[Koko]

I'm biding my time now and just going thru my cleansing program before starting with BO.

I noticed that the swelling from Fenugreek has gone down after not ingesting it for 1 cycle. I'm only taking non NBE supplements and keeping it to a minimum. I also started taking L-tyrosine since my usual body temp is on the low end. It's usually between 36.2- 36.4 *C or even as low as 36.0 on some days. I don't think I have thyroid problems since I checked the symptoms and I don't really have any of them. Low temps must be connected with history of Candidiasis.

I wonder if Rhodiola Rosea increases testosterone as I've read somewhere. I heard its good for adrenal health...

[Libertybel]

Just checked out your progress. Go Koko. Looks like you're doing awesome!!

[Koko]

Thanks Libertybel. Good luck on your program too!

[KinakoNeko]

KoKo <3

Just read through your progress...it's amazing!! Also, even though we are almost the same size (you are a couple cm taller and bigger than me) you looked a lot fuller in your bust from your starting pictures! So....I'm jealous! ahahaha

I was wondering...
1) how long did you take to chart your luteal/follicular phases before you started?

2) How many mg of each NBE supplement are you taking (like pig placenta, Ha, Collagen, etc) and do you feel like taking them separately and making your own blend, so to speak, vs buying pre-blended works better?

3) For gaining weight, have you been doing any specific diet or supplements besides fenugreek? I may be able to help you...a few of my clients are recovering from eating disorders, so there specific dietary supplements and foods I write in their nutrition program which help with weight gain. There are also things you can do, like eating 6-8 small meals per day, instead of 3 large meals + snacks, that will help you from gaining just in the stomach area. (this and certain core exercises that you can do with your chest exercises all help!)

You're looking sooooo good already!! <3

[Koko]

KinakoNeko,

I was thinking of asking you for some tips on gaining weight when I read your post on being a personal trainer. Ha! Well, I take Serious Mass (by ON) every day to get extra calories since I really am a "small" eater. I usually consume about 1,000 cal a day with my normal diet-- rice, fish, veggie based w/ occasional meat (very Asian).
I get about 600+ extra from Serious Mass. I can only squeeze in 1x a day.

I've recently tried weight training at home about 2x to 3 x per week in my busy schedule. I work and also am a Masters student. I just follow videos from the net. They really helped me gain some muscle since I was underweight when I stared NBE. Im 43 kgs now. Still under weight but hopefully will gain more. It's hard to move past 43 kgs though...

Now about NBE, I did BBT tracking for about 1 month or so before I started my current program. I followed a Chiyomilk-ish program. I guess growth with PM s slower for me coz I'm underweight.

I took placenta as a separate supplement at first, it's a Japanese brand I bought off Rakuten. I took Pig placenta 300 mg, 1 to 2x a day. I took HA + collagen (Hydraplenish) 2 caps a day ( forgot the mg) but I stopped it after a week, i got tummy aches from taking it. I found a Japanese brand, Regulator, which has Marine Collagen (600mg), HA (60mg) and pig placenta (50 mg) and was better for me so that I didn't take too many pills at a time. I'm not really up to making my own blend, I'm kinda lazy. Haha. But this one took 2 months to get to me from regular mail!

I wanted to grow toward a B and eventually a C. I think I'm only a full A now growing into an in-between size...

I hope I answered your questions. I know it's not in the particular order you asked it. I remember you mentioning your tendency toward OC behavior, I hope you don't mind.

Good luck to our growth.

[KinakoNeko]

KoKo,

The best way to determine how much you need calorically to gain weight is to find out your TDEE, Total Daily Energy Expenditure (the total amount of cal/kcal you expend in 24hrs including sleeping, working, exercising, digesting food, all of it!) and your BMR, Basal Metabolic Rate.

It sounds like you may not be taking in enough calories, especially on the days that you weight train. It could also be the distribution of your calories (Not all calories are equal!) so maybe you need more protein and fat on your Off Days and more carbs on your On Days.

I can do the calculations for you! please give me the following info:

Age:
Height:
Weight:
Body Fat%: (if you know it)
Exercise Level: (which is more often, 2 or 3x/week?)
Also, do you have a physical or sedentary/desk job?

Serious Mass is a good gainer...do you snack throughout the day or eat many small meals? Maybe incorporating a high calorie protein bar on your training days would be a good solution?

You don't need to eat red meat or lots of chicken to get enough protein, it's more of, if you eat multiple times a day you will have more opportunities to take in protein, carbs, and fats, so your overall caloric intake is easier to regulate (whether higher to gain weight/muscle or lower to lose weight is up to you). Consistency is key!

