This is an attempt to explain why some women try BE and only gain in the thighs, butt and stomach, or follow a successful program but have little or no results themselves. I think I have found the answer to this as I have looked at a LOT of programs and personal histories both here and on the BEBOARD. So, I'll start with the observation and see if you agree. ......and yes, there are exceptions to the rule that I cannot explain. Jelly (Australia) appears to be among the exceptions.
The observation is that of those who grew the best, they all started their routine in a month that was either in a summer month, or in a spring month. More specifically, after the vernal equinox (spring) but before autumnal equinox (fall). The deviation of these where successful routines still happened still follows the pattern of departing from the winter solstice vs. approaching it. That is, that the program/routine started in a month approaching summer/departing from winter, where less successful routines started in late fall or winter months especially before the winter solstice.
Well, there it is. Now before you say "get a life, Wahaika" I am going to try and explain why I think this phenomenon exists the then support it with examples. At least it might be entertaining if nothing else.
There is a well known cycle among people and animals where we pack on weight in preparation for winter and drop it in preparation for summer. This is not caused by temperature. It is caused by daylight and the pineal gland. The theory is that this relates to BE in that during months approaching winter, the body wants to pack on weight for use as fuel and insulation. Feeding it estrogenic substances (one way to develop fat stores) would result in putting the weight on in those places that are more for storage or insulation as a survival mechanism, rather than on organs which is another survival mechanism. The opposite behavior exists in warmer months where the body would tend to do the opposite.
The pineal gland and its detection of sunlight regulates all of this though serotonin and melatonin. Serotonin increases metabolism which burns fat. Melatonin tends to slow things down and therefore not burn fat. Melatonin is also anti-gonadotropic which is very bad for BE. Another worthwhile discussion is on the adversarial relationship between insulin and HGH at night. But for now, just remember to avoid carbs for two hours before bedtime.
"Bright natural outdoor light stimulates your pineal gland to make serotonin."
"As the daylight dims, the pineal gland produces less serotonin. And once darkness arrives, it stops releasing serotonin and begins producing melatonin."
"At dawn, the approaching light signals the pineal gland to stop making melatonin (melatonin production ceases at only 200-300 lux very dim light) and to begin again the production of serotonin. As daylight brightens and you are exposed to the natural light, the pineal gland makes more and more serotonin."
"In addition to the pituitary gland, natural light stimulates the hypothalamus and thereby influences the level of almost every hormone in the body."
"Fat loss may be significantly affected by your exposure to sunlight. Bright sunlight is essential to increased energy and metabolism and fat loss. Optimal exposure to light raises your metabolism and spending the day in low light stimulates fat storage. When the skin is exposed to sunlight, it triggers the production of melanocortin. When melanocortin reaches the brain, it suppresses the appetite centers, which speeds up metabolism and promotes fat loss. Melanocortin also stimulates thyroid hormone production, which increases metabolism." ( "Light and Darkness -Both Are Essential to Your Natural Rhythms", http://evenstaronline.com/articles/lightdarkness.html )In addition to melanocortin, Vitamin D is also collected from the sunlight through the skin, which becomes calcitrol and then helps metabolize calcium.
"The pineal gland or epiphysis synthesizes and secretes melatonin, a structurally simple hormone that communicates information about environmental lighting to various parts of the body. Ultimately, melatonin has the ability to entrain biological rhythms and has important effects on reproductive function of many animals. The light-transducing ability of the pineal gland has led some to call the pineal the "third eye".
"The precursor to melatonin is serotonin, a neurotransmitter that itself is derived from the amino acid tryptophan. Within the pineal gland, serotonin is acetylated and then methylated to yield melatonin."
"The duration of melatonin secretion each day is directly proportional to the length of the night."
..."the pineal gland is able to measure daylength and adjust secretion of melatonin accordingly."
"The effect of melatonin on reproductive systems can be summarized by saying that it is anti-gonadotropic. In other words, melatonin inhibits the secretion of the gonadotropic hormones luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone from the anterior pituitary. Much of this inhibitory effect seems due to inhibition of gonadotropin-releasing hormone from the hypothalamus, which is necessary for secretion of the anterior pituitary hormones." ( "The Pineal Gland and Melatonin", http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/endocrine/otherendo/pineal.html )
Can you see why, for example, someone starts in April, breaks in August with 3 inches of growth, then with that momentum is able to grow another two inches in the next few months, is then followed by other women who try the same exact routine but are now starting in a month (like November) approaching the shortest day of the year and then have either fat in all the wrong places, or no success at all, after three or four months of effort?
Well, there we are. I think that explains "the why." Now lets look at some examples and see if it holds up.
Who are the women that have had the most success?
Candy EnglishChick Fengshui (if I could track the exact dates) FennelFairy Jelly Pammy prettysoulful QueenB Satu Shell Surf TigerLilly
There are many others.
These are some of the women that I consider to have had the most success, and who had a good record with dates that I was able to use or trace back in some way. Dates are very important when tracking programs/routines. I am going to use Satu as my first example to show some of this yo-yo effect that happens due to the changing of seasons.
This translates to: June to November 35 to 37 Increasing Sunlight 2 inches November to March 37 to 37.4 Decreasing Sunlight less than 1/2 inch March to September 37.4 to 39 Increasing Sunlight 1.6 inches September to April 39 to 40 Dec then Inc Sunlight Am guessing most of this growth was not during Winter.
-------- Candy..........July to October...................36 to 38
EnglishChick..January to November.36 to 40
FennelFairy...January to September36A to 36C (one centemeter short of D!)
Jelly.............March to August................34A to 32D ...................November to December.One half inch
Pammy.........April to July......................32B to 32D-
Prettysoulful..February to August.33 to 35
QueenB........August to October...36 to 37 ...................October to April.................37 to 38
Satu.............Long time span.................35 to 40
Shell............July to January..................36A to 36D
Surf.............March to December...32 to 37
Tiger Lilly...Started in September.A to B
--------
I did not show those who did not have success due to starting their routines going into Winter because nobody wants to be the example of what not to do. But you know who you are, and this is only a theory anyway! To summarize:
* Those who have grown the best have started their routines on a day that is departing the Winter solstice.
* The best time to start a routine is after the Spring equinox (like a day in April if you are above the equator) and significantly before the Fall equinox (like August if you are above the equator) whenever that is for your location. (For those below the equator, what do these translate to ?)
* Once momentum is established (lots of cells to work with) the colder months can still work out for that BEer, but growing can be expected to be slower.
* Those who start between the Fall equinox and winter solstice, especially as a first try, may find it hard to get started.
* Breaks can occur naturally in the winter months. Things to remember:
- Get plenty of sunlight - like one hour each day. This will help with serotonin, melatonin, and calcium absorption via vitamin D production.
- A possible suppliment that could be used in some way (I have not looked very deeply into this) is 5HTP. It also may be good to add calcium and magnesium to routines in addition to the multi vitamin containing zinc and a good B complex.
Thanks to all who responded to the "Who is from where" thread.
