DV

Personally, I think they're somewhat like creatine in that you'll only see positive results if you have a need for the extra amino acids. There will always be responders to any supplement and some won't see results. At the time I was taking BCAAs, I was also using other supplements so I'm not sure which was giving me the results. I used them during my first bulking phase earlier this year (along with creatine), went off for 6 months, and will give them a try during my current cutting phase. I'm also using my hubby as a test subject. Creatine helped him gain muscle for the first time in years, without changing anything else about his workouts. I'd be interested in seeing if BCAAs help with energy or recovery.

Please let's not confuse balance with bias.

Thanks Geode. It's gotten bigger but actually looks smaller right now because my shoulders have grown a bit. I'm hoping things even out once I cut down some!

What that means is that they are unstable in a wet/solution form - as in a protein drink. They are sold in a dry form and are consumed soon after mixing with water so this should not be a problem. For instance, some medications are only stable in solution for 24 hours so directions on the label state that the medication should be used within 24 hours of being reconstituted. I hope that explains it.

Yeah, we're working on changing that around here. Stay tuned.

And that describes my gains precisely, FormicaLinoleum (which is a great name, by the way). I started out skinny fat - 5'10" in the 140s lb range with almost 30% bodyfat. I had 102-106 lbs of lean mass on me. I was recently around 160 lbs at 18% bodyfat and a lean mass of about 126-130 lbs. I purposefully give ranges to indicate that water weight can change. If measurements are taken under the same circumstances (near empty GI tract, same trainer, before workout, no change in regular diet the days before) then you'll get the most accurate results. But the real proof is in how you look and how your clothes fit. Pictures are only worth so much and I'm of a generation that shies away from posting our bodies on the internet, so there will be no before and after shots here. You only get to see them when I compete! The people who know me well are impressed with the muscle I've put on and my shirts/blouses/jackets especially have mostly been given away as there is no chance my shoulders and upper back will ever get into them again, regardless of how much body fat I trim. I started a training journal in the past to inspire older women to consider bodybuilding because if I could do it then anyone can, as I've NEVER been athletic. A woman shorter than 5'10" or one with a fairly muscled body might not see the same results as myself in a year. I'm sure the next 20 lbs of muscle will take me more than a year to gain, if I choose to get bigger. At the very least, I'm looking to add another 10 lbs of muscle in 2009 and have no doubt that it will be attainable - at my advanced age of 43.

Here is some information about the author. His first book has been on my radar for some time. I'd have to read it before I could really evaluate his theories. There are a few PhDs and MDs, amongst others, who have written some convincing books that demonize or celebrate certain substances. I wish they were all true as that would make health decisions simple - avoid this, eat that, live long and disease-free. In the end, they try to simplify extraordinary processes (disease, human metabolism) by picking one substance (man-made, residing in food or manufactured by the body) and making an argument for a cause-and-effect scenario when there may only be a weak correlation. I think we're still in the dark ages concerning disease and nutrition. We could be paralyzed by fear if we took every interview like that one to heart, so it's important to dissect this information with skepticism - as we should be doing with all information. I found some outright untruths in his interview as well as some intriguing ideas. The problem with many of these types of books is that someone with a lot of expertise in one area starts giving advice/explanations in an other area and then loses credibility when some of it is untrue. Once you uncover one poorly researched or false chapter in a book, how do you judge the rest of it, especially if you don't have the time or ability to check all of the references yourself?

However.........for some of us, it's very difficult to maintain lean mass while cutting unless we keep our circulating amino acid levels fully replenished. Which means upping our protein intake, especially if we're tweaking our metabolisms by going low carb at times.

Yeah he had us all worried. The hubby and I are on our way to the coast to celebrate our anniversary and I get a call on my cell from L&G. I'm thinking it might not be so bad, but still agreeing that going to the ER is the best thing, when I tell my husband the symptoms - and he tells us that L&G could lose a testicle. So basically, I spent my first day on the beach worried about L&G's testicular health. He has a way of getting into your life, that one.

LMFAO!!!! In this case, Joe, a picture really IS worth a thousand words.

To all you guys who really get it, let me just say again that you all make my day!

Thumbs up, Robert. Well said.

