & nutrionist look at me and bluntly say "no way your less then 15%". They're right, that pinch-thing is just subcutaneous under-the-skin fat...I'm just too big & not-defined to be that low in body-fat%.

My meals are well-balanced blends of protein & whole-carbs. I eat very well in terms of fruit, vegetables, whole-wheat, whey protein, etc.


All in all in all....I'm thinking two things

1) People who have been heavy all their life have a notoriously more difficult time losing weight....that's what I think I'm facing. I've recently watched this trainer at my gym lose about 42 pounds with little effort. He used to be fit, gained a lot of weight quickly and now he is just as quickly dumping it. It's the opposite for me; I'm burning stored-fat that was put away in storage some 10-20-30 years ago!!! I truly believe my body is just resistant to my change in the worst way, which leads to what Chillen brought to this...

2) My body has adapted to my exercise routine AND my caloric consumption. As I continue to lose weight, work-out and change my life-style, so too has my body adapated & responded to fight what it perceives is a startling change of a 4-decade pattern!

Know this....I will succeed and in fact I have already....this is not a cry/whine for my giving-up. No. I've come this far and I will persevere to continue, I'm just frustrated with how it's taking so long and why I have to fight 10x harder then what I see in others around me.

I think you're right. My next visit to the nutrionist is this week and I'm really going to lay it down about evaluating my results and coming to terms with what I feel is the final tough weight for me to lose.....it's no longer straight-line calorie deficit, it's time to trick my body, zig-zag or refeed (whatever that is).

At this point excercising more is not an option, and I feel eating less is not an option either. Something has to happen and I thoroughly appreciate the insight & help you guys have offered. Sorry for all the post, but it seemed the most efficient way to approach this.

 

[BikeSwimLaugh]

How much are you eating, BSL? Nutrition is 80% or so of the game.

It sounds to me like you are either in starvation mode or falling prey to 'aerobics instructor syndrome'.

I agree.....the body is very efficient and I've adapted to all this exercise where I can snap it out (2 spin classes & swim a mile) and not really feel even terribly tired/worn. My calorie-counter on my HR-monitor says I burn about 2,000 calories when I do this 3 hour routine.

My eating is not consistent...I eat more on heavy-exercise days and less on lighter days. Light days are about 2,300 calories and heavy-exercise days may be as much as 3,100 calories.

I think there is something to this "starvation mode"....but tell me more of aerobic instructor syndrome??

Could it explain how one of my spinning instructors can really pound it hard 7 days a week and yet her butt looks swollen and she's pudgy???

 

[jokerswild1130]

Originally Posted by BikeSwimLaugh
Everyone is telling me I'm excessive....I'm hearing that word a lot. The thing is, my progress is good....but given what I'm doing, it should be MUCH more!

Not sure I follow...if people currently think what you're doing is " excessive ", then why do you think you still need to do " MUCH more " ?

Do you think these people are over-reacting a bit ? And, who are these people - i.e " everyone " - that make these " " excessive " claims ?

First off....thanks for answering/addressing these questions, I truly appreciate it. Both you and Chillen.

Sorry, my lack of being clear; when I wrote "but given what I'm doing, it should be much MUCH more!"....I meant my RESULTS should be much more, not my exercise. Instead of having lost 4 pounds I should have lost more like 18 pounds. My waist is still size 38 and my progress is gradual at best. I could accept this if I were in a mild caloric deficit and only exercising a few hours per week, but at my level of intensity, it's just....frustrating.

Who is telling me I'm excessive? My friend Glenn who is a surgeon/doctor. My friend Kam who is a doctor. My racquetball buddy Larry who is a doctor. My trainer Roz who is a certified trainer. A registered trainer/nutritionist on this forum who I'd prefer not to name...and just about most people who look at me like I'm crazy when I describe my exercise routine. Do I think they are over-reacting? To some extent yes: they just aren't used to meeting someone who has the time & dedication to perform so much exercise. Do I think they are right? Yes to some extent, because of the wear & tear this may be causing. I hear all those aerobic hotties from the 70's & 80's are now reaping the penalties for all their hours of cardio!

