The HCGers exercise thread

[shelbyla]

It's kind of like tattoos...some like the look, some don't!

[nola baxter]

Hi

Pics;
Fully clothed one and bra/shorts one are today.

Little black dress is a couple of months ago- I am leaner now- but this pic better shows upper body development than ones taken today, where for some reason my upper body looks all scrawny..

Nola..

sorry the pics are sideways and a bit inadequate; my 8 yr old son is the camera man, and I am technologically challenged!

Loading like crazy today- in food heaven!
Did a hard workout this morning- felt pretty good- probably because all of the load food was making its way into my system by the time I got there!
Expected to feel depleted again.. but all good..

[minimonkey]

Nola --- you look utterly amazing!!!!!!!!! Your legs are incredible! I have no idea where you are seeing scrawny... I certainly am NOT seeing it... I am truly, truly impressed.

WAY TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[minimonkey]

BTW --- I can't begin to imagine a saddlebag or cellulite anywhere on you -- your legs look solid as can be.

I am going to feel WAY scrappy posting my pics....

[torim]

Shelbyla - thanks for the info. I'm taking heaps of Biotin. Got the 5'000mcg ones from Netrition and have been doubling up on those. Plus I'm taking extra vitamins etc. But I'm still losing hair it's seriously freaking me out. I'm on day 16 round two and as soon as I've hit day 23 thats it - I'm stopping. Going to get back into good fats omegas and try and start adding good food back in. I'm thinking that since it takes a month or so for this to happen. I reckon it must have been due to the first round I did - which was far too long 40 days. I just hope that adding in a second round isn't going to make it worse. I've always had heaps of hair so its not noticeable. But my hair is thinner and I keep thinking I'm going to end up with bald patches. Seriously not good.

Mini - thanks for the info. I've still got another bottle. Think I'll go off drops for quite some time until the hair issue sorts itself and keep them up my sleeve for future. Wow a sculpter - very cool. Had an old flatmate that was a sculpter he used to work with casts and make bronze things. It was lovely having all his art work around.

Nola - I travel to fielding and Palmy every month with my job. I'm always there the 1st week of every month - usually a Thurs and Fri - if you ever want to catch up for a coffee - let me know. Coffee with 1 TB milk that is :-) Had a read of scott Ables site last nite after reading your post. Wow that guys pretty amazing. That was a bit scary what he was saying about competition nutrition. And it kind of hit the mark. Do you do his cycling type diet. Would love to find out more.

Hope you are all well and rocking your weight loses. I'm upping my protein at the mo' as I think I've freaked myself out to much with the hair loss so just going to try and get to the end of this round.

[torim]

ha just read the other thread. So yep - exercise thread it is.

Nola / Minimonkey - I'm ashamed to say - its with the assisted pull up machine - I sooo wish I could do pull ups without. So no Nola not that strong. But man it would be great to do them. Its a goal of mine to get to. I used to be able to do unassisted dips years ago. But not these days.
Nola thanks for such a great post back in the other thread.
I've done weights since I was in my teens - always loved it. But have never done anything serious, just love the type of exercise (feeling strong, getting into a groove, its quite a mental activity.) Love the look of muscle on women. I used to collect all the Oxygen mags when I was younger - Carla Brunei I think? Or is that the French Presidents wife - anyway some name like that - and always wanted to look that way. Unfortunately always have held fat like a trojan to my lower body. Anyway I've had loads of years off from any physical exercise - so hitting 40 and seeing my body change for the worse was get of my behind time. Basically I'd love to get in the best shape I can be for me. Hence back to the gym and the HCG. Which I must say has been the only thing which has enabled me to lose weight.
Let me know if you ever want to catch up for a coffee in Feilding - would be quite nice to actually meet someone from this forum.

[nola baxter]

lol.. thanks Mini

I wouldnt worry about posting your pics though- you will probably look delightfully petite and delicate next to me!

I have been weight-training a long time- over ten yrs.

Cellulite and saddlebags are definitely there! more to the back.. though lesser at this weight.

I do find my carb tolerance is increased with exercise and the presence of good muscle of the body.
I do have some carb sensitivity- but can tolerate a lot of carbs- and when it comes to weight loss, eating lots of carbs does not seem to make any difference- it seems to be more a factor of overall calories for me.
And I can be fuller on a mixed diet with lots of vegetables and complex carbs, than on a ketogenic diet;
ie I eat less calories on the mixed diet because it fills me up more.
I can eat endless high fat calories! I know- I tried it..lol
I do like ketogenic diets though- stable blood sugar, and settled digestion, and the nice taste of lots of good fat!

[minimonkey]

It's so interesting how different bodies can be --- I get much hungrier on a mixed diet than I do on a ketogenic one... carbs and I don't get along well that way.

