Three days ago I discontinued arginine, glutamine and whole sunflower seeds. For whatever reason, one of those things, or the combination of those things was preventing me from losing weight. When you are burning fat on a high protein diet, you can taste it. It's an acquired taste but it's reassuring. And of course I brush my teeth frequently when I diet.
The glutamine might be the culprit. I have suspended glutamine several times because I have not resolved the excitotoxin controversy. It is a topic I hope to explore at this website in the not too distant future. I have also suspended whole sunflower seeds because they do contain carbohydrates. For the same reason, I have discontinued salads and I drink most of my coffee black. A little half-n-half here and there but mostly I drink it black.
Lastly I have given up the stevia-sweetened arginine. Stevia is another of those controversies I want to explore at this web sight. But for now, I want to discuss arginine. I am 51 years old and I have been taking arginine supplements almost daily for over 21 years. Arginine did not help me pack on the muscle the way I wanted it to. Nor did it help me lose weight. However, it probably did make me strong and it probably does help me to lift weights without getting sore muscles.
Maybe things will change soon but right now I can only get to the gym once or twice per week. Even on those occassions, my time is limited. In my opinion the most efficient calorie burn is a routine of weight lifting using heavy weights and few repetitions. Yeah, yeah, yeah Mr. Testosterone we know free weights are more macho but I don't have all day to fiddle around with free weights. I use machines (except for some dumbbell exercises) because it takes all of five seconds to set the weight (except on the leg press but I can't find a machine substitute.)
Considering that I am 51, fat, and have lead a sedentary life, I am surprisingly strong. I max out on a lot of the machines and I am at 70-90% capacity on the other machines. I attribute this to amino acids, especially arginine. As I have mentioned, my muscles never get sore, no matter how much I lift. Tired, yes. Sore, no.
I have hit plateaus before where I just stopped losing. In 2008, a reasonablly-priced gym opened in my area and I became a member. I thought that exercise might be the missing component in my weight loss regime. Not a lot of success in the first year but now I have this site going and that motivates me to succeed by being ever mindful of details.
But without arginine I don't feel confident going to the gym. Part of me is saying "what's the point?" All of me is saying, "what's the point?" Without arginine or something like arginine, strenuous exercise probably does more harm than good, at least with people over 30. Might as well treadmill for hours and hours like those pot-bellied seniors.
I want to get back to the gym. The plan is to start taking arginine 1-2 tbsp daily instead of the 6 tbsp, twice daily. I then plan to increase the amount for as long as I can still taste the fat burn. Maybe stevia is innocent. maybe it was glutamine that was stalling my weight loss. Maybe it was the whole sunflower seeds. At any rate, I hope to return to the gym tomorrow.
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