HorseSense

Nice response. Thanks for the info!

I've been reading about sprouting lentils and I just bought some today. It seems pretty straight forward and simple, in fact for me it would be much better than cooking. One of the best benefits (for me) of eating raw is not having to cook! I hate cooking. It would actually be more simple for me to sprout than cook. That being said, I have a couple questions. How does this change the lentils nutritionally? I read it makes the protein 'more complete', not that they have too shabby a protein profile to start with. I've read they also lose all the bad qualities (phytogens?) and even lose their enzyme inhibitors which makes digestion better? ONE other question. Is this going to be something that tastes ok? I have no idea what to expect! I am pretty adaptable I find when it comes to raw plant eating. So I'm not was concerned about that. But if it's too "strong" a taste I'll not be able to do it. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! David

Great stuff! I get depressed during winter as it sets in. I can use every bit of humor and fun I can get! I really like this one too; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maLUQjn1tLM&context=C3a15b9bADOEgsToPDskLUBTCpHxFuRpYjfinHLmKf No batteries required!!

Wow wonderful progress!! Keep up the great work!

It doesn't bother me personally. I was always generally cold natured until I gained weight, so that's nothing new. Although the cold feet thing is. They especially freeze when in bed and even though under the covers I guess after I get still and start resting they turn to blocks of ice. lol What you said does make sense because they say if your body needs energy it will take it from the hands and feet before anything else.

Thanks! People still accused me of being on steroids. They thought they were insulting me but it was such a huge compliment! If they only knew, I was barely even drinking my protein shakes.

I don't know if we can post links to sites or whatever but bodybuilding dot com has good instructions on measuring each body part. Basically for upper arms you want to measure them relaxed, hanging down, in the middle of the bicep. You may have to measure where your bone goes into your shoulder joint, down to your elbow. Measure in the middle of that. Thighs the same basic rule applies. Wrap the tape around your chest to measure it, where it covers the nipples. Stand with good posture and make sure the tape isn't tight. Shoulders same basic rule, in the middle of the shoulders. Now neck, forearms, and calves I have no idea cause I don't really care. LOL Really what I go by is the mirror. That's what really counts. I do measuring only occasionally to verify progress.

I was having this especially during squats a few years ago. It got so bad I thought I would pass out and almost did during a workout. I went to the doctor and I had VERY high blood pressure and had to go on meds. Maybe, just maybe, I can come off of them once the vegan diet settles in. Who knows. I since bought a home blood pressure tester and it is great for piece of mind. You may want to see the doctor if it gets disturbing. Better safe than sorry with blood pressure and all.

I gained that over a period of about 1 1/2 years and I did put on quite a bit of fat with that in the end. It wasn't until I lost the weight through a vegan diet that I saw what my "lean" gains were. Most people do things based in "bro science" so they don't really have optimum gains on a consistent basis. I was lucky to run up on something scientifically based coupled with the discipline to carry it out.

Thanks for the insights. I asked around to some other friends who recently dropped a lot of weight and they all concurred that thermostats had to be adjusted warmer in their houses. I'm okay with that. Besides, I'm not a starch fan, just don't care for them. But have some French Fries in my honor! Baby Herc THIS! I become so heat intolerant with weight. This is the first summer I actually hated. But as I'm losing my weight again (down to 181 yesterday and probably down another lb today - I'm dumping fluids) my feet and hands FREEZE not to mention if I go outside it goes right through my whole body. lol Hopefully in the future I'll have enough muscle to make up for the loss!

^^ That is a great summary for what I used to figure for my calorie intake. I just wanted to add that I myself had to adjust (reduce) it to my own requirements because my metabolism is unusually slow due to being on certain meds. I also have to add that in my own experience eating fruits (esp certain types like melons) REALLY caused me to shed extra fluids I was holding onto for a long time. I had no idea I could pee that much so frequently!! I also have to say I never knew one could feel so hydrated. I think there is something fantastic and unique about the water in fruits and veggies that differs from anywhere else. That may sound unscientific and border on "nutty" (as I was called until I lost so much fat and fluid), but from my experiences I can't argue with it.

