Why do I look leaner in the A.M.?

[VeggieLifterChick]

This is something everyone experiences, I think, but I never figured out why. I guess it might be dehydration. Does anyone know?

Question #2:
Also along the lines of a water question, I'm just wondering how to tell whether I've been gaining fat or bloating with water. My pants are tight and I feel fatter lately. I drank a ton of coffee today and nothing changed, so does that mean it isn't water since caffeine is a diuretic? One key thing is that all of expansion is in my midsection. I didn't do as much cardio this past week, but I just started a 3 night a week waitressing job that requires constant sprinting (literally--sprinting!) for like 8-10 hours straight and I have been lifting. I did eat very high carbs and around 2000 cals this past week -- I maintain at 1800 and lose at 1650. I'm just throwing out as much info as possible here. Oh, and I started taking r-ala but I've never heard of this being a side effect. Hmm...I have a day or two left of my period but usually any sides I get have gone by now....Anyone want to take a shot at answering my queries? I decided that I'll clean up my diet regardless because I have been a bit lax, so hopefully that will help whatever the cause of this expanding waistline....

 

[The Shadow]

less wtaer retention in the am after a fast.

If you are holding wtaer rings and such will fit tighter...and too much ala will cause bloat

 

[Sassy69]

I always feel that in the morning, since I've been laying down, gravity hasn't taken its full toll yet. By lunch its a different story.

 

[VeggieLifterChick]

Corn,

I don't wear any rings. Any other gages?

 

[The Shadow]

Corn,

I don't wear any rings. Any other gages?

not really other than visual clues like chubby cheeks etc.

Take a day of dandelion root

 

[SteelWeaver]

Isn't it dandelion LEAF? This homeopath in Oz told me it was the leaf, not the root. I think ...?

Check your ankles VLC. Do you wear socks? Look for the big dent where the elastic at the tops of the socks constricts your ankle.

Also, water bloat sort of ... wobbles differently from fat. It's sloshier somehow, like a water bed. Also, check your navel - you can tell from the edges of your navel (well, I can anyway, lol) if it's water or fat - if its fat the edges don't swell and round out, but water does that - kinda makes try to disappear.

Another clue - your clothes leave big soft-edged wrinkle impressions in your skin that last a while.

Another clue, if you're REALLY holding a LOT of water - your skin feels tight, taut, STRETCHED across your body - believe me, this is a very uncomfortable feeling.

Now what tells you I've been fighting some nasty water retention for a while, heh heh?

A test - eat low/no carbs for a couple of days - you'll soon know exactly how much of the extra tightness is water.


I hate low carbs so I'm just dealing with the bloat.

 

[VeggieLifterChick]

Socks: No dent.

Belly button: I don't think I have what you're talking about.

Clothes leave impressions on skin: YES

Skin feels tight: YES, across my belly

Thanks for all the tips, Steel! I am going to try to low carb it for a day or two and see if that makes any difference. I am also thinking that maybe my lower abs feel so puffed out from intestinal issues (gas?).

I will post in a day or two and let you know what I find out. Low to no carbs are super hard for me to do, though, so I can probably only stand a short time of it. We shall see....

 

[VeggieLifterChick]

How does one take dandelion root/leaf?

 

[Ceebs]

How does one take dandelion root/leaf?

Capsule form, generally. I've also seen it sold in alcohol extractions in dropper bottles, and teas.

 

[rez]

does r-ala cause bloating aswell? ive taken 200mg today and im so bloated! it could be from other factors suchas vegies and/or rice...v uncomfortable

 

[The Shadow]

my bottle as well as other mixes list dandelion root....I have had good sucess with it personally

 

[MS]

It really depends on what you eat and drink at night, and what your body is used to. If you eat a salty/starchy/fatty meal before bed AND drink lots of water through the night (usually because you're thristy from the salt and carbs), then you may well wake up feeling and looking bloated (note: I'm talking about the typical western diet here). If you are prementrual or you are insulin resistant for other reasons, you may also wake up retaining water. Waking up dry(ish) is OK as long as you aren't peeing all night (like I do when I drop my carbs/sodium or take too much ALA). All in all I would speculate that you are "drying out" over night due to reduced insulin levels (a good thing). However I am at a loss to explain your increasing girth if you are taking ALA and have reduced insulin.

