Posts by Jonathan Miller7

Alex Long8 said:Anyway, I think there’s some kind of rule or biological limit where you shouldn't be gaining more than like 4 or 5 pounds a month, though I don't know the exact science behind how that works...

Look, the human body can realistically build maybe 3 pounds of actual muscle per month—maybe 4 if you're lucky and hitting everything perfectly—but I'm not 100% certain on the math. Anything beyond that? It’s just going straight to FAT.😁

Sure, you could technically pack on 6 or 7 pounds in a month, but just be ready to accept that half of that is nothing but pure fat.

I honestly don't get why they even call this stuff protein.

I don't really follow all these different supplement brands that closely, so if anyone could drop some recommendations for a good whey? I just need something you can actually find at a local Walmart, and my one big rule is no soy isolate. It can have artificial sweeteners if it needs to—I don't care about that—but just please, no soy.

granitegardener14 said:What’s the deal with the protein powders at Walmart for $9.00 750 g ???

So, I was digging around online and managed to track down some specs on this stuff 🙄
13g protein
74g lactose
1g fat

granitegardener14 said:I have one question, maybe a little stupid, but I'm curious about this:

- is there protein in these, and is it just a negligible amount in the following foods:

- bananas
- prosciutto
- oatmeal
- milk (whole milk, 2.8% fat)
- various stews/legumes like kale, beans...
- scrambled eggs...

...and how does eating these foods affect the body—specifically muscle mass—if you're working out regularly at home???

Bananas, like most fruit, don't really have much; it's a tiny, negligible amount.
Prosciutto probably has some.
Oatmeal has a bit.
Milk has about 3g per 100g.
Not sure about the stews/legumes.
Scrambled eggs are around 13g per 100g if you include the yolk; otherwise, it's just the whites at 10g per 100g.

Just look up nutritional charts online; just Google "nutritional values of food."

...and how does eating these foods affect the body—specifically muscle mass—if you're working out regularly at home???

And obviously, gaining muscle mass depends on a whole lot of different factors.

David Collins18 said:I'll get around to reading it whenever I have the time.
Honestly, I don't even care enough to deal with it.
If anyone actually wants to waste their breath on this, be my guest...☕

peace

But hey, at least you’ll show up just to act like a know-it-all.☕

David Collins18 said:I don't get it, walk me through the logic here...
And why on earth is that supposed to be healthy?
What kind of side effects are we talking about once you stop taking it...
And how many of you guys are actually getting ripped from it?

Look, we all learned this back in middle school, but honestly, I’m running out of patience with these questions. 😢

Protein is just protein. != AAS

Hahaha, man’s clearly on steroids, isn't he? 🤣

crimsonowl16 said:So, one scoop after training... do I actually need glucose powder, or am I better off just grabbing two or three bananas?

Honestly, glucose is the way to go—it's cheaper too. Even some raisins can do the trick if you're on a budget.

crimsonowl16 said:So here’s my deal: I’m 16 years old, standing 5'10", weighing about 187 lbs. I’ve been hitting the gym for a little over a month now, though I spent five years playing water polo before that. I’ve already got some mass on me, but the goal is to pack on way more muscle. Should I start using protein supplements, and if so, which ones? I was looking at Dymatize ISO-100, which looks decent to me. Do you guys have any other recommendations or advice? Also, should I be taking anything else alongside those proteins, like glucose or something similar?

Just grab some whey protein and some glucose. That’s pretty much the blueprint. Hit yourself with maybe 40-50g of whey and roughly 70g of glucose after your workout—give or take, depending on how much you actually weigh.

Honestly, go do some homework. Google stuff about bulking, cutting, nutrition, all of it. I really don't feel like typing out a massive essay right now because there's a whole world of info out there, and let's be real—no single meal plan or training routine works perfectly for everyone. Everyone's body is different based on genetics, metabolism, and who knows what else. Just make sure you master the fundamentals first, then tweak everything to fit your own specific needs.

Grace Thompson57 said:If your urine looks normal, then it’s probably not your kidneys. It could just be plain old dehydration, which happens all the time.

Also, having elevated AST levels (without high ALT or bilirubin, for example) rarely points to liver disease. You see, AST isn't just sitting in your liver; it's also found in your heart and skeletal muscles. Since you hit the gym, you're likely dealing with diffuse, minor muscle damage—probably from some muscle inflammation—which causes AST to leak out of those damaged tissues. That's most likely your culprit right there.

