Posts by Douglas Ramos2

Hey there 🙂
Every once in a while, someone stumbles upon my old photos and hits my inbox asking about my diet or workout routine, so I figured I’d just answer everyone here at once. I haven't stepped foot in a gym in a year. Not even close. 😵
I stopped training late last summer, thinking I’d just take a little break until winter. Then winter came, and I told myself I'd get back into it after New Year's. Then I went and broke my elbow, which sidelined me for about three months. Spring passed, then summer, and now we're into fall. Still nothing. 😁
When I stopped working out, I was around 119 lbs. Over this past year, my weight has been all over the place. Now I'm sitting at about 120 lbs. I try not to gain too much, but if I go overboard and eat everything in sight for ten days 🤦, I end up gaining about 4 or 5 pounds. Then I'll switch to low carb for ten days and those pounds disappear. 🤦

I'm planning to start training again in about two weeks, so I wanted to post these current photos as a "before" shot. This is what happens after a full year of being totally sedentary. My arms and abs have definitely lost the most muscle. My legs are still pretty strong, though—they just seem to be holding onto whatever mass they have left. My glutes are definitely starting to sag a bit 😢. I've also picked up some extra softness around my butt and thighs, which is why I'm not posting those specific angles 😁.

-I went ahead and got some blood work done without a doctor's referral or any specific medical reason, other than the fact that I've been dealing with heart palpitations, insomnia, and night sweats lately.
-31 years old, smoker, healthy weight.
-I've been taking Metoprolol for about 9 years now due to arrhythmias (specifically supraventricular tachycardia and PVCs).
-I have GERD.
-For the last few years, I've had mild hypokalemia, which I mostly manage through my diet.

From the results:

Basophils 1.2% (range up to 1)
-Lymphocytes 3.4 10^9/L (range 1.19 to 3.3)
Urate 374 µmol/L (range 134 to 337)
Potassium 3.8 mmol/L (range 3.9 to 5.1)
Sodium 137 mmol/L (range 137 to 146)
Total calcium 2.57 mmol/L (range 2.14 to 2.53)
Cholesterol 4.9 mmol/L (range 3.5 to 5)
-LDL cholesterol 3.2 mmol/L (< 3.0)

Does anyone have an idea what these numbers might point to? 🤔
What other tests should I run, and are these values actually outside the normal range enough to warrant more follow-ups? 🤔
The urate levels are the weirdest part to me. 😕

(Glucose, creatinine, magnesium, iron, thyroid hormones, AST and ALT enzymes, and hs-CRP were all normal)

Hey 🙂
I don't really have any new photos to share... and honestly, my muscle definition isn't quite where I hoped it would be 🙂🤣... mostly because I haven't been running much, and I just can't seem to stick to a diet for longer than three days straight 😁... My routine is basically three days of low carb followed by two days of eating everything in sight. My weight has been stuck for about a month and a half now... but hey, I did manage to drop from about 115 lbs down to 115 lbs, then started working out and went back up to 125, and now I'm back at the starting 115 lbs again. To be fair, I look a lot bigger than I used to, so I’d really love to lose another 5 or 6 pounds... but I just can't find the motivation to push through 🙂... oh well. Anyway, here’s a photo after five months of training:

This shows what I was actually focusing on—my glutes😁... everything else happened by accident. For instance, my arms, I'm constantly surprised whenever I see certain angles in my photos, like this:

Yeah, that's my arm, and no, I definitely didn't plan for that to happen 🤣
I'm taking a break from my trainer until the fall... over the summer, I'm planning to try running, attempt to stay on track with my diet, and do some isolation exercises for my glutes a few times a week. I'm hoping to lose those last few pounds, but realistically, I'll just be happy if I don't gain any more weight 😁

Hey 😁
I finally hit 56kg and decided to start my cutting phase about two weeks ago. My routine was pretty intense: strength training four times a week, a low-carb diet, and hitting a brisk walk every single morning on an empty stomach... but I couldn't keep it up for long🙂...my hips have started acting up 🙂, so I've had to take a break from cardio and leg workouts for now😢...I managed to drop 2.5 kg in those two weeks. Here’s where things stand right now:

