This post is added as information only. I am not a medical professional, and nothing posted on theis site should be taken as advice. Always seek the advice of a qualified medical practitioner.
As a teenager, many of my friends got into sports and began to develop larger muscles from all the physical activity, but my muscles stayed small and refused to grow. In fact, the more I tried to get them to grow, the more they atrophied. At the time, I tried several different muscle building and body building programs and always with the same result - small muscles and weak bones. So, left behind by my peer group, I basically bypassed the sports scene and entered the work force.
A few months ago, I realized that over the years my health had deteriorated so much that I had extremely little muscle and a lot of fat. With no energy and very little motivation, I found it difficult to even spend time with my children. It was difficult to get out of a state of depression, but I was missing out on too much, so I began looking on the internet to find any information that might help. To my surprise, I found several web sites that were dedicated to helping people with Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency. One of the suggestions was a change in diet, which recommended a diet high in protein and fresh vegetables. I immediately implemented this dietary change and began to eat all the protein foods that I could find, cutting out added sugars and most processed carbohydrates. There was an immediate change. My energy levels immediately increased, and along with it, my motivation. It worked so well that I decided to add even more protein to my diet and found a powdered protein supplement made from soy. The results were remarkable. From mid April 2010 to mid May 2010 I lost a full pant size and around15kg. Mot only did the fat start disappearing, but my muscles began to grow, and I am now able to spend time outdoors with my children. I was so happy with my transformation that I just wanted to tell someone, and decided that the best way to do that was to cycle across Saskatchewan, shouting it from the rooftops (well from the internet anyway).
So far, I have found that certain supplements help a great deal in building muscle and keeping me in shape. I like to start my day with a B vitamin complex, tribulus, ginseng, and soy protein supplement. The a half hour later I consume another serving of the soy protein supplement, wait a half hour then head out on my morning ride. During my ride, I stop every hour and take an amino acid supplement and keep well hydrated. Then after my ride, I take another serving of protein. The best part is that even with all this exercise, my muscles are actually growing and getting stronger. Since my teenage years, I have known that the body needs protein to build muscle, but I think that I was just not consuming enough. Now, I try to consume twice the recommended amount for body building programs, and it is working great. During the rest of the day, my diet consists of various protein sources and fresh vegetables.
As for hydration during my training rides, I have tried several of the sports drinks designed for maximum hydration, etc, etc. Some may actually work better than others, but I have found that they did very little for me, except to slow my progress and limit my energy. My personal preference is to drink fruit juices with no added sugars. Fruit juice, with no added sugar, does not make me thirsty, keeps me well hydrated, and seems to stabilize my energy. As a side benefit, the fruit juice is less expensive than the sport drinks.
Even though this diet has worked wonders for me, I am always experimenting and improving on it.
No comments:
Post a Comment