| SHANE - Get some bullfrog! | 4 Days Post Completion
Trust me. I am so fair-skinned, I burn on cloudy days. I'm not joking. I took my son to a baseball game, we were sitting underneath the awning and it was overcast, and I still got burned!
Bullfrog is hands down the best sunscreen I have ever had. You can get it in gel or spray form. It is lemon scented - it doesn't smell like a heavy lotion. It's clear, not thick and white like most sunscreens. It dries instantly, you can sweat and workout in it, but it still stays on for 8 hours or more. When I was in Jamaica in the middle of the summer, I'd just spray it on in the morning and have no worries all day - shirt off, bald head, everything, no burning, not at all - even when I went up Dunn's River with water all over, sweating, etc, it still protected me. I love it - one application. I used to hate the beach because of sunscreen - everything would stick to me, etc - this stuff just flat out rules.
Jeremy
posted by Jeremy on 6/27/2003 3:32:11 PM | | Ah, the shaven man! | 4 Days Post Completion cont...
I took the plunge last night.
After a fine evening helping my daughter learn how to swim at the neighborhood pool, I returned home and grabbed a pair of electric clippers. I've reached my goal weight for this segment of the journey, and now I have 6 weeks until a photo shoot I have yet to coordinate (my regular photo guy isn't returning my queries - there is a SHREDDED guy at the nutrition shop I go to whom I have become a fairly good acquaintance with, so I will ask him for advice, as he appears to know who a good professional bodybuilding photographer would be). It's time to get rid of the mat of black hair and start practicing posing as well! I do plan on doing a water depletion/sodium loading phase, which means I'll feel weak as all get out of town come the shoot, and I found that practicing posing for up to an hour makes the 10 minutes at the photo shoot infinitely easier!
At any rate, I stepped into our garden tub and plugged the drain. Made sure I brought the central vacuum attachment into the bathroom with me. Stripped down to nature's own and started the whole thing. First to go was the hair on my arms ... zing - zoom - and clumps of hair start falling to the bottom of the tub. Then, it's my armpits, my chest, my stomach. Closing out with the legs. Next thing I know, I'm standing ankle deep in hair. I turned off the electric clippers, turned on the central vacuum, then sucked all of the hair out.
Next station: shower. Made sure I had a fresh blade loaded on my Mach 3. Started the water. I actually prefer to shave in hot water but I knew this was going to be a long session, so I kept it cooler to keep the whole bathroom from fogging up. Still had to shave my head and face so steamed mirrors wouldn't work out. Shaved my body close with the razor in the same order. My soap of choice is organic oatmeal soap ... I find lathering and shaving with that gives minimal irritation to my skin. I actually had a skin condition that left this huge red blotches all over my skin from bacteria. I went to a specialist and they gave me all of these exotic medications, some which had side effects like total liver failure! Their treatments couldn't make the skin condition go away, so I had resolved myself to simply live with it the rest of my life. It wasn't that it hurt, but the bacteria would block UV rays so my skin would splotch from exposure to the sun, and would get really dry. Several months ago when staying at our cabin in Helen, we happened upon a friendly little coffee shop with organic coffees and soy lattes. They also sold nice, natural products, so I picked up a bar of oatmeal soap with lavendar. To make a short story boring, a few weeks later, the skin condition had disappeared!
So, the routine: lather, shave, then scrub vigorously with the exfoliating sponge. I've found that if I don't scrub after shaving, it increases the irritation/redness/possibility of ingrown hairs, etc. It worked out quite nicely, didn't take as long as I can remember and besides cutting off one ankle and two knee caps, casualities were minimal. LOL, actually the only cut was the part of my body I have the most experience shaving - my head.
I stepped out the shower to look over the work. Yep, the hair is gone. Yep, I'm leaner than I thought I was ... there are the abs, right there, and a lot more definition than I recalled (all good in the hood.) NOPE, nothing's changed - I'm still a PALE GHOST ... man if I take off my shirt now, I'll illuminate the night and scare away tourists! LOL. Being of Nordic descent and having fair skin, tanning beds don't do much for me except bring out more freckles. It's going to be Jan Tana tanning lotion to the rescue, or maybe I'll just go against the flow and take my afters pale as a sheet. BFL might not print them, but we'll all get a kick out of it, won't we? Of course, the only problem with the pigment is that the bacteria responds more than my skin, so if I've reduced it but not eliminated it, I may have some splotches. Oh well, time will tell.
