Health
Here is a brief summary:
- The menstrual cycle has a major impact on a woman's metabolic state and training results
- The follicular phase is the period during which women should focus on progress. This phase is characterized by a higher pain tolerance and increased endurance.
- Insulin sensitivity is higher during the follicular phase. As a result, the body will preferentially use carbohydrates to provide energy for muscle gains.
- During ovulation, high estrogen levels can make women more susceptible to injury.
- During the luteal phase, the female body will rely more on fat as an energy source.
Your hormones control you
You work hard every time you enter the gym. You give 100% of your effort and make sure you eat right. You think you're doing everything right, but could there be something you're not aware of that's hindering your results? Your hormones are controlling you every single day. You are aware of the fact that testosterone, the primary male sex hormone, is responsible for making men more muscular, stronger and more aggressive. But what about your hormones? As a woman, you go through a series of events every month known as the female menstrual cycle. What most women don't realize, however, is the impact this cycle can have on your metabolic status and training results. Let's take a closer look at this topic and explain what's going on. The good news is that once you understand the effects of these hormones and their fluctuations, you can adjust your program to overcome potential obstacles and use these fluctuations to your advantage to accelerate your training results.
A refresher on the female cycle
The first thing to keep in mind is that we are talking about premenopausal women who are not using hormonal contraceptives. Your cycle begins immediately after the end of your period with the follicular phase, which lasts from day 0 to 14. This phase is characterized by rising estrogen levels, normal progesterone levels and an average body temperature.
From here you move to ovulation, which occurs around day 14. When this happens, your estrogen levels peak and your progesterone levels begin to rise. You will also notice that you start to feel warmer. From day 15 to 28 of your cycle, you will enter the luteal phase, during which your oestrogen levels will drop, your progesterone levels will rise and your body temperature will remain elevated. This is followed by menstruation and everything starts all over again. Now let's talk about what happens during each of these phases.
The follicular phase: Eat carbohydrates and train harder:
When it comes to your workouts, the follicular phase, including the ovulation phase, is the period during which you should focus on making progress. This phase is characterized by a higher pain tolerance, the greatest capacity for strength production and increased endurance. Your body will preferentially use muscle glycogen during this phase to give you training energy, which makes a carbohydrate-rich training diet important.
In addition to this, your insulin sensitivity will be higher during this phase, so you should focus on higher carbohydrate intake or refeeds during intense, carb-draining workouts. Your body will be more inclined to use these carbohydrates to drive muscle gains. These intense workouts, combined with the metabolism-boosting refeeds, will also help to counteract a reduction in your resting metabolic rate that occurs during this time. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that basal metabolic rate decreased during menstruation and continued to drop until it reached its lowest point one week before ovulation.
The ovulation phase - try to set new personal bests:
During ovulation, your strength will still be high and you will likely be at your highest strength production capacity during this phase. If you want to set new personal bests, this is the best time to try. A study published in the Journal of Physiology found that women showed an 11% increase in quadriceps strength and grip strength during ovulation. However, you should be aware that your risk of injury may be higher during this phase. As estrogen levels reach their highest levels during this phase, this can affect collagen metabolism and also influence neuromuscular control. A study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine found that the risk of ACL injuries during this phase of the cycle is 4 to 8 times higher than during any other phase of the cycle.
So train hard during this time, but take extra care to use good form and watch for accumulation of fatigue. At this point, your metabolic rate will also start to increase, so don't be surprised if you feel a little hungrier. Consider eating a few more calories to provide the body with sufficient energy, but try to consume these extra calories in the form of a balanced mix of protein, carbohydrates and fats as your insulin sensitivity begins to drop.
The luteal phase: Reduce training intensity and lose fat:
Have you ever experienced workouts during which you felt like your body was fighting your every move? If so, there's a good chance this was during the luteal phase. During the luteal phase, when your body temperature will be higher, you will experience a higher cardiovascular load and a reduced time to exhaustion. In addition to this, you may experience water retention due to PMS, which will make it uncomfortable to perform high-intensity activities such as sprints and the like. Furthermore, during the luteal phase, your body will rely more on fat instead of muscle glycogen as an energy source, so it would be a wise decision to perform workouts where fat can be used as an energy source. All of this suggests performing cardio training at a lower intensity in conjunction with moderate intensity strength training. For those suffering from severe fatigue and discomfort, yoga could be an alternative, as studies suggest that yoga could reduce the duration and intensity of PMS symptoms.
From a metabolic perspective, your metabolism will be at its highest point during this phase. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that your metabolic rate will be around 7.7% higher than normal and you will also experience a greater thermic effect from food as your body will burn more calories than usual during digestion. What you need to watch out for during this phase, however, is an increased craving for carbohydrate-rich foods. Your serotonin production will be lower and this can promote low mood and irritability. Your instinct will be to eat more carbohydrates as these can cause a rapid increase in serotonin levels, which can cause an immediate improvement in mood and a natural high. However, as your insulin sensitivity reaches its lowest point during this phase and as you have to reduce the intensity of your training sessions due to the faster onset of fatigue, you should make sure to keep your carbohydrate intake under control. Due to the higher metabolic rate and more moderate training intensity, this is a perfect time to lower your carbohydrate and calorie intake to boost fat burning. Some women will also experience nausea during this phase due to PMS symptoms, so a reduction in food intake could be quite welcome. To counteract a reduction in serotonin levels and alleviate carbohydrate cravings, you can consider supplementing with serotonin or 5-HTP or eating foods rich in tryptophan such as turkey, skimmed milk, soybeans or pumpkin seeds, as tryptophan is an important precursor for serotonin production.