Regarding the AST—I actually had the exact same thought about the muscle thing. I'm pretty sure that's what's happening since I've been dealing with some intense muscle soreness lately.

George Washington—My urine tests come back fine.
As for the dehydration part, I wake up every single morning feeling totally parched. It’s like I’m thirsty, but when I actually try to chug some water, it just won't go down. It's only like this in the morning, though. My mouth, my throat—everything is bone dry, zero saliva, and I get this weird, phantom sensation of thirst. What could cause that? As for George Washington, those numbers have been high for a while now, hovering at the top end of the range or slightly over. Like, moving between 7 and 8.5.

Thanks so much for the help!

Hey there,

What actually causes George Washington levels to spike, and how do you fix it? Mine have been sitting right at the top end of the normal range for a while now, and lately, they’ve crept just past 8.

My AST is also running high, but I dealt with mono a little while back, so I'm thinking that might be the culprit. It actually settled back down into the normal range around six months ago, but recently it’s started climbing again—it's sitting at 80 now. All my other enzymes look fine. My creatinine is also slightly elevated, though my urinalysis came back totally clear.

I also started hitting the gym about two weeks ago. Is it possible for intense physical exertion to drive up AST if your liver is already struggling?

Thanks in advance for any insight you guys can offer.

Brandon Cox23 said:...I lost my health insurance cards... should I go get replacements first or just head straight to the doctor?

Honestly, you might as well just start a poll for that too.

Sarah Murphy39 said:Yeah, that sounds like a lot...😠
but honestly, when you realize you need results immediately and you're stuck dealing with this massive, slow-moving US healthcare system where you might end up waiting months for basic labs, then it doesn't feel like quite as much.🙂
Mind you, I had some tests done a few years back and I can't even remember if they were $50 or $83 based on hormones... I needed a few reproductive hormones checked along with my thyroid levels, and if I recall correctly, I paid about $400 total for maybe 6 or 7 different hormone tests... so maybe it actually was closer to $50..??

I waited about 10 days and didn't pay a dime. It wasn't such an emergency that I felt like dropping $500 on it. 🙏

Edit: Actually, looking back, maybe it was two weeks—20 days max—but it definitely wasn't 20.

Sarah Murphy39 said:A gynecologist can write you a referral for your hormone levels, sure. But honestly, you can just head over to a private lab and get your hormone panel done yourself... it only costs about $83 per test. 😁 You'll have the results in no time too.
Usually, if you wait on the public clinics, they can make you wait months before you see anything.

Only $83? Man, we're lucky there isn't some massive global economic meltdown happening right now, otherwise that would actually be a decent chunk of change for people.

Betty Fox37 said:I’m trying to figure out how women actually get their testosterone levels tested—like, what's the actual process, and who am I supposed to talk to about this? My hair is thinning out way too much lately and honestly, I’m at my wits' end trying to pinpoint the cause. My thyroid levels came back totally fine, so now I really want to check my testosterone. Should I be booking an appointment with a gynecologist or an endocrinologist?
Does anyone have any experience with this who can point me in the right direction? txn

You usually get that bloodwork done at a specialized diagnostic lab or a major hospital facility. Just go talk to your primary care doctor first; they'll write you a referral for it.

vividstag15 said:Well, isn't that just a lovely way for you to put it. Seriously, bravo. 😉

Jonathan Miller7, look, I’m not really into physical stuff anymore. I used to be active—played soccer, handball, all that good stuff—but nowadays? My big workout is walking to campus or tackling the stairs at my place. Most of my life is spent glued to a computer or just sitting around when I head downtown. Honestly, I don't even know what to do with myself. I have zero motivation for sports, and besides, we don't even have decent facilities around here to work with. Plus, I've realized I'm a total extremist. It's like I can't find a middle ground; I'm either all in or completely out, nothing in between. It's exhausting. On top of that, my head is a complete mess. It used to be that I could just close my eyes and see nothing but darkness, but now? I close my eyes and a hundred different thoughts start racing behind my eyelids. And my hands... they shake quite a bit. I think it's just pure nerves. Sometimes I feel this overwhelming urge to just rip my own "soul" out. Like, I'll grab my head with both hands and just thrust them forward violently, as if I could somehow physically eject all these problems and bullshit from my body just by making that motion...