I am enjoying having fruit on the p2 portions of this, and would like to keep that for maintenance if I can.... and there are also a few things that I really do miss when doing strict keto... I miss hummus and tempeh and bananas. I can't do wheat, but I do also like the option of gluten free low-carb bread once in a while, or oats.

I don't really eat bananas at all, unless I am doing some kind of loading... but oh do I love them.

Tori -- so sorry about your hair loss!!!!!!! I had that when I first went low carb (in 2003) and it really freaked me out. I have also read that there is a delayed effect... so hair you are losing now was primed for it several weeks ago. Also, from what I understand...any rapid weight loss can cause hair loss, so hcg isn't exactly the culprit, except in that it works so well.

Hope that stops for you very soon!!!

[minimonkey]

LOL -- and Nola.. I will definitely look petite and delicate by comparison, though I am not sure how delightful that is... You look like you could pick me up in one hand! The amount of work that has gone into building that muscle is amazing....

[shelbyla]

Originally Posted by minimonkey

Also, from what I understand...any rapid weight loss can cause hair loss, so hcg isn't exactly the culprit, except in that it works so well.

Hope that stops for you very soon!!!

Yeah, first time I did Atkins, I went to my hairdresser and he was like, "WTH have you been doing to your hair???" All sorts of different lengths, etc. Hopefully it WILL stop soon.

Well, guys, I bailed on P2 this morning after a completely unwarranted GAIN of 1.5'ish pounds yesterday. Good sleep, good meds, good food, good exercise--no rational reason for it at all. I am wondering at this point if my workouts are actually causing the gains since I am burning serious calories (300+) every time I do them. I know that Mini had some issues running at that much of a calorie deficit in her first round. So this morning, I took it down a notch and just did some medium intensity rowing for 30 mins and some stretching. Hopefully my body will behave tomorrow and I will see a decent drop for some P3 cushion. I don't think I'll be starting up the heavy weights right away, especially since I landed 2.5 pounds up from my lowest this round and higher than I wanted anyway. I think I am just going to play it by ear at this point.

In other news, I am on an absolute TEAR this morning--rotten mood all around, biting people's heads off right and left. The gain doesn't help but I think my testosterone dose is up too high--I'm feeling THAT aggressive. Time to take THAT down a notch too or I might find myself called on the carpet!

[nola baxter]

Hi Torim

Yes, I would love to meet you for a coffee. Lets get in touch before you are next coming up.
I am a homeschooling stay at home solo Mum- so am flexible with times..

I really like the Scott Abel site. I think he has a lot of clues in terms of exercise, and diet, and I like his realistic and esoteric approaches too.
I have not done his cycle diet as such- but taken some of the ideas from it. Though with this hcg- what I am going to be doing is similar- about 5-6 low-calorie days and one major food load day. And a spike meal (high calorie feed) in the middle of the low calorie days.
At least thats my projected plan right now!

I love weight-training too..

I suspect your hair loss would be from the weight loss, rather than the hcg drops as such. I would interpret it as saying the body was under stress and probably needed more calories/protein or something.

Hi Mini
Yes is is interesting that different diets work differently for different people.
I tried lowcarbing for quite a while, and finally had to come to the conclusion that it wasnt the holy grail for me! though I did like it in many ways.

Yep, lots of work has gone into building the muscle- I am a natural endomorph- soft and round looking.. so anything I have got has come through hard training and diet rather than natural genetics.

I loaded heaps of food yesterday- over 6000 cals again, did two hard workouts- morning and evening, and felt reasonably good during them..
Though all the sudden intake of food gives me a real head rush!
One thing I noticed with this load day, that I didnt notice last week- was that during the night (last night) I did not sleep so well, it felt like my body was in overdrive, burning up all the calories like crazy- and I was hot- though my son said it was cold.
And this morning- if anything, I look thinner..

So I will see what the next week brings.
I will probably follow a similar pattern the next two weeks
1 massive load day
5-6 low calorie days (700-1000cals) - with a big spike meal in the middle of the low calorie days in order to to facilitate a workout.

[nola baxter]

Hi Shelby

I seriously ignore weight on the scales, I sometimes will not weigh for months at a time!
I just look at how my body is looking, and how the clothes fit.

With intense exercise the scales can do funny things, which dont neccesarily reflect whether your body is gaining/losing fat or not.

Last year I lost weight(fat) over a period of months- which was obvious and commented on by many people, but my weight was just bouncing around the same few kilos on the scales (around 5-6 months). Finally it went down a bit, but not much, not as much as what it looked like visually.