I'm in at 194 today, which was my Sunday goal. That means 3000 calories through Sunday. Sunday, I set my new 6-week goal: 176 pounds. OH MY GOSH. 2 pounds lighter than I've ever been ... and hopefully much leaner as well. I'm READY!!!!!!! THIS HAIRLESS MONSTER IS GONNA HIT THAT GOAL!
Okay, enough silliness. Just wanted to share my shaving story.
I'm out!
posted by Jeremy on 6/27/2003 7:12:35 AM | | Emma (protein) and others ... | 3 Days Post Completion
Emma,
I'll be the first to agree that the bodybuilding craze of eating tons of protein is just that, a craze. I have no clue where the notion of 1 gram per POUND of bodyweight came from, but it probably got printed in some magazine somewhere and promoted by some supplement company trying to sell protein powder and it's now all the rage. I always go to the experts when trying to form my opinions. For example, regarding ephedrine/caffeine, there is a doctor (Dr. Mowrey) who has studied thermogenics for 20 years, so guess where most of my thermogenic knowledge comes from? When it is protein that is in question, Dr. Lemon is "the man". But not even taking his singular word, the studies show this. When varying amounts of protein, it turns out that bodybuilders and endurance athletes need more protein than the average person. this amount turns out to be about 1 gram per KILOGRAM of body weight. What's interesting is that they found REALLY INTENSE trainers, we're talking the dudes on steroids who pump iron for hours a day, can benefit from up to 1.4 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, but when that was raised to 2.0 grams or more, there was NO ADDITIONAL BENEFIT. In other words, going more than 1.4 grams / kg or 0.63 grams / pound doesn't do squat for building muscle. It may have a thermogenic effect, i.e. allow the person to eat more or feel full ... but I was always confused about that, anyway. So many people are saying "raise your metabolism, eat more." Why would I want to eat more? I think it's to cater to the general population, to the idea that eat what you want, etc.
However, when science proves that the only known proven method for extending your average lifespan is by eating LESS, I think I'll stick to a slower metabolism. This is, by the way, why land tortoises, who have the slowest metabolisms of any land dwelling animals, live to be hundreds of years old, while smaller animals like mice with fast metabolisms live shorter lives.
At any rate, your comment on protein ingestion struck a chord. There have been only a few studies regarding the amount of protein that can be digested at one sitting, and most of those indicate that there is no average amount. In other words, one person might only be able to ingest about 10 grams and others can ingest 100 grams at one sitting. It depends on a ton of factors including what else is in the meal, genetics, and even the person's history. It is interesting in that a person who suddenly starts consuming large amounts of protein may not ingest all of the protein, but if they continue that diet for several months, their body adapts and starts using the protein. Interesting stuff.
I think the original claims about x amount of protein powder are another product of the advertising industry. The protein companies got in these wars of having more protein in their shakes and promoted the concept that chewing down amino acids builds muscle (even though the amount of protein actually used to build muscle tissue is never more than about 3 milligrams - 30 milligrams per day, depending on whether the individual is natural or steroid abusing). In order to counter-compete, the companies came out with this - "Oh, you can only absorb 40 grams at one sitting. Hey, look, Myoplex has exactly 40 grams, so that's the right powder to use."
Ah, sweet marketing ... go figure.
I actually see people on other boards who are MISERABLE consuming their bodyweight in protein. They have indigestion and gas. When they post, "Why is this happening" the well informed (sarcasm) response is "Oh, healthy people have flatulence all the time, it's a sign of being healthy" ... WHAT?!?!??! GIVE ME A BREAK, you have to be miserable to be healthy? I think not. So when I post a suggestion that maybe less protein is fine, that maybe you should listen to your body and just eat a comfortable amount, rather than stuffing yourself, and that possibly food combining could help with indigestion, guess what happens? The status quo is so pro-protein (good job, supplement manufacturers, your marketing scheme worked - between you and protein and the milk industry scaring women into thinking their bones will crack if they don't drink milk every day) that people were actually afraid to respond in public for fear of being hazed, so instead I get a ton of private e-mails "Psst, shhh, don't tell anyone, but I am interested in this concept of not stuffing myself with synthetic protein all day long ... can you tell me more, but please keep it discreet, because the masses will lynch me if they know I'm not following the in crowd."