Back again... I’m honestly not sure if there's any noticeable change since my last update, but I wanted to snap some photos to officially close out this phase. I've hit 122 lbs (+7.7 lbs), and I'm calling it quits on the bulk... I've gotten a little too relaxed with it, and now I can't even squeeze into my favorite jeans🤣. Plus, I started taking advantage of the surplus by eating basically everything in sight🙂, so I've definitely been picking up some extra fat along the way. It feels like the more I eat, the hungrier I get🤷. Since summer is right around the corner, I'm switching gears toward cutting. For now, I'll just focus on cleaning up my diet, and then I'll add cardio in May... I'm going to keep up with my strength training at the same pace, hoping I can hold onto the muscle I've built🙂. Once fall rolls around, I plan to start over properly—going on a much more serious bulk before finally heading into a cut
.

It’s me again 😁, I know I’m becoming a regular here 😁
So, about my arms... I worked them out today and decided to take some better photos since they looked pretty scrawny in my previous posts... Yeah, I used some oil so you can actually see 😁🤣..and honestly, they look a bit intense, maybe even slightly scary in these shots😲🤣..too much tanning and lotion 🙂...By the way, my trainer finally explained how to properly flex my muscles 🤣

Hey 😁
So, I finally sorted out my diet 🙂 and ended up gaining about 4 or 5 pounds 🙂—hopefully it's all muscle 🙂
. By May, I’m aiming to put on another 7 or 8 pounds before I start cutting down for definition 🙂.
Original post
Current status:

Abs: (I can't quite catch the muscles in a photo unless I pose a certain way 😁)

Hey everyone 🙂
here’s my progress—nothing crazy, but I’m trying my best 😁

So, first off, I gained some weight, going from my "usual" 112-117 lbs up to about 125 lbs:


Then, back in November, I dropped 11 pounds and hit 115 lbs... the struggle was that I just felt "deflated." Everything felt soft and loose, especially my glutes 😁 ...so, after living a total sedentary lifestyle for five years, I finally decided to start training
I’ve been working with a trainer four times a week, focusing strictly on strength training. No cardio at all so far... my trainer says I don't need it yet. He thinks if I jump into cardio too soon, I'll just burn through all my muscle mass... though he did say we might add some in before summer rolls around
Anyway, this is exactly one month of training:
(left is before, right is after—if you can tell 🤣)
(my stomach might actually look bigger than before because I totally pigged out right before taking these photos 🙂)


I'm still not quite sure how to flex properly 🤣

Oh, right—the first set is at 117 lbs, the second is at 115 lbs

I decided to post these because I was hitting a bit of a mental wall with my workouts... the muscle soreness stopped, everything started feeling heavy, and looking in the mirror, I couldn't see any progress... but now that I've taken these photos, I can actually see that I am moving forward

Is it worth looking into metabolic syndrome?
AST 30 (> )
ALT 42 (> )
Cholesterol 4.5
Triglycerides 0.5
HDL cholesterol 1.6
LDL cholesterol 2.7
Iron 30
Urate 334
Glucose (fasting) 5.7
Potassium 4.0 (finally back in the normal range after a long period of hypokalemia)
Calcium 2.53 (was high for a while, now at the upper limit)
Sodium 139 (was low for a while)
U-Ketones 2.5 (> )
Thyroid hormones are normal
Blood pressure is mostly low, around 100-120 / 60-80

Medication: Metoprolol 50mg every 12 hours for 7 years (for tachycardia and PVCs)

Subjective symptoms: Increased hunger and appetite, intense sugar cravings, sudden hunger accompanied by weakness, shakiness, sweating, and loss of focus, plus tachycardia, palpitations, and restlessness shortly after eating sweets
Diet: Varied, I enjoy good food; fruits and vegetables are a daily staple, meat about 4 times a week, quite a bit of pasta, bread, potatoes, and legumes, and I eat sweets every day🙂, occasional alcohol in small amounts, smoker