The thing is, My gut feeling is that I need to exercise less in the interest of my long-term health. Yes, I'm burning calories and psyiologically stimulating my metabolism with HIIT and other stuff....but this exercise has to be taking a toll on my cartlidge and other stuff. Problem is, if I do less I'm afraid I'll gain weight and results will stop altogether. Whenever I ease-up, I feel bloated, heavy and I just know progress has stopped. It's like my body has racheted to this level and doing less means no progress and doing more is just not practical.

I know you just offered me some advice in one of my threads BSL but from everything I know..your overtraining. I know its frustrating when everyone preaches slow and steady...it pisses me off too but it really is the most effective way to go. Sometimes it takes someone else to notice the changes...just had a buddy tell me tonight that he noticed I lost some weight. Keep focused, keep dedicated, and most importantly...and this is where the volume of exercise comes in...keep it intense.

 

[BikeSwimLaugh]

I know you just offered me some advice in one of my threads BSL but from everything I know..your overtraining. I know its frustrating when everyone preaches slow and steady...it pisses me off too but it really is the most effective way to go. Sometimes it takes someone else to notice the changes...just had a buddy tell me tonight that he noticed I lost some weight. Keep focused, keep dedicated, and most importantly...and this is where the volume of exercise comes in...keep it intense.

VERY GOOD ADVICE....

I've been at it for about 1 year now...I'm not expecting huge results over-night, but for all the hard work I've done, I really & honestly believe I should have more results.

I think it's 2 things....

1) I don't see the results when I look in the mirror. It's like watching hair grow...it's so slow that you almost miss it and then one day you realize you need a haircut. I sense I've been ignorant in granting myself the changes that have occurred. There is a huge difference. The thing is, I'm big on numbers and I've not seen the numbers I want. I think it's because I've built a lot of muscle and that is throwing-off the drop in scale I want to see. The body-fat % is down.....but it's just the type-A intense personality I have, I just look at what's left to lose and obsess with it.

2) My nutrionist even concedes that I work harder then anyone and I am more metabolically challenged then almost anyone he's ever worked with. I'm fighting genetics and a lifetime of being heavy. Everyone is different and for me my weight-loss is particularly tough.

My doctor friends feel it may be a hormonal thing....but the solution to that is to take a certain hormone that they say can cause other things to happen: tumors that might otherwise remain dormant could be stimulated: they suggest I just play the cards I was dealt and stay the course. Ya gotta respect doctors.

I have a new problem. I'm experiencing sudden & severe hair-loss. I've always had a light crown and some mild recession in the front...but over the last month I've had some kind of bizarre & crazy-rapid thinning & recession. I'm 43, my dad and both my younger brothers are pretty much bald...I've dodged the bullet thus far, but it looks like the hair-reaper has found me.

What I do know is the DHT is responsible for hair-loss....and DHT comes from testosterone breaking-down. So yes: I'm suggesting my intense & excessive exercise may be related to this sudden hair-loss I'm having. I'm looking into some stuff called Provillus, it's supposed to be a DHT blocker.....we'll see.

Ya know guys...every now and then I take the time to reflect on life as a whole perspective. It's so amazing and overwhelming to try to conceive. I think the only thing more amazing then life and the world we live in....is our ability as human beings to take it for granted. Life is so strange, and at times I have lucid realizations of just how fleeting and limited our time is.

Now if you'll excuse me, I must continue to defend my contention that it's okay for men to wear lycra in that stupid thread I keep alive just to annoy people!

 

[Wrangell]

Who is telling me I'm excessive? My friend Glenn who is a surgeon/doctor. My friend Kam who is a doctor. My racquetball buddy Larry who is a doctor. My trainer Roz who is a certified trainer. A registered trainer/nutritionist on this forum who I'd prefer not to name...and just about most people who look at me like I'm crazy when I describe my exercise routine. Do I think they are over-reacting? To some extent yes: they just aren't used to meeting someone who has the time & dedication to perform so much exercise. Do I think they are right? Yes to some extent, because of the wear & tear this may be causing. I hear all those aerobic hotties from the 70's & 80's are now reaping the penalties for all their hours of cardio!

Seems like you've obtained some rather ' informed ' opinions. You're lucky to have those sort of qualified resources to draw upon.

