PH and appetite stimulation

Greetings to all!

Newbie here to the PH supplementation. I was careful to do my best in searching and reading a ton of the posts on this forum to see if I would find an answer to my question but I did not find one so here it goes. Sorry if this was addressed elsewhere.

A bit of me:
5' 6"
41 years of age

Been working out for about 20 + years and have gained all of my mass naturally. Now, take into consideration that I have always been quite lean - around 10% BF - and thin by nature. Before I ever touched a weight I weighed around 120 lbs. I now tip the scales at around 140! BUT and this is the question, my biggest limitation has always been my appetite. I got a clean bill of health from my doctor and a few other specialists after a TON of medical tests in the past year to make sure I was doing great (once you reach the magic number 40 you want to make sure all is well...) and fortunately there is nothing wrong with me. But I have never been able to eat more than 3000 + kcal per day so I know that this is my main limiting factor.

I am curious if taking any of the PH - especially Halo since I would be starting out with PH for the first time - increases your appetite?

If these products significantly effect protein synthesis I would think that metabolically they would have an effect in the individual's appetite/metabolism also, meaning, they would naturally stimulate as the anabolic controls on the human body are put into high gear.

Your thoughts?

Thanks!

don_quijote said:

Greetings to all!

Newbie here to the PH supplementation. I was careful to do my best in searching and reading a ton of the posts on this forum to see if I would find an answer to my question but I did not find one so here it goes. Sorry if this was addressed elsewhere.

A bit of me:
5' 6"
41 years of age

Been working out for about 20 + years and have gained all of my mass naturally. Now, take into consideration that I have always been quite lean - around 10% BF - and thin by nature. Before I ever touched a weight I weighed around 120 lbs. I now tip the scales at around 140! BUT and this is the question, my biggest limitation has always been my appetite. I got a clean bill of health from my doctor and a few other specialists after a TON of medical tests in the past year to make sure I was doing great (once you reach the magic number 40 you want to make sure all is well...) and fortunately there is nothing wrong with me. But I have never been able to eat more than 3000 + kcal per day so I know that this is my main limiting factor.

I am curious if taking any of the PH - especially Halo since I would be starting out with PH for the first time - increases your appetite?

If these products significantly effect protein synthesis I would think that metabolically they would have an effect in the individual's appetite/metabolism also, meaning, they would naturally stimulate as the anabolic controls on the human body are put into high gear.

Your thoughts?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Don,
the possibility of your appetite picking up is very possible and everyone's reaction to PH or any supplementation for that matters is different. I know when I enter a PH cycle at first I have to force food in my mouth because I just wasn't hunger and then around week two the hunger games is on if you will. IMO for your first time you should be eating any where between 500-1000 calories more of food. Those calories will come from your up in protein consumption and good sources of fibers through your greens. Again everyone's gains, sides, how they make one feel while using PH, are going to be different to from the guy or girl to the left or right. Smart start off with the Halo stack at is beautifully put together by the IML team for guys who want to have good gains while maintaining that lean and vascular look.

you very well could see a increase in appetite...prob around 7-10 days in..did they check your test and thyroid function when you had all your tests done??

For a 140lb guy 3000 cal should be plenty, or at least pretty close. While you're on cycle bump your protein intake to 200-250g per day and you will gain muscle. Make sure you drink more than a gallon of water per day on cycle too. PH's are pretty hard on our 40+ year old livers.

Your appetite will pick on a well rounded cycle as you'll be able to put in more work. 3,000cals isn't too bad, but i can see it jumping up to 3,800 given everything else is in place.

chrisotpherm said:

Don,
the possibility of your appetite picking up is very possible and everyone's reaction to PH or any supplementation for that matters is different. I know when I enter a PH cycle at first I have to force food in my mouth because I just wasn't hunger and then around week two the hunger games is on if you will. IMO for your first time you should be eating any where between 500-1000 calories more of food. Those calories will come from your up in protein consumption and good sources of fibers through your greens. Again everyone's gains, sides, how they make one feel while using PH, are going to be different to from the guy or girl to the left or right. Smart start off with the Halo stack at is beautifully put together by the IML team for guys who want to have good gains while maintaining that lean and vascular look.