Seriously, Emma, you are talking about the difficulty of getting protein, being a vegetarian. Might I delicately ask how much protein you are targetting? I am 194 pounds, male, and have my fair share of muscle which I am maintaining quite fine as I lean out. If you read my food log for yesterday, I had zero/zilch/nada animal protein, no protein supplements, just a ton of whole foods, but ones that are naturally high in protein (soy ice cream, lentils, whole grain bagels, beans, etc). I received 85 grams of protein, which is fine by me .... is there a certain level you are targetting? I seriously think vegetarians utilize protein much better than meat eaters, so I would wager a guess that your protein requirements may even be LESS than 1 gram / kilogram, but unfortunately no study has been funded to check this out (why, because the supplement companies fund the studies and what on earth would that information sell?)
Okay, my rant is done.
Sue
Thanks, your 2 cents is worth more than that to me! Actually, I know my target audience. It's definitely not athletes nor experienced trainers. There are plenty of resources out there, and most people once they move into fitness start to think for themselves and graduate from listening to supplement advertisements to actually researching and using quality products, training techniques, etc. LOL. (Hey, by the way, I'm not saying ALL supplement companies are bad ... I still think Beverley has TOP NOTCH products, but fortunately their products speak for themselves, so they don't have to take out 5 page adds in Muscle & Fitness to sell).
Actually, my target audience is, as Corey put to me in a fantastic e-mail, the average Joe. It's going to be Jeremy at 245 pounds when I was wary and had zero knowledge. It's going to be Corey or you or anyone before they began the fitness journey. And it's not going to be "Jeremy's Kick Ass fat loss program". It's going to be, "Here's how to educate yourself and learn and decide what you think is right"." At least, that's the plan.
Chuck, Sue, etc - I think I have an important concept down. The people are looking for magic, and they may not even use the book when they've got it. So the challenge is to convince the reader that there is not a magic bullet, but excite them and empower them to continue anyway and find the right solution .... that's a start, anyways.
Everyone - keep it green, and have a great day!
BTW, my daughter swam for the first time last night. We got her a floatation device that is adjustable (buoyancy ). So what was her first act? She starts swimming, and after some time it is time to leave the pool. I tell her, and she turns around and starts swimming away from me! Then we take the device off her and she runs and jumps back in the pool because she wants to try swimming without it! NO FEAR in this child ... she's gone under and sucked water 20 times and keeps going. I hope she keeps that spirit of trying her entire life!
Jeremy
posted by Jeremy on 6/26/2003 7:36:33 AM | | Heather - not really ... | 2 Days Post Completion
... the fastest, most efficient way to burn fat is to get that heart rate up.
However, your Doctor recommended a lower heart rate because of problems with overtraining. That means you need to compromise. The lower heart rate may not be the fastest way to drop fat, but for you, it's the safest way, and everything has to be taken into account. You can lose fat with a low heart rate, don't get me wrong, and for people who need to keep it low - for example, who are in an overtrained state or recovering from heart surgery or suffer from certain diseases, etc - then keeping it low is the way to go. It's just that if you have the option of raising your heart rate, then that is going to be the fastest way from point A to point B.
Does that help to clarify it? I hope?
posted by Jeremy on 6/25/2003 2:15:17 PM | | Some more follow-up, word! | 2 Days Post Completion cont...
Cory - the bacteria are to replenish intestinal fauna. Yogurt with those cultures can help, but I've noticed that taking daily bacteria supplements is AWESOME. Those cultures are friendly bacteria. They sit in your gut, they kill bad bacteria that may be in the food you consume, and they digest certain nutrients we don't have the enzymes to digest, then make those available for us ... you'll find a stronger resistance to "upset tummy syndrome" by doing this. In fact, if you ever come down with a stomach flu, this is one of the quickest ways to recovery, as diahreah and other stomach ailments can flush out the healthy bacteria.
Marie - I think water is great therapy. I felt a million bucks after the pool with my daughter. As for the water classes ... it just depends at where you are at! Right now I'm enjoying the break from teaching, but that's only because I still have a lot to do for my certification before I can turn the papers in!
Jeremy
posted by Jeremy on 6/25/2003 12:42:48 PM |
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