Hey man - where can I find english’s post would love to read
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Hey man - where can I find english’s post would love to read
It's on here somewhere......try and use the search function, but I know it's definitely on this forum.
Hey guys, little update. 2 days ago was the best I've felt since this whole mess began. Matter of fact, it was the best I have felt in years honestly. Followed by yesterday, which was an absolutely horrible day for no particular reason. Couldn't control my anxiety, panic attacks, stress, brain fog, couldn't look at screens, I was a mess. Followed by today which I am feeling fantastic again. Just a really good mood, clear minded and feeling content. Looks like I am in the land of fluctuations now. Also, went ahead and did that dentist operation without any numbing medicine. Wasn't too bad honestly, I guess the protocol is toughening me up a bit. Must be the cold showers :cool:
Anyways, thanks guys. Have a good week.
They definitely do a number on me, but I would take ups and downs over how I felt constantly just about 4 months ago. But since starting the herbs I am really feeling things kick into gear. Especially since I started taking pine pollen powder daily, that has been a game changer.
Thanks for the words of encouragement man. I'm here for the long haul.
@Maxout777 Going to a wedding with a bunch of my old buddies from the Corps tomorrow. Gonna be interesting when they find out I'm not going to be getting shitfaced with them lol
@Cdsnuts Decided to add some gluten/dairy free ice cream/cookies/chips into my backloading window last night. Feeling pretty great today actually, also feeling a big weight off my shoulders by not feeling so restricted by diet now that I know I can have the occasional cheat night. Why is it that all bets are off while backloading? I would imagine that all the refined sugars, etc. couldn't be good for recovery?
Hey man, just read your whole thread. I am only slightly behind you but have experienced the same things as you almost to a T. Starting my herbs here soon, having similar fluctuations. Keep me posted - we got this!
Higher glycemic carbs are good post-workout for glycogen replenishment, hence the “cheat meals”. I personally stick with sweet potatoes and cleaner carbs. Maybe throw a few dates/figs in there if you have a sweet tooth.
Best
I guess that explains why I am feeling so jacked after the junk food. Thanks for reading the thread man, hopefully it serves as inspiration for you. I was in the depths and now I believe life is starting to really come back around for me. The herbs are going to be a game changer for you, they are like medicine when it comes to PFS. Pine pollen especially.
This is partially true. Just keep in mind that they are just one part of the big puzzle and they wouldn't work nearly as well if you weren't doing everything else you need to be doing. Each part of the protocol synergises with the next. The sum of all the parts are greater then the parts on their own.
Yes absolutely. Assuming you've got the framework locked in, the herbs are great. From my personal experience, I built my framework for a few months and then once I added the herbs, it was honestly a night and day difference. Funny coincidence, I'm learning about synergy in one of my classes right now also.
As far as the french fries and ice cream added into your backloading window, I understand the replenishment of glycogen now that I've had it explained, I could see the benefits of that in a fitness sense, but regarding a PFS state, wouldn't the implementation of gluten free junk food still hinder your condition? I can't imagine that I could add in high quality ice cream into my backloading days and still recover, since it's still junk food. Or is there something about backloading that makes it alright? Wondering if you could shed some light on that for me.
I'm wondering why you think you couldn't recover because you ate ice cream? it's dairy, fat, and sugar.....that's it.
With backloading, it's all about manipulating hormones to your advantage. Insulin, Growth hormone, testosterone, etc. By backloading in a specific window AFTER intense weight training you take advantage of the bodies natural use of these hormones and use them to help you, not hinder you. By utilizing this method you use the insulin response to shuttle the glycogen directly into the muscle instead of fat. This causes and increase in muscle mass which directly effects other hormones in the system. It basically starts a positive hormonal cascade that does nothing but good things. After a good healthy backload you'll even sleep better. Once you get used to it, you can actually feel the muscles being pumped full of sugars. It has it's own "feel" which you'll come to notice. (and love)
One of my favorite feelings is crushing a good workout and then slamming down a few backloads that night. My body buzzes with energy and I can feel myself getting filled up. You go to bed with a huge, bloated carb stomach and wake up being shredded with bulging muscles that have a slight pump, as if you just worked out. Great feeling.
Well, the thought process behind it was just being so strict about diet since I've started the protocol, and living in a PFS state and having been affected so badly, I didn't realize that ice cream was ok. I thought any junk food would completely throw off recovery basically, now that you explain the hormonal aspect of it that makes way more sense.
