Are hormones just the latest scapegoat??
I’ve had help someone helping me with my nutrition on and off for years now.
At first it was for weight loss, then I took up bodybuilding and needed someone to show me how to eat like a bodybuilder (or not eat as the case tends to be). Then there was the time I decided to become an ironwoman and I enlisted Ali to help me unlearn all my bodybuilding habits and teach me how to eat for performance.
Since Ali flew the coop for warmer pastures I’ve just been “winging it” after all I’ve been taught well. I know how may grams of protein I need per day, I know what calorie deficit is required to lose a kilo, I know how many calories are required to maintain the status quo, I know when to eat and how often depending on the goal;
But yeah doesn’t mean I do it ..
Then one day on Facebook I saw a post about Nicky, a personal trainer at Les Mills who is a Poliquin™ BioSignature Practitioner.
For those of you who are not familiar with the Poliquins Bio Signature Program here is a really brief “dumbed down” explanation.
Charles Poliquin is a man (in case you couldn’t guess from the name) 😉 who worked with professional athletes in all the major sports, and Olympic medalists in sixteen different events. He did a load of tests over a long period of time and came to the conclusion hormonal imbalances dictated which area you held bodyfat and if you “fixed those hormonal imbalances” through supplementation and diet you could in fact target certain areas to lose fat from – yep spot reduction!
Most people who say “what a load of hoo haa” but steroids are a hormone and people supplement with those and they seem to work 😉
Anyway since I was nutritionistless I thought “what the heck” after all what do I have to lose except hopefully some fat off my back, triceps and arse ..
I completed an in depth questionnaire that included medical history, sleep and mood patterns, food diary and goals (to name a few) and then met with Nicky at the gym.
She did a 12 site fat test (Apparently even my knees are fat). She entered the data into her magical machine (otherwise known as her laptop) and it spat out that my fat arse (hamstring) is the number one priority (and yes it does actually list the areas in order of priority).
My fat arse means I have an estrogen imbalance. I’ve actually been told this before so Charles’ years of scientific tests weren’t a complete waste of his time, he obviously learnt a few things.
After a few more tests (none of which hurt) she concluded that I’m also deficient in zinc and my digestive enzymes are doing a shit job – hard to get good stomach staff apparently oh and I’m not getting enough sleep my growth hormone levels prove that.
I explained that I’ve invested quite a lot of time (and money) into the kidlets so I’m not really willing to give them up. So until they turn into teenagers and sleep all day I’m guessing my growth hormones will continue to be shite. (The things you do for your kids) 😉
Nicky ordered my supplements from offshore and instructed me to eat more (seems like everyone wants me to eat more and do less these days). But she was quite specific.
Eat real whole food! (And don’t worry about the calories). Increase protein and increase vegetable intake (which is not hard since it’s usually zero) and eat some fruit.
My goal over the past couple of weeks has been to eat 3 of my 5 meals as “actual meals with vegies” some days I do well (week days especially) and other times I fall back into the grab a shake routine.
Weekends are still the 20% because we all know how I feel about giving up cake ..
Anyway today my supplements finally arrived, so it’s time to get started (well tomorrow, but you know what I mean). I’ve never been the “pill popping” type and I’m extraordinarily forgetful (hence the reason I never used the pill as a contraceptive method) so I’m not sure how I’m going to do following the protocol.
But I’m curious to see if supplements make a difference to your a) weight b) performance c) general wellbeing when all other factors remain the same.
I’ll keep you posted!
Till next time