The menstrual phase:
When menstruation finally starts, you will begin to feel more like yourself again. The PMS symptoms will subside, your body temperature will return to normal and your water retention will disappear. This makes the menstrual phase a good time to transition to more intense workouts as your body transitions to the follicular phase. Your metabolic rate will be on the way down and your insulin sensitivity will increase, which is why you should switch to a mixed diet with a more moderate calorie intake that is neither high nor low in carbohydrates.
Then, when your body transitions back to the follicular phase, you can start incorporating high-carb refeed phases to try to build more lean muscle mass.
Let your hormones work for you
By taking into account how your hormonal cycle affects your body during different phases of the month, you can make your training work for you instead of against you. It makes sense to unload during the luteal phase or switch to lighter workouts while eating a low-carb diet to respond appropriately to your metabolic state at this time.
Similarly, it makes sense to focus on maximum intensity and new personal bests during the follicular phase, when energy, strength and insulin sensitivity are at their highest.
By Shannon Clark | 11/19/14 Source:
https://www.t-nation.com/training/hormone-cycle-and-female-lifters
Here is a brief summary:
- Alcohol contributes less to fat storage, but suppresses fat burning.
- Heavy alcohol consumption can block muscle protein synthesis and post-workout recovery via several mechanisms.
- Athletes who drink alcohol after a competition do not seem to be affected as much as long as they take a few days off after the competition.
- The effects of alcohol depend a lot on what you drink (beer, wine or mixed drinks), how much you drink, when you drink and what you eat to accompany it.
- As long as you don't drink yourself into a coma every night, your fears about developing man boobs and shriveled mini testicles are probably exaggerated.
Looking back to 1995, I'm 22 years old. I study biochemistry in the morning and train myself and my clients to the ground in the afternoon. After 9 p.m., I'm working as a bartender at one of the hottest bars at North Carolina State University. The location was called the Cantina. I was voted by Playboy as one of the best college bartenders in the country. There was a lot of partying in that bar.
The thing that set me apart from the bar patrons was the fact that I didn't drink. Not a drop. I was a "young stud", as they said. Just over 100 kilos of body weight with less than 10% body fat and a height of 178 cm and strong as a bear. If I had had any sense of self-awareness back then, I would have realized that I was actually a "young dud". You don't realize how ridiculous you were in your twenties until you hit your mid-thirties, but I digress.
Anyway, I had this friend. He was a little lighter than me, but leaner. This guy drank like a fish. I remember making jokes about him and saying things like, "If you keep drinking like that, you're going to have to buy a bra in a few months." This was in reference to the popular belief that alcohol turns you into a fatty bursting with oestrogen.
He just laughed at this, held up his beer and said "Nah, I was in the gym today. You had your cement mixer shake 3000 and this is my post-workout meal." We laughed about this and he continued to do the same every weekend. You know what happened? He never got much more muscular, but he didn't grow man boobs either.
The alcohol metabolism
When you drink beer, wine or hard liquor, the ethanol (alcohol) contained in these drinks is metabolized by your body with the highest priority. Your body stops pretty much everything else and goes to work with a four-step process that looks like this:
Ethanol → Acetaldehyde → Acetate → Acetyl-CoA
Acetate and acetyl-CoA can be used by the body for energy, but this is costly for the body. Alcohol is said to provide 7 Kcal per gram, but just like protein, its conversion to energy is inefficient and about 17 to 20% of its energy is lost. In other words, just like protein, alcohol has a very high thermic effect. Contrary to popular belief, alcohol, like protein, cannot be easily converted into fat. This process is too costly. But all the acetate and aetyl-CoA that appears in the body's cells signals to the body that there is no need to burn sugar or fat. Alcohol is therefore less of a "fat-storer" and more of a suppressor of fat-burning.
Now you might think that I'm saying that alcohol isn't as bad as you previously thought. But what I'm saying here is that there's a lot you don't know about alcohol. And yes, if used intelligently, it's probably not that bad.
Muscle, body fat and performance
To build muscle and burn fat, you need to control calories and hormones. Alcohol affects both. When you drink alcohol, you consume calories. And under certain circumstances, alcohol can affect the hormones that help your body build muscle and stay lean. Alcohol also has its own effects on cellular messengers, affecting brain chemistry and muscle cell signaling. And all of this has an impact on building muscle, burning fat and performing at a higher athletic level.
Here's the part that will blow your mind. You could be able to consume alcohol and still be able to achieve great results. Of course, this is only true if you know how to use alcohol and what you use it for. If you drink alcohol - and you probably will - then the aim is to do so with minimal impact on your body development and performance.
Does alcohol stop muscle building?
You've probably heard that alcohol stops muscle building. And in this area, you're probably right. My friend back in college may have stayed lean, but his drinking may have been the reason he couldn't build muscle mass. Alcohol can impair muscle protein synthesis and recovery after exercise through several mechanisms. However, as long as you keep your alcohol consumption in moderation, you may be on the safe side.