I was wondering this because after you said ice cream was good to go, I added it into my backloading window and I was shocked that I actually felt better than I did before. Back when I crashed, any sugar would send me off the deep end. But I smashed some high quality ice cream in my backloading window and exactly how you just explained, I basically felt my muscles pump larger and I felt jacked, also felt more clear minded and in a good mood. I guess that its hormones coming into play. This is all news to me, so I'm very interested. I usually just eat sweet potatoes in my backloading window, this makes the protocol that much better since I'm already feeling great while on it. This was really helpful though, thanks for the clarification.
I can attest to ice cream not impeding recovery. I used to eat a pint before bed during my backloads, lol.
@Maxout777 I was just reading a little bit about backloading and noticed John Kiefer talked about skipping breakfast and only having some coffee in the mornings with some MCT oil mixed in. Isn’t that what you did during recovery?
This may be a stupid question, but on this forum I'd like to think that for the most part there's no such thing as a stupid question, given how surreal this shit is anyways. How do you feel about riding a bicycle during recovery? My favorite hobby is riding my bike around for 5-10 miles or so, nothing crazy just brisk riding. I wonder because I know that TMO says that running shouldn't be included in recovery, only HIIT. Im not talking about replacing heavy weights or HIIT either, just riding when I get bored or to get some sun exposure.
Also, is there a consensus on soy? I actively avoid it. But I've heard mixed things about what it does to hormones, about estrogen in particular. I'm wondering because I noticed that my avocado cooking spray contained soy so I tossed it.
No stupid questions, correct. Well.....to a point......lol.
Nothing wrong with riding your bike brother. When I say running shouldn't be included, that's taken out of context. Running shouldn't be used as the sole form of exercise is more like it. When it comes to sports or hobbies, ALL activity is good activity. When it comes to getting in shape though, there are specific ways of going about it to get the most bang for your buck, so to speak.
Avoid soy like the plague.
Increased metabolism and energy in the mornings. I’ve always drank coffee anyway, this seems to take the stress response away with coffee, plus gives you that mental energy and enough calories to get you till lunch and be low carb.
You can also add Lion’s Mane to it before mixing and get the benefits of that in the coffee. Take a swish of water to down some bacopa and gotu kola and then drink the coffee and you’ll be in for mental bliss.
How are you doing? I started herbs today. I noted that you had an initially bad experience with the herbs, and then things got better. Has that trend continued?
I didn’t think this was possible, but I took 1 tbsp of pine pollen and 1/2 tsp of cistanche this morning, and I already feel way worse. Most of my hallmark sides (difficulty speaking out loud, thinking, hourglass shape dick, you name it) all resurfaced after a nice trend upwards this week. I know the name of the game here, but I’m feeling a little deterred considering how good I was feeling before I took the herbs.
Hope all the best, looking forward to your update.
I’m doing alright man. So with the herbs, you’re gonna fluctuate up and down. There was a few herbs that I tried a few times then binned because I reacted poorly, but sometimes one herb will make me feel good then make me feel bad. I think your body is fluctuating in itself and not just the effect of the herb. I have random sides resurface then go back away. Keep I’m keeping on brother. Personally I wouldn’t go back to life without the herbs.
Also, my bad days (for now) are definitely worse since starting herbs. But my good days are also better. I’ll take that over life before the herbs, I didn’t feel anything. Not really bad, but not good. I had some of the same thoughts you just said, but think about it, was it REALLY that much easier to get words out before you started? And your thinking was where you wanted it? Probably not. So downswings are just a price to pay to make the investment of getting your life back my man.
Yeah, I’m more concerned about the pine pollen. It sounds like most guys have nothing but good things to say about it, but I felt like shit after taking 1/2 tbsp in the morning, very slowly started to return to somewhat normal, took another 1/2 tbsp in the late afternoon pre-workout, and with it 45 mins was worse than I was in the morning. Did you have experiences like this with PP or should I backburner it and just continue with other herbs? I know some of these take a while for benefits, but my reaction was pretty quick and pretty negative.
The b vitamin is interesting i've been listening quite alot on Natasha Mcbride the founder of gaps diet (pretty much paleo) and she says b vitamins are made in the gut. And with compromised gut flora you don't get enough of them and schould suplement until your flora does it for you.