And, I must say, I would have to agree with them - working out on average of about 3 hours a day ( as you do ) - for the specific goal of fat loss and muscle gain - is not normal for a typical gym rat who is not even significantly over fat in any way IMO. What you're doing is excessive IMO.

You do 2+ hours of spinning twice a week - that's like the time / exercise equivalent doing a 20k run twice week. I think anyone on this forum would tell you that even if your goal was to improve cardiovascular fitness and shed some fat, that doing a 20k run 2 times week in order to meet those specific goals would if not the most efficient and intelligent way to go about it.

Keep in mind, that just because you have " the time & dedication to perform so much exercise ", it doesn't mean that's a logical rational for exercising as much as you do ( it's kinda like the weak rational / logic Bill used in the White House for Monica ..." Because I could " )

The thing is, My gut feeling is that I need to exercise less in the interest of my long-term health. Yes, I'm burning calories and psyiologically stimulating my metabolism with HIIT and other stuff....but this exercise has to be taking a toll on my cartlidge and other stuff. Problem is, if I do less I'm afraid I'll gain weight and results will stop altogether. Whenever I ease-up, I feel bloated, heavy and I just know progress has stopped. It's like my body has racheted to this level and doing less means no progress and doing more is just not practical.

I see where you're coming from but I think your way of thinking is going to work against you. I don't have all the facts of what your exact eating and training habits are and what your medical issues are but as it stands now, you're doing 3 hours of exercise a day and your results ( i. e fat loss ) are occurring a glacier like place. If you are convinced that your current protocol of training 3 hours a day is the right one, then to improve your fat loss results 2 or 3 fold, your approach might deem that you'd have to ratchet up your training to 5 or 6 hours a day. Obviously, this option of 5 or 6 hours a day makes no sense. So, what that should tell you, is that you need to really step back and try and sort out why your results don't match up with your expectations. Or, revisit your expectations to see if they are truly realistic ( i.e given your genetics etc. etc. )

 

[Wrangell]

In all, it's a bad thing. I know gradual weight-loss is the healhiest and long-term successful way to go....but imagine working super-hard at a job all day long and then only getting paid $10.

Well then, I think I'd change that job, find a new job but continue to work just as " super-hard " - but now for more money.

So, in other words, from a training perspective I'd step back and really look to ' change ' my current training some way such that I am maximizing my results in the minimum amount of time.

I feel ripped-off

I work my ass off, upper-body, lower-body, weights, swimming, racquetball, spinning, biking, trainer, etc....I eat right & light, and I'm telling you: my body just doesn't want to give it up!!!!!!

Well then, if you really think about it, to continue doing something that isn't working to your satisfaction makes no sense...even more so if it's driving you nuts in the process

How does that saying go ....

" Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again. ... our same mistakes ( or results in this case ) over and over, but thinking that this time something different will happen ? "​

It's like this....I'm working hard moving at 35mph...but I'm doing it into a 32mph headwind. It seems like everyone else around me just cuts back on their eating a bit, does a bit of exercise....and the inches, pounds and fat just nicely melt away.

First, everyone is different and second, things aren't always as they appear in other peoples' lives - unless you are with other people 24 /7, you have no real idea what they do and don't do to get results. Keep in mind, there may be just as many people out there that are frustrated that they can't train to the same level of commitment and intensity as you do. It's all relative.

Beyond that, and this is just my personal opinion, whether other people's results frustrate you or your commitment frustrates other people, focusing on what other people do or achieve in order to measure your success is a fool's game IMO. What other people do is irrelevant - forget other people when evaluating yourself with respect to training. Your goals are your goals. You have a solid team to back you up, using their expertise, simply establish some realistic expectations together. If those expectations aren't being met you either have to meet with your team to revisit the means ( i.e your training protocol ) you are using to satisfy those expectations or revisit your expectations.

Nobody works harder or longer then me, and yet my results (pounds, body-fat%, inches) are just pathetically slow.:bncry:

Again, see the ' insanity ' quote above.

 

[Wrangell]

I've recently been doing more spinning class for 2 reasons:

1) It's been a cold/wet/windy winter and my local trails have been nasty. The gym offers a nice atmosphere where I can "ride" without the perils of mud, cold or wind.