Alcohol has the following effects on muscle metabolism:
- Increase in myostatin levels
- Reduction of glycogen resynthesis
- Reduction of post-workout inflammatory responses (yes, this is a bad thing)
- Suppression of exercise-induced mTOR activity (likely by reducing cellular phosphatidic acid levels)
- Impairment of insulin and IGF-1 signaling
For those who aren't biochemistry experts, note that all of this is bad for your muscles.
However, there seem to be a few precautions you can take. An excellent review by Matthew J. Barnes, published in the June 2014 issue of Sports Medicine magazine, outlines some very clear rules when it comes to alcohol and highlights a couple of studies that may interest you. In one study, Barnes gave subjects either 1 gram of alcohol per kilogram of body weight or the same amount of a non-alcoholic drink. These drinks were consumed 30 minutes after 300 eccentric repetitions of squats. Basically, there was one group that poured and another group that settled for orange juice.
Both groups were pushed hard 35 and 60 hours after training in terms of their strength in isometric (holding), concentric (lifting) and eccentric (lowering) contractions. But the muscles in the alcohol group had a much worse hangover. Their performance was 22, 12 and 15% worse than the orange juice group. To make it more tangible for you, it should be mentioned that this amount of alcohol consumed corresponds to about 80 grams for a person weighing 80 kilos. Since the average alcoholic drink (120 to 150 ml of wine, 400 ml of beer, 50 ml of liquor) contains about 14 grams of alcohol, if my calculations are correct, this equates to about six alcoholic drinks. The study results are probably what you would have expected, right? But here's the part you'll love if you like to drink alcohol. Barnes conducted a similar study where he replaced the 1.0 grams of alcohol per kilogram of body weight with 0.5 grams. The result of this research was that 1 gram of alcohol per kilogram of body weight torpedoed muscle recovery, but the 0.5 grams of alcohol per kilogram of body weight had no effect.
While 6 drinks had a devastating effect on a person weighing 80 kilograms, 3 drinks kept him in the green zone. That's a pretty useful rule of thumb, if you ask me. And this threshold of 0.5 grams of alcohol per kilogram of body weight is supported by other studies showing that higher amounts impair rehydration metabolism.
How does alcohol consumption affect performance?
There are a few general guidelines when it comes to recovery after sporting events. It may be shocking for you to learn that athletes who drink alcohol after a competition do not appear to be impaired by that alcohol. My favorite study on this topic was conducted with a couple of rugby players. Rugby players look like they can drink, don't they?
In this study, the subjects drank an average of 20 standard drinks per person. That's about 3 grams of alcohol per kilogram of body weight, which is about three times the amount of alcohol used in the Barnes study. In other words, the guys really got their rocks off after their game. Guess what happened two days later when they came to training? They performed at their best, as if nothing had happened! Based on some other studies that have looked at alcohol and performance, you can assume that if your liver doesn't explode, you'll probably be back to your usual performance after a few days. To be on the safe side, I wouldn't exercise on these days.
How do beer and wine affect fat loss?
When we get into the topic of alcohol and fat loss, things get a little tricky. In this context, we need to look at calories, endocrine effects (which also affect muscle) and the context in which alcohol is consumed. Let's summarize what we already know. The biochemistry of alcohol metabolism tells us that alcohol, like protein, has a strong thermic effect. It is also costly in terms of energy to store alcohol. When acetate and acetyl-CoA levels rise, this brings the burning of other energy sources such as carbohydrates and fats to a standstill. Studies have clearly shown this. When carbohydrates and fats are replaced calorie for calorie by alcohol, there is no fat-storing effect. Some of these studies even suggest that weight loss can occur in the same way as when fat and carbohydrates are replaced by protein.
Something else we need to look at is how alcohol affects food intake. This seems to vary from individual to individual, with some suffering from a 'disinhibiting effect' while others do not. By disinhibiting I mean that the natural control mechanisms that regulate the amount of food a person eats are reduced. Just as some people become psychologically disinhibited by alcohol and say all sorts of crazy things that they would never say when sober, others will eat things under the influence of alcohol that they might not eat when sober. This impact on appetite can vary with the type of alcohol consumed. Here are some rules you should know. Beer is bitter and bitter compounds promote the release of GLP-1, which is a hunger suppressing compound. Beer also appears to lower cortisol levels in the short term at lower doses. Higher doses may have the opposite effect. This is important because we now know that cortisol is involved in hunger and cravings and shuts down the brain's motivation center while activating the reward center. This could also be related to the hops contained in beer, as hops have a calming effect.
Red wine contains histamines, which increase cortisol levels. We can therefore assume that this would mean an increase in appetite. High proof and white wine do not contain the bitter compounds of beer, nor the histamines of red wine, so it becomes difficult to speculate on their effects on hunger and appetite.
A study published in the journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry & Behavior by Dr. Anna Kokavec shows exactly what we predicted. Beer lowers cortisol levels and has a short-term appetite suppressant effect. Red wine increases cortisol levels quite quickly and also stimulates the appetite more quickly. White wine behaved similarly to beer. High-proof drinks were not examined in this study.
It seems clear that all alcohol ultimately increases cortisol levels. In the case of beer, these effects only appear to be time-dependent and also influenced by the amount consumed. We now know that cortisol has effects on appetite, but it also plays a role in recovery after exercise. In none of these scenarios are high cortisol levels desirable.