I have also had good results with dandelion for reducing fluid retention. It doesn't really matter if you take the leaf, root or stem, it's all good. However SteelWeaver's advice on testing for fluid retention is pretty good, and it sounds like you have mild retention, and maybe something else going on (gas, pregnancy etc...!). Otherwise fine.

 

[VeggieLifterChick]

The results are in: YES I was totally bloated! I think it was a mixture of mild water retention and gas. Jeeez MS trying to scare the shit out of me with that pregnancy comment!!!!!!!!! That definitely isn't a possibility thank goodness. The extra good news is that now that all the bloat is gone I think I may be leaner than before, which is most likely thanks to the r-ala.

I'm glad I asked about this, though, because I'll keep dandelion in mind for future occasions.

 

[rez]

The results are in: YES I was totally bloated! I think it was a mixture of mild water retention and gas. Jeeez MS trying to scare the shit out of me with that pregnancy comment!!!!!!!!! That definitely isn't a possibility thank goodness. The extra good news is that now that all the bloat is gone I think I may be leaner than before, which is most likely thanks to the r-ala.

I'm glad I asked about this, though, because I'll keep dandelion in mind for future occasions.

so what exactly did you do to find this out? just take the dandelion ?

 

[CardioGirl]

I'm glad I asked about this, though, because I'll keep dandelion in mind for future occasions.

Did you use root/leaf/stem? And how much?

 

[VeggieLifterChick]

I didn't have a chance to get dandelion, so I just low-carbed it as Steel suggested. I ate about 70g of carbs whereas I usually eat atleast 200g.

 

[SteelWeaver]

Good work, VLC. This is a great step in the direction of getting to know how your body reacts to different intakes of various macros, etc. This is one of my goals for the coming year - just play and experiment with things and keep an eye on responses.

So far I've discovered that I put on fat fast if I eat chocolates every day ... bwa haa ha haa! (just kidding - I sub in peanut butter on alternate days, lol)

 

[rez]

i think i should be doing more of that, but i think my body is so used to having low carbs that if i start having 'high' carb days it will auto matically store it as fat...unless i use r-ala...which may be an option.
i usually wouldnt have more than 60carbs a day and most come from my post workout meal..the rest are just vegies. I kinda dont know where I could start..does anyone have suggestions?

i was also wondering if one would lose bf% if having high carb meal with r-ala instead of ckd..as a way of a short term cutting diet?

 

[SteelWeaver]

I don't know about that, rez. I mean, our bodies have been primed since we crawled out of the sludge aeons ago to use glucose for fuel first. I suppose individual adaptation occurs, as seen in folks who do Atkins then start eating carbs again. But if you take it slowly and carefully you shouldn't have too much of a problem.

And obviously, if you have a high carb day, you should drop the fat accordingly, since probably the fat will go to fat if there are a bunch of carbs in there WITH it.

You might try increasing starchy carbs by 20g or so per day, rather than suddenly bumping them up by, like, 100.

I've found that eating starchy-like carbs such as pumpkin and corn and carrots allows me to still eat a lot, and still get the starchy carbs, but not have them super high, like they would be with just a small piece or two of sweet potato or something. This helped a great deal after my comp when I was a seriously hungry girl. Filled me up, and they're tasty. I eat oatmeal in the morning, pumpkin etc for a few more meals, some broccoli, other fibrous vegs, then starchy carbs pre and post workout. Granted, I'm "bulking", not cutting, but this helps me not go nuts on the calories. I haven't gained fat nearly as fast as I did last time. I think r-ala may have contributed to that too, when I was eating junk post-comp.

Anyway, I think it's a good idea to mix things up and vary them occasionally. Bodybuilding should put us in control of how our bodies look, not make us slaves and prisoners to food, working out, etc.

I don't know about your final question, but ultimately it comes down to calories in vs calories out. Maybe a few fewer calories in when carbs are higher.