Click to expand...

Good tips Chris, thanks for the reply!

I will definitely be monitoring how I feel the first weeks and will add more food as my metabloism changes.

s2h said:

you very well could see a increase in appetite...prob around 7-10 days in..did they check your test and thyroid function when you had all your tests done??

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S2H - Yeah, the doctors gave me a "clean bill of health". However, noting that I am 41 years old it's obvious that my T levels are not the same as when I was younger. The reason why I decided to pursue a thorough bloodwork was because two years ago I went through some fatigue and memory issues along with "other" symptoms and after doing my research regarding low T I decided to see where I was at with my overal hormonal output. Oh but let me just tell you, these doctors... I went to three different ones, two endos and my regular PCP and I basically got the same answer from all: "Oh! You are very potent! There's nothing wrong with your T!". OK... So why do I feel symptom A, B, C, D, etc.

BTW, my levels at that time - about 2 years ago - were at 730. I have to dig up the actual results to tell you what the units were (ng/dl, etc.) but I don't have that near me. Anyways, thyroid checked good, and there are no thyroid problems that run in my family.

I feel so much better now but I had to take about a year off from working out, as I had no energy and felt like total crap. Can't explain what happened but now I feel 100% than where I was at that time. Perhaps a much needed rest is what I needed.

Anyways, I believe that my optimal level should be above 900. But I get tested with another Endo in about 1 month just as a follow up so it will be interesting to see where I am at now.

One thing that I discovered during this "interesting travel of health mayhem" (since we all know our bodies much better than most physicians) was that when I feel great (energy, stamina, strength, quality of sleep, mental sharpness, sexual vigor) I tend to break out with some acne in my arms, chest and back. Not the hardcore type acne, just "teenage" type. So this is a good indicator that I am feelin' good when I look like a freakin' teenager!

When I felt like "caca" I had gorgeous baby ass and perfect skin, my girlfriend love it! Too bad! Screw the perfect skin and welcome home dear pimples!

Thanks guys for the awesome replies! I look forward to starting my first Halo ciclo. I will report back with data to see how I did. Until then, stay tuned, keep pumping and eating like beasts!

don_quijote said:

Thanks guys for the awesome replies! I look forward to starting my first Halo ciclo. I will report back with data to see how I did. Until then, stay tuned, keep pumping and eating like beasts!

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Look forward to it.

Hi there!

Just placed my order for the Halo Extreme Stack looking forward to it! Got all that I need, plenty of food, water and drive. I will be posting updates once I start the cycle.

As always, thanks to all for your dedication and support.

If I. Ay ask, what kind of supplements are/will you be taking? Mass gainer, multi vit, pre work out, recovery drink, that type of things.... One of the key elements I find with men over 35 is the type of food and supplements they take.

pt said:

If I. Ay ask, what kind of supplements are/will you be taking? Mass gainer, multi vit, pre work out, recovery drink, that type of things.... One of the key elements I find with men over 35 is the type of food and supplements they take.

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Excellent question! Here's my current plan:

-Supplements-

Workout days:

Upon arising - 16 oz water with BCAA's solution (currently use AllMax Nutrition AminoCore).

With breakfast
25 gr of multi-blend protein shake (BSN Syntha 6, it tastes pretty good).
25 mg Zinc tablet
Multi-vitamin
Vitamin D (5000 iu)

With mid-morning Snack
3 dessicated liver tablets

With lunch
Methylcobalamin B12 (5000 mcg)
2 RNA/DNA tablets

With midday snack
25 gr of multi-blend protein shake (BSN Syntha 6)

15 minutes before the pre-workout drink
2 Kre-Alkalyn capsules
1 tablet of 1000 mg of Vitamin C

Pre-workout drink (35 to 40 minutes prior)
Gaspari's SuperPump Max - 2 scoops

Intra-workout
Gaspari's SizeOn Max Performance - 1 scoop

Post-workout
Usually I'll have a shake with casein protein (50 gr) with fruit and carbs like rice; or a large (for me) meal that consists of about 12 oz of meat (beef/chicken/fish) and about 2 cups of rice/yams/potatoes. Lately I have been trying MHP's Dark Matter to see if it makes a difference.