I've been thinking of getting a b complex but haven't yet cause some say they have crashed on methylated b vitamins
@Cdsnuts Hey CD, I binned spirulina and chlorella a few months ago after I got crash-like symptoms after my body started detoxing heavy metals I believe. Afterward, I developed a fever, vision turned weird and yellow, light sensitivity, extremely bad headache and I got really sick for about 2 weeks. I just had the same experience, though not as bad (Yet) after taking methyl-folate two days in a row, which I learned can also detox heavy metals. I'm thinking it's more than just a coincidence and that I didn't just randomly get sick both times. Is this metal detox thing something I should be looking into, or should I just avoid things that detox heavy metals?
Also to everyone, I deleted my progress post just because I felt I spoke too soon. I have a weird habit of posting progress reports just before I enter hellish downswings. I'll update in the future.
Yes, but you could simply back down off the dose of both of those things so that it's not so intense and do it gradually over time, which is what happens on the protocol in the first place.
And, fyi, it's called the calm before the storm. I always felt my absolute best before getting hit with a downswing. After awhile I knew when one was going to come simply when I started feeling too good, I knew what was around the corner. Just the way it is.
Hey man, I read your lengthy progress post and was glad to hear that you were doing well! I’m sorry to hear that you’re in a downswing now.
I don’t think you should have deleted your post, anyways. You’re not accountable to anybody here but yourself, so no need to worry about posting too soon or coming across disingenuous. It would have been a nice post to look back upon in the future for yourself and others, whether it be from a downswing or when you’re fully recovered.
I will say that each time I have posted about feeling good, it’s been followed by feeling kind of shitty again. A lot of us here, myself included, were considerably traumatized by this experience, so when a sense of normality and and good occurs, we actually experience stress and anxiety (probably out of fear of an impending downswing, or that this good feeling won’t last, etc) and this is a considerable contributor to the ensuing downswing. It could also be like CD says, where downswings just naturally proceed the best part of an upswing when we feel like talking and writing about it. These are just things to be aware of so you can better learn to trust yourself and the the process and let go of any anxiety you might have that arises when things are good, cause stress and anxiety will set you back a little bit.
Otherwise, keep fighting the good fight, and I think you’ll be okay on the B Vitamins and algae. If you’re feeling strong enough and capable enough to face a downswing, then go for both and see how you feel. I was once afraid of eating coconuts cause Lauric acid is on the 5ar inhibitor wiki. When I wasnt afraid of a downswing, I said fuck it, and literally ate an entire bag of coconut chips and a carton of coconut milk and some shit dressed in coconut oil. I did this for a few days, and not much notable happened. Now I eat coconut everyday because I love it. I plan on doing this with other things that I’m worried about in the future I.e gluten, booze, etc.
All the best!
Hey man, thanks for the encouraging words. It really goes a long way. But yeah, I believe that a large part of this is fueled by anxiety and trauma. Which is a reason I feel somewhat guilty or whatever after posting, kinda like a placebo effect. Being on forums make this thing more real for me, so I try and avoid posting and get back to living my life. It's more difficult said than done though because I feel fine when I am at home relaxing, but once I go out in the real world it becomes very apparent just how tough things are right now.
But thanks for the advice man. I'll keep that in mind. Honestly I don't plan on going back to either gluten or booze. I found out after cutting it out for months that I truly can't handle gluten, it wrecks me. I was diagnosed with GERD a couple years ago and had to get a surgery because my esophagus basically became paralyzed for some reason, I'm assuming now that gluten was the culprit. Mostly because when I eat it I'm bed ridden haha.
As far as booze, I'm going to be 6 months sober next week. PFS or not, that is a massive accomplishment. Before PFS, I was scared I was slowly going to drink myself to death and there was nothing I could do to stop myself. Alcohol addiction runs in my family and eventually it found its way to me as well. Pretty scary stuff because I was only 23 when I realized I had a problem. So in a sense, PFS is actually saving my life. I don't really have a desire to pick up the bottle again after all this is a memory.
Anyways, thanks for the encouragement, Hope you're doing well man.
The whole protocol is meant to detox your system from anything that shouldn't be there in the first place. If you feel that something is doing this too much or too forceful, then yes, you can back down on those supps. You are going to want to get heavy metals out of your system so you can either do it gradually,ei, the protocol, or you can slow it down by stopping those supps that are making you detox too much too fast.
Thanks CD. So if I’m understanding, the protocol in itself will cleanse your body of toxins, including heavy metals due to diet, exercise, healthy living, etc.
