I need some help!!!!
 

Well here's the deal... (here comes a long story). I've been very proud of my weight loss and have made it a passion to help motivate and inspire others, but now I'm in need of some motivation!

I started (and finished) P90X and joined a group of guys on YouTube and we started making videos to hold each other accountable and to motivate others to get in shape. I went from being obese (according to BMI) to having a faint 6 pack. Well I got a HRM (Heart Rate Monitor) for Christmas and after doing some heavy cardio I went to return it b/c there was no way it was accurate. My heart rate would get to 185bpm, and I'd keep pushing. I'd peg it at 200bpm!!! I did some research and realized that I could be doing some serious damage to my heart and not know it. So I started taking more breaks and not pushing so hard.

I then discovered that my Adderall that I take can elevate your HR as a side effect. Well I called my doctor and he told me to get off of it. Since then (about 4 weeks) I can't stay focused (b/c I have ADD), my work has suffered and I've had uncontrollable craving. I could eat down a house if I'm not careful. I've noticed that being off of it hasn't helped my HR much, so I'm still cutting back on my cardio and I'm losing motivation.

Between cutting back on my cardio and eating more my "washboard" has washed away, and now I'm disgusted with myself! I need a swift kick in the ass I guess, so I scheduled a weekend trip to Florida in May and another 1/2 marathon (in September in Virgina Beach, Va.)

I hate asking for words of discouragement, especially since I've been to motivator for a while, but I do need some help!

This is my last side-by-side video (which was about a month ago), I'm not too far from where I was last month but I can see myself slipping away. YouTube - P90X YTF&F round 2 day 56 transformation update

Mike

Hey Mike! My browser must be messed up cuz I couldn't access your youtube film, but anyways....have you contacted your dr. and discussed your ADD symptoms with him/her? Maybe there's another medication that won't spike your heart rate? I would probably schedule an appt. if you haven't been seen in a while to rule out anything else that could be going on.

This is a temporary speed bump in your quest for a fit healthy body. You've made fantastic progress and even if you have to slow your workouts for a bit, you are still progressing. When I've been injured, I've gotten discouraged too. Then I realized that lots of people work out injured...they just avoid the moves that can exacerbate the injury (or heart rate) and focus on the things they can improve safely while the injury or disorder heals. I realize that doesn't help the ADD symptoms so seeing your doctor could really help.

There's a saying that abs are made in the kitchen. If you have to cut back on the intensity of your cardio, you will probably need to adjust your energy intake a little if you want the 6-pack to show.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Beth, you are right about abs being made in the kitchen. I go to my doctor on a regular basis for blood work (ever since he put me on Adderall). I was ask him about another medicine but I'm not sure if that'll help since it was still getting elevated while off of it for a month. I'm hoping that light cardio (long walks, no running) will build me heart up, after all it is a muscle. I just think the problem may be bigger, so I was trying to work around it. This may be an issue that I've had my entire life and never noticed until now, now that I have a HR monitor.
Thanks Beth, I'll keep you posted.

Hey man...

If you're looking for some motivation, you might want to try out the 52 day challenge over at the Men's Health forums (52 Day Challenge (52DC) - Forum Powered by Social Strata). The next challenge starts up on Wednesday.

You can read the FAQ at the top of the forum there for the full details, but basically you set a number of goals for a 52 day period and then track them over time. There is a thread going every day where you can post your progress and the daily host responds to each person. The community there is great.

There's also very active weight loss and lifting forums there. Feel free to send me a message here or on that set of forums (I'm "merph" on the Men's Health forums) if you have any questions about it.

I'm hooked - the last challenge got me motivated to take running seriously and to begin lifting for the first time in my life. The change in me over a mere 52 days was incredible.

merph that sounds like a great idea. i'll check it out.

Cool. If you decide to participate, make sure you post your goals in the signup thread by the end of tomorrow (Tuesday). They don't allow people to join late :)

I'm reading the rules now. Looks interesting for sure.

Damn!!!! I was going to sign up today at work but the LAN line that I'm tied to at my main office won't let me on the site. I won't be home until 6pm CST.

