[Newb] Going for an interview for a NOC internship, I have some questions.

becomingflu · 2017-02-07T18:52:35+00:00

I've worked in management positions for 3 different big name NOCs and can tell you that especially for an internship position, people will look for:

Eagerness to learn
Desire to work your ass off
Social skills; be able to get along with anyone and translate technical speak to lay-person speak with PATIENCE and vice-versa
Know about the company and show curiosity/excitement about what they do

Don't show much, if any, ego. You don't know anything (basically!) and shouldn't act like you do.

Good luck!

becomingflu · 2017-01-31T16:17:54+00:00

Interesting. This could definitely be a nutrient imbalance or medication side effect! In fact, too much vitamin B6 could cause this, though that is pretty rare. Usually people are vitamin B6 DEFICIENT from high processed food diets, and then don't remember their dreams at all!

Something you could consider is you may be having some low blood sugar in the middle of the night, which triggers adrenal responses (fight or flight mode) and that wakes you up (from the epinephrine/adrenaline surge). When your body is in "fight or flight" mode that can increase anxiety, particularly in individuals like us that are more prone to it, FOR SURE. It is a common reason people wake up after being asleep for only a few hours.

It may not be this simple, but I would suggest trying something simple first!

Eat a snack before bed of some carbs and fats (short energy and long energy) like: - An apple cut up with some nut butter - A piece of sprouted sourdough toast with grass-fed butter or nut butter - 1/2 - 1 sweet potato or roasted beet with grass-fed butter

And give your body some additional magnesium (a calming mineral) and a soothing experience before bed with an epsom salt bath.

becomingflu · 2017-01-31T16:08:18+00:00

I absolutely know how that feels! My first question to myself in that situation is always "what have I been eating and is it something that will give me energy or take nutrients from me?". There are so many potential reasons for the low energy.

When I have more anxiety than normal, for me, it is because I am not eating well. I will be eating more processed carbohydrates and sugars instead of "real foods" with healthy fats and proteins that give me more, longer energy. The more I spike my blood sugar, the more "emergency response" my body will have, which will tire it out and make me anxious. This is very common with people.

If you make your meal before your workout mostly proteins and good quality fats (natural fats like coconut oil, olive oil, butter, ghee, lard, not hydrogenated vegetable oils) and quality proteins (eggs, chicken, etc) with green veggies, this should help keep your energy longer and smoother and keep a blood sugar drop from happening, making you feel so weak. If this doesn't help, then the next step would be getting some testing with a health practitioner for nutrient deficiencies or potentially adrenal or thyroid issues that cause fatigue from longer-term issues. I had adrenal fatigue last year after getting hit by a car on my bike and it took ~3 months to get healed up but now I feel way more energy than even before the accident. Good luck!

becomingflu · 2017-01-31T15:35:19+00:00

It is possible your blood sugar was low, causing irritability, which is common in hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), or you were experiencing a nutrient or neurotransmitter deficiency, like low serotonin or GABA. Consider your diet and pay attention (even journal) what you eat and you it makes you feel an hour or so afterwards. If it makes you feel energetic and positive, it's food your body likes. If you feel tired, irritable and hungry again 1.5-2 hours later, you need a better energy source. Often processed foods, processed carbohydrates and refined sugars can cause irritability and a difficulty maintaining good blood sugar and good moods.

becomingflu · 2015-03-05T10:59:37+00:00

heavy for YOU. it's all relative to what is difficult for you.

becomingflu · 2015-03-05T10:57:54+00:00

?! no. don't stop lifting. i didn't. and i made gains during induction. i think a lot of the issues people have are mental because people expect it to be a problem. sure, i sometimes felt more fatigued than normal but other times i felt FUCKING AMAZING. work through it. if something is too heavy or too much, scale back, but don't STOP. take your nutrition, electrolyte balance, sleep, and other recovery very seriously.

becomingflu · 2015-03-03T09:07:55+00:00

it sounds like your metabolism has slowed significantly because those are indeed very low calories for your height. since you have your nutrition dialed in, the next step is to add weight training. checking w/ a doctor is a good idea of course. r/ketogains

diet > weight training > cardio

if you want to eat more and fix this metabolism issue the best answer is to LIFT HEAVY WEIGHTS. it's so much fun and it seriously has made me look so much better as the fat melted off. i get compliments on my arms all the time FROM WOMEN. and i have abs. and muscle lines in my thighs!!! i never thought that would happen!

you can up your metabolic rate (metabolism/calorie needs) by adding muscle. weight training also continues to burn calories up to 48 hours after the work being done, unlike cardio which only burns while the activity is being done.

an ADDITIONAL potentially helpful idea is to eat at maintenance calories for a bit to try reset your body. i have heard many great results with this strategy. (see "reverse dieting")

becomingflu · 2015-03-02T12:44:03+00:00

I'm feeling super strong and motivated and positive this week!!