Also, wanted your input on something. A few years back I developed a stomach issue where I could no longer keep food down, I would eat, then it would make its way back up my esophagus and I would have to puke it out. Almost like the flap that separates my stomach and esophagus became paralyzed. No doctors could figure out why that happened and eventually I got diagnosed with GERD and I had a Nissen surgery where they wrapped my esophagus so nothing (including burps) can come up. Before all that they put me on PPI’s for about 2 years, which I’m now understanding can have damaging effects with how your body absorbs nutrients, etc. My suspicion is I had an undiagnosed gluten allergy, or constant use of alcohol, energy drinks, preworkout, pharmaceuticals, etc. damaged my stomach. Just wondering if you think I should make any slight adjustments to focus on gut health or if you’ve heard similar experiences, and also just curious about what you think about it. I’ve suspected slightly that it had something to do with how bad Fin effected me. I had wicked food intolerances back when I crashed but they seem to have improved. I currently drink bone broth, limit fruits, I don’t eat nuts because they give me issues, I don’t really eat grains and I’m gonna cut out sugar. Also adding L-glutamine soon.
PPI's (Proton Pump Inhibitors) are known for leaching minerals from the system, especially magnesium, which is a recipe for disaster. You can include more gut related items if you wish as long as you're maintaining what is outlined for you already. That being said, if you get and stay on the protocol 100% you should have no issue meeting your bodies needs. I say that with a grain of salt because everyone is slightly different, although the big picture stays the same, the shades of the picture may have to be adjusted for the individual.
Again, that being said, the protocol is pretty inclusive when it comes to the vibrant health of each guy. From what you're telling me you sound like you're on the right path.
Hey guys, haven't updated in a while. The past month has been a wild ride for me. I took methylfolate not knowing what methylated vitamins were and crashed myself back to ground zero, this crash mimicked my PFS crash identically but was about 5 times more intense and I landed in the ER room. Upon further research I realized I tanked my potassium and B12 levels. Nightmare to say the least. Loaded myself up on bananas, coconut water and B12 pills and had about a 2 hour window where I cured myself, and about 3 days where I felt great, now I'm back to where I was before. I'm thinking all this shit has something to do with my B vitamins and Potassium (or electrolytes in general). I've drank nothing but water for 7 months, can't say I think thats good for my electrolytes. I've started implementing coconut water after workouts and I feel way better. PFS is one tricky bitch, not sure what it did to my vitamin levels or if it may have caused a deficiency but hey. I switched up my diet to include more zinc, B vitamins, calcium and potassium and I am seeing a lot better results than before. My libido is out of this god damn world, I've PMO'd at least 10 times the past month. Can't say I'm proud of it.. pretty disappointing but it's nice to actually WANT sex. The past month, after my crash from hell I completely fell off the protocol for about 2 weeks, PMO, gluten, no herbs, no backloading, not as much working out. I've started back up again and I'm feeling fine for how bad I fell off. But my crash made me realize it could be WAY FUCKING WORSE. I completely forgot about how bad PFS was in the early days. Some advice for those of you who forgot just as I did, be thankful you've made the progress you've made. I had to go through it all again and it was a fucking disaster. But yeah, I don't like to post percentages cuz I go up and down a lot, but I've noticed that since switching my diet, I have more memories popping up, more at my disposal and "unlocking". A break in the clouds as CD says.
But a definitely interesting experience for sure. What happened this time was after I took methylfolate, it took about 4 days for a potassium deficiency to hit me. This resulted in rapid heart racing/palpitations out of nowhere, panic attack, eye floaters, dizzy, zero brain-dick connection, extreme water retention in face/fat face, vivid light, DPDR, dry mouth, dream-like vision, all the other fun stuff from PFS crash. This makes me wonder that somehow fin depletes your electrolytes/vitamins, leading to your body becoming deficient and ending with what we have now. I now believe that if your body had some sort of damage, taking fin may exasperate the issue even further. This would make sense in my case because I was low on B vitamins when I took fin from drinking and PPI use. Could explain why I respond so well to vitamin B, magnesium and potassium. I say this because my crash from methylfolate was identical to fin. Things seem to be the same for all guys on this site but slight specific alterations help different individuals. I think in my case personally my issues are less hormonal and more about giving my body what it needs. Regardless, the protocol will fix that, albeit slowly.
Word of advice. If you take methylated vitamins, do your research first. B12, B9 (folate) and potassium work in tandem. Taking B12 will make your body produce red blood cells quicker, it needs B9 and Potassium to do this, like firewood to a fire. It will deplete your resources if not done correctly, then you may end up like this guy did haha. Worst experience of my entire life. Felt like I was crawling out of my skin or on fire.