As a pre-retiring meal
Casein protein drink (25 gr) before sleep.

On non-workout days:

Everything stays the same except for the pre, intra and post workout drinks of course.

As for my diet, I consume about grs. of protein per day and about 1 gallon of water. Now that I will be taking the Halo I know I have to increase my water intake to about 1.5 galls per day and bring my protein intake a bit higher.

Know that I am a small guy (I currently weigh 140 lbs at 5' 6") and I consume anywhere between 2800 to 3000 k cal per day - but this is challenging to me. That is why I am interested to see how the PH will affect my appetite hopefully bringing it up.

Any suggestions are much appreciated! And thanks for reaching out, looking forward to my first cycle.

Wow, pretty impressive list. There would be only a few things that I can see where you could increase cals with the use of supplements;
Syntha-6 while a good product has 200 cals (if I remember right) 22 gm of protein. In comparison, a weight gainer like Serious Mass (I just picked one) has about 1250 cals and 50gm of protein, and 252 carbs per serving.
Is there a reason you take zinc in the am? The reason I ask, zinc/mg+ helps with the sleep patteren. Also Vit C would be better served in the am apron waking as it helps control cortasal.
I know having solid food is a much better way to get every thing a person needs, however, in the anabolic window after a work out, a whey protein shake would make a better choice as it is taken in and use quicker.
Also, maybe increase the creatine to 5 gm pre and 5 gm post work out.
I hope I didn't step on any toes, this is just my option.

pt said:

Wow, pretty impressive list. There would be only a few things that I can see where you could increase cals with the use of supplements;
Syntha-6 while a good product has 200 cals (if I remember right) 22 gm of protein. In comparison, a weight gainer like Serious Mass (I just picked one) has about 1250 cals and 50gm of protein, and 252 carbs per serving.
Is there a reason you take zinc in the am? The reason I ask, zinc/mg+ helps with the sleep patteren. Also Vit C would be better served in the am apron waking as it helps control cortasal.
I know having solid food is a much better way to get every thing a person needs, however, in the anabolic window after a work out, a whey protein shake would make a better choice as it is taken in and use quicker.
Also, maybe increase the creatine to 5 gm pre and 5 gm post work out.
I hope I didn't step on any toes, this is just my option.

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PT,

Thanks for the reply. I must ask though, can you actually down one entire serving of the Serious Mass shake or do you split it into a few (3 maybe?) throughout the day? I used to take a weight gainer in the past; it didn't provide that many calories, maybe around 700 per serving but it proved to be too much to me. Perhaps I should have split into a few servings.

I take Zinc in the morning just out of habit, I can try taking it at night to see how it will affect me. I will add some Mg too for better sleep as you have pointed out. I have to use up some stock I already have before I get some ZMA.

I take Vitamin C pre-workout because I read that it will reduce oxidation in the blood vessels and may cause an increase in nitric oxide. Also, according to the article, people who consume high levels in vitamin C experience a reduction in arterial plaque which is associated with higher levels of nitric oxide (http://healthiswealth.net/IgnarroArticle.pdf). What I could do is take half of the dose (500 mg upon waking on non-workout days and the other half about 12 hours apart.

Yeah, I am getting used to taking a shake right after the workout, it helps you recuperate faster. I can then have a meal a few hours afterwards.

Regarding creatine, here are my thoughts...

Taking two capsules of the Kre-Alkalyn provides you with 1500 mg of alkaline creatine that is equivalent to about 10-15 grams of ordinary creatine and since most pre, intra and post workout drinks also have some form of creatine in them and why take more? You end up getting the runs!

That is just my opinion.

Cool deal!!

Have you started your cycle yet?

pt said:

Cool deal!!

Have you started your cycle yet?

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Just received it in the mail! Super stoked! Working on my log and doing an inventory at home to make sure that for the next 4 weeks I have everything I will need in terms of food, water, supplements; planning ahead will ensure I get the best out of it.

I will post a log on the forum on that section and will enter my results throughout the cycle, be sure to keep an eye on it and let me know your thoughts.