Sorry, this got buried and I totally overlooked it! I figured them all out over the course of my then current work outs for a full week. I didn't rely on calculating it, I did it physically so I would be exact. The hard part came when I had to SD (strategically decondition) for a couple of weeks before I could start the program. My body BLEW UP on that work out, and I did several cycles which took me from 145 lbs to about 175 lbs of lean mass. Never during the course of any cycle did I fail to achieve my goals and I only progressively loaded constantly. The reason I stopped is because I got several injuries I'm ashamed to say. Reason was I had gained so much strength and was lifting so frequently doing IMPROPER movements that I tore a back muscle, messed up a shoulder joint, strained the ligaments in my forearms, and pulled a ligament in my knee (childhood injury also). I stopped because that program put so much strength on me it scared me. lol I think if you do it make sure you don't over do anything and listen to your body. Take the time to plan everything before you do it because it is very well worth it. I have since learned proper form on every exercise I'll ever be interested in and always practice it, not only for going back to HST but because it is critical for my own personal joints because I'm an "ectomorph" and have the smaller weaker joints. So when I'm ready and prepared I just may go back to it!

BTW I've been following the "frequent eating" trend so long that is what I'm currently doing. I've only begun to read about "IF" so I'm not pushing anything on anyone or saying anyone is "wrong" or "right". As I said though it does look promising and I think it is worth a look for those who may be interested.

I can't contribute much on the subject on IF except to say that I did read a couple of studies showing the promising effects of IF on muscle gain. I couldn't argue with it, and I am very skeptical when reading studies especially those which would seem to support some new "trend". I also have to put that together with the fact that most people want to base what is natural for us as humans on what our ancestors did and thus our own adaptations to such. If that is the case then IF should be a no brainer because that has basically been the norm for most humans for thousands of years of our history. We never ate every few hours on some strict schedule. That has been recently promoted by (pro/steroid using) bodybuilders and big supplement companies ($$$) and the muscle magazines they've sponsored for several decades. It also amazes me that we have over 30 feet of small intestines to process our food, every inch of which absorbs nutrients from what is in them (even the large intestine, to an extent), yet most people with any knowledge on diet believe we are to be eating every few hours or we're "starving ourselves". Meat eaters especially both eat frequent high amounts of meat AND are the biggest promoters of high eating frequency, when they are the very ones who strain their systems so much it could take a whole week before they completely pass a meal out.

Ah ok if you are supplementing with a shake then you'll be getting extra in that alone. I def wouldn't spend money or effort on any extra.

Cool. Type in "HST Training" or "hypertrophy specific training" to get it.

IMO not really. But then you're asking someone who thinks supplementing anything not essential to your health isn't really that natural. Others probably feel differently. I've definitely had that discussion with meat eating bodybuilders! haha But if you still want to try it I don't see the harm.

If you're having sugar ups and downs on fruit then something is really wrong. My mother is diabetic and I'm insuline sensitive (not quite diabetic). She does fine on moderate amounts of fruit, and I do fantastic! Drink enough water with any fruit and there's no way you will ever get a sugar rush (or crash). Fruit is also "brain food" because it is the exact form of carb that fuels it. Other types of carbs have to be processed and converted, using energy that fruit doesn't.

"Beans, beans, the Magick Fruit, the more you eat 'em, the more you toot!" Seriously though, have you considered that it may be your training routine and not your diet? If you are doing the same routine for a while (my case is usually about 2 mos) your body will adapt and you'll hit a sticking point. And if you aren't progressively loading (increasing volume or weight) during each workout then you aren't progressing, period. You have to change something up which can be many things; training frequency, reps, sets, lifting (and lowering) speed, rest time between sets, etc. For myself all I do is change rep ranges. I'll do 12-15 reps for a while, 8-10 reps, and at that point my muscles are needing a huge kick in the pants so I go down to reps for strength at 3-5. After that I take a couple weeks off and go back into the high reps. I learned this little trick doing HST. Google it if interested. Not many people are because there is a HUGE amount of science behind it and its not the most "mainstream" of programs which is intimidating. For myself, the geek in me fell in love! For now, I'm doing my own compromise which again is what I posted above. I may go back to doing strictly HST in the future though. Will see if my joints and endurance levels can hold up to it. David

Branched Chain Amino Acids are in a lot of the foods we eat. I've seen the claim by various individuals that it helps in the building and maintenance of lean muscle mass. The more BCAAs in your diet the more "happy" your body will be with maintaining its current mass and the less your body will use your muscle tissue as fuel. Especially important are leucine, isoleucine, valine, and glutamine. I'm no expert. Just my 02.