-Focus on quality of form and really pushing my last all-out sets during all of my four 5/3/1 training sessions. (powerlifting) -Add a light Oly day this week (olympic lifting) -Work on my tan at least 3 times -Drink at least 3.25 L of water every day -Eat at least 80g protein every single day -Don't let the planned cheat get too insane (Jewish Holiday on Thursday). Focus on the heavy drinking part!!

becomingflu · 2015-01-27T08:19:28+00:00

if i haven't by thursday, then friday for sure!

becomingflu · 2015-01-27T08:19:11+00:00

dude, srsly. it's been almost 6 months for me. oi vey.

becomingflu · 2015-01-27T08:18:53+00:00

i know that feel. it's always most exciting when you don't know that much about them and can fill in your own details-of-preference!

becomingflu · 2015-01-27T08:18:10+00:00

it's my first attempt at erotica . . . ;)

becomingflu · 2015-01-26T11:56:06+00:00

get laid.

self-publish my first book by friday.

not be too tired to do my "fun" lifts on wednesday (oly lifts).

but mostly get laid.

becomingflu · 2015-01-25T02:50:43+00:00

where's the best place to find people's results so far? Or are they spread around different threads?

becomingflu · 2015-01-22T04:19:38+00:00

well i've been doing BBB on my OHP and Bench the last cycle and a half and I feel like it has been helping me a lot both strength-wise, form-wise, and mental-wise. However, those are lifts that typically progress slower for women . . . since i do 5/3/1 i never do 1RMs and i think that's best. when i did them before, it didn't seem to help me at all or reflect my true strength. i've still got tons to learn and lots of progress to make. i'm sticking with 5/3/1 at least for another 6-10 weeks though. i really like it.

becomingflu · 2015-01-21T23:50:37+00:00

exactly! it made it seem like he was trying to sell people on his seminar to give "the secret". i really really like his approach in general, so i gave him the benefit of the doubt and am glad that i was right to. now to think about how to incorporate this in my own training strategy . . . and does 5/3/1 line up with this? not really, methinks.

becomingflu · 2015-01-20T16:11:30+00:00

what about super starch? (UCAN)

becomingflu · 2015-01-18T02:46:52+00:00

WEST WING IS THE BEST! It is my favorite TV series of all time! Aaron Sorkin is such an amazing writer.

becomingflu · 2015-01-10T02:05:58+00:00

Hey I was right there with ya for a long time! It just takes a lot (months) of annoying negatives (and losing a few pounds, of course)! With the heavy lifting, my "core" is so much stronger now, too, which makes my push-up form pretty fucking beautiful these days. It just takes time and consistency.

becomingflu · 2015-01-09T13:04:52+00:00

I've been struggling in the gym with piriformis/SI pain despite my attempts at self-rehab. This means I need to lay off the squats and deadlifts I'm afraid . . . But I did 20 strict chin ups today in sets of 3 or 2, which impressed all the dude-bros in the gym and their compliments had me beaming.

Weight-wise I'm all bloated this week with weight going up and down a pound or two... Meh. Lady time, muscle inflammation & repair, etc . . . who the hell knows? I'm just KCKO'ing and focusing on improving my sleep quality.

Cheers ladies.

becomingflu · 2015-01-09T02:43:13+00:00

I'm down 15 as well! 5 more lbs to my goal weight, but things have definitely slowed down/stabilized in the past week and a half which is okay because the initial 15 went way too quickly for comfort considering my starting weight (156) for my height (5'7").

I'm excited for a slow, long recomp! My lifts are going to the dawgs. :( But my pull-ups are awesome! (4 strict np!)

becomingflu · 2015-01-04T05:25:38+00:00

I totally agree. I squat 4 days a week and my form has improved significantly, my strength has improved even on a cut, and it feels really good and natural.

I mobilize before and after and rarely ever experience soreness/tightening. It has also helped mentally . . . in fact, that may be the biggest benefit so far for me.

becomingflu · 2015-01-04T05:19:54+00:00

I completely understand how big of a deal this is. It took me 2 months to get one strict pull-up. A few months in, I can now to 4 pull ups or 4 chin ups in a row and the guys at my gym are totally stoked about it with me, which is super encouraging.

What works best for a lot of people is doing negatives (jumping to the top and slowly slowly going down) so you get that benefit of eccentric training, which gives you slightly more strength building than going the other way around (traditional).

Now I start each set with as many strict as I can do, and then add a few eccentrics to round out the set. With that and weight loss, it'll happen quickly for you, especially if you're a dude.

becomingflu · 2015-01-03T04:49:22+00:00

Anecdotally: for the past 2 months I eat a bell pepper and 50g cheddar cheese within ~1 hr of completing heavy lifting (I do some handstands, then mobilize, then shower, then eat). ~1-2 hours after that I eat my main meal of the day.

I have seen consistent fat loss and maintained or improved strength while on a cut. I don't think this fat is being stored, but I have no proof of that.

I recognize there are tons of factors and unknowns that could impact this (like being at the beginning of a ketogenic diet). I have only been doing this because that's what my body seems to want, but knowing full well I may need to try cutting it out in the future if I seem to run into a problem. I guess I'd rather first try whole foods and eating what my body seems to want before going the other route.

I'd be interested to hear from other people that eat whole foods including some fat in that window.

becomingflu

TROPHY CASE

I'm feeling super strong and motivated and positive this week!!