I honestly think what I told you was 😁

briskdriver57 said:I don't even know who to turn to.

Please, I need some advice...

First off, you really need to get moving and actually hang out with people. You’ll start feeling better once your circulation gets back on track. Honestly, if you can't remember things, it's probably because you aren't focusing on what's happening right then—you're just drifting off into your own little world because you're checked out. Are you nursing some old heartbreak or something? Depression can be triggered by basically anything. Like, everyone knows how much people struggle with seasonal depression during the winter here in the States. The days are shorter, the weather is miserable, and all of that adds up. There are a million different reasons for this stuff.

That whole thing with focus and depression hits me pretty hard too, though I actually know exactly what my specific issue is. 😢

My advice? Grab a DVD with some stretching routines, look into it, and just start. Or join a gym, or whatever it is you women do, I don't know 🙂 , maybe a few times a week.

Like I mentioned in my previous post, feelings are essentially just "the result of chemical reactions in the body," so it's entirely possible you're actually deficient in something. Go get a full blood panel done, and check your hormones too.
It shouldn't take more than a couple of days 😁 to get results and finally know where you stand.

I remember back when I was a student, I used to take those various "concentration boosters" they try to sell us, and in the end, I realized all I really got was improved circulation—something I could have achieved through much better methods anyway. 🙂

Anyway, good luck figuring out what's going on with you. 🙂

Alright, I won't ramble too much, let's get straight to it.

Look, all emotions are essentially just chemistry playing out in your body. So, if you're dealing with depression or whatever else, there's a very high chance it's coming down to some kind of hormonal imbalance or similar physiological stuff. Generally speaking, the body responds best when you don't swing too hard in either direction. You know? Don't overdo it at the gym, but don't be a complete couch potato either—you've gotta find that middle ground. Since you mentioned you aren't touching drugs or alcohol, those aren't the culprits here. But, if you happen to smoke cigarettes, honestly, my advice is to quit; you'll feel a massive shift for the better.

Testosterone is basically the engine for men; it drives everything. The more you have, the more "alive" you feel. Low levels are a common culprit behind depression. You'll also probably notice a drop in your libido (your sex drive).

Now, for a seventeen-year-old guy, hormones are usually firing on all cylinders because that’s just what that stage of life is like. You *should* have plenty of testosterone, but then again, things can go sideways due to poor diet, lack of sleep, or being either totally inactive or pushing yourself way too hard physically.

I can't give you medical advice through a screen, so the smartest move would be to head to a doctor, get some blood work done, and have them check your actual hormone levels.

Edit:
Here's some info I copied from the web regarding symptoms of low testosterone:

* decreased interest in sex
* issues with erections (firmness and stamina)
* depression and lethargy without an obvious cause
* loss of body hair

General symptoms of testosterone deficiency include a lower sex drive (libido), erectile dysfunction, muscle atrophy, increased body fat, feelings of depression and moodiness, anemia, and bone loss (osteoporosis). Sperm production can also be affected. If the deficiency starts before puberty, sexual development may be delayed or stunted, and the individual might grow taller with a higher-pitched voice.

If the deficiency develops after puberty—which can be caused by genetics or lifestyle factors—symptoms might include sleep disturbances, chronic fatigue, irritability, tension, weakness, reduced libido and masculinity, as well as hot flashes and night sweats. Muscle strength, grip strength, beard growth, and overall functional capacity are often diminished. Skin can also become dry and rough.

Men with these issues often see weight gain, specifically a decrease in muscle mass and an increase in body fat percentage. Fat tends to accumulate particularly around the waist and hips. These men frequently report feeling depressed and unmotivated, along with difficulty concentrating or remembering things.

Do you get out there for any kind of sports or physical activity, like hitting up the gym, going for runs, or something along those lines?

vividstag15 said:I get it. Seriously, I do. That’s my whole process. But let’s be real—there are certain things you just can't "understand" through logic; you just have to grind them into your brain until they stick. It's pure rote memorization at that point. But honestly, the learning part isn't even the biggest issue here...😢

Are you on some kind of substances or something?