| Message | My name is Steve.
I am 31 years old and I am from the LA area.
I am writing you because I am in serious trouble. I managed to learn through a personal trainer about weight cycling, carbohydrate tapering, zig-zag dieting, carb tapering, insulin control etc. and achieved a descent percent body fat w/lean mass w/out the use of steroids, creatine, etc.
HOWEVER, I decided to take it to an extreme overexerting my body when I was not instructed to do so.
Now my percent body fat is way up and I am eating just 1500 calories.
I have all the symptoms of OVERTRAINING!
My body fat percentage is over 30%. Before over training I was 14%, lean and muscular.
I've been feeling this for months and recently met a body builder who said my body was severely over trained. He told me to change my regimen to a higher caloric value and told me to perform only 1 set of 8-11reps of weight 3x's a week along w/4 days of cardio. As light as that workout is I am still burned out w/just 2 weeks of training. I took even more time off. Now I am now just down to doing cardio three days a week for 30 minutes and I am still over trained.
I got blood work done galore!! thyroid, Cortisol, Testosterone and the DR. says no problems.
Jeff if you could help me out here I will be in debt w/you for the rest of my life." My metabolism is wrecked!!
Thank you so much!!!
Jeff's Response
Steve,
From the email you sent me you have told me that you have been on a 1500 kcal diet for over a 1 and 1/2 yrs. This is far too low of a calories diet for someone your age that is training and trying to build muscle. Making matters worse you have not been cycling your calories (see jeffbehar.com).
You mentioned that you consume 158 grams of protein on weight training days and 118 grams on off days. You should be consuming 1.5 to 2.0 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight daily (30-40 grams every 2 approximately every 3 hours). You do not need to lower this on days you do not weight train.
There are many illnesses that have the same symptoms as over training.
Health problems rarely occur in isolation or for obvious reasons.
For this reason instead of simply guessing at what might be wrong, get the blood work done and have it reviewed by an endocrinologist. Blood panels can be tricky for some general physicians and they may not know what to really look for besides the basics. By having a specialist looking at your blood panels you can narrow done what is really going on inside your body based on the many clues it is giving.
From what you have described regarding how little you have been training, there has to be other underlying causes for your condition.
So, since your blood work was done a while ago (per your email to me) I would suggest getting a new panel done immediately. Especially since you have essentially stopped training and things have yet to improve for you.
A blood panel is always appropriate when you are not feeling up to speed before you start assuming things and making too drastic of an adjustment in your regiment. A new blood panel should have been done a long time ago since you state that you have been battling these symptoms for a very long time.
BUN, SGPT, SGPOT, iron counts, CBC counts, etc. all needs to be checked.
CBC stands for complete blood count and is a measure of both your white blood cells (WBC's) and red blood cells (RBC's). RBC's are the most common type of blood cell and are responsible for transporting oxygen throughout the body. A low count, which is called anemia can cause some of your symptoms. Its important to get a complete blood panel because low numbers in RBCs may also indicate bone marrow failure, leukemia, and external or internal bleeding (hemorrhage.)
The other part of the CBC is the analysis of the number and type of white blood cells. A high WBC is termed leukocytosis. Inflammation, infection, leukemia, or other cancers can cause an elevated WBC count. A low WBC count is called leucopenia. A virus, an immunosuppressive disease, or a problem with the bone marrow can cause it.
These different types all have unique functions in the normal processes of the body. Changes in the amounts of these different types, whether or not the WBC count is normal, high, or low, also gives the doctor important information.
A high neutrophil count can indicate infection, certain types of cancer, arthritis, or physical stress to the body, such as surgery, trauma or a heart attack.
A low lymphocyte count can be a symptom of AIDS.
A high monocyte count can indicate infection, often by bacteria.
a high eosinophil count can indicate allergies, certain skin diseases, or parasitic infection. Immature white blood cells of any type can indicate bacterial infection or leukemia.
In addition to the red and white blood cells the blood also contains platelets. Platelets are the cell fragments essential for the process of blood clotting. A CBC will give you a read on your platelet count as well.
A normal platelet count is 150 to 450 thousand platelets per microliter of blood. A low platelet count is called thrombocytopenia, which may occur as a result of cancer treatment, certain leukemias, certain other types of cancer, or immune thrombocytopenic purpura. Note: Immune thrombocytopenic purpura is a disorder of the blood in which platelet counts are abnormally low.
I have been pushing you to get a complete Chem Panel because there is a lot of useful information that such a panel can provide, if the right test are ordered. For instance:
The BUN (blood urea nitrogen) test is critical in diagnosing kidney problems, and can also provide information in regards to the general health of the body by measuring values such as protein, glucose, and calcium and other chemical substances that are released from various tissues in the body. The amounts of these chemicals in the blood may reflect abnormalities in the tissues secreting them.
The liver panel is also another important test as it is used to detect, evaluate, and monitor liver disease or damage. It usually consists of seven tests that are run at the same time on a blood sample. These include:
Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) – an enzyme mainly found in the liver; the best test for detecting hepititus.
Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) – an enzyme related to the bile ducts; often increased when they are blocked.
Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) – an enzyme found in the liver and a few other places, particularly the heart and other muscles in the body.
Two different tests of bilirubin often used together: total bilirubin measures all the bilirubin in the blood; direct bilirubin measures a form that is conjugated (combined with another compound) in the liver .
Albumin measures the main protein made by the liver and tells whether or not the liver is making an adequate amount of this protein.
Total protein measures albumin and all other proteins in blood, including antibodies made to help fight off infections.
Other tests that could be requested along with the liver panel are gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), lactic acid dehydrogenase (LDH), and prothrombin time (PT).
Hopefully I have convinced you regarding the importance of blood panels for helping to discovere the root cause of your health issues. The main reason the blood panels are so important because the body is a complex system and as such there can be so many variables causing you to reach the same conclusion often associated with over training.
To illustrate this point I want to give you an example of an indirect cause that can create symptoms that can mimic over training (remember this is just for illustrative purposes only; I am not diagnosing you here).
Instead of being over trained, there can be other culprits that might only be uncovered through a through blood screen. Say your blood panel reveals a fibrinogen level was 500 (ref range 180-310) and your Prothrombin Fragment 1+2 was 2.5 (ref range 0.4-1.1). This situation could result in your body to rid pathogens slowly. Obviously that would not be a good thing.
If your blood panel came back showing such numbers what that would tell the trained eye that the blood is too thick and clots too fast. This could result in trhe body notr getting the nutrients it needs, and as a result could negativelky impact the body in a variety of ways.
Rememmber this is just one example where a CBC could provide information to use (or discount) that could help identify what is causing you to have the symptoms you have described to me.
As you can see it is not as easy as 1-2-3. A blood panel can help give a clearer picture of your health. It helps identify if a system is not working or is affected. It also helps eliminate causes as well (like a slow thyroid, or diabetes).
The first time you stated that your blood work was fine. Well if that happens again, then you need tpo focus in on your stress levels and get a stress test done.
Also this may surprise you, but you can experience stress that can harm your body, without even realizing yopu are under stress. How you may ask?
There have been studies showing individuals who experience chronic, muscle tension below the level of conscious awareness, which actually limits blood supply, to important parts of the body, including the brain. This can lead to less oxygen and nutrient uptake, which obviously would affect one's heat. It could also affect sleep patterns and restrict important EM sleep.
There have been many studies regarding a condition commonly called the fight or flight effect. What this refers to is when the body responds to a real or perceived trauma in such a way that it induces this fight/flight response in the body. How the body can respond (even subconsciously) is quite amazing. The coccyx turns in to pull on the spinal cord to center it within the spinal canal for protection. The lateral pterygoid muscles tighten to help stabilize the cranial vault to protect the brain. Blood supply is diverted from the intestines to the muscles to prepare for battle. Upper trapezius muscles tighten to protect the neck, and so forth and so on.
During a Fight or Flight response standpoint the body can also produce chemical substances called "hormones" as a protective response. These hormones, such as adrenaline, are released into the bloodstream and are pumped throughout the entire body. They increase the tone in the muscles, preparing a person to jump into motion. They raise the heart rate, so that blood flows more rapidly throughout the tissues. They
signal respiration to become more rapid, so that an ample amount of oxygen is available to supply the entire body in a crisis. They even increase the speed of thoughts, helping individuals to plan and to think their way out of trouble. These physical and psychological changes are helpful when people are actually threatened by danger, but they are not so helpful if people experience them all day, every day (like working in a very stressful environment). So, if the body gets "stuck" in this survival mode (even on a subconscious level) this is not good. If this occurs, people become tired, anxious and/or depressed.
Such a physical response is often termed by many to be called "BRACING". This term is often used today to describe when all muscles stay contracted to a certain extent 24 hours a day, even when asleep). When this happens the muscles work against and can prevent you from getting REM sleep. It can also affect people far worse. The muscle tension can cause motions that grind the joint surfaces together harder than normal and aggravate the wear and tear of the joint surfaces. It can result in lethargy, pain, and cause pressure in the Synovial fluid leading to arthritis as well.
Bracing also depletes muscle glycogen which can result in you feeling weak and overtired In fact, when one is bracing, and you have no muscle glycogen in reserve you will feel very tired and weak.
When one has been doing bracing for a long time, even the liver glycogen becomes depleted, and then this will result in chronic fatigue symptoms.
How can you tell if you ever experience any "bracing"? Here is a simple test....If you can "drop your shoulders", you are then "holding them up". Your shoulders are designed to hang from your shoulder girdle and they should not be "hiked up" at all. How much they are raised is direct measurements of how much fight or flight readiness you are holding in your hypothalamus.
A second measure of the fight or flight is how "ready" you. Basically how long it takes for you to raise your shoulders. It probably did not take very long for your shoulder tension to return, did it? This chronic muscle tension is what is referred to as "bracing". Most people have some sort of it in today's stressful society.
