Brains, Brawn and Bamboo

Last week, I started the abbreviated Super Squats program, found in Randall J. Strossen’s brilliant book, ‘Super Squats: How to Gain 30 Pounds of Muscle in 6 Weeks‘. You can find out more in the ‘Workout’ section of my Bodyspace. My goal is to hit the program for 7 weeks total (which will bring me up to the end of November) and gain as much muscle as possible.

This past Saturday - that is, after a week on the program - I weighed myself and found I had gained 5lbs!

I’ve got 6 weeks left to do, and if I can keep that rate of growth up I will be able to match the claims by the book. All barbell exercises utilise Fat Gripz, too. These are great; they turn everything into a thick-handled exercise. As a consequence, they also make everything much harder. Which is great!

Colitis is settled. Still pounding the fish oil and turmeric - and no medication - and I feel really stable. Taking the opportunity to grow as much as possible. Maybe when I’m done, I’ll feel good enough to post pictures up.

Oh, and my card tearing is coming along nicely. Went through 25 cards last night - going to try and rip a whole deck by December.

Hope everyone else is feeling well. Fight for the muscle - power belongs to those who take it!

The last couple of days, I’ve been doing something different. Something very small, but different. And my colitis has really begun to settle.

I’ve tripled my fish oil intake.

It’s an experiment, based on an article I read about Fish Oil on T-Nation. Basically, you should have 1000mg Fish Oil per % of bodyfat. At about 9%, that means 9 capsules a day. I’ve worked up to 8 a day. While it’s only been a couple of days, I feel so much better. The symptoms of colitis have cleared up with shocking quickness. Not completely gone, yet, but it’s getting there. Fast.

I don’t want to jinx anything, but…well…

Have I cracked the Colitis code?

Feeling optimistic. Feeling good about future. Going to work up to 10 a day (to cover my bases) and work in some Curcumin tabs (if I can find them), which also have some evidence of helping colitis.

No medication. No powerful foreign chemicals. Just lots of water and natural supplements.

Here’s hoping that it’s not a fluke. I feel like I’ve finally found a crack in the armour of this thing. Time to take advantage of it!

I have been taking no medication for about a month now. In that time, my colitis has settled…to an extent. I’m hardly losing any blood at all, but I am still losing blood too frequently for my liking. I find it difficult to eat - both lack of appetite and cramping/pains/urge to go to the toilet when I do. I’m at 160 Lbs and I’m desperately fighting not to lose anymore weight. I’d love to regain the lost weight and get back to 170 Lbs, but at the moment I’m not sure I can do that without setting my colitis off in a big way.

Feels like the demon in my gut is sleeping with one eye open. I’m stable to a point, but I’m no where near 100%, and nutritionally/training-wise I’m walking on thin ice trying not the wake the beast up and engage in another full-on flare-up assault.

Taking it easy is wise and kind, but it is also frustrating.

I have issues with the Chron’s Disease article on the main site. It’s not the same as Colitis, but it is similar. Encouraging me to eat lots of food is noble but misguided advice. That would cause me a to cramp up in a seriously painful way, elicit the need for more toilet action (and therefore more potential blood loss) and risk a flare-up.  I’ve been there, done that, and it doesn’t work (unless ‘work’ means ‘lots of pain for little reward, and maybe even negative consequences’). I wonder if the authors of these articles have ever had to live with the day-to-day trials of chrons or colitis. If they had, I wonder if they’d be so ready in saying ‘eat plenty’ without acknowledging the discomfort and difficulty of that advice. Still, at least they are trying to address the issue. Not bad-mouthing them; just saying reality is often different from theory, and that you should judge all information critically based on you’re on experiences.

I’d like to say training is going great, but it’s not. I’m taking it easy to try and not end up in hospital again. Very frustrating. But I am off the meds, and I’m generally no worse as a result. Hopefully, if I give it a bit of time, my body can fully heal itself. Naturally.

I hope everyone else is having great success with their health, wealth and training. Be kind to each other, and fight like a devil for your dreams.