Ladies, your input would be greatly appreciated.

[glitterati]

I posted a thread in the Workout Section on another part of the board concerning a diet plateau and questions about bodytype and how it affects weight loss.

I would really appreciate your input

[d80p]

Okay, I kinda perused your thread.

First of all if you truly do have hypothyroidism, you should go see a doctor to test T2/T3 levels. There are prescription medication out there like Cytomel to help you out. Don't start taking without research though, if you have normal thyroid levels, you can **** up thyroid metabolism permanently if you aren't careful with your dosage. <everybody is different, but in general people have advised never to go over 100mcgs a day>

Also, body types don't really matter since spot reduction isn't possible( for the most part..i'll come back to this later)

When you exercise fat comes off in layers, like an onion peel. You can't start doing squats and assume that since your working out your legs the fat there will go first.

if your diet has been consistant and clean for a while, I suggest raising leptin levels by scheduling a carbo refeed(only glucose sugars, no fructose---> I just had a refeed today, feel bloated but that's expected. I weigh 100 lbs 5ft with bf of 19 percent. I ate at about 50 percent above my maintance calories and devoted it to carbs, oatmeal, potatoes, bread, etc) I suggest you do a search on leptin. There are some great articles on ministry of fitness and par deux's site. Ministry of fitness has more laypersons language. I personally like par deux for the more comprehensive and technical aspects. Anyways you should plan out what you will eat carefully because I get would be really careful I get the feeling that it'll be easy it's easy to binge eat. Don't worry about the protein levels so much that day, just make sure you don't over do your calories. The leptin recharge will increase your metabolism so your body will stop fighting future calorie loss and go into starvation mode.

Stay away from fruits in general,<*thread I posted earlier today on fructose/fruits* actually, fructose (fruit sugars) are pretty much useless. Okay, not useless, but I personally view them as "rewards" much in the same way as I do candy. I know the nutrients from fruits are a good thing, but not enough for me to put fruit in the same carbohydrate category as say, oatmeal or potatos(yams), etc.

Without going into too much of the scientific crap, the reason that fructose is so bad is that muscles cannot convert fructose into glycogen, it only has the enzymes to convert glucose into glycogen. While the liver can convert fructose, lactate, glycerol, alanine, and other three-carbon metabolites into glycogen.

This wouldn't be such a bad thing if all glycogens were equal and shared by the whole body, but sadly that is not the case. The muscle uses ONLY muscle glycogen to energize themselves. (the liver supplies the rest of the body)

As many of you know unused glycogen is converted into FAT. Since the liver can only store 100 grams of glycogen while the muscles can store 250-400(depends on person) of glycogen, glucose is a better carbohydrate than fructose.

Okay I said I wasn't going to get too scientific, but hey this is interesting stuff right guys?


Anyways, let me spoon feed ye all.

(note that many bodybuildings in the cutting stage take out fruits in their diet) Why?

Fruit(fructose) is more likely to make u flabby because the liver has the ability to convert lots of different sugars into liver glycogen YET has less than HALF the holding capacity as the muscles to store them. So it's not so hard to have excess liver glycogen which then gets converted into fat.

A reason that fructose is a bad source of carbs for a post work out is for just that reason. Liver glycogen doesn't replinish muscle stores, only muscle glycogen does, which can only made by glucose. (not all fruits have pure fructose, for example bananas are an excellent carb choice for the quick sugar rush to the muscles ^_^ yummy)

Don't get me wrong, this isn't a valid reason to start binging on starches. This is just a reason why I'd rather go for potatoes instead of an apple.

As always moderation is key.>*end thread

Then somebody replied this--"Ummm, don't all carbs convert to glucose? The Glycemic Index is calculated using blood glucose levels. If fructose did not convert to glucose (btw, it is a one step conversion), then fruits would have a GI of 0"

in which i replied--->all sugars convert to GLYCOGEN. The difference in what type of glycogen. Like I said, fructose converts to liver glycogen, while glucose converts to muscle glycogen, which is what we need. I can under the confusion. BTW the glycemic index is RATED by glucose, which is to say that the rest of the sugars are indexed in relation to glucose. 100 being the glycemic index of GLUCOSE. So no all sugars aren't converted to glucose. Glucose is just another type of sugar.

Interesting tidbit:

By the way there are two glycemic indexes one rated with glucose at 100 and white bread being 100(in this instance glucose is 142)

If all sugars converted to glucose than they would all have a glycemic index of 100. That of course isn't true.

or 142, which ever index you use for a standard.
* end thread.




Okay back to the spot reduction thing again, if your interested there are some products out by reputable people that are backed by research. Yohimbine HCL topical formula aka Yohimburn and Par Deux's topical formula naming a few.

Once again, read up and educate yourself.



Btw, this is all assuming that your nutrition is down pat. I don't care how much exercise you do if your diet sucks. In general keep carbs for energy and get about .8 to 1 gram of protein per body weight. Fats should include be the good variety like flax oil, hemp natty peanut butter, etc.

Good luck.

