Yeah, it's not intentionally. I use myfitnesspal to track my carbs and I keep forgetting to check calories. Once I start exercising more seriously, I will def need to pick it up some. I think I've lost about 5 pounds so far though. Haven't really been weighing too much, but today marks one week, so I figured I'd see.

2/10/2012 10:11:24 AM

Is Creatine worth giving a try? yes

Reccommended Brands? anything where the only ingredient is creatine monohydrate (the differences are gonna come in the serving size)

Is it safe? yes

Any side affects? not really, unless you take ridiculous amounts. a small maybe might be diarrhea initially

is it addictive? no

similar to using steroids? not sure if serious

[Edited on February 10, 2012 at 10:11 AM. Reason : ]

2/10/2012 10:11:32 AM

dharney,

http://examine.com/search?q=Creatine

also, this type of talk usually gets berated in this thread for some reason.

if you ask it in the bodybuilding thread, you might avoid some of the biased bashing.

i have very little experience with it... just went off my first period of taking it (at 5g/day). had some bad effects, but a lot of good side effects. i attribute some of them (both sides likely) to the product i was using. i can explain more in pm if you want.

just be prepared to put on a ton of water weight. like, in the week after i stopped taking it i shed ~15 lbs of water weight.

[Edited on February 10, 2012 at 10:13 AM. Reason : e]

2/10/2012 10:13:21 AM

243 today

2/10/2012 10:19:59 AM

thanks. Do you guys recommend a loading phase or just supplement a small amount and just stick with it? tia

2/10/2012 10:23:29 AM

imo the loading phase isnt really necessary.

2/10/2012 10:35:39 AM

Quote :

"I know I'm not at your level, but I hear you."

lol not at all. im just starting to get into "intermediate" ranges on http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/StrengthStandards.htm .

your dead is slightly above mine, but im ahead of you on the others. and weigh 15 lbs less and am like a foot shorter than you.

realized recently it's not a race. but a slow grind.

[Edited on February 10, 2012 at 2:17 PM. Reason : e]

2/10/2012 2:16:27 PM

Quote :

"realized recently it's not a race. but a slow grind."

That's one of the most important things I've realized over the last year or so.

Strength training is all about consistency and progression over the long haul.

It is easy, and a lot of fun, to get wrapped up in PRs and trying to get stronger than your peers. However, if this is your sole focus and methodology in your programming, you will get injured and/or burn out.

2/10/2012 2:47:31 PM

Quote :

"thanks. Do you guys recommend a loading phase or just supplement a small amount and just stick with it? "

until your muscles are FILLED with it, don't stop loading. at least 5 days of loading (4-5 times a day).

now you have mulitiple opinions on what to do. but i would load since the more you have in your body the more you have to burn. better to have too much than not enough. your body also won't stop making it or keeping it if you are supplementing (unlike testosterone).

i will, however, recommend that you take it no more than 1 hour and no less than 20 minutes prior to a workout, with juice (prefferably grape) so that you actually get something out of it instead of being like the chuckleheads who buy it, use it [incorrectly] and then bitch that it didn't work.

2/10/2012 2:52:09 PM

Its a race for me. 3 months and counting until I have to take my shirt off in front of girls again. Thats all the motivation I need.

2/10/2012 3:45:41 PM

Yeah, triathlon season and beach season pretty much coincide, so I'm with you, Slave.

2/10/2012 3:49:26 PM

Quote :

"Its a race for me. 3 months and counting until I have to take my shirt off in front of girls again. Thats all the motivation I need."

Strength training =/ fat loss

2/10/2012 4:17:04 PM

I purchased the bodytech 100% creatine monohydrate. I mixed it in with my protein shake which is made with milk. Tomorrow I'll drink it with apple juice, didn't realize their was an issue with how I ingest it

[Edited on February 10, 2012 at 7:04 PM. Reason : *]

2/10/2012 7:04:34 PM

you need an insulin spike to be able to properly use creatine. Otherwise, you'll get horrible stomach problems from trying to take creatine by itself.

2/10/2012 8:34:11 PM

I take 5grams of creatine monohydrate 30min before I train, with 8oz of whole milk, 4oz of coffee and a scoop of whey.

