Diet Q & A’s by Dr. Eric Serrano

I have a couple of questions. The first question is – I have taken a loooong break in an attempt to recover from my overtrained body; you know, the usual symptoms, lethargy, fatigue and insomnia to name but a few. I’ve been out of the gym for almost 7 weeks now, and have not done any kinda training (maintained my low-carb diet in an attempt to stay lean), and lost something like 7 kgs because my body does not seem to hold onto muscle well in the absence of training. I am much leaner now, but I feel really “small.”

I don’t feel as tired or as fatigued as before, but I’m not sure if I am truly recovered yet because I still find myself waking up at least twice every night. I go to sleep at 11pm (no problems going to sleep), but then I always wake up one hour later, then again at 2am again. I go right back to sleep, then wakeup to my alarm at 7:30 am. Is it okay for me to go back to the gym yet, inspite of my insomnia? I don’t know if I am truly recovered yet.

Sorry, got one more thing to add – the reason why I am not convinced that I am fully recovered yet even after 7 weeks of rest, is because my waking pulse is 53 BPM. But I don’t why it always increases to about 75 BPM during the day and even at night? My waking pulse has been constant for the past few weeks even during my recovery period, but it always increases to about 70 to 75 BPM and stays around that level during the daytime once I go to work and maintains at around that level until night. Is that normal or is my body really that screwed up? I figured that’s the reason why I have insomnia, because my heart rate is out of sync. Shouldn’t my pulse drop at night?

Yes, it appears that you are definitely overtraining. It will take your body approximately 8 to 12 weeks to recuperate, and may take up to 6 to 8 MONTHS if your diet is lacking in proper macronutrients. Recovery is also dependant on the types of dietary supplements being implemented into your diet and training regime. Insomnia causes the effects of overtraining to be much worse, so it is my recommendation that the insomnia first be rectified and dealt with – rest. Then start with a high intensity workout such as one set per body part and clean up your eating habits.

Do you have any recommendations on how to lean out biceps, triceps and shoulder area? I am a female who can get her six pack to show but I have the most stubborn arms which refuse to “cut up”. I realize it’s bodyfat related and that you can’t target body areas specifically for fat loss and definition, but, why are other areas of my body defined and my arms aren’t? I’m typically at about 13 to 15% bodyfat. It’s troublesome especially since all the latest styles are halters and other arm and shoulder revealing fashion. Can you help solve this frustrating situation? I love to have toned looking pipes!

Wow this is a good one, which plagues and frustrates many women! Here are my suggestions:

• First of all, you need to diet.
• Combine aerobics with high intensity, in the following manner: 12 minutes of 10 seconds on, 6 off, then do 15 minutes of aerobics – twice a week
• Female hormones make it difficult for a woman to have a lean appearance to their arms. Have your physician peform a hormonal panel to make sure you have proper hormone ratios within range for your gender.
• Perform a killer exercise such as the following – Lay down on a incline bench press with your chest on the bench, take your arms as high as you can backwards, holding a dumbbell if you can, do extensions, holding on the top for 3 seconds. Do 4 sets of 12 reps, 30 seconds between sets, that will help your triceps lean out.

I have suffered horrible digestive problems that have ruined my workouts. In fact you would never guess that I have worked out hard for 11 years. Fats rot and come out in my stools undigested, protein putrifies, and fruits ferment. I have never been a carb tolerant person, and rarely eat starchy carbs. CDSA revealed a 2plus candida count, none of the three stools showed parasites, one stool showed blastocistis hominis. I also had high levels of inflammation. An endoscopy showed paralyzed stomach gastroparesis. My entire body has suffered for the last two years. Holistics keep dwelling on cleanses and trying to kill but nothing has worked. I tried the Arise and Shine internal cleanse and that just shut down my system. How do you completely rebuild the digestive system? Oh by the way the enzymes and acidopholis I have tried don’t seem to help. I am at a loss and this has debilitated my life, and my passion for training.

You must change and clean your diet first as until you do, no supplement will be able to do it’s job. You need to see your physician to check your sugar, insulin, enzymes, Vitamin B12, vitamin levels, food allergy testing as well as your TSH, T4 and T3 levels. I also recommend enzymes as candida is usually consistent with high carbohydrate intake. Therefore, eliminate all carbs in the form of grains, no shakes, or fruit juices, have only fruits. You must not overtrain so the body doesn’t have a chance to recover as well as proper rest and sleep.

Dr. Serrano is regarded by both amateur and professional athletes as one of the top consultants in the country in the area of dietary strategies and nutritional supplementation. He is a medical doctor, professor at two universities, researcher, lecturer and author. He holds a number of professional society memberships, among them: the American Medical Association, the American College of Sports Medicine, and the National Strength & Conditioning Association. Dr. Serrano is a NASA power lifting competitor, tri-state master.