Dani's Rebel Log

Training Training Logs
1910

Today’s Workout

  • Leg Press: 100 unbroken reps (unloaded)
    Then increase the weight every set: 4 x 15, 10, 8, 8

  • Romanian Deadlift w/ accentuated eccentric: 4 x 15

  • Seated Ham Curl: 4 x failure, with burnout partials at peak contraction

That was a delicious workout. Awesome mind-muscle connection. Fabulous pumps. Only one tiny dizzy spell after the workout was over.

Here’s what I’ve been listening to this morning. It’ll make you mad.

Turns out, women’s testosterone starts tanking long before menopause, around age 30, and just drops lower and lower from there. And then people wonder why we’re moody, unmotivated, depressed, and have a low sex drive. Testosterone is not “the male hormone” it’s the everyone who wants to be healthy and happy hormone.

3 Likes
1911

Hey @Dani_Shugart,

Do you have any good resources for thyroid information? Is that something you’re very familiar with?

I know the general consensus on this forum is that generally, one’s “thyroid issues” are not the reason they can’t lose weight, but sometimes, even if rarely, that can be the case, right?

My mom was told she had hypothyroidism a while back, and has always struggled to lose weight. And it’s not just that she gives up after a week, she’s made real attempts. She followed (actually followed) a pretty bare bones diet (talking chicken breast and broccoli type of stuff) for 3 months from a nutritionist recommended by a TN coach. Didn’t lose a pound (whereas I started the diet with her to support her and lost 11lbs the first week).

(The nutritionist wasn’t a great communicator and didn’t seem concerned about the lack of progress. After several weeks in she was surprised to hear about the supposed thyroid issue despite being told about it initially - she had forgotten. Just probably wasn’t a great individual to work with.)

The only time she’s been able to lose any significant amount of weight was when she went through a few months of depression after a family death and basically lost the will to eat. Obviously she didn’t actually feel good or healthy during this time though.

She hasn’t had much luck with doctors she’s consulted - none of them really seem very knowledgeable about weight loss issues. In my own experience (not that I’m a doctor), that’s just not most doctors’ strong suit.

Anyway, you seem to post a lot about female hormones and I’m just wondering if you have any insight. Not that it necessarily means anything to anyone, but I wouldn’t ask if I felt like the issue was her - if she was eating clean all day then downing a pint of ice cream each night then I wouldn’t suspect a thyroid issue, which I know can be over diagnosed.

1 Like
Calling All Thyroid Experts!
1912

Your mom is definitely not alone in her struggles and she’s lucky to have you looking out for her.

Hormones can be so tricky! And as women go through middle age, it can get even trickier. The old fat loss methods that used to work so well — harder more intense exercise, calorie counting, fasting, etc. — often don’t do what they used to. Some of those strategies can even make things worse!

Unfortunately I’m not well informed on thyroid health. I have a teensy amount of knowledge, but don’t trust it enough to post what I think I know online at this time.

So that podcast I linked to from the woman above called “The Thyroid Fixer” is excellent. I would scroll through some of the episodes and see if there’s a title that stands out for her particular situation.

I think she has a team of women who work with people remotely and help them get their hormones tested and back on track.

Incidentally, I discovered her show by searching the word “progesterone” because in my completely uneducated opinion, elevating it has been my most effective tool for effortless fat loss. But that’s because I had a deficiency that needed to be corrected. So that’s another possibility to consider.

I know exercise and diet are important for fat loss, but in this world of endocrine disruptors and chronic stress, hormonal imbalances are not just a possibility, they’re likely the norm. So I think you’re wise for considering a solution beyond chicken breasts and broccoli.

2 Likes
1913

How old is she, and is she medicated for it? (Synthroid or Levothyroxine.)

1 Like
Calling All Thyroid Experts!
1914

@jshaving this might be a good time to start a new thread and get feedback from others who have more experience or a greater understanding of thyroid issues. I’m betting a lot of people can help but they won’t see it here in my log.

1 Like
1915

I did a thing.

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1916

That’s perfect; thank you so much!! :raising_hands:

1 Like
1917

Today’s Full-ish Body Workout

Hip Thrust
Leg Press
Seated Ham Curl
Chest Press
Machine Lateral Raise

All of these were 3-4 sets to failure. It’s a bummer to leave back training out right now but that’s honestly what my traps and lats are needing. Everything is feeling better and this was a great workout… especially for shark week.

And on a related note: If you’re in Target with a basket full of tampons, zero makeup, grubby clothes, dirty hair, and no bra, you will for sure run into someone you know. Science!