I saw those friggin pants in your Hawaii pictures recently! I will BUY YOU ANOTHER PAIR if you will PLEASE retire them!!!!! And you are way more tolerant than me.

Well, our trip was nice in some very personal ways because we brought our much-loved macaw to a parrot refuge on Vancouver Island - and discovered our newest, heavenly vacation spot! We will be back many times when the weather is nicer. It was a very emotional trip for me since our King Tut had been with us for 8 years. I took a few pictures of him in his new home but was really too upset to do much else. He will have the best possible life in captivity there but I still felt like the worst mom in the world, abandoning her child - which is exactly the wrong thing to thing about birds! I'm sure he'll forget about us in no time since he has over 100 macaws to flock with! Hundreds of birds are killed in humane shelters each year so I could never let him be adopted out to another family who could give him up. I'll stop now because I could turn my entire life into animal rights from a parrot perspective. Anyway, if you ever on Vancouver Island then visiting Coombs is worthwhile to see the largest parrot refuge I know of: http://worldparrotrefuge.org/ Here in Portland, there is Macaw Landing: http://www.macawlanding.org/refuge.html. I could not volunteer there when Tut was living with us but I will certainly do so now. So, no great pictures of Victoria and the island until May or June!!

I suppose I have to technically agree........ but the nostalgia factor will stop me from ever translating that sentiment into my actions! Christmas trees can be a really beautiful way to bring families together. Sure, there are other ways to do that..... more ecologically sound, less consumer based ways...... but there's something so lovely about buying a tree, and decorating it with your family and friends, and enjoying it's light and fragrance in your home all month long. Maybe it is selfish, ecologically speaking, but if this is one of my 'vices' I don't think I'm doing too badly! i had this talk with lean and green about a week ago. i've always had a real one. he's always had a fake one. we were debating which is worse. cutting down a tree is certainly bad, but the resources used to make a fake tree might outweigh the chopping of one tree.....so............this year--we're getting a live tree in a pot and after the holiday, we're going to plant it outside. problem solved. My future daughter-in-law is allergic to pine trees so we've had the same artificial one for years. We were going to have you guys decorate it with us tonight but then had to make the trip to Canada! Maybe Thursday, Friday or Saturday? If not, we'll have our neighbors decorate with us since they won't have a tree this year. In my family, decorating the tree and making cookies are the big christmas activities. We only give gifts to those in need (sometimes family members) and gifts directed to us are in our names to our charities. It took a few years to make this change. The "kids", who are in their 20s at this point, were the most resistant. It's definitely about being around family and friends for us. So MERRY CHRISTMAS from a feminist, atheist, politically incorrect woman who understands the true, non-christian meaning of the holiday.

Looked like a lovely vacation!

I was unaware that anyone had been forced off this site recently????

While Gary Null makes some good points, he's also trying to sell something and that something is fear. A quick look at his website would give the impression that vaccinations are bad (god forbid we go back to the days of increased childhood death), that there is a vast conspiracy in AIDS medicine (there's an old one), that he has the "perfect food" (if you buy two of his powders and his aloe), and he can give you some anti-aging skin "food"(and it's new and improved - with testimonials). Too much preaching and too many contradictory ideas all around for me. But he did have some good points.

I love you guys, for different reasons, but you all made my morning.

I always ask my family to donate to a number of bird refuges, as they insist on exchanging gifts for the holidays. My husband and I stopped getting each other "forced" gifts a number of years ago (ie, christmas, birthday, valentine's day). This year, I may send my mother a Johan if the price is right.

I was my "ideal" 135 lbs a few times in my adult life. I looked like a scarecrow. Actually, I've been 140 lbs or less my entire life and it's made gaining muscle, especially on my lower body, very difficult and slow.

I appreciate that this was a difficult but well thought-out decision on your part, Robert.

For god's sake, already! I've had a NET gain of 20 lbs of lean (non-fat, ie, muscle) mass and a NET loss of over 10 lbs of fat. This takes into consideration the wide (up to 3 lbs) water weight fluctuations I can have at different times due to hormones (menstruation) and/or sodium intake.

I would have missed you tomorrow anyway. We're headed up to Vancouver, BC for the day. I can't remember the last time I saw you! Have fun in Florida, or wherever it is this week.

Glad you're feeling better!