Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Hey Denise, I just got caught up on your new journal. I'm sorry you are going through this situation. It sounds like you have dealt with a lot of this stuff mentally and you good for you for standing up to your doctor about the anti-depressants. I'll be following, best wishes! You are such a strong, admirable woman.

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vegan for the win!

Thank you



OK, Dr has my thyroid totally messed up, had me on to low a dose of synthroid, tested raised it, tested raised it, now testing and it's still low. A 23lb weight gain since July on my diet is impossible unless something else is messed up. I am switching docs but will kill this one with honey to make him raise the meds to the dose I should be on. This could account for some of my issues. So going to have to change a few things until I get that portion of my health on track. I got this!!!!

This week, I backed down to 1200 calories until Dr gets my Thyroid right as I was gaining at an impossible rate. Therefore I backed off the 5x5 training so not to get hurt or be counter productive.

I did train yesterday and it was by far the best session I have had in many, many months!

DB Shoulder Press 3x8
One Arm DB Side Lat Raise 3x8
DB Bench Press 3x8
DB Flies 3x8
Skull Crushers 3x8
DB Kick Backs 3x8

I did a scarce tread as well for 30min.


Fibro Alert: Today aside from DOMS which is welcomed, Feet, ankles and really really bad knees. Elbows and Hands as well, hands feel swollen, but are not. I feel up the stairs today .... yes up the stairs, lol Legs just gave out. Quite irritating I must say, I really need to get things done today, but when walking across the house is a major event, it's exhausting. On a side note I'm working on eliminating the wheat and gluten, all the bloating went away within a day, it will be a while to see if there is anything else positive about it.

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I tell people I'm too stupid to know what's impossible. I have ridiculously large dreams, and half the time they come true.

I'm 2lbs down in a week, in the right dose I should come down fairly easily (haha, I'm sure we have all heard that before!)
DH has been less then supportive (putting it nicely), being alone in a strange state with no family and friends .... I think I may need to go home for a while.

Training this afternoon, I feel better today then yesterday for sure so I am looking forward to it!

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I tell people I'm too stupid to know what's impossible. I have ridiculously large dreams, and half the time they come true.

Training went well, although not as strong as Friday's.

One Arm DB Rows 3x8
Bent over BB Rows 3x8
Lower Back Extensions 3x8
Standing BB Curls 3x8
Alternating DB Curls 3x8
Hammer Curls 3x8

And then another 30min tread.

Fibro Alert: Yesterday (Tuesday) was horrid! I was at the grocery store in quite a bit of pain and just over half way through was not sure I was going to make it out. My feet were in such pain my ankles didn't want to support my weight and my legs started crumbling. Luckily my eldest was with me and I made it through. I'm always with my little one (almost 2), so getting from the car to a cart (for support) can be so hard. It seems everything is spiriling and I need to figure this out.



To reitterate I have several Fibromyalgia followers so I am trying to be as informative as possible and fill in some blanks.

Some History:
on meds: I tried Klonopin, I am VERY medication sensitive and my reaction to them can be pretty bad (paralysis on one, very very scary being hauled off in ambulance). With Klonopin I was disoriented and a complete zombie. Everything became sureal and I was unable to make connections regarding cause and consequence. By week two I was running red lights .... I saw the light, I knew it was red. But my brain would see it, keep driving, oh I need to stop, keep driving, only then did my brain make the connection of the thought to the reaction (hitting the break), by then I had blown it. I would get lost in my own town, etc. I also began to lose speech. So it was a no go for me. Anything more than Ibuprophen knocks me out and I'm down for the day. They could not wake me up on Vicadin. So I do not take anything except vitamins. I am trying to treat myself with food. The drugs are not a cure, they are a cover .... to cope so to speak. So if it's not a cure, I don't want them. Every time the side effects were quite terrible.

I now have:
chronic fatigue
weakness
irritability
congestion –no dairy helps this
joint pain
Vitamin and/or mineral deficiencies - this is past, I am now 100% on my plan not the Drs.
Headaches (including migraines)
Joint/bone pain
listlessness
Seizures -this is past, now 4 yrs ago, on my plan not the Drs
Clumsiness (ataxia)
No sense of balance
loss of equilibrium
severe vertigo
Respiratory problems
Lactose intolerance
Hair loss (alopecia)
Bruising easily
strange injuries
Muscle cramping –magnesium helps some, potassium did not help
Night blindness
Abdominal distention –gluten free completely alleviates this
Chronic muscle pain, muscle spasms or tightness, weakness in the limbs, and leg cramps
Insomnia
waking up feeling just as tired as when I went to sleep
Stiffness upon waking or after staying in one position for too long
Difficulty remembering, concentrating, and performing simple mental tasks (“fibro fog”)
Sensitivity to odors, bright lights, medications, certain foods, and cold
Numbness or tingling in the arms, hands, legs, and feet
Increase in urinary urgency or frequency (irritable bladder)
Reduced tolerance for exercise and muscle pain after exercise – heavy weights help, but the day after is pretty painful (not DOMS)
A feeling of swelling (without actual swelling) in the hands and feet
Dizziness
Cravings for carbohydrates
Morning stiffness
Allergies
Shortness of Breath
Sleep Starts (falling sensations)
Irritable bowel syndrome -gluten free completely alleviates this
Difficulty speaking known words
Directional disorientation
Short-term memory impairment
Confusion
Trouble Concentrating
Staring into space before "brain kicks in”
Inability to recognize familiar surroundings
Irregular Heartbeat (fluttery)
Pronounced nail ridges

The toughest thing is, I (and those with Fibromyalgia) don't look sick! And when we are out on a good day people are like "see, she is just fine". It's a really frustrating condition.