[Edited on February 10, 2012 at 8:36 PM. Reason : ;]

2/10/2012 8:36:12 PM

oh ok, thanks. Well I guess since I used milk and it has sugar I should be ok. I felt a little bloated for about an hour after I took it, but am fine now. It was within an hour after my workout

2/10/2012 9:26:43 PM

^^ Are you not concerned with creatine and caffeine acting against eachother? The link posted above seems to suggest that. It also says that Creatine Ethyl Ester is the worst kind to take.

2/10/2012 9:52:12 PM

I have found this stuff works great:

http://www.atlargenutrition.com/products/results

Definitely too much $$$ to use all the time but a solid combination of ingredients if that is what you are looking for. I only bought it when I got it on sale for pretty cheap but had great gains when I was taking it.

Otherwise I would just take a good monohydrate with some dextrose and call it a day (a much cheaper alternative).

2/10/2012 10:53:57 PM

phosphates, creatine, carbs

2/10/2012 11:19:06 PM

In other news, P90X and Shakeology is working awesome for me. Since starting P90X I'm down 3% body fat and 6 lbs. My reps are going up every time and my weight is increasing every week.

I love the fact that I can say that I am in the best shape of my life right now, and it's only getting better.

2/11/2012 5:54:52 AM

Quote :

"^^ Are you not concerned with creatine and caffeine acting against eachother? The link posted above seems to suggest that. It also says that Creatine Ethyl Ester is the worst kind to take. "

Am I concerned? Not really. Is it optimal? Probably not.

I don't really get too geeked out on exact optimal conditions. The energy and motivation benefits I derive from caffeine, probably out weigh the blunting affects it has on creatine.

Since 5am is a frequent wake up time, I need it for best function in the AM.

2/11/2012 7:31:20 AM

Guess who can fit back into her favorite dress again

I am pretty excited about this

2/11/2012 12:47:18 PM

Down 4 lbs from last week!!

2/11/2012 12:56:16 PM

Good job Kate and Caroline!

Caroline - did you end up changing anything? I know you felt like you had kind of plateaued

2/11/2012 3:45:02 PM

blah, gotta work on legs a lot more this month.

otherwise good progress for me

2/13/2012 8:51:51 AM

my rebuilt knee does some really weird things on deadlift days.

i'll take a picture next week if i remember.

i get this really gnarly line that looks like a tendon or something over the kneecap.

like, a raised mole hill that's ~1/2 inch high, 1/2 inch across, from the top of the knee cap to the bottom. about 2-3 inches long.

really hard, can't really move it around back and forth, and only comes out after deadlifting, a little bit on squatting.

doesn't hurt one bit though. pretty weird.

got measured for the tux for the wedding. wasnt happy about the measurements, but i have no idea what it should be. haha.

2/13/2012 9:08:26 AM

Quote :

"Caroline - did you end up changing anything? I know you felt like you had kind of plateaued"

Last week I started eating more, especially for breakfast, two soft boiled eggs, a bowl of oatmeal, and also a glass of V8 low sodium. For lunches and dinners I've been having chicken or fish and by the end of day I've had at least 3-4 servings of vegetables.

2/13/2012 9:39:21 AM

that's awesome! glad it all worked out

2/13/2012 9:46:59 AM

I recently started training calves again, and now my legs are so sore that I find myself walking on my toes and leaning forward all the time. I need to seriously stretch them out after the gym today.

2/13/2012 9:51:22 AM

I'm down another 3 pounds

2/13/2012 10:08:54 AM

so i stopped drinking alcohol last tuesday and cut my food intake and calories from food by about 1/3 and have lost 11 lbs in a week. Some of that is probably water weight though. N extra exercise.

2/13/2012 10:25:34 AM

Down some more weight.

Got a kinect and "Your Shape 2012" for my birthday, messed with it this weekend and it is going to be great for me.

The starting levels were slow and ease you into it, i love it!

2/13/2012 11:41:02 AM

I had been on WeightWatchers online since April of 2011 and lost 13 lbs but I have been stuck in this weight for months now so I've started upping my workouts by implementing pole dancing classes and Jazzercise. I also just bought a FitBit so I am super excited about that. Buh bye Weight Watchers... and hopefully goodbye final 10 lbs.

2/13/2012 1:11:06 PM

11 miles on the bike...2 miles walking

2/13/2012 4:00:11 PM

Down 5 lbs in two weeks, even with some bloat

I had dairy this weekend and am feeling pretty awful today - so I think have finally narrowed it down. Of course it's the thing I flippin love. I'll probably just risk it every now and then in order to have real butter.

