(12-11-2013, 17:22)Tinytots Wrote: I am so glad you responded Timarie!! I really value your feedback.
I get really frustrated with NB. Sometimes I love it and sometimes I feel like the look worse. I will definitely try the cup lid. Do you ever experience a time where they look deflated and saggy? I try to keep my suction low and then when I feel anxious I pump up high for a while.
I am so embarrassed. I had no idea this would make them smaller. I was trying to multitask. Thank goodness I have only done it 1 time. I would however like to try that on my stomach, lol
My goals with lifting was to burn fat. I use my arms a lot for my job so I wanted them to be stronger for that reason to. I am small framed but had a c section with my second child 10 yrs ago that left me with a lot of fat left on my mid section that just will not burn off. I lost 17 pounds 2 years ago. I can get down 98 pounds but my gut looks awful. I was 95 in high school. This should be my normal weight, remember I am only 4' 10' so it's not under weight. I do some ab withs my program but want to vamp up the abs and chest routine.
The salvia test I got back, Dr lee suggested PC cream. Being on the normal low end he said could help raise estrogen. Is this not correct? I though PC cream was to keep you from getting estrogen dominance? Confused on this one??
My old program was back in April from my Chiropractor. Basically he said I needed these supplements or my estrogen would not come up. I think it was for adrenal fatigue. But at that time I was going through a lot of stress and had put myself into that situation. I did it for 3 months, April to July.
Then in August I started Ultimately Stacked, stopped that when I got eye floaters. Then moved into Flaxx Seed oil with massage and nb only. Then I started Greenbush and I got alot of side effects, with bloating, sleeping, angry, etc. So ended up with pm and took my salvia test. And now this is where I am at. Basically all over the place and no set regimen long enough to see if anything is working. However, the first month with pm I had activity and this month so far nothing except a few headaches so I have backed down on dosage. I guess it doesn't mean it is not working If I don't feel anything. I am hoping to feel something going on in luteal phase. I was going to do pm for 3 months then take a cleanse.
I will start taking FG daily. I was not sure about that so good to know.
So what do you think Timarie. Do I need to add something else? How would you tweek my regimen. I thank you soooooo much for your help. I appreciate you....
Yes, actually there were many times when after pumping they looked more deflated (not necessarily saggy, because my the amount of muscle on my chest, my breasts will probably never look saggy). I think this is normal, just as it is normal to experience fullness and a deflated look at different times throughout one's cycle. So, if I were you, I wouldn't worry about it.
I know you were joking about trying the NB on your stomach, as that would be rather silly, but there IS a way to bring increased circulation to a certain area while you are burning calories at an accelerated rate. Have you ever heard of Sweet Sweat? It is a cream you can apply topically to the areas in which you would like more of your blood to flow while you exercise. I have tried it, and I could
really feel it! It was pretty incredible. I unfortunately have skin allergies and broke out with a nasty rash from it so I was not able to continue with it to see fat loss results, but I can tell you for a fact that it most certainly DOES increase the blood flow in the location to which you apply. So, with whatever form of exercise you plan to do, if you want to increase fat loss from a specific area while you are exercising, you could use Sweet Sweat. Or, you can use the advice found on Post #16 on my curves thread for targeting belly fat, as well as Post #38 (please click on the attached weblink to that post). There is discussed other ways to warm the area and bring added circulation to the area being targeted in that article.
Moving forward with your goals, I first want to commend you for choosing weight lifting to burn fat. Most people don't know it, but weight lifting is the most effective way to losing fat (when comparing forms of exercises, that is). Great choice! But, there is also another very important aspect to losing fat (more than exercise, even), and that is your diet. So, you could be doing all of the best exercises in the world and it won't do much for you if it is not coupled with a smart diet. How many times a day do you eat, and of what do your meals typically consist? (remember to be completely honest!
)
Now, as for working out your abs and also thinking about how this "pooch" is post-pregnancy: I have something else that may work wonders for you. Try the Stomach Vacuum. It is a VERRRRRYYY easy exercise to do but, don't be fooled-- it is difficult to remember to do all the time, and the trick to its effectiveness is to be consistent with it (the more often, the better, really). To get more information on this Stomach Vacuum exercise, read Post #13, Post #35, and Post#37 of my curves thread. I hope you find this helpful!
You said that you want to vamp up your chest routine. Are you trying to build up your pecs for a perkier bust, and for an illusion of cleavage? Let me know if you are looking for a routine for those! If you are, you can try my routine on Post #70 of my bust thread and if you want to see my entire upper-body routine (as you said you want to make your arms stronger) you can take a look at Post #106 of my curves thread. It is important for you to remember to keep your reps at about 12 and to keep your weights on the light-side.... assuming, that is, that you don't want to bulk your upper body!
As far as your understanding of PC, you're correct. If someone is estrogen dominant, it can help them to balance their hormones by increasing progesterone. You, on the other hand, clearly are DEFICIENT in estrogen. You may be on the lower-end as far as progesterone levels go, but you are still in the normal range, so your priority here should be mostly to raise your estrogen levels. As far as I am aware, PC will not raise your estrogen levels. It raises your progesterone levels, so
@ Dr. Lee! As for you being all over the place, I'd say heck yeah, you're not kidding! I started a month before you am only on my second program now. Sounds like you are kind of running around with your head spinning, in a rush to find what works for you. NBE is definitely an incredibly exciting concept, but I think before you take your next step to anything, you should take a short break and just let your body rest as you plan the right program for you. It is so crucial to have a patient attitude in NBE or nothing will work for you and you will always be jumping from one thing to the next, never giving anything a true honest shot. You also need to give yourself time to think to come up with a SMART plan for yourself. Also, asking more knowledgeable members is a VERY smart thing to do. I know A LOT about diet and exercise, and a bit of endocrinology, but there are other members who know more about endocrinology than myself. An example being Abidrew. Have you thought to talk to her? She usually knows what she is talking about, at least with endocrinology anyway... and no, most of the people on this forum don't know much of what they're doing, because most are newer than I am and I still consider myself new! So you really cannot just ask anyone. But comparatively speaking, I guess I have become more of a senior member...
But yeah in summarization of the paragraph above, it just looks like you've tried so much on your body the past 7+ months that you really are due for a cleans now. Unless I missed something, but based on the information you gave above, my first and foremost recommendation would be to take a break for at LEAST a month after all that. For the following reasons: 1) You treated your body like a human experiment for the past several months and it needs to rest and recover if it is ever going to be sensitive to more hormones you ever plan to put into your body 2) You need to learn patience. This is HUGE in NBE 3) You need to take time to come up with a GOOD plan. It is better for you to come up with a good plan in longer time than a less-than-best plan in a really short time. NBE is not a race!
Also, why 3 months of PM and then a cleans? Are you planning on starting a new program after that or continuing the same one?
I do like your focus on exercise, vitamins (though I think you should add a multivitamin somewhere!), protein intake, and water. That is great! Don't forget your fiber!!!