I’m considering slowly increasing my calories over the course of 4-5 months to try to get up to 2200-2300 then spring semester
Thoughts?
Any progress is good progress! I feel like when it comes to assessing ourselves the progress always feels slow 
Also…. You look lean and strong (as far as I can see in the pics!) I see a forearm vein!!! I don’t know about you guys but I get excited when I can see veins. Ok, maybe I’m just weird but I love when I get a good pump and see veins on the rare occasion that I’m lean enough for that to happen, lol.
What kind of symptoms do you have? And I know what you mean… we had a wet and cool June/July but the heat has finally arrived and I’m loving it!
You could try it because there’s nothing wrong with doing an experiment as long as it correlates with the rest of your program! How many calories are you eating now? What are you thinking of adding to increase the calories?
Are you planning on continuing with your daily treadmill routine? 
1600-1800
Combination of protein and fats. Basically I want more freedom to eat larger portions of meat without getting fatter and have an easier time losing the 3lbs I’ve gained over the summer. I am really really craving eggs and meat right now. I know I’m not hungry bc something like a pastry sounds incredibly unappealing
My current diet isn’t restrictive but cutting calories to lose fat would be extremely, extremely difficult
I’m starting a higher volume programme
And still slowly reducing steps
I sincerely think ^ this option would be better for you. You want to get stronger and have more muscle for aesthetic purposes, but are restricting caloric intake to a point such that…
This happens.
You need to fix this; energy does not disappear - but your body will find a way to make it stretch if done long enough… enter Adaptive Thermogenesis. You’re forcing your body into a state which you will gain weight whilst eating at ‘maintenance’ via increased work and reduced caloric intake.
There are at least a dozen people on this forum that have said you need to fix this, all of whom are highly respected. You’ve identified the outcome of your current diet in the quote I pulled from your log, I hope you see this and rectify it.
You’ve no problem restricting calories, so I think bulking and cutting would work well for you.
5 Likes
This ^^^^
You need to train your body to get out of that state. I mentioned to you before that it’s not going to be “easy” but you need to give your body time to transition to something new.
Gaining weight isn’t the end of the world and it’s not permanent… your body will be thanking you!
Most of us look at ourselves thinking that we look like crap and we’re always looking for ways to improve our physique (even when we are in excellent condition!) my point is that you keep saying you’re fat but that’s not reality… you need to get out of your comfort zone and make some changes even if you don’t like what you see on the scale.
7 Likes
You would love my hands and feet.
I have very skinny extremities and some chubb in the mid section.
As for my perimenopause, I have every thing but the hot flash. The hard part is that it is not the same from month to month.
I have night sweats and insomnia. I use to hit the sheet and wake up in the morning.
I have no patience, I even get on my nerves.
I get emotional at time. I never had emotion like that so this in very confusing.
Then you add feeling foggy, disconnected and weak.
I am at a point where if you offer me to get rid of my organs I would be happy.
Maybe wednesday, the dr will have some help with the follow up to my blood test.
1 Like
Here are my results
Got my hormones results
Normal: Estrogen, Thyroid, FSH, LH, Cortisol, Testosterone, Prolactin, Insulin.
Low: Progesterone, DHEA, Vit D
That mean that I will try some bioidentical Progesterone with omega 3 and vit D3.
That is for the next 3 months. So I get a redo of the blood work in October with a follow up in November.
2 Likes
That’s good to know! That explains some of the symptoms that you’ve been experiencing.
How low was your Vitamin D? Let’s blame the Canadian weather this year for the lack of D 
Keep us posted on this!
My adventure yesterday…
It was 104 degrees so I took some Surge with me to stay hydrated!
I did cardio in the morning but I skipped the gym yesterday… at least my throttle hand is sore today 
6 Likes
In your followup labwork, it may be beneficial to ask for:
@highpull is a provider if I’m not mistaken - so he knows his stuff!
2 Likes
Some of those were done but not mention as they are known or unremarkable.
CBC is normal but one type of white blood cell is low, Has been for years.
Lipids and cholesterol has been tested a lot when my brother nearly died of heart failure at 40yo.
I don’t have the genetic LP1 (the hard to control not food related cholesterol) My good cholesterol is good and the bad is very low. And lipids are normal but on the low end.
I did stunt my bro cardiologist. My bro has high bp, fast heart rate over 120bpm (now about 60 with meds) and high cholesterol. As both parents were carrier of the LP1, all sibling had to be tested and seen. My results were unexpected for the cardiologist. Normal low BP, slow HR under 50 at rest and picture perfect cholesterol. I was just retested as the test has change so did the values that are in rang. I am still one the good side for my age even being 15lb heavier now.
The main goal is to get a grip on the peri menopause crap.
2 Likes
I think you’re doing fine, considering you’re actually pursuing BHRT (which is surprisingly uncommon for gals, I’ll save the rant for later).
If it’s not too much to ask, please keep us updated as the realm of HRT/BHRT information is rather sparse.
Does anyone here use a menstrual cup? I want to make the switch but am a bit concerned about lifting while using one. I’ve done some research, still wondering if anyone here has experiences with specific brands they can share. Thanks!
I have a friend who uses one. Idk what brand though.
She said that it takes a bit of time to get used to and is a bit annoying/awkward to empty and wash (she has heavy periods), but otherwise she’s satisfied and noted that it’s saved her a non-trivial amount of money on sanitary products.
She’s a runner though, so idk how it might work for lifting
Sorry that it doesn’t sound like the most pleasant experience for your friend. Maybe normal though – from what I’ve read it takes about three cycles to get used to using a cup. It seems its firmness is important to consider for exercise, especially lifting. Some people might have a cup they only use on active days.
1 Like
So I’ve had a shoulder injury for quite some time. It healed up quite a bit, but I’ve always had a bit of an impingement beside my right shoulder blade.
I hit a somewhat heavy C&J for a single, and upon catching it, it landed hard across my shoulders, and I heard a crisp crack. I was freaking out thinking I injured the same spot again, but to my surprise, I guess the weight landed in juuuuust the right spot with enough pressure, and my shoulder feels…really good. I waited to see if I had royally screwed up, but when I woke up I was quite relieved.
It’s like I gave myself a bit of a chiropractic pick me up because usually it’s always tight in this one area, but it feels amazing, AND I can get my arm all the way to my back when I stretch. Yay? Lol
5 Likes
That’s my cue!
3 Likes
I didn’t really have good experiences with the handful I tried. In my experience, If you have longer labias (minora), the cup might irritate that outer skin.
I was constantly trying to readjust and would experience irritation a lot.
For lifting it was also a pain in the ass for the same reasons. I don’t strain in such a way that puts pressure on my pelvic floor, but if you are someone who tends to have pressure build up in that area it can quite uncomfortable.
I found a few brands on Instagram that were reasonably priced and made of gentle material so I’d say just put in menstrual cup in the search bar and shop around.
That’s awesome!!! Was that yesterday? I would ice it because even if it was a “positive” adjustment you’ll likely experience some inflammation over the next few days. Let us know how it feels tomorrow!
Did you dislocate it before?
1 Like