2/13/2012 4:08:27 PM

So cheese, butter, whey etc has very little lactose content, does it still give people with lactose intolerance trouble?

2/14/2012 8:23:44 AM

Quote :

"Down 4 lbs from last week!!"

So apparently I can't count or subtract because when I looked at my sheet last night that the trainer wrote my weight down on Saturday it says I lost 2.8 lbs not 4

We'll see if I can make up the difference for my weigh-in on Thursday (I'll be out of town this weekend)

2/14/2012 9:21:09 AM

I think it depends on the person. Some cheeses are fine for lactose intolerance and some arent

I would consider my reaction more allergic because my skin gets a weird scaly rash and I get a sore throat/congestion in addition to GI problems

2/14/2012 9:22:45 AM

If I get a dog, I'll never be in bad shape.

The gf and I are dog-sitting her sister's pup for the next two weeks and a day hasn't gone by that I haven't gone on at least one 3+ mile run a day. Every other day I go on two of those runs. The desire to have a worn out, not-crazy dog in the evening, far outweighs me being tired and lazy and not wanting to go on a run.

Do other people with dogs encounter this as well??

2/14/2012 9:33:11 AM

Chyea

I always take my dog on a walk or hike or something to wear his ass out

2/14/2012 9:36:00 AM

My dog is an amazing running partner. Only problem is that I have to take him to LJ on days when I know there won't be many people out there. He's so friendly toward other dogs that he wants to stop and check out every single one. I've been working on this with him but sometimes it's hard for a 128 pound female to pull a 75 pound dog back

Sam I am going to email you my vegan pancake recipe that I created and loooove. It's a big hit and really tasty.

2/14/2012 9:42:53 AM

^ Ever tried a gentle leader? The dog we are dog-sitting for is bird crazy (she's a retriever/bird dog...so it make sense). On a regular leash, she would pull you all over the place (she's about 80 lbs).

With a gentle leader, it's like she's not even on a leash. We don't even think about going outside with her without one on.

2/14/2012 9:56:49 AM

I run my dog a few miles most days after work, but he usually gets tired before I do, so I end up carrying him like a football for the last 1/2 mile or so. Dude's a jack russell/whippet; I'm pretty disappointed by his lack of his endurance, and I don't hesitate to let him know about it.

2/14/2012 10:11:51 AM

Quote :

"Dude's a jack russell/whippet"

That's your problem. Either get a real dog, or don't go running with your gerbil.

2/14/2012 10:36:09 AM

Some dog rescues up here have socializing programs for runners. Basically, you borrow a dog for a run and then return, it's pretty awesome because the dogs gets trained to be runners, they get to socialize, they get their energy out, and if it all goes well they can be listed as great dogs for runners etc, and the benefit for you is you get a running partner It might be something to look into at your local rescues.

I've been training my boyfriend's foster dog (came from an abusive home, was going to be put down poor thing) and she's taken to it like a duck to water. I use a gentle leader too.

2/14/2012 10:45:52 AM

These gentle leader collars...are the head ones better than the torso harness? Both come up in a google image search. I've at least heard the head ones are better.

One dog is fairly well trained on walks, but just now getting to train the new dog to be better. I'd like to take one or both dogs out on runs, and anything to make managing the new dog easier would be appreciated.

2/14/2012 11:07:49 AM

the head ones are a lot better than harnesses for dogs who are stubborn. you have to make sure they fit correctly though.

2/14/2012 11:09:05 AM

^ This. Definitely go with the one that looks like a weak muzzle.

2/14/2012 11:11:56 AM

the foster dog gets the one that goes around the neck and around the snout/mouth. It works by gently pulling her snout towards me and on point.

or this:

Quote :

"The principle behind the Gentle Leader Headcollar is one that allows owners to communicate with their pet in a way that dogs instinctively understand. The nose loop encircles the dog’s muzzle and applies light pressure in the same manner in which the lead dogs naturally communicate with dogs lower in rank. Because of the placement of the nose loop, the dog immediately understands his/her place in the hierarchy. The dog considers the owner his/her leader. "

http://www.premier.com/View.aspx?page=dogs/products/collars/gentleleader/faq

2/14/2012 11:19:23 AM

Fostering is a slipperly slope to owning multiple animals

2/14/2012 11:33:20 AM