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barelyalive

barelyalive

Joined
Sep 26, 2010
Messages
98
Probably a combo of mid-life crisis, and learning my life long fog engulfed depression was caused by severe sleep apnea and severe crohn's, but I have this need to get huge muscles. Having been a diarrhea wimp all my life I want this for myself. I have been working out HARD for over eight months now and have the largest muscles of my life by far....but not enough. I drink tons of whey protein supps and ensure and eat way too much salmon, and take fish oil pills and dhea supps.

What else can I do?

Even considering hard core roids - I am like what the f, what have I got to lose.

Any diesel dudes with advice?
 
I'd stay away from steroids unless you're a professional athlete. You won't make enough money to pay for all the medical bills when your body craps out on you. From the way you talk about getting larger muscles, it doesn't sound like anything will give you enough. Steroids aren't even almost worth it.
 
Large fluctuations in hormone levels, especially estrogen (which is influenced by testosterone) can trigger immune reactions, which could in theory cause a flare up. So take that into consideration before deciding to do "roids". Coming off could possibly spike your estrogen...

Ways you can improve - diet. I bet you could get even better results by just altering your diet more. When you come to a platue, make sure you add more calories. Make sure those calories are in the right macro nutrient ratios.
Changing your workout plan every 6 weeks, so that your neuro-muscular function never adapts to what you are doing. This way you keep growing.
 
Last edited:
What about a "six-pack"

All my life I have been cursed with the 3rd trimester look. Am I correct to assume no matter how much I work my abs the bloating will always kill my appearance?
 
I just registered here, but in my previous few weeks of lurking I came across posts by some guy on here who was/is a bodybuilder and has Crohn's. The friend of one of the cooks I work with is a vegan bodybuilder, and a big guy. Sorry I couldn't be of more help, hopefully he will wind his way to your thread.
 
There is even a Pro-Football player who

suffers from Crohn's and has had a portion of his small intestine removed. It is David Garrard of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
 
not a good idea to play around with anabolics. They play havoc on immune system and are harsh on the gi tract of a healthy individual. Focus on remaining healthy....in the long run you will be thankful. Our bodies are so reactive to so many different things, why risk it. Just my opinion. I work out and keep in good shape naturally with protein and hard work and dedication in the gym (health permitting). It's not easy....but it can be done with less risk!
 
I am not a proffessional bodybuilder but i do lift weights when the health allows it.

My last training period was 1,5 years i built up a good big body with abs but i got a bad flare Dec 2010 and went on Prednisone and that turned me weaker but i still trained now and then until the end of Feb 2011 right now im on new meds Aziathropine and Remicade so im gonna take it easy at least until May when the "build up" phase of the Remicade is finished and after that ill try getting back in the gym.

You should never take roids they will screw you up even more.

My reccomendation is to stay away from milk products and try to eat as much as protein possible with as little fat as possible.
 
Yes but, given I am nearing 42 and have decreasing

levels of testosterone, wouldn't taking a test booster only help?

Also, I have read that Dr. Andrew Weil believes HGH can significantly help relieve Crohn's symptoms.
 
I would have to read more but I think th dosage that they are seeing benefits in crohns patients is much lower than a training cycle dosage. I will read some more on line and talk later. Still think that natural is better, but hgh might be the safest if you are going to do it. Do you have a good enough relationship with your doctor to ask him? Just curious
 
HGH would work similar to remicaide, promoting intestinal tissue proliferation, as well as progams the immune system to respond by creating specific antigens. BUT... not enough research has been done and to do it independently without being monitored medically is a big risk that I personally would not take or recommend. ANYONE on hormone replacement therapy should be monitored closely as there are many risks including acromegaly. Depending on where your crohns is located and whether you already have stricture could play a role in risks as well. With increased tissue proliferation comes scar tissue which all needs to be followed medically. Best of luck but be wise.
 
sorry acromegaly is the poduction of too much hormones related to growth and it effects bones of the extremities, face,and jaw
 
try a diet high in protein with meats, egg whites and fish. However, take your work outs a bit easy, that last thing you need is to strain a muscle and be out of commission for a few weeks - months
 
Yea man, steroids are not worth it, if you're just looking to get huge maybe try creatinine and drink lots of water (I've been told this makes you 'look' bigger, but its just water weight). On a side note, do we get any of the 'roid' effects from using budensoide (entocort) or pred?
 
entocort and prednisone are corticosteroid not anabolic. Not much benefit in muscle development. Too bad eh?
 
I recommend joining a site like bodyspace.bodybuilding and reading up on what the big guys are taking/doing. There's a lot of advice for people with IBD there too.
 
Mr. Ziggy said:
Large fluctuations in hormone levels, especially estrogen (which is influenced by testosterone) can trigger immune reactions, which could in theory cause a flare up. So take that into consideration before deciding to do "roids". Coming off could possibly spike your estrogen...