Hello fellow ADD... I found this forum via a bodybuilding web site... this is my first post so I hope I do well. Anyway, what I found is that while on medication, our bodies are medicated so when we stop taking a particular med, aka chemical the brain wants it and pushes our cravings in order to medicate. That was what my psychologist told me as he has helped me since I stopped that med as well as Lamictal and even stopped as a matter of fact ALL my medications except for ibuprophen 800's for headaches.

I can say the moderate exercise had not helped level out the moods but the concoction of herbs I learned about and take do help. I take MACA root, and take a rich amount of vitamin products... I think we have my brain as fixed as it can be with the bodybuilding and protein powders which DO help cravings and they are low calorie, high protein.

As for your pulse, I thought the med raised blood pressure and not the pulse? I learned something new...

I want you to please look up cardiac burst training, that actually is better for our weight loss AND better for your heart as you raise your HR, then lower it then raise it, lower it, so on and so forth. You'll find the same if not better results and again try some protein powder, namely a whey and or creatine combo... It isn't just for bodybuilding, it can be helpful as a meal replacement too. One reason I say those vs. atypical meal replacement shake is the Adkins, etc shakes don't have enough protein IMO to stave off cravings and besides, I swear these other kinds taste actually GOOD. I put mine in a blender and add ice to make a creamy almost milk shake type treat.

bob

hey Bob, welcome to the site. I take wheybolic extreme 60 protein daily, I also take a daily mens vitamin. I do need to get back on creatine though and recently discovered that glutemine helps with ADD. That is a huge plus!!!!

As far as cravings, it's usually bad in the evenings. I love but hate late night eating. I did take 1/2 of a 20mg Adderall yesterday afternoon and I felt like the "old me", it was nice. I was able to think straight and my cravings were gone. I only ate b/c I knew I need to, so I was able to eat clean.

My BD is always good (120/80 at most). My HR only goes through the roof during heavy exercising, mainly running or serious cardio. It spike up super fast, but also comes down fast. My resting heart rate is usually mid 60's, which is good, so I'm kinda stumped

I don't know all that much about your meds., which may or may not be causing your HR difficulties. There are lots of different meds out there for ADD. You might also try green tea, I have a little bit of ADD and find that copious amounts of green tea, gives me quite a bit more energy and focus.

I do know that my HR is 145-185 when I'm running and that's very typical for my age, in fact that's pretty much the recommended range for a cardio workout for a 40 something female. That being said, how is your caffeine intake? You might try cutting back on that a bit and see if you even out. I don't use caffeine after 12:00 noon, because I have a heart condition and too much caffeine causes it to flare up. I also think you should talk to your doctor, and possibly see a cardiologist. My husband who is about your age has a heart condition that causes his HR to flare and it can happen anytime, but exercise and humidity almost always cause it to skyrocket and stay there. His situation is under control momentarily with medication but he will eventually need surgery to fix it.

You might also want to examine the labels on any supplements that you are taking. You would be surprised at how often my mother has to treat patients that come in to the ER, with a racing heart only to discover that they've been using some sort of herbal remedy, energy drink, nutritional supplement or they've ODed on Starbucks. So read your labels and do some research.

You know it's only human to backslide a little, and a couple of days off the workout routine is not a big problem in life. You wanted a better healthier you, well now you've got it, but in order to keep it you have to do at least the minimum maintenance almost every day. It's like having a pet really. The other thing I might suggest is that you might be a little bored with the P90X thing, which would be a typical ADD reaction since you've finished once already. So how about getting a few new workouts, to mix in with P90X, maybe something fun like the Wii Fit Plus. It's a lot easier than P90X, but addicting in it's own way. I've also heard good things about the Biggest Loser workout, maybe Jillian Michaels can kick you in the butt.

you hit on some key points. Without a doubt I was getting bored with P90X. Last week I started my own routine, which is just some weight training 3 days a week, some ab routines and walking. My HR only pegged out at 200bpm on Plyometrics, which I no longer do.
I jog (for short distances) sometimes when I go for a walk. At that point my HR gets around 180-186bpm I assumed that was way too high because I was told that my max heart rate should be 220 minus my age, which would put my MAX at 182bpm. I thought targeted zone is 65%-85% (118-155) of max HR. So yours gets to 185 and you are 40 something, and that's normal? Maybe I'm normal... LOL
I hate to sound paranoyd about it especially if there isn't a real problem. Does anyone else monitor their HR?
As for cafeine, I ONLY drink water and eat very little chocolate now. I got off of my green tea pills b/c it contained caffeine.