This has happened to me many times- I am losing fat, but the scales do not neccessarily show it, or show it belatedly

[mymy3377]

@Minimonkey-I just did the Lotte Berk Muscle Eats Fat workout and i am dripping in sweat, it was so hard and intense

I cannot believe it, I couldn't even use the weights for the upper body section and this is coming from a Jillian "The Devil Woman" Michaels vet. My legs were literally shaking from the exercises which don't "look" hard at all but when you do them....OMG

[torim]

Hi Nola

Yep coffee would be great. I'm up your way on the 9th and 10th June. Just Private messge me and I'll give you some contact details.

Rgds.

[minimonkey]

Mymymy -- glad the Lotte Berk was a challenge for you! Isometrics are a whole different game than other workouts..... I suggest you don't even try the Lean and Toned for a while.. the Core Fusion tapes are pretty intense.

You'll be delighted at the results you get from isometric work, I can assure you.

Shaking is good... you want that. Be prepared to be a little sore tomorrow.

In the newest Bar Method workouts, even Burr Leonard visibly shakes... (at one point she says "shake with me" -- it's pretty cute). Those workouts have me begging for mercy... in a good way.

[minimonkey]

Shelby -- sorry about the mood -- hope that got better!!!! I think maybe p3 is a good idea at this point, in any case.

I just hate all this hormonal craziness that is perimenopause.... grrrr.

I didn't work out today, but I did do some heavy house rearranging and was on my feet and active all day -- and very, very pleased at how strong my arms and core have become! It's really evident when lifting boxes and furniture I also got a lot done, and that feels great. Will hit the workouts again tomorrow if time permits... if not, then it will be Thursday through the weekend.

Nola, I'm thinking of divorcing my scale, too... or at least considering a temporary separation!

[nola baxter]

Torim - yep, I will pm you..

Mini- yes, I think you should abandon the scale- or at the very least, treat the readings lightly!

[shelbyla]

Originally Posted by nola baxter

I seriously ignore weight on the scales, I sometimes will not weigh for months at a time!
I just look at how my body is looking, and how the clothes fit.

If I worked out as much and as religiously as you do, Nora, that would probably work for me too. Alas, that is a slippery slope for me because then I swing in the other direction--scared to get on the scale--because of poor food/exercise choices. I am afraid that I will need to be a daily weigher for the rest of my life to keep myself in check.

Originally Posted by minimonkey

Shelby -- sorry about the mood -- hope that got better!!!! I think maybe p3 is a good idea at this point, in any case.

Mini - yeah, it didn't get much better but I escaped work earlier than usual, I'm sure to the relief of my co-workers! At least since I supplement T, I can reduce my dose today and see if it helps. It certainly didn't help my mood to start the day by SCALDING my hand with hot tea...AGAIN! That's two days in a row! I'm afraid I took the lord's name in vain at work!

On the BFFM book, I don't have a soft copy (you're only allowed to make one hard copy when you buy it) but I am happy to mail you the gigantic binder that I have the hard copy in to "borrow" (read "keep"...lol). If you're interested PM me your address and I will pop it in the mail. Alternately, I can scan the table of contents and you can see if there are particular sections you'd like to check out. In THAT case, PM me your email addy!

[kimberlybimberly]

Shelby, I've posted about this before. My testosterone goes up incredibly during a round. I do rX hCG.

Normal, for me is low 50's ng/dL (6-82). During a round 140 ng/dL (6-82). This is without supplementation of any kind. I had no high test symptoms, however. You could be crazy high.

[shelbyla]

Hey Kimberly! Good tyo see ya! Normal for me is around 2 which is why I supplement. I have been on as high a dose as 10mg per DAY (almost 5x normal). I'll be dropping down to 3 today (from 6 yesterday)--see how I do. I had some labs last week (frees and totals) of hormones so we'll see where my levels were on 7.5 T + hhcg.

[kimberlybimberly]

Glad you got the labs. When things get a little wacky, info is good.

[minimonkey]

I'd love to be ble to monitor my hormones by something other than guesswork.....but my insurance just isn't the least bit interested in that, and I can't afford to pay for labs..... sigh.

[Bierarsch]

I posted this in my first thread, but thought I'd bring the conversation over to the exercise thread.

DH and I finally lost enough weight for us to be healthy enough to exercise without hurting ourselves, and we started Couch to 5k. We made it through to Week 2, Run 1, until I hurt myself and have been sidelined for the last 3, almost 4, weeks.

DH started R4 loading on 5/14, and started R4P2 on Monday, 5/16. This time he decided to inject 175IU, and has had no hunger issues this time around. I am debating whether or not to start a R4 this coming Saturday, 5/21. I really wanted to be exercising because I want to be toned, and not just “skinny fat”, but I know you’re not supposed to start a new exercise program in P2, but I don’t think starting Couch to 5k Week 1, Run 1 four days before you start counts as an exercise program started before P2.

