Mopusvindictus,

I forgot to add, I started to experience health problems for a while now, internal infections, lower back pains (from bacterial infections). Basically many of my organs are throwing the exclamation sign at me so I'll definitely have to go on a healthy diet.

Also my stress levels are very high, I'm studying an extremely difficult degree and it doesn't really help with my stress level

Originally posted by N3krostatic
Point taken. Although I am building. I switch between muscle groups every day. First day is arms, shoulder, pects and stomach. Second day is back, and legs. I run every day though.

It doesn't matter if you switch around like this. Please listent o me here, you are setting yourself up for overtraining. Your body has to repair the damage you are doing, that is if you are lifting enough weight. If you are lifting heavy enough to gain then your body is damaged all over. No human body can keep up that cycle of damage and repair, you will end up in a state where you not onlycan't gain anymore but will actively lose.

Just saying you nee to do some more reading on this subject. Over training can lead to months off.

Originally posted by N3krostatic
I also take regular and appropriate doses of protein shakes after working out which include glutamine, whey, and all the other essentials. I don't use steroids and have significantly went up in the amount of weight it lift, press, curl and such. I also sleep quite a bit, about 9 to 10 hours a day for rest. The main reason I do it every day is because I have a jello cubicle job and refuse to turn into, well, jello. lol

I understand where you're coming from and you're doing the right things. The only problem is the volume of training you're undertaking. You will gain with a regimen like this but eventually you will over train. If you do nothing else then please just read about over training and the downtime than can occur because of it.

Originally posted by N3krostatic
I don't lift lightly. I lift heavily and after a few weeks move up my weight in what exercise I feel appropriate, without being sore for more than a few hours after the workout. I have lost weight and gained definition and bulk from running and from lifting. The only time I am sore is right after lifting and it only lasted for a few days when I first began.

I would say you aren't doing it right then. My workouts used to leave me sore for a day or more because i was lifting heavy and also i could add weight every week, sometimes every two weeks max. May i ask how long you have been lifting?

YAY for improving your life. Way to make the necessary changes and stick to them. You've accomplished what most will never do and I admire and respect you for that.

"since I am no longer growing, why is it I have to eat?"

You have to eat to fuel your body. Do you think that Yao Ming, 7'6" Basketball player, grew tall because he overate? Do you think you grew from a child into an adult because you consumed more calories than you burned? No.

So why did Yao Ming and baby You grow tall? Because of hormones. Hormones regulate fat distribution, bone growth and muscle growth, etc. I'm sure you know this. And it's probably the reason you gained muscle during this little adventure of yours. Hormonal equilibrium.

The only answer I came up with was, aside from a small amount of fuel... you really don't need nearly the amount of food we consume...

You're body will adapt to a lower energy intake by slowing metabolism. Eventually though, the body will strive to find the balance again and you will be hungry.

and it was then, with food reduction that the improvements just began to accelerate, that the detox could work

But, can you be certain that it wasn't the reduction in carboydrates that did the trick?

I've seen the studies on very restricted calorie diets and the results that have been achieved. These results have typically been extended life on animals that ate less. But why? Is it because of a lower body temp, slower metabolism, or is it that certain hormones aren't chronically elevated?

It is possible to achieve the results you achieved by maintaining an energy balance, or even overfeeding, if the right foods are eaten.


-Dev

Originally posted by nikiano
I've often thought of (and tried) radically altering my diet, like you have, but I've never made it more than a week myself, but I'm to the point where I've decided if I don't do something now, my body will never get back to the way it's supposed to look.

Please take my advice on this one. As i stated earlier in the thread it is very hard to go ful on with a change in diet and lifestyle. That is why i congratulated the OP on sticking with it. You have tried and failed that strategy so do it in mini steps.

Try for a start cutting out any extra junk you eat. Any fizzy drinks (including diet ones) need to be gone from your diet. Chocolate as well along with any other sweets. Don't add sugar or sweetener to tea or coffe. eReplace them with healthy options like fruit or carrot sticks and things like that. It will be tough at first but it's a small step.

After you are ok with that, say two weeks, try and start eatinga healthy breakfast as well. Cereals are always good for this. By cereals i mean the cereal family of crops not flakes of wheat roasted in honey and dipped in chocolate!

Do it in small steps like that and 6 months down the line you'll wonder how you achieved it and be very proud, as you should be

you sound like you've developed symptoms of mild obsessive complusive disorder in your rituals and behaviors. In your attempt to control your body your restrictions on yourself have control over you. Your probably like me, very black and white , either your a raving party man or a almost flawless pillar of good physical and mental health. You've essentially lost who you were to begin with before the excessive binging and now the complusive purging/detoxing

i know i'm coming across negative but how did you gain 2 INCHES on your bicepts with only 1/2 hour workouts and eating a vegan like diet?!? I'm a body builder and extremely skeptical on that comment.

whatever the case your words here are inspirational.

[edit on 17-6-2009 by hiii_98]