Yes, I have to mix up the workouts too. Working out is not really my thing, I don't crave it or love it, so it bores me easily and it's very easy to talk myself into doing almost anything else. So if I don't change it up all the time it flies out the window. I don't know if that's the ADD talking or it's normal.

I'm not familiar with any HR formulas. All I know is the gym I belong to has posters everywhere and all the equipment has HR rates on them to gauge your workout level. They vary a little from one piece of equipment to the next, but basically I don't get alarmed if my heart rate is 200 or lower. When I first started working out I would get it up over 300 sometimes and that was a little scary. Also I've found that when I hold my breath while lifting it fluctuates a lot more. So I try to breath as part of my lifting technique. You're supposed to breath in during the lift, but I always end up exhaling. That's okay so long as I don't hold my breath my heart rate doesn't go nuts.

I don't actually own an HR monitor, but I was born with a heart murmur which occasionally causes my heart to race, so I take my pulse frequently, especially at the gym. I love the equipment that takes it while your on it, like the elliptical and the stationary bike, and for me in a full throttle workout 150-185 is normal. That's even printed on the machine as a "cardio" range for my age group. Maybe your heart rate is normal for you during a workout, I don't know. You still should talk to your doctor about it and keep an eye on it at the gym. I also can tell you that as your body gets in better and better shape that your heart rate will slow down. My mom is always telling me stories about athletes that end up in the ER and their normal sitting pulse is low enough to set off alarms. But the truth is that their hearts are very very strong and don't need to work hard to get the job done.

Good luck. Are you feeling motivated again? I am, I hit the 50 pound mark this morning. Whooo hoooo!!!

yes I'm feeling motivated, thanks. I signs up for the 52dc challenge :)

update as promised
 

The Good: I've been very motivated and have been killing the 52 Day Challenge that I signed up for. My diet and been strict since starting this on the 17th. I haven't had much temptations to stray. EVERY day of the challenge I have either did a good solid workout or cardio. I look forward again to getting home to workout. I'll be going to Florida in May, after turning 39 and plan on being pretty "ripped". I can't wait to be able to take my shirt off at the beach and not worry about someone pushing me back in the water.

The Bad: In my quest to get down to 10.5% BF, I continue to drop weight. I've lost over 3 pounds this week. I know, you may be thinking... "why is someone that was recently obese saying this is a bad thing?" Well my goal was to maintain the same weight while shedding more fat. This would mean that I'd have to gain muscle WHILE reducing fat. While this was easy when I was fat, it's proven to be much more difficult, if not impossible.

Way to go!!! Sounds like you are on your way.

Most of the "experts" claim that unless someone is brand new to weight lifting, it is very difficult to add significant muscle and lose significant fat at the same time. While pursuing fat loss, we are in a catabolic state (breaking down tissue) and while pursuing additional muscle mass, we are in an anabolic state (growing tissue). Two opposing goals. That said, my own experience has been that when I'm losing fat, if I work out regularly and intensely, and nourish my body properly, I might lose a pound or two of muscle, but no where near the muscle lost by people who do not lift weights and eat too few calories. Of course, there's legal muscle saving/building supplements out there on the market, but I'm not a good source of info in that dept.

If you read Tom Venuto's "Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle" (online) there's a lot of good information you might find helpful.

thanks Beth, that seems to be what I've found

Adderall is a stimulant, which means its helps you focus, keeps you motivated, and supresses your appetite. When you got off of it, i'll bet your appetite came back that you've increased your caloric intake, which would explain the weight gain. The same reason smokers gain weight after they stop smoking(the cigarettes,being a stimulant, was supressing their appetite). As far as lack of motivation, the stimulant effect isn't there anymore. You can just find another stimulant to give you a boost: tea, coffee, nitrous oxide products, b vitamins.