Ways you can improve - diet. I bet you could get even better results by just altering your diet more. When you come to a platue, make sure you add more calories. Make sure those calories are in the right macro nutrient ratios.
Changing your workout plan every 6 weeks, so that your neuro-muscular function never adapts to what you are doing. This way you keep growing.
Click to expand...



Counldn't disagree with that !! :)


To me legitimate supplements and changing the workout schadule from time to time is ultimate plan i can reach without fearing flar-up.


dude, if i were you i would stay out of those " roids".


good luck.
 
Bodybuilding has helped my Crohn's, my well being, my self confidence...EVERYTHING.

I recommend it! I was just 8 stones - 112 lbs. I'm now a lean 180lbs.

Diet is about 80% of reaching your body goal. Maybe even more so due to Crohn's. As to get bigger you need to eat more than what your body needs, and also a bit more due to Crohn's!

Lots and lots of information out there. But don't treat everything you read as the bible, take everything with a pinch of salt.

Feel free to add me on Facebook, or PM for any information or advice. More than happy to help!
 
Oh, yes. Stay away from any kind of steroids. People seem to think they're the magic pill. But they're not. You still have to work your butt off! And as soon as you stop taking them, you'll shrink again! Not worth it!!!!
 
barelyalive said:
All my life I have been cursed with the 3rd trimester look. Am I correct to assume no matter how much I work my abs the bloating will always kill my appearance?
Click to expand...

I used to be bloated all the time, until I changed my diet. Try keeping a food diary and noting what foods give you what symptoms, or what foods give you no symptoms - that helped me out a lot. I'm never bloated now!!! :)
 
This is my first post, I found this forum and thankful I have. I recently just started doing a hollistic approach as most have come to discover here and noticing great results.

I was deployed to Iraq for a year and like most soldiers, I lifted like crazy 6 days a week. I went from a lean 150, which I've always been all my life to 200lbs of solid muscle. I have lost a lot of it due to 2 flares in 1 year, but what I learned is that diet & exercise is everything to a balance in your life and body.

Change your workout routine. I got real big, real fast by doing a 5x5 program. 5 Reps of 5 sets. Lift heavy and you'll get some great size. Supplements are important, I take Nitro Core 24 & Nitrix primarily.

Hopefully this helps you
 
Hey Dale, thanks for serving the country, we appreciate it! I am up for a MEB with the crohns this summer to see if I can stay in or not. Were you diagnosed before or after you got back from Iraq?
 
I enlisted 2003, diagnosed in 2005, deployed in 2008. I made my command aware of it when I was deploying and it was noted as a permanent profile. I told them that I wanted to deploy so nothing further was investigated into it. My SGM told me that he has deployed with people with IBD's, Crohns specifically, so that I should be good.

I broke the record at MOB station when I was given my medication for the deployment. a few thousand pills of Asacol.

I got in the best shape of my life during the deployment and I was able to wean myself down to 6 pills a day instead of 12 and I was pretty regular throughout the deployment. Another factor, surprisingly, I was the least stressed while I was over there compared to the U.S. Finances weren't an issue anymore and I had a solid routine down. I believe I only had 2 BMs a day too which goes back to pre-diagnosed days.

Good luck in your MEB, my UC has turned for the worse and I'm gathering data/ammunition for my MEB to see about getting out. We'll see though if I can get it back under control because I have another deployment scheduled for 2012.

Look forward to hearing from you LtHuff!
 
I lift frequently, besides the 70mg of prednisone which has given me a Lil extra water weight I'm still fairly lean. I'm 195 lbs, I press 110lb dumbbells, squat heavy and so on...I'm determined not to let all this take away my health totally or my previous hard work in the gym...do stay away from the steroids, it's not worth it, lift big+eat big= get big...stay with good supplements, like Beverly nutrition, and bodybuilding .com is a decent site like was mentioned before......dpsnutrition.com has good prices on supps too...get some good protein, multivitamin, omega3 and hit it! Good luck, be patient and keep kickin ass!
 
Ive been really frustrated with the workout stuff. In January I was in the best shape of my life, in the boxing gym 5 days a week, lifting more than I ever could before. Then I got hit with a terrible flare up that still hasn't gone away. The worst is, every time I try to workout lately I get hit with terrible pain and nausea for about 2 days afterwards. Working out always used to improve my symptoms and make me forget about it all and feel on top of the world. THis is really pissing me off. Just going bowling with my buddies is almost more than I can handle lately. Just started remicade a week ago so we'll see how that goes.
 
I feel your pain Max. I was in the best shape of my life and was amazed at how quickly I fell from grace when I got hit from a flare, then another flare, and now I'm getting out of a flare right now. I was a solid 200lbs of muscle, now I think I'm 150-160, weak, light-headed, and scrawny.

I don't see it as being depressed with how far I've fallen, I keep it as my glimmer of hope in the future knowing that I can achieve greatness like that. So once I start getting back into bodybuilding, everything will fall into place. Lower stress levels and better overall health.