2) By spinning at the gym, I can immediately follow it up with swimming...so I get a nice lower/upper body workout...the two combine nicely

Fair enough, but I suppose you could easily get the same " nice lower/upper body workout " from a rowing machine or elliptical trainer.

Don't get me wrong, if you swim for the sake of swimming because you simply love swimming so much - fair enough.

Why 2 classes back-to-back?...because the first class is 45-1hr and that's like riding half my trail...so I stay-on for a 2nd class 1hr-1 hr/20 minutes to fully simulate a trail ride by spinning for about 2-2.25 hours total

But why does you indoor cycling have to be the same duration of your outdoor cycling ? I assume the outdoor cycling was so long simply because you had a certain route to follow ( and it took over 2 hours ) wasn't it ?

After the spinning class, my legs are done...so I revert to swimming and focus on strokes that are mostly upper-body. After spinning, I don't think a run on the elliptical would be in order. Spin & Swim IS cross-training, no?

curious - why do you need to supplement your upper body training with swimming when you already do upper body training with your weights ? I can understand doing spinning to build up lower body ' endurance ' ( as most leg weight training is not endurance focused ) so you have your legs ready for outdoor cycling, but are you trying to build up upper body endurance as well ?

And yes, Spin & Swim is cross-training, as is Spin & Row, or Spin & Treadmill or Spin & Elliptical or even ' Spin & Row & Treadmill & Elliptical '

I really like the Spin/Swim program....I get done feeling all-around wonderful. On these days I feel like I'm making my best progress towards weight-loss & fitness...these are my favorite days of the week and I enjoy & look-forward to them dearly. I'm addicted to it, I love it...I don't know why, but I do.

Whatever works for you...if you like it, love it, then keep doing it.

It does seem however, that your overall training regimen isn't getting you the results you want and you seem very frustrated and dissatisfied as a result.

So, one option is to mix things up and see if you get any different results - so, mixing it up a bit over a month or 2 with Spin & Row, or Spin & Treadmill or Spin & Elliptical or even ' Spin & Row & Treadmill & Elliptical ' to see if it changes your results in some way.

So, if you enjoy swimming primarily for swimming's sake alone - that's fine.

However, if you do swimming as another primarily tool for fat loss - and you aren't meeting your fat loss goals - revisiting swimming as an area in which to allocate your training time may be something worth considering.

 

[Wrangell]

My trainer Roz (not my nutrionist, Alan) think I need to exercise less and eat more. So does another nutrionist/trainer on this forum.

Generally speaking, do you respect their opinions and expertise along with the feedback you got from your doctor friends ?

Why do you think it is you aren't so keen to take their advice ?

I'm only doing the elliptical on days when I don't spin/swim and every now and then when I fall out of sync with my routine. On Tues & Thurs I will usually weight-train for about an hour and then finish it off with some cardio on the elliptical. Or maybe later that day I'll some ellptical....it's just a way to fill-in some sweat and light-burn when I need it.

Sounds good ...I've done that a lot too over the years.

Usually I'll do an hour and I'm doing interval stuff on the Weight-Loss routine. So in reality, YOUR RIGHT, I admit, it's still yet another intense cardio session, but still on the moderate side...I'm probably cruising at about HR 140, as compared to 150-158 in spin.

I don't know what the " Weight-Loss routine " is or how it's interval protocol is designed, but if you choose to do ' intervals ' , you might want to consider going harder - more like a traditional HIIT level of intensity.

And, if it's a HIIT level of intensity, you shouldn't have enough gas in the tank after weight raining to do anywhere 1 hour of ' intense ' intervals IMO. If you weight train ' hard ' ( and you should IMO ) and then go ' hard ' on doing HIIT on the elliptical, the HIIT session shouldn't have to go beyond 30 minutes or so. My HIIT on the elliptical was always in manual mode and I'd just do interval sets of 1 minute hard, hard, hard, / flat out and then 2 minutes to 1.5 minutes of recovery. Something to consider.