Alcohol also appears to affect brain chemistry, which is known to influence hunger and cravings. Alcohol increases dopamine levels and decreases serotonin levels. Dopamine is associated with cravings and reward. It increases adrenaline levels and lowers melatonin levels. This can interfere with sleep, which is often associated with increased hunger and cravings.
A report in the journal Appetite gives us the following advice regarding alcohol consumption before meals. All alcohol increases food intake, but the strength of this effect depends on the type of alcoholic beverage consumed. The order is as follows according to this study and my extrapolations from other studies:
Beer & white wine < red wine < mixed drinks
Testosterone and other hormones
And what about the effects that alcohol is reported to have on testosterone, estrogen and other hormones? This seems to depend on the amount and context in which alcohol is consumed. Again, studies find the threshold of 0.5 grams of alcohol per kilogram of body weight. Alcohol in this amount appears to have little effect on testosterone levels.
Alcohol can affect you differently depending on what you do. Consuming alcohol after exhaustive endurance training sessions further reduces the reduced testosterone levels typically seen after this type of activity. The study that showed this used 1.5 grams of alcohol per kilogram of body weight, which would mean about 8 or 9 drinks for our theoretical 80 kilo man.
However, when alcohol is consumed after a workout with weights at a rate of 1.09 grams per kilogram of body weight (about 5 to 6 drinks), levels of free testosterone and total testosterone actually increase. Could it be that my college buddy was right about his post-workout beer?
As a side note, most research done with women seems to suggest that alcohol increases testosterone levels somewhat. And if you understand female physiology, this is not a great thing - especially for their midsection.
When it comes to testosterone, the following rules seem to apply:
- Keep alcohol consumption in the moderate range (less than 3 drinks)
- If you want to drink more, do so after training with weights
- Alcohol after cardio training is not such a great idea
Growth hormones and estrogen
Alcohol also lowers growth hormone levels, but it doesn't seem to affect estrogen levels in the way we once thought. A three-week intervention in men and postmenopausal women showed once again that an amount of 0.5 grams of alcohol per kilogram of body weight (about 30 to 40 grams of alcohol in this study) had no effect on circulating estrogen. And two other studies, using amounts of 1.5 and 1.75 grams of alcohol per kilogram of body weight, showed no effect on estrogen levels. Surprised? I was no different. If anyone is affected by increased estrogen levels associated with alcohol, it appears to be women, not men.
The bottom line
Obviously, you could write a whole book on this topic. Some of the research is confusing and contradictory and more studies need to be done. But we can make some general statements:
- If you drink alcohol with meals, you should avoid carbohydrates and fats. Stick to protein and vegetables. You will increase the thermic effect of the meal and avoid storing these carbohydrates and fats.
- When choosing your alcoholic beverages, stick to beer and wine. These drinks seem to have more positive effects on appetite.
- Avoid mixed drinks. The combination of alcohol and sugar in them means you are likely to store that sugar and drink more.
- Alcohol consumption below 0.5 grams of alcohol per kilogram of body weight could be the threshold that could protect you from negative effects in terms of muscle breakdown, fat gain, endocrine dysfunction and reduced performance.
- Alcohol after cardio training is probably not such a good idea.
- Drinking alcohol after a workout with weights might be the best time to drink, but stick to under 1 gram of alcohol per kilogram of body weight.
- As long as you do most other things right and don't drink yourself into a coma every night, your fears about developing man boobs and shrunken testicles are probably overblown.
Final note: Alcohol is a non-nutritious source of calories. It will reduce your levels of B vitamins, zinc, magnesium and other important micronutrients. This can increase the risk of longer term problems or illness. This can happen when your metabolism slowly starts to suffer from a poor diet over time. Therefore, every time you drink alcohol, make sure you supplement with a good multivitamin and multimineral product.
References
- Barnes MJ. Alcohol: Impact on sports performance and recovery in male athletes. July 2014;44(7):909-919. pubmed/24748461
- Bianco, et al. Alcohol consumption and hormonal alterations related to muscle hypertrophy: a review. Nutrition & Metabolism. June 2014;11:26. pubmed/24932207
- Heikkonen, et al. The combined effect of alcohol and physical exercise on serum testosterone, leutininzing hormone and cortisol in males. Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research. June 1996;20(4):711-716. pubmed/8800389
- Kokavec, A., Lindner, A., Ryan, J.E., & Crowe, S.F. (2009). Ingesting alcohol prior to food can alter the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Pharmacology, Biochemistry & Behavior, 93, 170-176. pubmed/19447127
- Raben, et al. Meals with similar energy densities but rich in protein, fat, carbohydrate or alcohol have different effects on energy expenditure and substrate metabolism but not on appetite and energy intake. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. January 2003;77(1):91-100. pubmed/12499328
- YeomansMR. Short term effects of alcohol on appetite in humans. Effects of context and restrained eating. Appetite. December 2010;55(3):565-573. pubmed/20851724
- ZakhariS. Overview: how is alcohol metabolized by the body? Alcohol Research & Health. 2006;29(4):245-254. pubmed/17718403
By Dr Jade Teta
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/lifters-guide-to-alcohol
Sagging, loose skin: the facts
The annoying sagging skin
I got fat between the ages of 18 and 21. I don't really have an excuse for this. Too busy studying, blah, blah, blah.... The real problem was the food. Junk food - tons of it. I gave in to temptation, suffered a temporary bout of stupidity and got fat.