What got me thinking about this was realizing on my own that my tachycardia and PVCs seem to flare up right after I eat sugar... it never even crossed my mind before... then I tried cutting back on carbs for a week—having fruit for breakfast and sticking to proteins and fats for the rest of the day—and things actually improved. When I tried eating sweets again, boom, my heart starts acting crazy again

Does it make sense to get an insulin resistance test? Or am I just overthinking this?🤷

Chris Johnson5 said:Hey there,

I actually went through something similar when I had a salivary stone. It started in my gland and then eventually worked its way down to the duct under my tongue, where it sat for a while until it finally just popped out on its own through a tiny opening 🙂 ...so, that might be what's happening here. Honestly, if that's the case, it shouldn't be anything too serious. I'm not sure if you really need to worry, but maybe getting an ultrasound of your salivary glands would help see if there's anything stuck in there.

Brandon Alvarez8 said:I've dealt with this since I was a kid—honestly, it’s such a drag. And man, I'm terrified they might be internal veins, because I don't see any issues with the ones on the surface at all. Have you thought about trying some Vitamin B?

I haven't tried Vitamin B yet, but honestly, that might be a good idea.👍
As far as the vein situation goes, I can see the ones on the surface, but I have no clue what's happening with the deeper ones. I've never actually gone in for a checkup because, if I'm being real, I'm just scared they'll tell me I need surgery... I think I inherited it from my grandma.😳...

steelwalker27 said:Well, this looks like it was made specifically for you (the molecular bed)

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/m..._love/bed1.jpg

Haha, nice🙏...I'm going to go ahead and Google that

Here goes me too👋...my legs have been acting up in my sleep since I was a little girl, but now it's not just my legs. I sleep my whole body into some kind of cramp; I'm always in these weird, unnatural, uncomfortable positions. My old roommate used to take pictures of me while I slept, and honestly, it looks terrifying🤣...because of all this, I wake up completely tangled up, with my arms and legs feeling numb and painful🙂...when I was a kid, I’d just clench my fists and kick my legs, but now I also grind my teeth. On top of that, I somehow manage to twist my wrists and jam them either under my head or under my hips, pressing down on them all night long—it hurts like hell when I wake up, sometimes even lasting the whole day...
To get my legs to stay still, they basically have to be in a sprinting position—you know, that starting block pose😂. And it's not like a relaxed stretch; everything is tensed up to the max. Besides that leg position, what works for me is sleeping on my stomach with my knees bent and my feet up in the air; people find it pretty hilarious to watch😁. They constantly feel the need to pull my legs down, and then the calf cramps hit me quite often. In the evenings, I'll wiggle my feet if restlessness takes over. I've even woken up twisted 180 degrees before. Whoever shares a bed with me usually ends up getting hit by an arm or a leg, which makes me a pretty unpleasant sleeping partner... so yeah, it's a bit ridiculous🤣
I have varicose veins, so maybe that explains the legs and the need to keep them elevated. I have one of those leg elevation pillows, but because I'm so restless, I end up sleeping right on top of it, and then my legs just wander off again... I've also had a potassium deficiency for a long time (which is strange because I eat bananas and tomatoes almost every single day), so maybe that's linked to the rest of my restless body🤷, but who knows😵... I honestly think it's mostly emotional tension😉... and if I remember correctly, I slept much more peacefully and relaxed during that short window when I was training regularly, but I just can't seem to get back into a routine🙂

Maria Fisher46 said:Dear Douglas Ramos2,

Thanks so much for getting back to me.🙂...
I’m going to check in with my doctor and go over everything one more time—maybe things have actually settled back into the normal range. These tests were originally done about six months ago during my annual physical, and then I ran a couple more on my own just to track any trends, but everything looks pretty much the same. My usual issues involve tachycardia, GERD, low blood pressure, and varicose veins, but that’s nothing new. The only thing really bothering me right now is this dull pain in my kidneys every morning. Anyway, I'll double-check everything and leave it at that. Thanks!