The Book for Overthinkers

Over-thinking is not a good thing. It doesn’t make you more intellectual, spiritual, or mindful. One sign that you’re overthinking is when your brain turns every stupid interaction into an ordeal that keeps you up at night worrying that you might’ve hurt someone’s feelings, or said something insensitive, or annoyed people with your presence. This book also has insights on improving your athletic performance too. I’m only halfway through and am blown away.

Other important things:

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1918

OnlyGrams would work.

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1919

How has nobody has thought of this before?!

1920

Likely bad ROI, the niche of those of us interested in OnlyGrams when is small.

1 Like
1921

You think so? I’d get an account for the sewing tutorial alone. Maybe it could be combined with OnlyGramps and we could learn how to hunt, fish, and do whatever the heck people do to dead animals to make them okay to eat. (Proof that I could use some instruction.)

1922

having dressed a few different animals - if a lot of people nowadays saw what goes into it, there would be a lot more vegetarians. It’s not a pretty process, but a necessary one.

I kind of think this may be a subset of videos on the hub already…

2 Likes
1923

Very believable. That’s probably why I haven’t made the effort to learn how to hunt. You’ve gotta start somewhere though, right?

HA!! Gross.

1924

:thinking:. Thats probably why I keep running in to people.

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1925

HAHAHA that explains it!

1 Like
1926

No joke, after reading/responding to this I ran into the guy who fixed me & my wife up for our first date 20 years ago.
Haven’t seen him in about 5 years.

He wasn’t wearing a bra either! :rofl:

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1927

No way! What a cool coincidence. And lol!!!

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1928

Today’s Workout

Leg Press: 100 unbroken reps

I can imagine how ridiculous this first thing looks to seasoned lifters, but it gets my knees warmed up, and after having gone with and without it for months, I can see a noticeable difference in my legs, and the anguish from reps 60 to 100 is character-building, plus my quads get a massive pump from it. So I’m going to keep at it for a while. Then give it a rest later, then do it again for a while, etc.

Leg Press: 4 x 15, 10, 8, 8 (ascending load)

Hammer Strength Chest Press: 4 x 15, 10, 10, 10 (ascending load)
Banded External Rotations: 4 x Failure

Bentover Lateral Raise: 4 x Failure
Seated Cable Row: 4 x Failure

For this last superset, I went light enough on the row to focus the tension on the delts. The pre-fatigue from the lateral raises helped pump more blood into the area and keep the tension there rather than the lats and mid-back.

Pretty effective workout. There are always minor aches, pains, and bodily mysteries to complain about, but for now I’ll just think of the positives.

Other Important Stuff:

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4 Likes
1929

Today’s Workout

  • Abs: Banded Dead Bug, then Ab Mat work
  • Hip Thrust
  • Dip
  • Cable Straight Arm Pulldown
  • Cable Tricep Pulldown
  • Machine Lateral Raise

4 sets to failure on all except dips. Got chatting with the janitor and missed a set.

Food For Thought, Digestion, Energy, Muscle Definition, etc

I adjusted carbs (downward severely) and it’s pretty crazy how that makes me feel: Like an energy drink shaken and cracked open.

My digestion has been a bit of a bitch since last week, and carbs are often the culprit when things go awry. So I skipped them for a couple meals and felt instantly awesome, and now I’m planning higher protein, higher fat food. I even perfected a deviled egg recipe, which we’ll be bringing to game night on Friday.

This is not my standard way of eating, but it’s not a bad idea to shake things up on occasion. You can alter your diet on an as-needed basis. Try something. Adjust. Try again. Adjust. Then use strategies that’ve worked in the past whenever you need them. Discard when you’re done. Your body is your laboratory.

I never want to be stuck in my ways. So bitchy digestion is actually my advantage. I thrive with obstacles like this.

Oh wait. I forgot, “you can’t build muscle on a low carb diet!”

I remember thinking about that when this picture was taken. I was on a severe elimination diet here and had been eating mostly just meat for several weeks:

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I’ve dropped carbs dozens of times before and have yet to shrivel up or get fat. The body is more resilient than people seem to think. Especially if you’ve been focused on building muscle for a good amount of time.

Deviled Eggs :smiling_imp:

Got a favorite go-to version or a unique recipe? I’m planning to bring a couple different deviled egg options.

The ones I perfected contain avocado, a pinch of salt, and a couple squirts of this Jalapeño sauce.

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Also if anyone else has struggled with getting hard boiled eggs right, this guy’s tutorial is fool-proof:

4 Likes