[Sean Steyn]

My guess (and it’s only a guess), will be for as long as you were on the Blast! i.e. 16 weeks on Blast then 16 weeks on cruise.

Side Note a.k.a Personal Observation: I went from 750 mg/week on a blast down to 400 mg/week (Test C) and was still gaining albeit slowly. But then after a while I dropped to 250 mg (Test C) per week and started losing gains and strength. (Maybe I was on fake UG Test C but then again I still had wood and was taking nothing else!)

I too would love to hear what JP says regarding cruise dosages and time on cruise.

(Has this been covered in one of the videos? Which one?)

[Sean Steyn]

Ah…should have checked that. Thanks for letting me know.

[Sean Steyn]

Interesting but I’d still be cautious…

http://www.health24.com/Natural/Herbs/Herbs-a-z/Berberine-20120721

[Sean Steyn]

Hi jdh

Boiled Sweet Potato – 200 – 250 grams

or…

Boiled Brown Rice – 195 grams

or…

Raw Rolled Oats (dry) – 60 grams that I then boil for 3.5 minutes in the microwave (this is not the instant oats variety which I believe digests faster)

or…

Boiled Lentils – 400 – 460 grams

[Sean Steyn]

Hi Robbie, did you see my reply. Regards, Sean

[Sean Steyn]

Here you go Robbie

The macros are roughly as follows 40% carbs, 30% fat, 30% protein. +/- 500 calories per meal.

FOOD SOURCES:

FATS: Cold Pressed – Olive oil, Coconut oil, Macadamia oil, Avocado Oil, Linseed Oil, Pumpkin Seed Oil, Apricot Kernal Oil. As well as Macadamia nuts, Eggs, Almonds and even Butter! (17 grams of fat per meal)

CARBS: Brown Rice, Oats, Lentils or Sweet Potato (40 – 50 grams of carbs per meal) | Green leafy veggies and off-course Broccoli and Green Beans

PROTEIN: Pure Protein powder, eggs, chicken breast, turkey breast, non fat milk, non fat greek yogurt, low fat cottage cheese, lean beef, tuna or small wild fish! (40 grams of protein per meal)

Sample Meal 1
3 or 4 whole large eggs + 7 or 8 egg whites (18 grams fat) (40 grams protein)
Sweet Potato or Brown Rice or Rolled Oats or Lentils (40-50 grams carbs)
Occasionally – Bowl of cooked fibrous veggies like spinach, green beans and/or broccoli.

Sample Meal 2
120 grams (drained) Tuna in brine (1 tin) (30 grams protein)
100 grams low fat cottage cheese (4.3 g fat)(3 g carbs)(13.1 g protein)
Sweet Potato or Brown Rice or Rolled Oats or Lentils (40-50 grams carbs)
12 grams cold pressed oil or 17 grams raw macadamia nuts (13.6 grams fat)
Occasionally – Bowl of cooked fibrous veggies like spinach, green beans and/or broccoli.

Sample Meal 3
50 grams pure Whey Isolate or Casein Protein powder (4.6 g fat) (2.75 g carbs) (42 g protein)
Sweet Potato or Brown Rice or Rolled Oats or Lentils (40-50 grams carbs)
17 grams cold pressed oil or 36 grams natural peanut butter

Sample Meal 4
140 grams boiled chicken breast (41.6 grams protein)
Sweet Potato or Brown Rice or Rolled Oats or Lentils (40-50 grams carbs)
17 grams cold pressed oil
Bowl of cooked fibrous veggies like spinach, green beans and/or broccoli.

Sample Meal 5
Any of the above meals!

1 cheat meal a week with whatever the heck I want! 😉

Let me know if you need more info.

[Sean Steyn]

Thanks for your input Stephen and Christoph. Much appreciated.

[Sean Steyn]

Hi Wunderlich.

Sorry to hear about your anxiety issue.

I’ve had anxiety many years ago (without any gear) which resulted in 2 or 3 panic attacks a day for almost a year. This prompted me to seek help and resulted in me changing my diet and also being mindful of the negative chatter going on in my head. i.e. replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. Yes, it did help but took a few months to rectify itself. I was offered drugs but after taking the first pill I threw the rest away and decided to do it naturally. The pills made me feel very weird to say the least.