And.... Graduate school, plus work, plus weight lifting....that's a lot on your plate!! I'm so impressed and amazed!!

[Koko]

I did an online calculator for Body Fat percentage, I'm not sure it's that accurate.

Age: 34
Height: 5 ft. 1 inch
Weight: 94 lbs
Body Fat %: 19.80%
Exercise level: usually 2x a week

I have a sedentary job. yeah. And Graduate school is only in the weekends.

I do eat snacks in between meals, usually in the afternoons. So that would be three meals and afternoon snacks, sometimes I snack in the mornings.

I do drink another glass of Serious Mass after weight training. Maybe I should get myself that protein bar too... Oh yeah, one more thing. Last week I tried some weight lifting to grow thigh muscles but I got backaches from them. I have a scoliotic spine and I'm planning to ask my therapist about weight lifting this week if I can find time to see him. It was just 4 lbs dumbbells on both sides I didn't think it would hurt!

[Dynseli]

working out less days allows the need for fewer calories. 1 set of 3 to 8 reps of resistance training for each muscle per week is enough. Endurance training with little or no weights can also be added sometime.

[KinakoNeko]

KoKo,

I used the Mifflin-St.Jeor method because you said you weren't sure how accurate the BF% calculation was in case you (or anyone else) is curious, this is the formula for females:

10x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) -5 x age (years) -161

It is currently the most accurate way to calculate TDEE.

Anyway, what I got was:

BMR: 1065cals
TDEE: 1464cals

I have a feeling you are actually eating slightly less than you think (1000cals), especially if you are drinking the 600cal shake every day.
Basically, your body requires 1065cals just to function. In your day to day life your body needs 1464cals. If you get ~1500cals on a daily basis you are maintaining your current fitness level. As far as increasing calories, I would recommend the standard 10% increase: 1610cals or, since you are a small eater and this is kind of a big increase, you can start off at 5% caloric increase at 1537cals.

Keep in mind the quality of the calories is more important than the overall number - bingeing on donuts is not a good way to meet calorie goals

What might make more sense and be a little more tailored to you would be:

Training Day: 1640cals (12%)
Off Day: 1566cals (7%)

Since you don't weight lift more days out of the week I wrote up a quick little macro break-down for you as an example <3

Total Calories: 1566cals = 190g Carbs / 94g Protein / 37.6g Fat
*non-fibrous carbs*

I split up the totals into 5 balanced meals, but you can figure it out however works best for your lifestyle! Keep in mind you want to try and eat every 2.5-3hrs, this is optimum for your metabolism, keeps fat burning and energy up.

5 Meals of: 38g Carbs / 18.8g Protein / 7.52g Fat

Right now since you are trying to put on weight don't worry too much about eating carbs at night, etc. However, once you get close to your goal weight you want to cut carbs out from your last 1-2 meals and instead have a little more fat (so less fat in meals 1-4 for example).

Non-fibrous carbs are things like sweet potatoes, grains, etc. Please eat 2-3cups of veggies per day the brain requires 150g of carbohydrates per day to function!

Protein bars like Quest Bars (my fav) can be helpful when you don't have the time or the ability to eat whole foods, but ultimately eating real food is better than supplementing with powders and bars

Best of luck with your weight training! Out of curiosity, what exercise did you do that caused strain on your back? I don't have any clients with scoliosis, though a majority of my clients have varying degree of 'back problems' ranging from slipped discs to general lower lombard strain. As you strengthen your body please don't neglect your core and lower back...they make up the "pillar" that helps support your whole body, and strengthening both parts will help overall upper and lower body strength!!

[KinakoNeko]

working out less days allows the need for fewer calories. 1 set of 3 to 8 reps of resistance training for each muscle per week is enough. Endurance training with little or no weights can also be added sometime.

while it's true that your body requires less calories on the days that you don't work out, simply lowering the amount of days you work out doesn't necessarily equate fewer calories overall. The more muscle you have, the more energy your body needs (muscles require more to maintain than fat) Also, weight training gives your metabolism a "boost" for 24-36hrs, while cardio will give you a boost of 6-8hrs of metabolic activity, which adds a small increase to your TDEE.

As far as resistance training goes.... everyone's goals and needs are so unique and individual, there is no 'one size fits all' approach to fitness and nutrition. A woman who wants to become very cut and toned with a 4-pack vs a woman who wants to just tone slightly and just have a flat stomach, require vastly different training programs. Just my personal approach to fitness though~