katz

I was into week 5 of Insanity a week ago & sprained my ankle. So, I've had to lay off for awhile. I hate "losing" what I've accomplished this far. At any rate, you look great!

Have you looked into creating your own? I've done this using True Protein in the past. Now they are http://truenutrition.com. I have not purchased from them recently, but a couple of years ago it was the way to go as far as pricing, creating your own mixes, etc.

Hey Katz, I experience these a lot on my longer runs and what I do is quick and effective whilst allowing me to continue training. This method has never given me any problems either! I tend to let them develop until it's bothering me (when the blister looks fit to burst and is full of liquid), I 'pop' it with a sterilised needle, drain it making sure ALL of the liquid is out, if there's a loose flap of skin left I take that off then tape it up. That's it. Thanks for that. That's pretty much what I did, applied generous amounts of AB ointment for several days/band-aid & is all better now. I also wore"boat shoes" that I have which are very open & allowed toe foot to get a lot of air so I wouldn't sweat & aggravate it more. It's just a "little thing", but can slow you down in a hurry when it develops!

Thanks for the input guys. I will consider all of what you said. Since my initial post, I have compiled a list of go/no go starchy foods from various sites and despite what you have posted I am going to try it for awhile. I've tried many things over many years, but one thing I have not tried is lowering my starchy food intake. My mom & dad have diabetes and I don't want to follow that same route. I typically eat the same as they raised me on - yes, pasta (yum) and breads. Mum always baked a ton of stuff...so, baked goods too...it is a weakness. I at least want to give this low starch thing a try in an attempt to "re-set" my insulin resistant body, if nothing else. A month or two of this type of eating will probably do me good. There is another thing - because of my work schedule it is very difficult for me to squeeze in more than 3-4 meals per day, and that includes protein shakes. Because of that, I am already at a calorie deficiency. I kept track of everything on fitday & other sites & it was difficult to achieve the proper daily intake. I usually averaged a bit over 1700 cal. I am 5'9" (male) and weigh about 160 lb. at present. When I was a meat eater years ago, my heaviest was 190 lb. I am about a medium build, bone, structure-wise, so I feel a bodyweight of 170 lb. to 180 lb. of sculpted muscle would look good on me.

I started following "Yo Elliot", a strength coach, bodybuilder on youtube. He makes a lot of good points, very easy to listen to. One of his videos is on the subject of the low starch diet, and it got me thinking... To get rid of my stubborn belly/chest fat, I feel the need to embark on a low starch diet - if nothing else to jump start/shock my system from years of over consumption of starches/sweets, sugars, etc. No matter how clean I eat, how hard I workout, I cannot seem to drop the stubborn fat. Problem is, when I looked into the low starch diet, I see that much of it is not vegan friendly; eggs, various meats, and other dairy products. Has anyone here followed this type of plan for fat loss? Care to share tips, meal plans, etc.? Thanks in advance!

I did a lot of walking over the weekend & developed a mid-sized water blister between the big & second toe. Aside from draining it (although I have read of letting it alone &l allowing the body reabsorb it) and applying anti-biotic cream, what do you guys suggest for quick healing, and also protection while working out. I'm in week 5 of Insanity, and as many of you know there is a lot of running/pounding on the feet. Any suggestions on how to tape this or prevent further rubbing/irritation until it heals?

Well, currently I am into week three of Insanity & my heart rate is usually 80% or so, (or s\zone 4 according to this calculator) pretty high intensity. http://www.machinehead-software.co.uk/bike/heart_rate/heart_rate_zone_calculator_abcc_bcf.html I've slacked off on the bb/mass building stuff for the past 6 months or so. But to answer your lifting question, yes, I am a big compound movement type of guy. Squats/bench and so forth. I would say you are honing in on my issue with this: I am guilty of staying with one style, big/heavy lifts/ low reps so even though it seems intense to me, I would say you are accurate in the statement that I have probably adapted & need to shake things up frequently...which is one of the reasons I have embarked on the Insanity program - to shock my system with something different.