Back then, the "accept your body as it is" movement didn't exist - otherwise I'd probably be dead by now. I simply had enough of being flabby and socially invisible, gave up all the excuses and lost about 70 pounds. Years went by, I rediscovered the gym and started a career in the fitness industry. I only had one problem: loose, hanging skin.
What is loose, hanging skin?
When you get fat, the skin stretches to accommodate the extra fatty tissue. The skin stretches, becomes damaged and loses a (large) part of its elasticity. When you lose fat, the skin starts to sag - kind of like letting the air out of your lower belly.
This doesn't happen to everyone who loses weight, but some people can experience sagging skin even with a relatively small amount of fat loss. Usually, this phenomenon is seen in people who lose about 100 pounds or more of fat, but some people notice some sagging skin when they've lost as little as 40 pounds of fat. Other factors also play a role: genetic predisposition, age, the area where you store fat, how long you stay fat, etc.
It's a bit like pregnancy. Some women get back in shape quickly even after several births, while other women never wear a bikini again even after just one pregnancy during which they prevented excessive fat gain. Formerly fat guys and moms have a lot in common, oddly enough.
In extreme cases, when an extremely obese person has lost several hundred pounds of fat, you may notice sagging skin on the chest, arms, thighs and practically everywhere else. But that's not what we're talking about. We're talking about the average person who loses 40 to 70 pounds of fat and keeps that weight off - the person who has lost the fat and now has to deal with some annoying loose skin. Is there anything you can do about this?
If you're fat now
First of all, you should definitely lose the fat. It's better to have some sagging skin than not to be healthy. Remember that it's not fat loss that causes loose skin - it just makes it visible. And rapid fat loss doesn't cause sagging skin either - that's a common myth.
An increase in fat causes loose skin, which means the damage is already there. Usually, loose skin is then harder to see as it is pushed outwards by all the fat. Don't let the worry of having sagging skin stop you from losing fat. Heck, think of this as a trophy or a battle scar.
If you already have sagging skin
1 - Accept the following: Sagging skin cannot be combated by diet, exercise or medication
There are many products on the market that claim to help sagging skin or reduce the negative appearance of loose skin. Some of these products contain topical diuretics, others hopeful sounding things like collagen or elastin, but all this basically means is a temporary loss of water, which makes the skin feel a little firmer, but in reality it is not. No cream and no non-invasive laser or light therapy will make a few inches of your body's largest organ disappear.
If you're looking for some localized fat loss and temporary tightening, here's a trick. Get a fat burner that uses a self-emulsifying delivery system, open a few capsules and rub the contents of the capsules into your problem areas. You must already be relatively lean to see an effect, but bodybuilders and figure/bikini class athletes have used this method successfully right before competitions. However, this trick obviously doesn't remove excess skin either.
2 - Stop trying to get rid of sagging skin with a low-carb diet
Most of this isn't fat, it's skin. Some people don't realize this, think the problem is a pocket of fat and diet themselves down to a pile of bones with a ruined metabolism. Don't do that.
One test plastic surgeons use is to have the patient bend forward at the waist as if they are doing a deep bow. If it's more of a flat, empty pouch that you can pull down, then it's skin. If it's a full looking roll, then it's fat. And it is possible to have excess skin AND fat deposits. The cruel thing is that the more defined you get, the more noticeable the damaged skin becomes.
3 - Ignore those self-proclaimed experts who have never been fat themselves
You may hear advice on the internet like "Just build more muscle and fill the empty space under your skin!". This advice comes from people who have never had this problem themselves. They are - for the most part - idiots. Yes, build muscle. Muscles are great. But it's doubtful that you can fill several inches of deflated love handles with oblique, side abs. Heck, try it anyway. Oblique side abs are great too. But you probably won't be satisfied.
4 - Sagging skin can only be removed surgically
In the abdominal area and on the side of the midsection, this is often referred to as a tummy tuck. The medical term for this is abdominoplasty. Basically, a large strip of excess skin is surgically removed and the remaining skin is stitched together, making the abdomen firmer. This operation is usually accompanied by some liposuction and, depending on the extent of the damage, other procedures.
Doctors are quite good at this these days, but you still get a knife stuck in your body. There are risks, the recovery time is agonizingly long for an active person and you will have a long scar. Such an operation costs between 6,000 and 12,000 euros if you add up all the costs including aftercare.
Consider surgery if you have lost about 100 pounds or more and consider the damaged skin unsightly. Remember, you're trading some sagging skin for a pretty gross scar that stretches from hip to hip. Except in extreme cases, non-elastic areas of skin do not cause any health problems. It is a purely cosmetic problem. But if it annoys you and you have the money, you should do what makes you happy after weighing up the risks and benefits.
My decision
Even though my sagging skin wasn't that bad, it was still annoying. I decided to have a free consultation with a plastic surgeon. He said that there was damage, but it wasn't severe enough to warrant the procedure. Of course, I could have gone from doctor to doctor until I found one of those guys who will do anything you want them to, but I decided for myself that the little bit of sagging skin was okay. I probably wouldn't get a contract as a Calvin Klein underwear model either way. I can live with a five-pack and some skin that my wife says she can't even see.