The important point here is bracing can alter how the hypothalamus functions and is a major cause of many of the chronic conditions in this country today. This is why for many people, yoga, meditation and message "work miracles" for them, and why I am suggesting to you work on relaxation techniques as part of your recovery process, in addition to getting the blood work done, and then evaluated by a skilled professional.
While you are getting your blood work done, and evaluated by a specialist I would also suggest the following:
Adopt a testosterone-enhancing diet.
Eat a balanced diet rich in vegetables and an adequate supply of both protein and healthy fats.
Eat a significant amount of green, leafy and cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and kale.
These vegetables contain phytochemicals, which are essential for healthy hormone production.
Limit excessive carbohydrate intake, especially of simple sugars and starches (breads, cereals, pasta and potatoes). High carbohydrate intake can create a rapid rise in blood sugar, creating excess levels of insulin and cortisol—two hormones that work against testosterone and diminish its production. Do not misunderstand me though...too little carbohydrate intake can be problematic on your energy levels. Consider keeping carbs to 30-40% of calories.
Make sure you eat enough protein and fat. Why do you need the good fat? The brain needs it, as do a lot of other key processes in the body. In fact all male hormones, are made from fats. When fats become deficient in the diet, testosterone levels decline. You want to avoid trans-fats sand instead consume essential fats such as those found in cold-water fish, walnuts, pumpkin seeds and flaxseed, however, are a dietary necessity and should be eaten on a regular basis. Flaxseed is good because not only does it contain an abundance of omega 3 EFA, it contains lignans, a phytoestrogen, which mimic estriol, the healthy estrogen and displaces the more dangerous estrogens from the receptors for metabolization.
Eat small frequent well-balanced meals each day. These will help you maintain steady blood sugars and eliminate unnecessary stress hormone release. Both should help alleviate some of the over training feelings.
Ifg you are healthy, daily physical activity is a must. The lack of physical activity as well as excessive physical activity (over training) will result in decreased levels of testosterone.
Train your training regimin. I always suggest high intensity short duration training with 4 days recovery time per body part Realize this approach is important because high levels of testosterone are needed to ensure muscle growth and repair, without it, you will feel over trained, lethargic. Note: The reason you do not want to stop exercising all together because exercise affects testosterone directly by stimulating the pituitary gland and the testes.
The duration, intensity and frequency of exercise will determine the circulating levels of testosterone.
Note: Testosterone levels increase most with short intense bursts of activity which is the way I train and is also conducive to not over training as well.
Studies show that exercise will elevate testosterone for about 45 minutes but after an hour, the effects become negative and levels begin to rapidly fall. Therefore start training in a manner that promotes testosterone production.
To maximize your testosterone response to exercise and to avoid over training:
Strength train no more than forty-five minutes per session, and no more than t 3-4 times a week.
Avoid aerobic exercise (other than a brief warm up) during strength training sessions. If you feel like you want to exercise or train more, split sessions are recommended (BUT NOT WHILE YOU STILL FEEL OVER TRAINED).
To ensure adequate nutrients for the body to produce testosterone and its more potent cousin, dihydrotestosterone, supplement your diet daily with the following vitamins, mineral and nutrients.
Vitamin A: 25,000 IU Vitamin E: 400 IU daily.
Once you start to train again (and start S-L-O-W-L-Y and take an extra 400 IU prior to a workout to reduce free radical stress on the pituitary gland . Also take 2 grams of Vitamin C daily, minimum. Note: To reduce post-workout increases in the stress hormone cortisol, take an extra 3 grams prior to a workout. Vitamin B Complex: 100mg Zinc 50mg Boron: 3mg Selenium: 200mcg
Other tips to keep your testosterone levels higher:
Eliminate all medications that are unnecessary for immediate health. Many commonly prescribed drugs affect liver function and testosterone conversion. They include NSAIDS (like ibuprofen), acetaminophen, aspirin, the "statin" class of cholesterol lowering drugs, some heart and blood pressure medications, and some anti-depressants.
Try to get eight hours of sleep nightly.
Increase your stress resistance. Stress is a frequent cause of decreased testosterone levels. Chronic stress not only interferes with testosterone function, muscle building and strength, it causes premature aging and contributes to the onset of cardiovascular disease.
Get at least one hour of exposure to sunlight daily,. Testosterone raises and falls with the seasons and sunlight is essential for the natural yearly rhythm in the body and to keep you on a good sleep pattern. Remember GH is produced once you hit the pillow.
I would also suggest increaseing your calories.
Furthermore I would refrain from the cardio for a bit and instead use that time for some stress buster activity such as meditation, yoga, massage or anything that you find relaxing. This should help decrease your stress and cortisol levels which will inturn help set you on the right track (when cortisol levels are high you will store more body fat and not build muscle).
Bottom line: Get your blood work so certain things can be ruled out then a proper approach can be developed.
Stay in touch and let me know how things are going for you.
Best Regards,
Jeff Behar |