[d80p]

Oh yeah, you should try getting some ALA (Alpha Lipoic Acid) research. It acts like insulin....I'm getting lazy here, and I wanna start my workout, (squats/deadlifts are great after a refeed ^_^)

Do a search on ALA and it's uses. If your familiar with the keto diet ALA can speed up ketosis after a carbo load...arg, I was gonna start my spiel, but needa go now.


If you REALLY want me to spoon feed you, then bug me later. Right now I lift.

Laters.

Kayla Chloe

[d80p]

Ooh one more thing, I just found a Canadian source that is selling ALA in 500mg doses. I'm going to get a small batch and see how it goes, and I'll post the results.

And NOOO ALA is not a steroid, it's perfectly legal. Just no one sells them in 500mg and for 20 cents each no less...

*droooling*

[glitterati]

d80p- yeah I got diagnosed with hypothyroidism a few years ago and am on levothyroxine for it. My metabolism still seems really slo even with the meds tho.

I am going to look into leptin and all the info you gave has been really helpful. You know a lot of great stuff and I appreciate you sharing it with me.

[d80p]

Hmm, if your taking levothroxine [t4] (levothroid, Levoxyl Synthroid), you might want to try and ask your doctor to give you liothronine [t3] (Cytomel, Triostat) instead.


I'll start explaning why here, I hope I don't get too technical, but with drugs like these, if your better informed you can analyze your risk more effectively.

The affinity of the receptor sites for t4 (which is what your taking)are ten times lower than t3, allowing for metabolic processes to occur.

----not important BUT if you really wanna get technical----- "metabolic processes" are mediated by activation of nuclear receptors that lead to increased formation of RNA and subsequent protein synthesis. For example, increased formation of the protien Na+/K+ ATPase which increases ATP turnover and oxygen consumption are some calorigenic effects of thyroid hormones}

Techno babble, but basically hormone receptor sites that cause the above(metabolic processes) react more with t3 than t4.


Okay then why the hell did your doctor prescribe t4 instead?


Levothyroxine is the drug of choice for the following reasons...

stability, lack of allergenic foreign proteins, ease of lab measurement of serum levels, content uniformity...but mostly

low cost and the long half life (7 days) which allows for once a day dosage.

Keep in mind that t4 is a precursor to t3 so since you take levothyroxine, both hormones will be available, BUT liothyronine (t4) is 3-4 times more active than just t3.

Kinda like getting seeds that will eventually grow to trees so you end up with both trees and left over seeds (t4).

Then again why settle for just seeds when you are guaranteed trees from the start with t3.

Simple analogy for a complex problem, but you get the idea.

----------

In contrast t3 has a half life of 24 hours, which is the main reason why it is not recommended. (you need multiple dosages a day) = higher cost and difficulty monitoring in lab tests. In addition greater hormone activity and consequent greater risk of cardiotoxicity. If you have heart problems avoid t3. There are more options like liotrix which has a 4:1 ratio of t4 and t3 and desiccated thyroid which is from a animal origin. Don't even go here, liotrix is expensive and desiccated thyroid is just plain dangerous despite the cost advantage.

Cytomel is really easy to get without a prescription. I don't have a thyroid problem, hence no prescription, but I still have easy access to it. I've researched the drug intensively and I know my body well enough to stop usage if the risk mounts too much. I wouldn't recommend this drug to just anybody, but if your smart, you can use it to your advantage.

Just know even though you have some degree hypothyroidism, it can't get worse. There are some bodybuilders out there that had their thyroid shut down completely from excessive use of cytomel.

email me if your really interested in this route and have some questions.

himechan@hotmail.com

additional info

Do a search on new england journal of medicine 1999;340:424
article is titled effects of thyroxine as compared with thyroxine plus triiodothyronine in patients with hypothyroidism.

or you can just email me =)

I'll be happy to answer any questions.

[d80p]

"Just know even though you have some degree hypothyroidism, it can't get worse. There are some bodybuilders out there that had their thyroid shut down completely from excessive use of cytomel. "

OPPS, amazing how one little apostrophe can change the whole meaning of a sentence.

What I meant was "even though you have some degree of hypothyroidism already, it CAN get worse."

please excuse my trigger happy fingers.

[Thinwins]

I just found information on ALA. I saw GNC carries it online for like 120 capsules 100mg each for about 15 dollars does not seem all that bad, but who knows. I screwed up my low carb day by having carb and I am pissed about it. I am desperate to get back into ketosis without it taking DAYS on end ugh. Anyone know of anything that will slam you into keto within a day or 2. Something readily able to be found and not something I will have to make an apt with my dr to ask for cause it's hard as heck to get into see my dr and I seriously doubt he will prescribe anything steriod or metabo based.

[iyamamaschke]

I have to tell ya Cytomel is a Hypothyroids Best friend. I am Hypo and until I went on it I felt like crap kept gaining weight and Just wasn't able to get my life back. SInce I ahve been taking the Cytomel 50mcg I feel human and I would never go back I take a combonation on Synthyroid and Cytomel split into 4 doses throughout the day to mimic my own natural T3 productions It is a GOD send if you aren't feeling well.

Sarah