Low BMI and health

[paula]

Ok I can eat more yogurt for this purpose. I am also trying to get off blood pressure meds by the Kaiser recommended plant based method but I indulge in about 8 eggs a week and 2 ounces of salmon or chicken or meat about four days a week. I am now 41 kg. 64 yrs last month. Active I do lift on machines at the gym and do aerobics with 3 pound weights.I do TRX. More often when tax season is over but now once a week one of these options. Eating all kinds of carbs to make up for meat and it invigorates me to do this. Exercise is easier when you're thin.

[mccoy]

Paula, if you are already exercising then it would be easy to try and increase the loads gradually, that gives the necessary mechanical stimulus to the mechanical receptors in the muscle cells, activating one side of the mTOR trigger (the other side is having enough dietary Leucine and amminoacids). Your essential amminos intke sounds about enough, but You may even try some tricks to boost MPS, like ingesting free BCAAs just during the workout and a good helping of yogurt or other protein food a little after to take advantage of the metabolic window of opportunity (seems to be effective for elders). Even a single workout a week may be enough. Pls have yourself assisted by the gym staff and tell them that you want to increase loadings to increase your muscle mass, they are usually pretty knowledgeable on such staff. If you can, the best would be to hire a personal trainer with previous experience with elder guys (there are quite a few now I reckon). Hunger should also come back with resistance exercise. 

[paula]

That sounds great McCoy. I love all of that (food for medicine, exercising to stimulate hunger,and all) and from reading books and other posts here I have the framework to understand the way you describe rebuilding these beautiful muscles. I will switch personal trainers to use the guy who specializes in physical therapy. I will increase loads for awhile to activate more muscle repair, and eat yogurt in the after workout meal. Do you mean a bcaa supplement? During weight training? I imagine using the bcaa produced by my gut biome from eating all that soluble fiber. Not dependable enough?

[mccoy]

Paula, The BCAA (Branched chain ammino acids) supplement I mean has a ratio of 4/1/1: of Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine, although Pure Leucine would do just the same to promote mTOR signalling. The specialists suggest 3 to 6 grams pure leucine to make mTOR bind to the lysosome (where it can do its job), which in your case would probably translate to 2-5 grams, no more. It's usually taken just at the beginning of the workout and it will cause a peak in serum Leucine, giving a metabolic 'push' to the MPS process. The excess is excreted. In a few words, together with the mechanical stimulus of loading, it will switch your muscle cells to the 'growth' mode. After the workout you also need to provide building blocks in the form of essential ammino acids, the best are those rich in Leucine so yogurt is great. about 10-20 grams of protein in your case, that means at least 300 grams plain yogurt. Even better so if yogurt is mixed with sweet stuff (honey, fruit), so you provide energy in the form of glucose, which is necessary to mTOR activation. You only need to take the pure amminoacids when you work out, never otherwise. Whereas the protein meals are necessary a couple of days after the workout.

 

Again, people in the gym may have specific suggestions most strictly tailored to your specific case.

[paula]

Got it. Thanks

[mccoy]

You are welcome, and have fun with those workouts!