If you don't have sagging skin
Don't get fat. Really, it's sh...e. If you're suffering from the misconception that you need to get fat to build a lot of muscle - or plowing through the menu at Taco Hell sounds like fun and "I'm just building mass" is a convenient excuse - then you should consider giving your skin extra moisture in the form of lotions designed for pregnant women to minimize stretch marks. While these won't help as much and the skin will still lose elasticity, these lotions are probably still better than doing nothing at all.
The best plan: Get a better understanding of effective training, effective nutrition and effective supplementation. The goal is big biceps - not a big belly with a weird-looking navel.
By Chris Shugart | 02/16/16
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/loose-skin-the-facts
What really causes an irregular menstrual cycle in female athletes
Most of us will probably have heard about the female athlete triad and if not, I'm going to give you the shortest possible summary of this problem. Women who train too much, eat too little and have too low a body fat percentage stop menstruating, don't produce enough oestrogen and start to lose bone mass. I wrote a major paper on this topic as a student.
I was interested in the topic mainly because I had irregular periods and had suffered from amenorrhea (missed periods) frequently in my teens and twenties. But what confused me the most was that all the literature said that low body fat could be blamed for not having a regular menstrual cycle. Well, even though I wasn't fat, I definitely didn't have a visible six-pack at the time.
This made me wonder if I was really that messed up in the head (i.e. was I far slimmer than I thought I was in the mirror) or if there was more to the issue of amenorrhea than just being slim. Was I exercising too much? And is it perhaps even possible to get super lean and still continue to have a regular menstrual cycle? There seemed to be a lot of super slim girls who didn't have the same problems with their periods as I did. There had to be more than just body fat percentage involved.
As it turns out, there's actually more to it than just being slim. It's not simply the amount of body fat that alters ovulation and menstrual cycles. In fact, hypothalamic amenorrhea, which we athletes tend to develop when we no longer get our period (and which basically means you no longer have a cycle and no one knows why) is a real challenge for scientists. So far, the factors and processes involved have not been fully investigated.
What we do know, however, is that absolute energy balance is more important than body fat percentage for maintaining normal hormone production, ovulation and menstruation. In fact, it is quite easy to separate body fat percentage and reproductive function, as it has been shown that in some female athletes a normal cycle returns when energy expenditure is reduced, such as after an injury. This often happens long before a change in body weight or an increase in body fat percentage can be observed.
So if it is not simply the low body fat percentage that causes amenorrhea, what is it? The answer seems to be complex and is not yet fully understood by science, but I will do my best to make it as understandable as possible.
Problem #1: Body weight and not body fat
Body weight seems to have a greater influence than body fat on the menstrual cycle. When weight falls below 85% to 90% of ideal body weight, this usually results in amenorrhea regardless of body fat. I think this has a lot to do with the problems I personally had as a younger woman. I wasn't too thin, I was just trying to be too thin. However, you should remember in this context that the ideal body weight can vary significantly from woman to woman. My set point is around 60 kilos and when I get below 55 kilos I start to notice a lot of problems and irregularities with my cycle. For some women of the same body size, 55 kilos could be a perfectly healthy weight and their menstrual cycle could be unrestricted. It's all about YOUR body and YOUR ideal weight (from a health perspective).
Problem #2: When the workouts stop working
How hard we work on our fitness plays a huge role in determining how well our "girl stuff" works. When we exercise in a healthy way and expend more energy than we consume through food, we lose weight. This does not cause menstrual cycle problems for most women. However, for those athletes who tend to take their workouts and diets to extremes, this lifestyle can definitely have an impact on the menstrual cycle.
If you are pushing yourself to your limit with super long workouts twice a day and crazy metabolic conditioning workouts while eating very little to lose body fat, then you may have problems. The difference between intake and consumption is too great and throws the body off track. This increases the production of cortisol and other stress hormones, which in turn reduces the release of the GnR hormone by the hypothalamus. This results in low levels of Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and Leutinizing Hormone (LH), which in turn results in anuvolation, low estrogen, testosterone and progesterone levels and NO PERIOD.
Problem #3: Low leptin levels
Leptin also has an effect on menstruation. Leptin is a protein produced by fat cells and acts as a hormone on the reproductive axis. It is also the hormone responsible for making you feel full. Leptin levels are believed to correlate positively with body fat levels (i.e. leptin levels increase as body fat percentage increases), but lower leptin levels were also observed in bulimics and anorexics who exercised and/or had a lower calorie intake when leptin levels were compared to bulimics or anorexics of the same body weight who did not exercise or ate more. So your leptin levels don't seem to be firmly linked to your body fat levels, but more to the general availability of energy. And when leptin levels are low, so are GnRH and LH, making ovulation and regular menstruation less likely.
Here is an illustration of the mechanism of the menstrual cycle. As you can see, GnRH, FSH and LH are all essential for the initial phase (follicular phase). If the levels of these hormones are low, then things will go haywire.
What is the answer?
Since there are many other hormones and external factors that can cause an irregular menstrual cycle in female athletes, I think it's safe to say that it's not simply body fat percentage or workouts that are causing your cycle to go haywire. Amenorrhea in athletic women is more related to overall energy balance. If you suffer from an irregular cycle, you should ask yourself the following:
- Are you eating enough to support your activity level?
- Are you trying to lose fat by ramping up your workouts and restricting calories way too much?
If you're doing this, you're basically shooting yourself in the foot and you can expect your period to go crazy. You should also know that your metabolic rate and the release of hormones such as thyroid hormones, growth hormones and testosterone will also drop or stop completely. An irregular cycle, lack of progress in the gym and stagnant weight loss despite enormous efforts are your body's cry for help and rest.