thanks. I've been trying to stay away from stimulants b/c my HR gets really high during exercise. I got off my adderall for almost 2 months and my HR never changed so I'm back on it. I've actually been loosing more and more weight even though I'm not trying now. I'm now increasing my calories to 2500-3000 a day just to try to keep pace with my activity level.
My BF is at an all time low (around 10.5%) which I'm really happy about so everything seems to be right on track.
All I need to do is figure out my HR. I've been to a cardiologist and had a battery of test run. He put me on iron pills and now wants me to see an endocrinologist. Hopefully I'll have an answer soon b/c I'm flying to Virginia to compete in a 1/2 marathon and would rather run it than walk it... if I can get my HR in a "normal" range.

very good. I personally stay away from stimulants/fat burners myself, and i'm at about 10.5% body fat as well.

what part of Louisiana are you from? Do you have any pics of what you look like at 10.5%? I'm still not so sure that I'm quite that low but according to my body fat caliper I am...:confused:

If you don't feel comfortable post one up and I post a recent one of me and maybe you can give me some incite.

ponchatoula. ok yea post one i'll take a look. I use accu measure body fat calipers, so i'm not so sure how accurate mine are either, but they're good enough to show progress, or regression.

cool, thanks. Here's my latest video (it's short) but you can skip to the back 1/2 of it. I will say that I am flexing my abs, but you should get an idea.

YouTube - busting my ass

well you appear to have a good amount of lean body mass, if i had to guess i'd say atleast 10.5, probably in the range of 9.5-10.5

awesome. I was still thinking in the back of my mind that I was hovering around 11.5-12%. The funny thing is I joined a gym maybe 2 months ago and they did a fit assessment and they guy tried telling me that I was 21.x% BF. I was like WTF, you have got to be out of your mind!

I use the accumeasure as well. I go on my right side, directly down from my nipple and across from my belly button. That point is where I check it. I checked it the other morning 3 times and all 3 times I came up with 7mm. I squeeze it slowly and as soon as it clicks I stop. Is that how you measure it?

I still struggle to get the bottom two and the valley down down the middle to split them up. I'm not giving up though. I think it may take me another year (at most) to get there.

Well i think the chart has inaccuracies do to the age ranges. I'm 25 so when i measure 9mm i figure that to mean about 10.5 for me. on that same note i think the chart may over estimate your body fat. I measure slightly further in toward my belly button and maybe a little higher, but i just took a reading in the area you mentioned and it was the same reading.

nah i'd say three more body fat percentages at the most for you. month and a half max.

wait... 3 more, as in ~7.5% in a month and a half? I think I may be misunderstanding this.

yea 7.5, i think its do able. If you manipulate your calories right and stick to them, sure. Assuming that you dont plateau at any point meaning you adjust your caloric intake with your weight loss.

wow that would be crazy!

My goal is to go from 11% to 8% in about that time. this is the end of my first week. So i guess we'll see.

what does your routine and diet look like?

note: this is subject to change, i'll manipulate the calories depending on how fast i'm losing weight.
I want to avoid losing weight too fast.

note: as of now i'm not using cardio (which is hard because i like jogging). I want to see the effects on body composition, lifting heavy three times a week, and calorie manipulation.

note: 1.0g of protein per pound of lean body mass.


monday- medium caloric intake ( chest biceps )
tuesday- high caloric intake (maintenance caloric intake) (legs back)
wednesday- medium caloric intake (recovery)
thursday- medium caloric intake (shoulders triceps)
friday - low caloric intake (recovery)
saturday- high caloric intake (maintenance caloric intake) (recovery)
sunday- medium caloric intake (recovery)

interesting strategy, how long have you been doing it and how's it working for you? I try to take in at least 1g of protein per pound of total body weight. I lift 3 days a week (for just over an hour) and do cardio at the gym at least 3-4 days a week, plus walk when I'm home. I do abs one day a week for probably 20 mins. I was staying 500/ deficient per day but found that I've sped up my metabolism too much and now I'm having to eat more so I don't become skinny or lose muscle. I guess if it's not one thing... it's another.;)

This is very different than i what i've tried before. Today is my seventh day, i'm down about 2.2lbs. So i'm right on target. I would assume that some if not two thirds of that is water weight, which is expected. So i'll continue to monitor that, and adjust as necessary. I've measured a half percent drop in body fat so far.