 

[Wrangell]

My main (paid) nutrionist/trainer keeps telling me I'm doing awesome and everything is fine...but I just don't believe it. He pinches me at 11.8% body-fat, but I'm telling you, I've had another trainer & nutrionist look at me and bluntly say "no way your less then 15%".

I think I'd put more faith in a caliper measurement of 11.8% than simply and conclusion based on someone looking at you - but that's just me. . Either way, even these calipers have an standard error rate of 5% or so, which means that you may be closer to 15% - and given that, 15% is a perfectly ' healthy normal ' level of body fat. You should be proud - very proud - of that fact BSL.

And, if your nutrionist/trainer says you're " doing awesome and everything is fine " - believe him ( her ? ).

My meals are well-balanced blends of protein & whole-carbs. I eat very well in terms of fruit, vegetables, whole-wheat, whey protein, etc.

How many calories do you consume on the days you spin/ swim ?

How frequently do you eat ?

1) People who have been heavy all their life have a notoriously more difficult time losing weight....that's what I think I'm facing. I've recently watched this trainer at my gym lose about 42 pounds with little effort. He used to be fit, gained a lot of weight quickly and now he is just as quickly dumping it. It's the opposite for me; I'm burning stored-fat that was put away in storage some 10-20-30 years ago!!! I truly believe my body is just resistant to my change in the worst way, which leads to what Chillen brought to this...

First of all, you've got to stop focusing on what other people do and how they look etc.

Direct your focus internally toward yourself and things you can control as this is how your motivation, commitment and discipline will be optimized IMO ( i.e see my Covey quote in my signature for an example of what I mean ) . Anytime you focus primarily on ' external ' factors or sources for your motivation, commitment and discipline you're simply going to exacerbate any frustrations you run into along the way.

Losing fat is combination of diet and exercise, and in this context, I'd very surprised if dropping 42 lbs can be done with " little effort " ?

Define " little effort ".

2) My body has adapted to my exercise routine AND my caloric consumption. As I continue to lose weight, work-out and change my life-style, so too has my body adapated & responded to fight what it perceives is a startling change of a 4-decade pattern!

Did one of your trainers etc. tell you this or did all your contacts tell you this ?

Do they accept this ' adaptation ' as being normal with no adjustments required or do they suggest that you counteract this ' adaptation ' in some way ?

If so, in what way ?

Know this....I will succeed and in fact I have already....this is not a cry/whine for my giving-up. No. I've come this far and I will persevere to continue, I'm just frustrated with how it's taking so long and why I have to fight 10x harder then what I see in others around me.

If you have unrealistic expectations, being frustrated may be a reasonable reaction cause your goals / expectations are not in sync with what may be reasonably achieved given the current tactics / strategies you're using in your present training regimen.

The thing you and your trainer/ nutritionist / doctor have to determine is what a realistic expectation represents for you.

I think you're right. My next visit to the nutrionist is this week and I'm really going to lay it down about evaluating my results and coming to terms with what I feel is the final tough weight for me to lose.....it's no longer straight-line calorie deficit, it's time to trick my body, zig-zag or refeed (whatever that is).

I have my doubts.

You're only at 15% bodyfat - that's a ' healthy normal ' bodyfat level.

I see no reason why you have to " trick my body, zig-zag or refeed " - or jump through any nutritional hoops like that ........who told you you have to do that anyway ? Your trainer and doctor ?

In any event, be sure and get the nutritionist to weigh in on your problem with an opinion as to how to best move forward in terms of whether you have to resort to " tricks " or not.

 

[Wrangell]

1) I don't see the results when I look in the mirror. It's like watching hair grow...it's so slow that you almost miss it and then one day you realize you need a haircut. I sense I've been ignorant in granting myself the changes that have occurred. There is a huge difference. The thing is, I'm big on numbers and I've not seen the numbers I want. I think it's because I've built a lot of muscle and that is throwing-off the drop in scale I want to see. The body-fat % is down.....but it's just the type-A intense personality I have, I just look at what's left to lose and obsess with it.

I feel for you BSL...been there...done that.

I used to be addicted to a weigh scale many years ago - daily ( or twice daily ) ' weight ins ' is a very tough addiction to kick. Luckily I saw the light and I don't even own a weigh scale any more. As you pointed out, the real number you need to focus on is bodyfat %.