The answer to this is not to just keep pushing yourself and ignore it all. Rather, the answer is to cut back a little. Of course, this isn't easy if you're the type of person who expects a lot from yourself. But trust me, don't waste months or even years fighting your body. It will win because it is smarter than you. The slower you lose body fat, the more muscle mass you carry around and the closer you stay to your body's ideal weight, the more regular your cycle will be and the happier, more cooperative and responsive your body will be in regards to your training.
References:
1. Ackerman, K., et al, "Higher ghrelin and lower leptin secretion are associated with lower LH secretion in young amenorrheic athletes compared with eumenorrheic athletes and controls." American Journal of Physiology - Endocrinology and MetabolismPublished April 1, 2012Vol. 302no. E800-E806 DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00598.2011
2 Comninos, A., et al, "The relationship between gut and adipose hormones, and reproduction." Hum. Reprod. Update (2013) doi: 10.1093/humupd/dmt033
3. Davis, J, Segars, J, Glob. libr. women's med, (ISSN: 1756-2228)2009; DOI 10.3843/GLOWM.10296
4 The ESHRE Capri Workshop Group, "Nutrition and Reproduction in Women." Hum. Reprod. Update (May/June 2006) 12 (3): 193-207. doi: 10.1093/humupd/dmk003
By Vanessa Bennington
Source: https://breakingmuscle.com/learn/what-really-causes-irregular-menstrual-cycles-in-female-athletes
You can achieve better results in your body transformation and be much happier in the process if you stay off the scale. First things first - if you want to participate in the following challenge (staying off the scale), then you need to get rid of the scale. Now. Yes, I haven't told you why yet, but that doesn't matter.
So grab your scale and get rid of it.
Put it in a very unpleasant place so that you won't be tempted to get on the scale - e.g. in the attic or somewhere in the garage in a creepy corner that hasn't been cleaned since the eighties or isn't easily accessible. If you know you're going to crawl on your hands and knees into the dark abyss, then you should entrust your scale to a friend or family member.
Or - and I really like this option - take the scale outside for some target throwing.
I'll wait that long.
But seriously now. Go, put the scale away. *raises eyebrows and taps foot impatiently*
Now that you've put the scales away, we can discuss why you did that.
Who can benefit from putting the scales away
If you weigh yourself daily or in an obsessive, compulsive way, or if your mood is easily affected by the number you see on the scale, then you can definitely benefit from ditching the scale. Do you freak out when the number goes up by just one pound? Yes, this article is for you.
Do you want to look better with or without clothes, improve your health and perform better in the gym? If so, then you should read the following information. (Please note that this article is not intended for people who need to control their weight for sporting events).
Why many people weigh themselves regularly
The most common reason people give for weighing themselves daily or several times a week is that they want to keep an eye on potential weight gain. The scale serves as a kind of monitoring device.
Let me ask an important question to those to whom this applies - Why do you expect the weight you lost to suddenly come back?
Have you not adopted a new lifestyle that prevents this from happening?
Prevent the lost weight from coming back by adopting a long-term maintainable, stress-free diet and long-term maintainable eating habits. You need a diet plan that is more like a lifestyle so that you don't have to constantly worry about and focus on your body weight.
If your current eating plan has you struggling daily to maintain your weight, then I think you need to change what you are currently doing.
Don't be a dieter for life - take the time to experiment and find a diet approach and exercise program that is simple, doesn't stress you out on a daily basis and allows you to maintain your appearance/body weight with ease.
I know you'd like me to give you a simple, universal answer at this point, but there is no such thing as a holy grail that works for everyone.
Can the scales lie?
Yes, in a sense, the scales can lie.
First of all, the scale just doesn't really reveal fat loss. You can step on a scale and see a weight loss of several pounds, but that weight loss doesn't have to be fat - it could just as easily be water excretion.
Quick note: muscle doesn't weigh more than fat
This needs to be said simply - muscle does not weigh more than fat. A pound is a pound - regardless of whether it is fat, muscle, bone, feathers, animal feces or lead. However, muscle has a higher density than fat.
And the fact that muscle is denser than fat is also the reason why a woman who has worked out hard often doesn't see much change on the scale, if any, despite a loss of body fat. She has simply built up muscle at the same time.
This is one reason why building muscle is a very good thing for women.
Here's a picture that shows that you can look better even if you gain weight.
This woman may have gained 9 pounds, but she still looks leaner, tighter and more athletic because she lost body fat and built muscle. Good thing she didn't let the number on the scale drive her crazy!
Last week I asked the following question:
Do you weigh yourself every day or most days of the week? Do you think your mood can be easily affected by the number you see?
I got over 100 responses, but here are a few that I found particularly interesting:
I've never been in better shape, but the scale was telling me otherwise! It's so frustrating, but I'm learning to ignore it! But why is that the case?
That statement really confused me! This poor woman thinks she's in the best shape of her life, but the scale shows she's at a higher weight than she thinks is appropriate. I'm willing to bet that if she had never stepped on the scale and simply gone by how she felt and looked, she would have been overjoyed with her success. In this case, the scale did indeed lie to her.