What ratio - protein/carbs/fat would you recommend as a good starting point?

Thanks for that info. Mini Forklift, It was a good read & concise, straight to the point. About this; I did a bit of searching on this, now a bit more confused. How does one go about to optimising ones' leptin hormone levels whilst keeping ghrelin on the lower side? I just read on a couple of other sites to cut food intake to 3 meals/day. Surely this cannot be right, because that is pretty much what I have always done with poor results. There was a period of time in the 90's when I religiously ate 6 meals/day and followed with "mega" cardio sessions of 2/day and also a split/bodybuilding program...and I started to see fat loss in the midsection during that time. Sadly, work schedules changed & I could not keep up with it all. I'm fed up with living with this jelly belly/spare tire. So again, I ask - How does one go about to optimising ones' leptin hormone levels whilst keeping ghrelin on the lower side?

For years it has been the accepted idea to workout at the best target heart rate to burn fat, approx. 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate for max fat burning. I recently read on a cycling forum that this has recently been discovered to be "wrong", and they feel that H.I.T., shorter workouts at higher intensities are much more beneficial for this. Not sure what to believe; I've been physically active in one form or another for over 25 yrs. and I cannot seem to shed fat! Most of my workouts have always been all-out, high intensity type, as I feel best working out at that pace. But it has really done nothing for my fat loss, belly/chest area esp.. I have very cut/toned arms/shoulders/legs but the "middle" section is always lacking. So, I'm looking for a sure fire way of fat burning. Comments/suggestions welcome - thanks!

I'm using a table to create the chart, this is what I've come up with. Nothing fancy, but I guess it will work unless I come across something better. http://www.mediafire.com/view/?9d6ftx3zgwvtqv6 I wanted to create something that wouldn't be too complicated to follow - people tend to lose interest in following a supplement plan if it is hard work for them, lol.

Anyone have a good idea for this? I'm attempting to create one using OpenOffice but I'm not really pleased with the results. I've searched through the OpenOffice templates a bit & haven't come up with anything good. I'm looking for a weekly chart that you can input all the vitamins/supplements/etc. that you take on a daily basis. As you take each supplement you will then put a check mark/line/etc. in that box so you can keep a record of it. It would need to be customizable for several different family members, some of which take meds so I would want to include that in the chart as well. If anyone has any ideas, please post - thanks!

No one on this? Well, I must say I envy all you guys then. It would be awesome to be blessed w/ genetics that don't predispose a person to something like this. I was not so lucky... Will continue to search for a natural solution...

I've been plagued with carrying extra "fat" on my upper chest all my life. (I'm a guy). I assume it is "mild" gyno, although I've never really had it diagnosed as such. Even when I'm at or close to my ideal bodyweight it is still there. Anyone have any suggestions for any type of natural Gyno reversal? I come across a lot of Steroid forums when searching this subject, but they are all using chemicals which I do not really want to put into my body. Comments/suggestions welcome! EDIT: I just read this on another forum; Well, I do not have any tender lumps...don't know how hard & fast that rule is...

Thanks for all the replies, I appreciate it. Martin - I do sit a lot. I have a driving/delivery job & I sit for several hrs. while doing that work. greengoddess - Because of a weird work schedule, I sleep twice for about 3.5/4 hrs. each time. I try to shoot for 4-5 meals, but that's tough sometimes. I consume a vegan diet w/ little fat, other than flax oil that I mix in w/ shakes. Recently I mixed up the training & started circuit training. I figured the short rest intervals with relatively constant movement would assist in burning more fat. I do like squats/deadlifts, but I've always been one that kinda gets bored w/ floor ab work. I will do it but I tend not to put as much into it as I do bench work, for example. Bloat - I believe you may have hit on something with that. I would say it looks bloated; I have done some reading on that & I feel I should up my fiber/water intake. But, it is also fat, lol, as my abs are smooth.