And, I must confess, back in my youth - I too was one of those guys that also had to check the mirror each day to see where any " alleged / perceived " fat was building up and obsessing over my washboard abs etc. etc. ...and this is when I was well below 10% bodyfat. It took a grizzled hard ass trainer who trains NHL hockey players to take me down a peg, get my priorities straight, to ' grow up ' ( his words - not mine ), move on and get over my mirror addiction.

2) My nutrionist even concedes that I work harder then anyone and I am more metabolically challenged then almost anyone he's ever worked with. I'm fighting genetics and a lifetime of being heavy. Everyone is different and for me my weight-loss is particularly tough.

Then if that's the case, there is no reason to be frustrated, because the results you are getting are ' normal for you ' - i.e " more metabolically challenged then almost anyone he's ever worked with. I'm fighting genetics "

My doctor friends feel it may be a hormonal thing....but the solution to that is to take a certain hormone that they say can cause other things to happen: tumors that might otherwise remain dormant could be stimulated: they suggest I just play the cards I was dealt and stay the course. Ya gotta respect doctors.

Sound a bit like the 5 stages of grieving.

You got to move on from the feelings of mild hopelessness, frustration, bitterness as it pertains to how your genetics have been dealt to you and move on to the last stage ......... " Acceptance ".

I agree with the doc - ' accept ' those cards and move on.

I have a new problem. I'm experiencing sudden & severe hair-loss. I've always had a light crown and some mild recession in the front...but over the last month I've had some kind of bizarre & crazy-rapid thinning & recession. I'm 43, my dad and both my younger brothers are pretty much bald...I've dodged the bullet thus far, but it looks like the hair-reaper has found me.

Like my bald friend said....he once had a full head of ' wavy hair '..........it's just that his hair waved ' good bye'

What I do know is the DHT is responsible for hair-loss....and DHT comes from testosterone breaking-down. So yes: I'm suggesting my intense & excessive exercise may be related to this sudden hair-loss I'm having. I'm looking into some stuff called Provillus, it's supposed to be a DHT blocker.....we'll see.

Wouldn't most bodybuilders be more susceptible to losing their hair then ?

 

[Chillen]

BSL, engage in mutual dialogue with Wrangell. I am reading through the posts, and will respond where I deem appropriate, in the mean time, ROCK with some conversation within the subject matter.

I will post something, but I have to answer the "Interview thread" questions, and this going to take some time.

I have alot on my plate at the moment, Keep Rocken and Socken......I will be posting something in the middle of the conversation, at some point......


Best wishes,



Chillen

 

[BikeSwimLaugh]

Wrang & Chill....thanks guys. I was away from the computer all day and now I'm off to racquetball....back later to read.

I really appreciate the support.....means a lot to me.

 

[jokerswild1130]

Im sure a big factor is the flu I have been fighting over the last 3 days but I saw that I was down another 5lbs this morning...bringing my total to 15 over the last 5 weeks. Any suggestions on switching to a FBW?

 

[BikeSwimLaugh]

Wrangell,

I'd like to sincerely & honestly thank you for taking all that time to address, respond and answer my concerns. I think I'm 80% "healed"

Just to randomly respond to some of your questions....

I eat frequent meals throughout the day, all my meals are comprised of whole-foods and are generally a balanced blend of protein, whole/low-glycemic carbs and a few healthy fats. Many of the things I eat don't have labels on them, but I am very well aware of how calories can sneak-up and be far more then we realize. To answer your question, I think I'm taking-in about 2,200 to 2,800 calories per day and that is on the high side for sure!!

It's funny....when you wrote "3 hours per day" I immediately thought....well, on some days but not daily...but then I recounted that today was mountain biking in the morning 1.5 hours and I just got home from racquetball (2 hours)....so yeah, today was 3.5 hours. Tomorrow is the trainer for an hour and then later in the day I may casually pick-up some elliptical for another hour...but hey, that's only 2 hours!