And this answer:
I recently started working out with weights and bought a BIA scale to monitor my progress. After two weeks of working out and eating right, I felt great and my boyfriend was convinced that I had lost weight. However, I got carried away with the scales and weighed myself two to three times a day. After 2 weeks I compared my weight to my starting weight and there was no difference. I was so desperate that I had to lie down first. The scale made me question my dedication to this type of fitness even though I felt stronger and healthier.
This woman also felt better and saw the results of her efforts, but because the scale was not in line with her thoughts, she felt like she had failed. So the scale was lying to her too.
Did you notice something very important? Both women were happy with their progress and felt great. But because the number on the scale didn't do what they expected, it affected their mood negatively. Has something like this happened to you?
The deceptive "ideal weight"
Many women are constantly chasing their ideal weight. Maybe it's a weight from college or high school, or maybe it's their pre-pregnancy weight. Either way, many women have a number in their head and they think "If only I could weigh X kilos, then I'd be happy."
I have discouraging news for you if you are chasing that magic number. It's more than likely that even once you reach it, you still won't be happy.
I know this because I've seen it time and time again. Even when some reach that perceived ideal weight, they find more things they want to improve or correct. It's a never-ending cycle.
My recommendation is to stop trying to reach an ideal weight. This is just one of the many reasons that you shouldn't have specific fat loss goals.
This brings me to a great tweet from Chris Shugar that I saw a few weeks ago:
Train for your looks, not for a number on the scale.
A simple, powerful statement. And I love it.
Would you rather look and feel great and maintain that look with minimal stress or would you rather be constantly on the hunt for an "ideal number" like I described above?
Forget the number on the scale - train and eat for the look you want to achieve and forget everything else - especially a stupid number on the scale. Remember that numbers don't define you.
My current experience
I decided to stay off the scale for a few months (ended up being 4 months) and did what I've been doing for years - exercising hard and eating healthy. I also took some measurements for later comparison.
The only thing I changed during those four months was my exercise program. I started working out almost every day and alternated back and forth between upper body and lower body workout days. I know many now think I'm crazy for working out daily, but I have my own power rack and barbell at home and most workouts were only 30 minutes long.
My goal was to have fun training, focus on my performance and train as often as possible. I enjoyed my workouts and I felt great. My clothes fit well and I thought I looked great too.
After four months of regular workouts that I was enjoying and a diet that was similar to the last few years, I got back on the scale and took new measurements.
The result: I had gained 4 pounds.
Before this little experiment, I weighed an average of 125 pounds and now I weigh about 129 pounds.
What had happened? Had I gained fat?
I don't think so. According to my measurements, I had gained some muscle in my shoulders and thighs, while my waist circumference had stayed the same.
During the four-month phase, I was doing squats and shoulder presses several times a week, which would explain the gain in my shoulders and hips (which is what I wanted).
Bottom line: I didn't expect the weight to go up on the scale, but I wasn't worried about this because I felt great and my performance on some exercises improved and my waist circumference didn't increase.
What about controlling body fat percentage?
This may frustrate or even shock some people, but I don't think you should focus too much on body fat percentage. In fact, if you don't know where your body fat percentage is, I wouldn't encourage you to find out. If you just want to look good, feel great, perform well at the gym and fit into your favorite clothes, why do you need to know your body fat percentage?
Let me tell you a quick story. Back when I was in college, I took a class that involved measuring body fat using hydrostatic weighing. One of my fellow students was a swimmer on the University of Louisville team. She was slim, strong and had a strong sense of confidence about her body.
She had no problem putting on a swimsuit and going to the hydrostatic tank before a class of about 25 people.
A few minutes later we had the results of the test and her calculated body fat was around 20 percent.
She looked horrified when she heard "20 percent body fat". Her demeanor changed very quickly and she didn't smile once for the rest of the class.
This young athlete was constantly smiling before the test because she knew she looked great and she felt strong and confident. The body fat percentage that was revealed soon after changed her perception quickly and drastically.
Why did a single number suddenly make her feel insecure? What did it matter that she had a 20 percent body fat percentage if she looked and felt absolutely fantastic and was performing well in her sport?
This is the reason I recommend that most people refrain from checking their body fat percentage as well. This can play nasty mind games with you.
Here's your new scale
Some people will wonder how they can accurately monitor their progress if they are told to put the scale away and not measure their body fat percentage. However, there are several other indicators you can monitor that I believe are more accurate and don't fluctuate nearly as much on a daily basis as body weight.
The first four are the most important in my opinion
Use the following tools as your new "scales":
- How you look in the mirror
- How your clothes fit
- Are you following simple, stress-free dietary guidelines?
- How you feel. Do you feel strong and healthy. Do you feel better than ever before? Do you have more energy? Are you performing well at the gym or other activities? Do you find the tasks of daily life easier?
- Focus on your actions. Are you eating well? Are you exercising consistently? Are your actions in line with your goals?
- Increased self-confidence and a better body image. This is what really matters and it's one of the many benefits of strength training.
- This is not necessary, but some people like to control and watch some numbers. If this applies to you, then check some body measurements such as hip circumference, waist circumference, thigh circumference and arm circumference.
Your challenge
Put the scales aside for 30 days - at least.
Use the "new scale" above - especially the first four points I listed. I firmly believe you will be pleasantly surprised by the results and the new mindset this challenge will bring.
By Nia Shanks
Source: http://www.niashanks.com/stop-weighing-on-the-scale-for-weight-loss/
