TT-Regarding your suggestions for refeeds to Shiggy earlier in this post, do you recommend taking R-ala or ala during this 6 hour refeed?
Boy, HHH, this makes TWO really solid contributions to Shiggy’s thread/situation. I don’t know where my brain is.
Shiggy, yes, HHH raised a HUGE opportunity here for you. r-ALA (r-Alpha Lipoic Acid) is probably one of the most important supps in my arsenal. It’s right up there with a good multi and my fish oil. r-ALA is an insulin mimicker. It helps shove the maximum amount of carbs into your muscles when you overfeed/refeed. And stop to think about it, the more carbs you can stuff into your muscles, the less there is that spills over to fat.
I know money is probably tight, but do me a favor and read up on r-ALA here on the forum and on the 'Net. Search for things like r-ALA + carbs or r-ALA + refeed(s). It’s worth its weight in gold and not that expensive.
Thanks, HHH!!!
No problem TT!
This thread has been very motivating to me as my diet has been pretty sloppy over the last 2 months (dam holidays) and it’s helped me get back on track.
The rala can be purchased at decent price. I’m currenlty using Syntraxs’ and I got it at DPS for a good price. Besides refeeds I like taking it with my first meal after my surge.
HHH, glad this thread is helping others besides me…there’s tons of good info from you and everyone else here.
TT, how often do you take this sup? Do you just take it on your refeed, or do you take it every day? HHH’s idea of taking it with Surge sounds like a really good one…
Hey all.
just had to throw this up.
Not the best place to purchase r-ala, but it is a very good resource for all the benefits of supplementing with r-ala.
Phill
Shigs, I don’t take it with my Surge but in my first meal following surge which is a P+C meal. I usually take it 10-15 minutes before the meal and you should only take it with meals that have Carbs in them. You don’t need it with the surge as the body is already primed immediately after your workout to make good use of the carbs in the surge.
Shiggy, HHH is dead on with his advice (again!). r-ALA is a supp you take prior to your carbs. Like HHH, I don’t take r-ALA before my Surge. According to Berardi (who designed Surge), doing so has the potential to make you hypoglycemic.
r-ALA should be taken at a dose of 100mg of r-ALA per 30-50g of carbs. I use them with my refeeds and before my P+C meals.
This Friday’s results:
W: 206
Change: gain of one lb.
I’m not too worried about this. Next week will be a month so I will work on getting an accurate bf%. I think I need to throw the handheld one out the window…that is still putting me in the high 27%/low 28%…and I’m not buying it. Not at all about me being afraid of the number, it’s just that when clothes are fitting better and people that haven’t seen me in a while are shocked because they are noticing a much thinner face in such a short time, it’s hard to trust it. I did two quick readings on the Fattrack just for practice and got in the upper 24% range, but I didn’t use the tape measure to find the exact spots to measure from like I normally do so I’ll keep it in mind and get an “official” number next week.
I think I am going to switch back to the Berardi workout, with modifications. I didn’t feel nearly as pumped this week, and I think that Berardi’s workout was putting me on a tear. The ABBH workout is good, and I’m sore afterwards, but it feels like so little after the Berardi workout. Also, talking to TT last week I learned I made a big mistake with Berardi’s workout, which would be the primary reason I felt so fatigued. I work out at home, and I had to substitue a few exercises. I made a big mistake of substituting isolated exercises with compound ones…in fact I think every exercise I substituted, I made this mistake with (probably because I don’t have machines and dumbells). This mistake was at its worst on Fridays, in which four of the five exercises I was doing were compound ones. That would explain why the last two weekends I felt like I got run over by a truck…oopsee. I got four weeks in and would really love to finish the last eight…I think with smarter substitutions, and cutting out the Wednesday and Saturday workouts, that would allow me to continue teh pump and calorie burn I was getting while making sure it wasn’t too much for my current fitness level and low carb intake. Of course, I could adjust accordingly (take an occasional cardio session off or even trim back # of reps )if it still proved too much.
Has anyone said it lately?
Go Shiggy, Go Shiggy Go!
Go Shiggy, Go Shiggy Go!
Shiggy,
Check out Lowery’s E vs. E thread that is up and listen to his commentary on overtraining and letting your body recover.
KEEP IT UP, DOG!
Nice! Thanks Thumper. The support from you guys is probably the biggest reason I’m not frustrated after seeing a gain on the scale. It’s not only the encouraging support but it’s also the specific information you guys give that help me overcome these obstacles, and that’s great.
Sounds like the LL thread is something I need to listen to right away, as it pertains to something I’ve been experiencing lately. I’m going to check it out today.
…the name of the thread is “New Audio Show”
Shiggy, I’m not worried about the one-pound weight gain, either. You seem to run high (weight loss), low (weight loss), high (weight loss), low (weight loss) on alternating weeks. Stick with the program and make no changes, other than the workout you do, which is your choice.
If you’re not doing it currently and since your protein intake is high(er) and the fiber you would get from carbs is somewhat restricted, I’d like to see you take in a good fiber supplement with, say, the first meal of the day. Not only are there tremendous health benefits, but you should see more consistent scale readings, too.
Another thing, I love the fact that my scale measures my weight in 2/10th pound increments.
TT, I’ve been shooting for 20 grams of fiber per day, and I usually wind up between 20-25g. How do you determine what the correct amount you need is?
Even though the US Government recommends 25-30 grams of fiber per day, many doctor?s recommend 50-60 grams per day. If you’re regular (i.e., go to the bathroom at least once daily), I probably wouldn’t make any changes to what you’re doing currently.
Myself, I mix some psyllium seed or husk (cheap, cheap, cheap, especially if you buy in bulk) with Crystal Light. Sugar free Metamucil is also an option.
Since I’m in question-asking mode, how much water are you getting per day? The two go hand in hand. I get in 2 liters per 45-minute cardio session and another 3 liters per weight-lifting workout (1 liter during & 2 liters with my Surge). Higher water intake is complementary to weight/fat loss. It helps to blunt hunger and carries off metabolic waste. A pretty high percentage of the population is less than optimally hydrated, some serverely so.
Terry, I usually get at least a gallon of water in a day, and that doesn’t include water with Surge or LC Grow. I don’t have a problem drinking water all day long.
Good deal, Shiggy! You seem to be pretty on top of all the little details!!!
Water GOOD!!!
Keep up the great work Shiggy. You have a great attitude. Some weeks you just arent going to show scale loss. As long as your looks and clothes continue to transform you are doing great.
Phill
Wow.
Seems I need to get my butt back in gear.
Since this is such a great thread, I am going to implement your guidelines TT.
I have a question regarding the P+C meals. I have read all of JB’s articles and I am still confused as to the fat content in these meals. it has been stated you can include up to 5g of fat in these meals, but the only way I can get the fat down to 5g is by using a shake. Does the fat in the meat you are consuming not count?
I appologize if this if obvious, I am just not getting it.
Thanks!
Philoe, welcome to the party. Usually if I’m going to have a P+C meal with meat, I use Purdue Fit 'N Easy chicken breast. It has about one gram of fat per twenty of protein. Sometimes I also use 99% lean ground turkey and mix it with a half cup of whole wheat pasta. For powder P+C meals, I take LC Grow and mix it with oatmeal.
Shiggy
Thanks, that clears that up, and is what I figured.
Congrats on your progress thus far!