Stay positive Max :)
 
Woah sorry you all are and have gone through that. I have tried and tried to get bigger, but I can't seem to eat enough to do it. With prednisone i was up to 180, but had terrible insomnia (never take it again!). Currently at 150lbs, haven't started lifting again because I have to work on the cardio so I have been running every other day and riding my bike to work on the opposite days.
 
I had good luck putting on muscles after I hired a trainer, ate a paleo/ evolutionary diet, plus took vitamin D3. At one point went from around 150lbs to 170lbs. Had a set back with the gut flaring up at one point causing me to drop back down to 160lbs. Hoping this summer to hit the gym and put the weight back on.
 
Barelyalive - are you in off season or are you prep'ing for comp at present?

If you can rotate your proteins to prevent yourself getting intolerances and if you are having problems digesting all the food then supplement with digestive enzymes. Good sources of protein, as I'm sure you are aware, are chicken/turkey breast, salmon, tuna, steak, egg whites (if you want more complete proteins then eat the yolk as well). Herring is a great protein and the best dietary source of Creatine.

Eating loads of carbs will help fuel intense aerobic workouts, but when it comes to lifting you don't need many as you won't burn that many - they will just add bulk in terms of fat.

What sort of workouts are you doing at the moment? 3-way split, 4-way splits? what kind of rep ranges and how many sets?

Two people I know have just through to the NABBA Britain Finals. Here is one of their routines:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4FIF4-aNRs&feature=related

There is some good advice and articles at www.gbmuscle.com (the newer website www.gbfitness.com does not have the articles)

Good luck in achieving your dreams.
x
 
barelyalive said:
All my life I have been cursed with the 3rd trimester look. Am I correct to assume no matter how much I work my abs the bloating will always kill my appearance?
Click to expand...

I thought the same 2 years ago until I realized that my diet was causing the bloating. More importantly it was the order in which I ate certain foods.
 
Same boat here buddy but I'm alot younger (17) people who say steroids arnt worth it are people who haven't got as big passion, you will never each Arnold's size or colemans or jay cutlets without roids, I don't condone use, I have friends that do use it and it does work like magic if your diet and training is in order, but if done correctly side arnt deadly but still bad. It's how hard you want it, because everyone has a genetic limit but this limit can be passed with these replace to hormones however nothing comes without a price or danger
 
I was really into bodybuilding, rock climbing, basketball, etc bf my crohn's diagnosis. I'm 6'4" and was a lean 215, but my first flare put me down to 160... I'm not sure exactly what your diet and workout plans are, but you did say something about whey protein. Whey is actually very difficult for your body to process and use and is really mediocre as a mass building protein at best. Raw vegetable protein is much better for building muscle and is easier on the digestive system so u may wanna try that. Whey also adds to the bloated look that u mentioned. If you are trying to put on a lot of mass it will be harder to get rid of a bloated belly. Once you feel better about where u stand as far as strength and mass go, u could try cutting down (getting rid of fat/water weight) and take care of the belly then...
 
It seems like there are mostly guys posting in this thread, but if I may add my 2 cents as a female who enjoys lifting weights - I'm not trying to get big or bulky or anything, I'm mostly trying to get as healthy as I can, and to get some good muscle mass on me as I know I lost a lot of muscle and bone mass from being so ill for so long and also from being on Entocort for 7 months (I've read that corticosteroids can rob muscle mass and also bone mass). I have arthritis in both hips and I find that both stretching and strengthening my joints seems to help them a lot. I was in remission for about 2 years, and I lifted weights that entire time, and felt great most of the time. I've been in a mild flare since about May of this year, but I've kept up with working out, and I wonder if that's part of the reason why my flare has stayed so mild? I've managed to maintain my weight for the most part during this flare as well (I've lost about 2 lbs which is obviously not bad at all). In previous flares, the weight would fall off of me and I'd feel miserable. I'm assuming that all the exercise I've been doing is keeping me somewhat insulated from flaring worse - or that's my hope anyway! Someone said earlier in this thread that working out is the one time when they feel good, human, healthy, etc - and that's my sentiments exactly! I love to work out because I can forget for a little while that I'm a sick girl - I feel like a healthy, strong, awesome girl when I'm in the gym. I feel better than normal, and the rest of the time I pretty much feel sub-normal. 99.9% of the time, I feel better after a workout - no matter how bad of a day I'm having, I know I can hit the gym and will feel better afterwards. And it feels much more like I'm actively fighting my illness, to go make my body hurt in a good way, than to sit on the couch and feel sorry for myself. Exercise has helped a lot with the depression too - as in, I rarely feel depressed at all anymore! :)

That was too long and rambly, but long story short, yes you can lift weights with IBD - I feel like it's helped me in so many ways, I'll keep doing it as long as I possibly can. (I know this is an old thread that was bumped up, but felt like giving some hope to anyone who may be reading this - you can do it!)
 

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