I understand your comments on cross-training...but I must argue that Spinning & Swimming are very effective in that one works the legs/lower-body and the other the chest, arms & back/upper-body. I could spin for an hour and then do the elliptical for 30 minutes, but why tax the same essential muscle-group? I know the motion is different and different sets of muscles are used, but I like hitting an entire separte region altogether...just makes more sense to me.

As for swimming...few people engage in upper-body cardio (LISS). Most people can swim about 3-5 laps and they're done....it's amazing how NOT-cardio trained our upper bodies are, they're more trained for weights and short burst of motion. I like swimming because it's low impact, it makes me feel clean & fresh after spinning, it's making my chest, arms & back look huge, defined and gnarly....and I get to sneak peeks at the gals swimming in the lanes next to me So yeah, I enjoy it. It's also great exercise...I mix-up my strokes, get in some stretching and it's just neat to swim under the giant skylight.

You asked about my indoor cycling...and why it has to be as long as my outdoor cycling. I orginally turned to the spinning when the winter weather got cold, windy and rainy: it was a substitute. I didn't want to compromise my endurance and my long-haul/favorite ride takes me 2.5 hours of hard riding....so I'm merely trying to simulate the same demand while indoors so that when I return to the trail I'm not weaker.

After a hard weight-training workout, I will sometimes get on the elliptical...but at first it's tough because I'm so taxed....but I imagine my blood-sugars are low and I can wease some nice fat-burn if I engage in some low-intensity cardio. I start off pretty mellow and just do a light/medium intensity 35 minute routine. I know after weights it's important to quickly follow-up with some protein and proper carbs to replace what was used. I don't want to get catabolic, so after weights if I hit the elliptical, it's just to take advantage of some prime fat-burning opportunity. It's sound, all my resources concur it's a good harmless plan.

Why do I swim if I weight-train? I enjoy swimming and I think the exercise helps develop things nicely in addition to the weights. Since I'm pretty darn big as I am, I'm not really looking to get larger...so cardio upper-body seems to make sense in addition to the weights.

Why do I continue to do something in the face of no results? Well, as you point out, 40+ pounds lost isn't "no results"...I'm getting results and this whole plan of eating right, eating less and moving more is the ONLY thing that seems to work. Progress is slow, but it's still progress and as such it's "results".

Let me put it this way....I'm 99% certain that if you knew me and were my trainer/coach....that if you saw my routine, my intake and everything I'm doing...you'd project much more fat-loss & general results then I'm getting. In car terms: if I told you a car had 425 horsepower, weighed just 2,750 pounds and was high-performance...you'd have ever reason to figure it should do 0-60 in less then 5 seconds. Okay, I'm doing 0-60 in about 12 seconds. So I'm eating right, eating less and exercising in just about every fashion hitting all muscle groups with both weights & cardio. I AM getting results and have gotten results, but damned if my results aren't coming at 30% the speed at which they should be.

Hey...maybe it's hormonal, maybe it's my thyroid...or maybe I'm genetically predisposed to this sort of make-up. Either way, it is what it is and I'll just have to play my cards as dealt. Results are slow, but they are happening!

Ya know, if an alien ship were taking me every night and injecting me with 3,000 calories....that would explain everything! Chillen: tell your people to leave me alone!

 

[jackie11]

Hey Chillen, hows it going??

Jackie xxx

 

[Chillen]

Hey Chillen, hows it going??

Jackie xxx

Its going great!

Work has been a turd! But I am the friggen turd-burglar!

All kinds of server issues and other technical complications to deal with has taken its toll this passed day or so. But I managed alright!

In addition, I did finish the interview questions (for the interview thread), and its 23 pages long (in MS WORD, LOL!)

I just wanted a straight from the heart no fluff write. And, like always I tend to get a bit windy...........I liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiike being windy.......as long as its not passing gas......we all good!

How are you!

I have to get cought up on the posts in the COL to see if I can offer more assistance to BSL! And, others!

I am far behind on work I promised to do!


Chillen

 

[BikeSwimLaugh]

I have to get cought up on the posts in the COL to see if I can offer more assistance to BSL!

Chillen,

I'm good....no need to respond or worry.

Today I did 2 spin-classes back-to-back, picked-up a big flirty smile from a cougar and then went on to swim a mile....HR-monitor says I burned 2,140 calories; things are coming along well.