On a final note, I am experimenting with diet. You would think, just eat whole food, but that has not worked. However, I'm no stranger to extreme food choices, so I may try to give it a whirl again. So long as the caloric intake is there and the macros in place, why not? It can't hurt (I hope), lol

With all that said, I am very confident that there is something that will work!

Have a great day everyone!

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I tell people I'm too stupid to know what's impossible. I have ridiculously large dreams, and half the time they come true.

Wow, your little one is almost 2 already?! I remember when you were keeping a log about your workouts during your pregnancy!

Keep strong.

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vegan for the win!

Haha, Yes time flies! Red hair (what there is of it, lol) and Blue Eyes, she will be 2 in March. Here she is at Christmas on her Pony:





Yesterday:

Squats 3x8
Straight Leg Deads 3x8
Seated Calf Raises 3x8
Leg Extensions 3x8
Lying Leg Curls 3x8
Standing Calf Raises 3x8

The Calf Raises were terribly painful for my ankles. Now how I can squat and be not terribly uncomfortable and the calf raises were so bad, I would love to know! I'll start posting lbs on Monday and I will most likely have to modify training as I go if the pain is too much to bear.

Fibro Alert: Yesterday was actually a low pain day. Of course still can't walk like a normal person, some discomfort in knees, ankles, hands and elbows. Today however, walking is really tough, I told DH that we have to get a railing for the short (3 steep steps) down into the mud room. It's to hard to negotiate now.

Snowing today! Boo! haha, but I have to brave it to get some errands run. Have a wonderful day everyone!

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I tell people I'm too stupid to know what's impossible. I have ridiculously large dreams, and half the time they come true.

Such a cute picture!!

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vegan for the win!

Cute pic!

Have an awesome weekend my friend! All the best!

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Check out my Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness Book on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Bodybuildin ... 497&sr=1-1

Thank you guys!!!



Before I get to far behind (which I tend to do!):

I was in to much pain to lift Friday so trained Saturday. This was completely devestating as I had to cut my weight by 2/3!!!! I simply could not lift anything heavier. How the heck I am supposed to make any gains by cutting my weights that much is beyond me. I guess I will just have to say that at the very least I am lifting to my ability and getting it done.

Sat:
Bench 3x8
Flies 3x8
Seated DB Shoulder Press 3x8
Single Arm DB Side Lat Raise 3x8
Skull Crushers 3x8
Tricep Kick Backs 3x8

Sun: rest

Monday: Severe shoulder pain, could not lift the weight of my own arms, could not make a fist with on hand, thus no gripping ability. I was walking a bit better so 30 min tread.

So far this morning feeling ok, so resuming where I left off.

Would you believe I have yet to watch Forks over Knives? Watching today and looking forward to it!

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I tell people I'm too stupid to know what's impossible. I have ridiculously large dreams, and half the time they come true.

A few persons had said that they had great luck in regards to stopping joint pain and inflamation by eliminating gluten. Something I have considered however, it takes some restraint and a ton of label reading (which I should be great at! haha). Yesterday I began Eat to Live and had no gluten. After day 1, I have no bloating. Day 2 begins today ... I'm giving it a 21 day go. BTW I track all my cals and nutrition on myfitnesspal, an app for my phone.

Yesterday:
DB Row One-arm bent over 3x8 @ 30
Barbell Row, bent over 3x8 @ 50
Good Mornings 3x8 @ 40
Standing One Arm DB Curl 3x8 @ 20
Standing Med Grip BB Curl 3x8 @ 30
Hammer Curls 3x8 @ 20

30 min tread. I have a long way to go before I am back where I was, and that totally depends on the day to day pain. I'm hoping something gives (maybe gluten free), where I can actually make gains and most of all, stop the daily pain.

Grocery day and mutiple kid pick ups this after noon (all at varying times of course, so that it takes up my entire afternoon )

Have a fabulous day everyone!

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I tell people I'm too stupid to know what's impossible. I have ridiculously large dreams, and half the time they come true.

You continue to be a great inspiration. Thanks for posting. Healing vibes wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

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an evolving primate

I was going to ask if you had removed gluten yet, it has helped my daughter alot with the joint pain and inflamation caused by fibro. Good luck ! I hope you find relief without the gluten.