Bodybuilding Forums

So I've been doing the S.P.A. for a few weeks and lost almost 13 pounds. Some is water some is fat, I get it. I am having some difficulty with wanting to sleep all day. By the time I get to my workout time (8pm EST) I feel like I need a quadruple espresso just to make it to the gym.

Not an excuse, want some info to counter what is going on so I dont miss workouts and get sidetracked. My goal is a six pack by October 1st. That is 24 pounds of fat in 12 weeks totally possible and achievable. Assuming of course I nib this thing that is going on.

Any thoughts?

Da_ Chief

I have trouble all day because I lose so much sleep getting up to pee all night. Casein does that. Cottage cheese a little less.
Also, I work out at 5am, which might be an option for you.
Sometimes even if I am really tired, I still go no matter what. I've had personal bests some days like this.


Be very careful about future thinking. (ie "i'm going to lose so much by so-and-so a date").
It can really overwhelm you. Do good just one day at a time. It will all add up.

I know how you feel Big Chief I'm the same feel very sleepy by late in the day on tspa & mans. I've noticed that with increased exercise I need more sleep so maybe not diet related, I found a tool called a zeo (free shipping & money off if you get it via this referral link http://myzeo.tellapal.com/a/clk/109sX4) which gives you an very good idea of your sleep patterns and helps to improve them. This has lessened the sleepy feeling but not removed it. I always have a strong black tea with 5mg creatine in it before my workouts which I also find really helps me while in the gym. I'm currently experimenting with eating times, Preliminary findings are if I eat fewer meals (I was consuming food 7 times a day) then I feel less sleepy...I guess beyond that the only thing that can be suggested is the EC stack but I personally never used it though heard some great results on it. Also another thing I'm planning to try is increasing my fibre intake which can apparently make a difference. O and check you're getting around 5g of salt in your diet if its significantly less its worth trying to increase that....

More importantly well done on setting a goal, 2lbs a week is a tall order but as John says every little helps so just keep pushing day by day.

John, How much water/liquid do you have with your casein ? I have a serving of nutrisport 90+ which is a isolate/casein blend before bed with about 150-300ml water and nothing to drink for 2 hours before that and I haven't ever woken up before my alarm needing the loo . Just a thought dude.

@LoadedScissors
So, maybe I cut way down on water.
I will try but my acupuncturist says I should do the opposite.
I've also found I get up with dry mouth if I don't drink enough water.
Also scared to death of overloading the kidneys if not enough water with protein.

However, this is just me stuff, and I don't think it is going to help our friend who started this post.

I know if it were me, I would stop TSPA for a while by eating a ton of one thing or other and see if there was a difference.
It could be you just knock yourself out at the like a sports event and the next day you are recovering.
Eat a ton of carbs and see what happens. then do that with fat, but make sure the whole time you're still working out.
that way you can still gain mass. No scientist here, or doctor, or expert. Just rambling on trying to think of a way to tell.
Depression also causes these symptoms too.

@John
I didn't mean cut down on water - sorry if I was unclear. I just meant less water just before bed.1-2 hours before bed is fine because you'll use the loo then just a small drink (protein shake whatever) directly before bed and you should find you don't wake up needing the loo. Start low and increase till you find your sweet spot. I wouldn't worry about kidney damage as long as you drink well during the day, any excess protein will just leave as urine I believe - but check that and I doubt you're going to that extreme anyways.

No harm in a diverse thread.

No harm taken. In fact the opposite. Causes me to think and plan to modify to see.

So I've been doing the S.P.A. for a few weeks and lost almost 13 pounds.

Chief, if we assume that your 'few weeks' is 2 or 3 weeks and you've already lost 13 lbs (even factoring in water loss) and that you only have 24 lbs more in order to break the 10% BF threshold, you're killin' it! Great work!

A couple things come to mind. Are you doing your weekly carb-up day? I'll spare you the details, but take it from someone who has learned the hard way, a weekly carb-up will greatly enhance your energy stores and keep you charged up through the week. My workouts improved, fat loss rate increased, diet was easier to follow, and, most importantly, I just felt better.

If you're following the TSPA diet to the letter, including carb-up days, then you might want to think about a slight bump in your macros to see if that makes a difference, just as Mark says to do if you find the initial macro set doesn't result in the expected loss. Everyone's body is different and, while the formula is a strong effort at building a precise model, no single model is universally applicable. A few more carbs or fat grams might be helpful to your body. If you find your rapid progress slows or stops and/or you're still not feeling better, you can reevaluate at that time.

Furthermore, the benefits of the improvement to your physical state might offset any potential downside (i.e. slower weight/fat loss) to your dietary change. You could find that added energy contributes to better workouts and a more active lifestyle to offset the additional intake. Even if your fat loss slows, just feeling better might make it worthwhile.

Hope this helps.

Thanks everybody for your replies. So what I gather from the reponses is that this is somewhat of a normal occurance in the beginning.

I will try the tea / creatine combo, that actually sounds pretty good.

All in all, I know I will hit my goal. I look forward to sharing my results, if even only to help motivate the lesser motivated.

Also, I do have a good Excel program I created to track daily macros if anyone wants it. It isnt too involved, just lets you see your daily status. I needed that so I could take it day by day. Just let me know what your daily values are and I can adjust it for your needs.

Let me know,

Da Chief