DH and I both really wanted to be active. Since he has already started R4, and I am thinking about starting R4 this coming Saturday, should we just avoid any exercise like Couch to 5k until P3? When in P3 can we start exercising? Would walking a few miles be okay in P2? What about yoga, callanetics, etc?

[nola baxter]

Hi
kimberely

So testosterone goes up on the hcg?
I wonder if it would go up on the homeopathic drops.
That would explain why Mini feels she can gain muscle more easily on the drops(when eating a bit more food)..
Anyone else got any thoughts/info/experience on this?
That could be pretty pertinent stuff! It would also explain why some people say they get a toned look with the hcg

Brierarsch;
I think you could do walking, and maybe try other kinds of exercise, as long as you have the energy.
And if it makes you too tired , hungry or fatigued, you could add a bit of protein, or just cut back on the exercise.
I would try it and see.
Gentle walking would be a good startm

[kimberlybimberly]

Originally Posted by nola baxter

Hi
kimberely

So testosterone goes up on the hcg?
I wonder if it would go up on the homeopathic drops.
That would explain why Mini feels she can gain muscle more easily on the drops(when eating a bit more food)..
Anyone else got any thoughts/info/experience on this?
That could be pretty pertinent stuff! It would also explain why some people say they get a toned look with the hcg

I personally don't have any info re the homeopathic hCG and testosterone levels. My guess would be that it *does* affect the sex hormones. Messed up TOMs would be my basis for saying that, but I cannot say *how* they would be affected compared to rX.

So that this is not a complete threadjack - I exercise!

[nola baxter]

Hi Kimberely

well if it is a threadjack its welcome! lol, and applicable..
Testosterone helps with muscle building and strength- so it has got to be related to an exercise thread..

I can imagine that it might affect the sex hormones- there was some talk on another thread how bodybuilders take hcg to help offset the effects of steroids on testicle shrinkage?? something like that anyway..

Personally , I wouldnt mind a higher testosterone level.
Estrogen dominance seems to be too much the norm these days.

[porkfatrules]

Hi exercisers!

I'm trying to maintain an exercise program during P2 (I'm just 11 days into R1, so still figuring things out). I'm a huge home video workout lover (minimonkey, I think we have a lot of the same workout loves!).

I just hurt my foot a few weeks back, so am trying to baby it a little for a while until it feels a bit more solid. I just started running through my Classical Stretch DVDs, doing one every day -- these are terrific for flexibility and toning, and give me a lovely calm feeling afterwards, sort of like a yoga workout would. And, they're not too intense for P2 (I think if I did Turbo Jam right now I'd pass out!). I may switch over to some pilates or Bar Method next.

[catjrow3]

Originally Posted by porkfatrules

Hi exercisers!

I'm trying to maintain an exercise program during P2 (I'm just 11 days into R1, so still figuring things out). I'm a huge home video workout lover (minimonkey, I think we have a lot of the same workout loves!).

I just hurt my foot a few weeks back, so am trying to baby it a little for a while until it feels a bit more solid. I just started running through my Classical Stretch DVDs, doing one every day -- these are terrific for flexibility and toning, and give me a lovely calm feeling afterwards, sort of like a yoga workout would. And, they're not too intense for P2 (I think if I did Turbo Jam right now I'd pass out!). I may switch over to some pilates or Bar Method next.

Sounds wonderfully calming. I only have callanetics, but could really use a good stretching one. I have terrible flexibility!! Terrible!!

[shelbyla]

Mini (ha!) thread-jack - I got my dermarollers today. Wow am I glad I got the 0.5mm for my face! I can't imagine starting with anything larger! Looking forward to seeing results though...

[Bierarsch]

Originally Posted by porkfatrules

Hi exercisers!

I'm trying to maintain an exercise program during P2 (I'm just 11 days into R1, so still figuring things out). I'm a huge home video workout lover (minimonkey, I think we have a lot of the same workout loves!).

I just hurt my foot a few weeks back, so am trying to baby it a little for a while until it feels a bit more solid. I just started running through my Classical Stretch DVDs, doing one every day -- these are terrific for flexibility and toning, and give me a lovely calm feeling afterwards, sort of like a yoga workout would. And, they're not too intense for P2 (I think if I did Turbo Jam right now I'd pass out!). I may switch over to some pilates or Bar Method next.

Hey Porkfatrules! What Classical Stretch DVDs do you use? I have "Stretch and Joint Mobility Therapy" but am always on the lookout for a new one. I have very tense neck, shoulder, and back muscles, and have a desk job, so I like a good stretch.

Sorry for the threadjack!