Glycogen Levels

[shaneo75]

Hey Team ,



On a bulk at the moment and am.on between 3500 to 4000 calories per day.

Pretty much equates to 4 solid meals and a few protein shakes.



Am.struggling with my clycogen levels when I do my body scans.



I am pretty much on point with the diet but my scans are telling me different.



Weight goes down, body fat goes up, I correct it and it swaps around. How do I get it to balance out so number 1 it does not stress me.the fuk out but number 2 stabilise it?



Any help is greatly appreciated

 

[ChasetheCase]

Sounds like your scans are worrying you a bit, first off, fluctuations are normal, so don’t stress too much over daily changes—look at trends over weeks instead. I track my weight daily and use a 7 day moving average, and go for quarterly DXA scans so I can try and focus more on just the bigger picture.

The below, I use a Google Form saved as an app on my phone, just type the kg and press send, it sends it to Google sheets which then tracks it as a 7-day weighted average. Let me know if you want me to detail how to do it.

A few things that could be happening:​

Firstly, if you’re using a BIA scan, they’re super sensitive to hydration and food intake AND notoriously inaccurate for tracking muscle glycogen and water balance. Best bet for better results is to do it same time, same conditions (ideally fasted, after the toilet, before training). DEXA or consistent caliper measurements would be more reliable.

Glycogen & Water Retention

• Glycogen holds onto a ton of water (3-4g per gram), so if your scans show low glycogen, you’re probably fluctuating with carb intake or hydration.
• Make sure you’re consistently eating enough carbs—maybe add some intra-workout carbs (cyclic dextrin, fruit juice, or even lollies) to help with muscle glycogen.

Weight & Body Fat Fluctuations

• If weight drops but body fat % goes up, it’s likely just water/glycogen loss—not actual muscle loss.
• If weight is climbing but lean mass isn’t, you might be gaining fat a little too fast—could mean your surplus is too big or protein isn’t high enough. I've just absolutly failed at this even though I thought my diet was good, too inconsistent training messed me up.

Stress & Cortisol

• If these scans are stressing you out, that alone can mess with water retention. High cortisol makes you hold onto water in weird ways. Make sure you’re sleeping well, keeping sodium/potassium balanced, and not over****ysing every reading.

What to do:​

• Keep carb intake steady (5-7g/kg body weight daily)
• Try adding post-workout carbs if glycogen stays low
• Standardise your scan conditions—same time, same state, no random food/water differences
• Stop stressing over daily changes, look at weekly changes, focus on strength and performance changes

At the end of the day, your gym performance and how you feel matter more than what the scan says. Keep it simple and trust the process.

 

[shaneo75]

I am sure my biggest issue is stress and cortisol, this is so hard to manage being in the line of work I am in. Keeping in mind I have changed jobs to try and elivate and drop stress this I think is the hardest thing to manage

Have looked into meditation but to be brutally honest the gym has been my Saviour.

I still feel the effects of PTSD from my career as a fire-fighter in NSW and the tragic events I delt with over my 15 years, and then just recently the event that no parent should never have to go through and that's the loss of my beautiful baby girl Lena, as I write this, the tears are still very real. What I have found is how to harness this and use it to the best of my ability in the gym where I feel while again.

 

[ChasetheCase]

That’s incredibly heavy, mate. I can’t even begin to imagine the weight of what you’ve been through, and I’m truly sorry for your loss. It’s completely understandable that stress and cortisol are major factors, especially given your history and everything you’ve had to endure.

If the gym has been your saviour, then that’s where you channel it, turning that pain into something constructive is powerful. Cortisol is a tough one to manage, but even small things like better sleep, structured breathing (even if full meditation isn’t your thing), and just being aware of when stress is creeping up can help. Are you taking any supplements to help? If you ever need to vent, you’re not alone in this. Keep pushing forward, brother.

 

[shaneo75]

Dinner tonight

 

[shaneo75]

That’s incredibly heavy, mate. I can’t even begin to imagine the weight of what you’ve been through, and I’m truly sorry for your loss. It’s completely understandable that stress and cortisol are major factors, especially given your history and everything you’ve had to endure.

If the gym has been your saviour, then that’s where you channel it, turning that pain into something constructive is powerful. Cortisol is a tough one to manage, but even small things like better sleep, structured breathing (even if full meditation isn’t your thing), and just being aware of when stress is creeping up can help. Are you taking any supplements to help? If you ever need to vent, you’re not alone in this. Keep pushing forward, brother.

Yeah it is but the drive it gives you to move forward is something I can be very proud of

 

[shaneo75]

Supplements I take daily
2 x vitamins tabs daily
2 x liver supps daily
2 x green tea tabs daily

 

[ChasetheCase]

Green tea can help with cortisol reduction, but I'd also take a look at Ashwagandha as from studies show is really good at normalising cortisol levels, and worth trying L-serine/phosphatidylserine.

 

[shaneo75]

Green tea can help with cortisol reduction, but I'd also take a look at Ashwagandha as from studies show is really good at normalising cortisol levels, and worth trying L-serine/phosphatidylserine.

What is L-serine, never heard of it

 

[ChasetheCase]

L-serine is an amino acide, it's easier to buy but not as effective as lowering cortisol, as Phosphatidylserine.

Phosphatidylserine is the best one to buy for direct cortisol reduction https://www.amazon.com.au/Phosphati...37&sprefix=phosphatidyl+serine,aps,272&sr=8-6

 

[shaneo75]

Thank you I just bought it. I will try.it out and see how it.goes.

Have also bought cyclic dextrin as a carb intake to increase carbs before a session, when and how do you know the best time to take it, and I am sure water intake will also coincide with this, I currently drink about 2L a day, for the amount of eating and excersise I do do you think it's enough?

 

[ChasetheCase]

Best to take HBCD about 15 minutes before training, I used to take it with a protein shake as it can also help with muscle protein synthesis. This way it gives you a bit of a boost at the start and during training. However I stopped as now on TRT so not sure these incremental effects are as effective when you have supraphysiological levels of testosterone.

I'd try and almost double your water intake. Always try and ensure you have light/clear urine.

Keep us updated on the Phosphatidylserine.

 

[shaneo75]

Best to take HBCD about 15 minutes before training, I used to take it with a protein shake as it can also help with muscle protein synthesis. This way it gives you a bit of a boost at the start and during training. However I stopped as now on TRT so not sure these incremental effects are as effective when you have supraphysiological levels of testosterone.

I'd try and almost double your water intake. Always try and ensure you have light/clear urine.

Keep us updated on the Phosphatidylserine.

Ok will try that and see how I go
My current cycle which I am.on my second week
Is a low dose compared to some but as this one is going to go for 16 weeks but will slowly increase over that 16 weeks

I hate water at the best of times but will try to.double it, urine with vitamins goes bright yellow but 89 to 90 % of the time its a very light yellow, so I do t think that's to bad.