Years later I started gear which was just Test. All was fine. Then one day I started Test and Deca. A few weeks into it I became pretty grumpy and anxious which resulted me doing some research. I came across a few people who said they noted Deca made them feel grumpy and anxious. So I dropped the Deca and upped the test dose and the grumpiness and anxiety vanished within about 2 weeks. My whole family complemented on how calm I had become.

Now in your case I note that you’ve dropped the Deca and stayed on Test but the issue is still there! Obviously people react differently to different compounds.

My only suggestion is that if you don’t want to come off the gear is to try other compounds and/or seek CBT which will help you handle the anxiety. “Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most widely-used therapy for anxiety disorders. Research has shown it to be effective in the treatment of panic disorder, phobias, social anxiety disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder, among many other conditions.”

Also look into your nutrition. I bought Patrick Holfords book called “Optimum Nutrition For The Mind” and followed its recommendations. See https://www.patrickholford.com/brain-food

I hope the above helps.

Cheers, Sean

[Sean Steyn]

I’m private so I’ll probably do yearly. Thanks Dean 😉

[Sean Steyn]

Gary, long may it continue to improve for you! All the very best with that. Yes, the more I think about, it becomes more obvious that we who choose this lifestyle must be diligent about our health and do tests that go beyond just the normal blood tests. (Side Note: It’s a shame to also see so many BBers develop kidney issues when this can also be caught early.)

DrDeanStMart, sounds doable and I whole wholeheartedly agree on doing Echo and ECG! Excuse the pun. Isn’t every 3 years to far apart though? Don’t these heart issues develop a lot faster therefore requiring more frequent tests? (I only ask because I don’t know.)

[Sean Steyn]

Hi Gary

Okay noted. I hope someone can answer that for you Gary. Giving up training/competing would seriously suck but let’s hope and pray that is not forced onto you. But if it was, I’m sure you’d find a way to deal with it.

As for me at 48, besides the standard blood tests, I’m going to ask my doctor to book me in for one or more of the following and do follow-ups every now and again. (I only post the below for other BBers to consider doing.)

• Electrocardiogram (EKG): A test to record the heart’s electrical activity. It shows how fast the heart is beating, its rhythm, and can reveal signs of heart damage.

• Echocardiogram: This test uses sound waves to create a moving picture of the heart. It also yields information about the size and shape of the heart and how well the heart’s chambers and valves are working. Echocardiography can also reveal areas of poor blood flow to the heart, areas of the heart that aren’t contracting normally and previous injury to the heart muscle caused by poor blood flow.

• Computed Tomography (CT Scan): With this test you get computer-generated pictures of the heart, brain or other areas of the body. In the case of the heart, it can show narrowing of large arteries and reveal calcium build-ups in coronary artery walls.

• Stress Test: This is a test to show how long you can continue to walk on a treadmill as the speed increases and how fast your heart rate returns to normal after 30 minutes or less of exercise. A stress test can also reveal abnormal changes in heart rate or blood pressure, shortness of breath or chest pains and abnormal changes in your heart’s rhythm or electrical activity.

Best regards, Sean

[Sean Steyn]

Hi Gary, sorry to hear about your condition.

Are you asking if bodybuilding (just lifting weights) results in heart failure or heart conditions? Or are you asking if the entire bodybuilding lifestyle and ALL that it involves (drugs, diet, supplements, etc) results in heart failure or heart conditions? The thing is, and as you know, many people who’ve never done bodybuilding will go onto develop some sort of heart condition!

Maybe the question we’d all like answered is: Do bodybuilder who embrace the entire bodybuilding lifestyle have a greater chance of developing a heart condition?

Personally, from what I understand, most heart conditions don’t happen overnight and can be caught early enough and prevented from getting worse. Some can even be reversed. In my very unprofessional opinion, I think the key is to identify and eliminate all (bodybuilding lifestyle) potential contributors to heart conditions and even then still do the regular tests such as blood tests, ECG and other relevant heart scans!

The thing is, besides diet, I’m just not 100% sure what those other contributing factors are and would welcome anyone’s professional opinion on what those contributing factors are and back them up with scientific data. Maybe Jordan can chime in here? Maybe someone could come up with a list of what we use as Bodybuilders and rate it regarding its potential for heart health issues etc!

Sorry Gary, I don’t mean to high-jack your original post if that’s what I’ve done.

Your thoughts?

[Sean Steyn]

Thanks for your response John Roberts. Much appreciated.