Well nvm. I kinda figured out the best thing to do is soak them for a while in warm water with the baking soda, then drain and fill again. Let sit for a few minutes and watch the bubbles boil out. When they stop change the water again, rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat. lol Now they're done cooking. Gotta go!

Hi missykay I'm not one of the "experts" on here as I only have a minimum amount of experience and expertise as others on here but I can tell you my experience from being both vegan for a little over a year and then being 811 raw for a few months. I hadn't had a lot of extra weight when I started being vegan so there wasn't much weight to loose really. I just felt better and ALL the problems associated with my meat eating diet (worst problems were with dairy) went away. Fast forward to when I went raw I began to eat a lot of fruits. I in fact ate more fruits than veggies so I guess its safe to say I was an 811 raw fruitarian? By that time I had bulked a lot through bodybuilding and had gone back to meat eating (eating crap on top of that) and I went up to around 210. When I went 811 I lost 35 lbs and got down to a nice 175. I still had some to go but I felt I wasn't going to get enough protein doing raw, and went straight back to animal products to get the overload of proteins I thought I needed for another bulk cycle. Despite going back to that type of eating I NEVER gained all the weight back, although I haven't been too long off of the raw diet. I got back up to about 190 and then went back down and I have been going up and down between 188-190 until now. Part of that weight gain I know is from supplementing with creatine, which I stopped using today (along with going back to being vegan). So the water weight from that will be lost, and I know I'll lose the fat I gained back also. I think part of my deal is some kind of inflammation because part of that "fat", for me, is body fluid (aside from the creatine water). This could be a symptom of dairy allergies. For myself, I know how I felt during every type of diet, and there is no disputing the fact that I felt the best during the 811. However, I suggest doing a lot of reading if you go that route because some do not do well on it after an extended amount of time if not done right and I was again only on it for a few months. Perhaps it was good for a detox and that's it. And for your weight loss it may serve that purpose well also. I know it did for mine! Anyway just my .02. I know others who actually know what they're talking about will chime in and help you on here. I'm new here too and its great to see other n00bs here besides me! Today is my first day going back to being vegan. I already am prepared enough to stop eating animal products NOW and now is a better time than ever! I started out the first time doing it for health, mainly. But I also am aware of the INSANITY which is factory farming, and that has fueled my decision to go ahead and do this TODAY and go from there. I just can't contribute to the suffering of these poor creatures any longer! Anyway so welcome from another n00b! David

Since you guys are on the subject I won't have to start a whole new thread to ask this question! I'm right now in the process of soaking some split peas in some baking soda. Given that they don't have to be soaked before cooking and become pretty mushy when cooked, how long do you soak them? I noticed in your article you stated that you did so I thought you might have experience with the split peas. I don't mind them being "mushy" I guess, as that's basically what they became yesterday when I didn't soak them and just cooked them for their required time (kept checking them) of about 35 mins. I just don't want to do anything to take them "beyond mushy", if that's even possible.

Hi Diego I'm new here too. I know what you mean about being raw is a bit of a challenge, when you want to gain some muscle mass, anyway. Maybe it is just a matter of education and working out your own diet. We shall see hopefully! I myself am on a tight budget with diet so I can't spend a ton of money on it. That really is the big challenge for me in particular anyway. Anyway welcome to the forum from another n00b! David

Thanks I will keep a look out for updates. I love how you capture the little things along the way, even some fungus on a tree. As for me I haven't had any adventures lately. I did used to take walks/hikes in local parks and my favorite by far of all places to be is on a beach at night. I really need to get back to the beach to soak some mineral air up before it gets TOO cold! I like it just as well at this time of year as I would when its warm (don't like it really hot). Thing that affects me is I have a bit of agoraphobia which renders me behind closed doors most of the time. The only reason I've been out in nature as much as I have is my immense love for it. So I guess that is a bit more about me y'all get to know! haha!