I did not know what to title this. and my question is already founded upon some assumptions.
okay, so I am trying to get ripped(of course). I’m not a big guy so I have to emphasize what I’ve got.
Most of my mornings I take EC, Indigo, fish oil, and do 30-40 minutes of brisk walking on the treadmill whilst drinking half a dose of MAG-10. then I drink a full dose of MAG-10 and eat a bowl of oatmeal. I also occasionally do the 12 hour fasting which TC wrote about.
well it was mentioned that fasted cardio, especially in the morning, will raise cortisol, and I assume that the EC will raise cortisol even higher. now I think phosphatidylserine lowers cortisol. but if EC raises it, would PS make EC ineffective?
Oh, and I’m not asking for anyone to advocate the use of EC, but just to help me understand the role of cortisol in fat loss
Well, increasing cortisol and catecholamines (epinephrine/norepinephrine) will result in lipolysis as it will liberate free fatty acids to the blood stream, which is of course good. The caveat to this is that insulin sensitivity (glucose dispersal to skeletal muscle) will temporarily be decreased. So, your cortisol and catecholamines will already be increasing because 1) you are waking up in the morning, so these will naturally start to increase because of the circadian rhythm, and 2) you are doing brisk walking which will also increase these ‘stress’ hormones.
Taking EC is fine (although, I feel like a longer-term solution would just be having a cup of coffee before the walk), and save the fish oil for your first meal.
I would not take PS in the morning… it can definitely blunt cortisol which is not what you want to do when you are trying to wake up and get the day started. Even taking it at night for me before sleep (at only 300 mg) makes me feel a bit groggy/lazy then next day. I would skip the PS unless you are having high cortisol/insomnia issues at night.
Cortisol has three main functions: The reduction of protein synthesis, helping change protein to glucose, it stops tissue growth. This is a dialled down explanation.
EC, I would gather is Ephedrine/Caffein? Then yes, as caffein does (in excess) raise cortisol, well, there is your answer.
Not too familiar with phosphatidylserine. From what I read quickly, it is “suppose” to lower cortisol… Would it counter act? The body does not operate that way unfortunately. It would be the equivalent of taking a downer and an upper at the same time. One doesn’t counteract the other and you feel “level”. Humble opinion of course.
Now, you cannot fully stop the process. Cortisol play a role in your body.
What you can do is manage it only. What you are doing is fine. I would change Indigo-3G with HOT-ROX (that way you replace your stack) MAG-10, walk, Indigo-3G, then full MAG-10, then breakfast (realize, it is just my humble opinion).
The bottom line is to minimize cortisol, as you cannot eliminate it.