Hello ...

Here's my story. I went from being 155 before college to 240 after graduating college and landing a desk job (eating in the car, lunching at my desk, the bag of chips in front of the TV, etc.) I was overweight and out of shape.

Using a low carb diet and exercise, I got my weight down to 185. Now, I am 215 at a low percentage of bodyfat. I use low carb eating for a few months every year when I really need to "cut up" for summer, etc.

My goal is to get to 225 - 230 lbs. and remain lean. To do this, it requires me to go through periods of:

"cutting"
(low carbs/lots of cardiovascular activity/circuit weight training),

"bridging"
(moderate carbs/intense cardio, but less frequency/moderate weight training, 3 sets of 8-10 reps),

"bulking"
(eat as much as possible. low amounts of cardio, high intensity lifting).

I know that much of this does not apply to most on this board, but I included it because it means that I do go through peroids of low-carbbing, so I can relate to the experiences pf people.

While I am a member of this board, I will contribute as much as I can to help everyone out as best I can.

Along the path of my weight loss, I became certified as a personal trainer and later as a nutrition consultant. Then I switched careers and became a full-time personal trainer.

Feel free to e-mail me or private me with any questions you may have on fitness, weight training, etc.

Take care everyone!

welcome trainerdan!! i'm sure that you'll have a lot of valuable experience and advice to bring to this board! i've already read one of your post offering advice on the daily board. i look forward to lots of posts from you!

Welcome aboard!

I will no doubt hit you up for some exercise info, as I believe that that is my next phase that I have to master in my quest to get into good shape.

Bill

Welcome aboard Dan!

It may not be for everyone, but it's one of the benefits of low-carb, and we're all about low-carb. I noticed in your profile CKD. I think I would like to try that. Any info when the Lyle's book will be reprinted?

I enjoy bodybuilding, as the more muscle you build, the more fat you will burn through them just by metabolism. Fat loss, not weight loss!

Looking forward to your contribution.

Wa'il

hey Dan, welcome aboard!

Wa'il is right on, we're all about lowcarb -- and lowcarb isn't about one-size fits all; it's about finding what works for one's own way of life. I look forward to learning a great deal from you!

Um, just a thought ... perhaps if folks posted their general questions to the forum, it could really help a lot of others as well, to be able to read about it ...

Doreen

Welcome Dan,

Look forward to your postings.

Hi trainerdan,

Welcome to the board. I am VERY interested in weight training. I have just recently read Brad King's book on low-carbing called "Fat Wars" and he stresses the importance of weight training to help in war on fat and also that it is most beneficial in a work out when it is done before the cardio segment rather than after. He says that by warming up the body first with weight training, the cardio workout will be more effective in helping the body to burn fat.

I really enjoyed the read. He also talks about adding 1-2 protein/whey shakes (which include a tbsp of flaxseed oil) during the day. Right now I'm just having one in the morning because it's hard to have one at work. Apparently, you can't whip it up in the morning and tote it along for the day. You're supposed to drink it right away. Then, my local nutrition store told me that a company is coming out with mini-blenders very soon. She said you can make a shake at your desk.

I'm also fortunate to have access to a gym through my work here in downtown Toronto. As part of our benefits, we have daily passes to one of many gyms throughout the city. So I have no excuse, it's there and I don't do much on my lunch hour anyway.

Thanks for the warm greeting everyone ...

Sylvie ... I never read that book, but I will look for it now. The author is giving good advice from what you have told me.

As for drinking shakes during the day, I have done that for years. As long as it stays refidgerated, you'll be OK.

Some could say that the protein sitting in liquid for so long may lose some of its value (the amino acid L-glutamine is unstable in water for long periods of time, apparantly), but that is REALLY splitting hairs.

To solve that, you can always add a teaspoon of powdered L-glu to the shake before you drink it.

Whey & flax ... in water? I remember those days (it's good for me ... it's good for me ...)

Now, I just add my flax to a Carb Solutions. Protein is protein. The only time whey is of the most benefit it right after exercise, or first thing in the AM.

Whey is VERY rapidly absorbed by the body. At other meals/feeding, you want a combination of whey/casein protein so it is absorbed slower by the body and gives you a steady relase of amino acids into your system.

Whey gives you a big SPIKE of aminos shortly after you take it.
Good for after exercise, but during the day, you really want a slow release -- until your next meal.

I could make a book out of this topic, but I think that this is a good place to stop. LOL

Thankyou for explaining this. I had posted to someone a while ago about not mixing whey protein with other dairy because the casein slows its absorption ... although the discussion was more about food "allergy" or sensitivity. I was musing aloud about why some of us (mostly women) seem to have difficulties with dairy slowing our weight loss efforts. I'm personally convinced that it's the casein clogging up the system NOT the butterfat, since butter itself causes no stalling problems, just the cream, cheese and sour cream etc .... (at least, that's my theory, and I'm stickin' to it **LOL** )

For me personally, if I add cream or yogurt to a whey protein shake ... it sits like lead in my stomach. I can't even consume a whole portion. But, the whey blended with water and some ground flax is no problem (if you use a blender, it gets very thick and creamy) ... it may be that the flax fiber as well as the fat helps to slow absorption of the aminos ... ?

Doreen

Just wanted to say hi....I haven't been around much the past week or so, but I've read through some of your postings and you seem to be a veritable font of information and support!!!

My next goal (coming up VERY soon) is to join the local fitness centre and start getting into shape. Since the buses have been on strike here in Vancouver (2 months now) I've been doing a lot of walking, over an hour a day, most days, and I can feel I'm building some muscle just from that (I walk fast). My next goal is to devise a way to keep up some sort of exercise program all year round: more of a challenge than it sounds, since I tend to get depressed and lethargic in the wintertime, when light levels go down and the rains set in. My goals are modest at this time: just to increase activity levels and maintain them.

See ya around!
Rachel

fantastic pic dan!! is that you or a body double! if it's you, you've got great definition! abs to die for!! hey friend where's your head? it kind of got chopped in the photo!

I understand he lost his head over Fern. LOL LOL LOL

heee hooooo haaa hahahahaaaa I just crack myself up!!

Sorry Dan m'man, I couldn't resist

Ok, I'd better go for a 7km hike today, maybe the mosquitoes and blackflies will cure me.

Doreen

Doreen-
You are always cracking me up!!! The pic Dan posted is one I took when we got done our CKD....

And yep, Debbie, that's my man... his abs are motivation for me to start doing more crunches!!!!

hey fern and dan! i didn't know you guys were a couple! coool!! fern how handy for you! a built in trainer! i'd say those abs are fierce motivation!!

Wow. I am blushing over here. All this ab talk ...

Doreen, good one! I was trying to think of some reason for the headless trainer ...

It was a pic taken recently as Fern said. I posted it to another board that I am part of ... for some reason they adopted a big security/anonymity thing over there (it's a bodybuilder's board, and I guess some of them are into things that they aren't proud of), so everyone over there is faceless and that is what the pic I scanned was for.

I promise soon I will have a head.