The licorice and adrenal support won’t do much good if you stay on the E/C stack so save them for when you want to go off of the stack. What they do is help to improve the normal functioning of the adrenal glands which are the secretory organs of the hormones Adrenaline and Noradrenaline. When you take E/C you cause your adrenals to increase the output of these hormones and that is what increases thermogenesis. However, like I said, licorice and raw adrenal are meant to feed the adrenal glands and help them function normally without the stimulation that you bombard them with by taking the E/C.
I understand that your trip is a big deal for you and you don’t want to give the stack up. So, what I suggest is to increase your cardio and slightly drop your carbs, and therefore your calories, so you can reach your desired leaness. Then when you get back from vacation, take a TOTAL break and do some reconstruction with your body so that you won’t have to deal with this rebound again.
I’ve been doing some research on this lately and the science shows that DHEA will increase progesterone in men… which could be the reason for your blurry muscles.
Tried to post this before, but the post fairy ate it.
I agree with Cass. She’s right.
Just a friendly reminder that you should be in this for the LONG TERM. Don’t get so caught up in your short term desires that you short-circuit your long-term gains.
I also agree on the adrenal burnout thing. I too was a “chronic dieter” and used MD6 for way too long a time period (as many as 6 months straight), and even though I was using 5 on, 2 off, still WAY TOO LONG. After a while I could just feel that my system was shot.
Then after that, I had a four month layoff where I ate once or twice daily, and that meal usually consisted of fast-food binges. I’ve been back for a month and although workouts are improving dramatically, the weight just doesn’t seem to budge. I am confident, unfortunately, that I did some damage to the metabolism. I’ve been using my last bit of MD6 and original T2 for these four weeks back, and I am making the switch to Hot Rox.
Licorice and raw adrenals would be beneficial as others suggested (try Enzymatic Therapy’s Raw Adrenal blends). Ginseng is another (I think Siberian is the better one for adrenal support),and a couple others that also have other benefits (and obvious ones at that) are higher dosages of Vit. C and B-complex w. extra pantothenic acid. For more specific info, there is a really good book called Prescription for Nutritional Healing that breaks this all down.
I definitely would take a break for a couple of weeks as far as the dieting. Step up the cals but still eat clean obviously, and cut the cardio. Listen to the consensus…everyone is telling you the same thing. When you get back to the strict diet, don’t make every day a calorie-deficit day but throw in a higher one periodically. Zig-zagging calories does have its proponents (Alessi, Hatfield, etc) and it does work.
Keep us posted and feel free to PM me as I’ve been through the same road as you. Good luck!
I would say it could be one of a few things but most likely the stimulants are the culprit, as already noted. Your adrenals could be burned out which is a possibility but if this were the case you would probably also be extremely fatigued. You may also have slowed down your metabolism by too much stimulation…over stimulate the body and it slows whole body metabolism as an adaptation, or your Testosterone:Cortisol ratio has been thrown out of balance by the stimulants which favor cortisol excess.
J - Just out of curiosity, which prohormone are you taking? I agree w/Cass, this could be water bloat due to progesterone or estrogen formation.
In my experience w/prohormone cycles, I get leaner at first and then a little bloated towards the end. This goes away following discontinuation of the drug. I know the supplement companies claim that there is zero conversion to estrogen, and that may apply to the parent molecule (prohormone), but what happens after it converts to test? It just seems intuitive to me that higher test levels will equal some peripheral aromatization to estrogens. I could be wrong, but I’d rather be on the safe side (the other side being man boobs).
Here’s what I would do: Get yourself an OTC supplement to combat estrogen. There are several options, but one should suffice: Biotest M, Ergopharm 6-OXO, Formastat (Molecular Nutr?), to name a few. I read once that green tea extract works to keep E down also.
And dude, the adrenal burnout thing is no joke. It’s only one of the many possible side effects of long term ephedra use. I’d say give it a break for a while. You may also notice that your anxiety levels will plummet when you quit taking it, but maybe that’s just me.
Lastly, don’t be so hard on yourself. You’ve come a long way. Here’s an oversimplified way of looking at it: you lost a ton of weight pretty quickly. You can’t expect your body to just stop on a dime and hold it for good. Remember, its ideal weight/set point used to be a lot higher. It’s only natural for the homeostatic mechanisms to kick in, which equate to minor fluctuations. The body adapts to the stimuli that we apply, hence the need to change things up. Sometimes that means just taking a break. Just keep your diet clean and you cannot fail. You’re reprogramming your body so give it time. The longer you stay within a certain weight range the easier it will be to maintain. You’re telling your body, “hey, this is your new home and we’re not going anywhere, so get used to it.”
J bro
we have had this discussion before. I have been down this road, and it seems you are going down it again.
I can see Patricia cringing now with the nature of this post.
However, J. You must dial back in. I am not going to sit here and offer you advice like “add some mass” becuase I know this is not what you seek. I echo the sentiments of others who say get the hell off the ECA or at least titrate its dosage way down. You are using it as a psychological crutch, I know it. Subsitute ALA or R-ala for the ECA and perhaps you will regain some of the lost insulin sensitivity (perhaps). I am not necessarily in favor of the amount of carbs you have, even if meals are separate, but that is my personal preference. I like your average calorie intake, but I achieve this in a different way, using 6 days extremely low calorie/depletion, one day carb-up. This gives me the best of both worlds for right now, as I can eat virtually ad libitum fat free carbos on the weekend (Sunday) without spillage. Great pump and vascularity ensues. In addition, I might suggest methoxy if your T happens to be lowered. I have no idea what pro-hormonal you are using. PM me if you want to chat over this for a bit. I know where you are mentally, and you know where I have been. Good luck bro.
Thank you all for the willingness to help me out, it is greatly appreciated. I am going to take your advice and ditch the ECA in favor of the HOT ROx, and I will make sure to pick up an anti estrogen at the same time. Vein, I know that you know the boat that I am in, and it is noce to see that you are willing to offer your helping hand, thanks. I really dont like zig zag dieting, or doing low carbs for a while, then carbing up, rahter a more consistent approach works better for me, thanks though bro. I will make sure to fill you all in on my progress.