I had slightly low Potassium: 3.77 (3.9-5.1) and Sodium: 136 (137-146). My doctor suggested I just eat more bananas and tomatoes, but I have a feeling my diet isn't actually the culprit here. Just to be safe, I decided to check a few other things on my own, like aldosterone, magnesium, cortisol, PTH, Vitamin D3, and calcium... everything came back fine except for Calcium: 2.63 (2.14-2.53). Since my potassium, sodium, and calcium are all a little outside the normal range, it’s probably nothing to lose sleep over, but I'm wondering if I should head back to the doctor about that calcium level. He didn't check it specifically, so he doesn't realize it's high 🤷... does this elevated calcium, combined with the slightly low potassium and sodium, seem like something that needs more investigation? 😕

I used to feel the exact same way after some really intense cardio sessions, though I honestly have no idea why🤷....I don't have asthma, but I do deal with acid reflux, and I'm not sure if there's even a connection there... maybe I was just pushing myself too hard🤷

Sophia Adams63 said:I had my aldosterone levels checked—honestly, I’m not sure if it was because of some stress or if it’s just a standard test, I don't really know.
You should probably head over to the nuclear medicine department.

That's how I did it a few days ago. You really need to make sure you get plenty of rest and sleep beforehand. In the morning, don't eat anything, and honestly, it's best if someone can just drive you there so you don't have to walk too much. Once you arrive, you lie down for about half an hour, then they take your blood pressure and draw your blood. They give you two diuretic tablets and tell you that you have to walk around for four hours (I almost lost my mind—they didn't even mention whether I could eat or drink water, so I was just winging it!). Basically, after that, you just walk, but you can eat and drink whatever you want, except for coffee, cola, and stuff like that. Finally, you sit down, they check your blood pressure again, draw more blood, and that's it.

I'm not sure if there's any other way to do this besides what I described, but I think it's called an aldosterone profile or something like that. Just double-check the instructions on your referral.

I went to get my aldosterone checked at the clinic. I showed up, nobody asked me any questions, they just drew my blood and told me the results would be ready by February 28th.🤷...Is it possible they messed something up?
I came back to pick up the results when I was told they'd be ready, but they weren't finished—even after a month. They told me to leave my address so they could mail them to me, promising they'd definitely arrive in a few days, but still nothing.🤷...And they aren't answering the phone either.🤷😠

The other thing I'm wondering about is my elevated calcium level of 2.63 (normal range is 2.14-2.53).
Should I just ignore that? Or what should I do? I also have a slight potassium deficiency; I wonder if those two are related at all.
My diet is healthy and balanced, and I don't drink milk... As far as medication goes, I'm only taking Metoprolol.

Sam Collins4 said:Why go private? You won't find better pulmonologists than the ones at the local University Hospital. I'm not sure where you're coming from on this one...

It doesn't have to be private, it's just that I really don't feel like waiting months👎, when I call the public clinic, they tell me my appointment isn't until late May. It honestly makes me a little nervous thinking about how bad things might be elsewhere
I'll try to get an appointment at the university hospital instead.. thx🙂

stormygardener34 said:Hey there,
Does anyone have a recommendation for a private dentist in New York City? I’m looking for someone great. To be honest, I have a massive fear of dentists, and my pain tolerance is basically nonexistent. Any help would be much appreciated!😢

It’s not exactly New York City, but if you don't care too much about the details:dentistHe’s so gentle and understanding—a real listener, too. He actually knows his stuff, which is what mattered most to me. A friend recommended him, and I’m honestly so glad she did. He handled my cleaning and even swapped out an old filling without using any anesthesia, since that's what I asked for. It didn't hurt one bit.😉I used to see him privately, but he finally got me set up through Medicare, so now I don't have to pay out of pocket anymore.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a pulmonologist?I'm looking to go
Thanks!🙂