Thinking of trying out steroids? What can it hurt. You’re only going to take one dose and see what it does right? The other guys in the gym are getting huge while you’re stuffing around with your protein shakes and nutrition bars.

Well, you need to check this out!
Article Body:
You’ve been going to the gym everyday and working your butt off. You drink protein shakes, eat loads of chicken, and see some muscle gain. Your happy. Then you notice the new guy at gym is getting big real fast. He only started 3 months ago and he’s putting on size like there’s no tomorrow. What the???

Obviously he’s on roids and your starting to wonder whether you should chuck in the towel or jump on the train. It’s tempting. Why work so hard when you’re only going to see mediocre results compared to the other guy.

Steroids obviously work, but are they worth it? And are they guaranteed?

The Technical Mumbo Jumbo:

Hundreds of distinct steroids have been identified in plant, animals, and fungi. The steroids associated with muscle growth are called anabolic steroids.

Anabolic steroids are a class of natural and synthetic steroid hormones that promote cell growth and division of tissue and bone. They not only effect muscle tissue but various other organs as well. Testosterone is the most potent natural anabolic steroid.

Testosterone is primarily secreted in the testicals of males and the ovaries of females. It is the principal male sex hormone. On average, the adult male body produces about twenty times the amount of testosterone of an adult female’s body.

Testosterone naturally increases in males at puberty and causes these effects:

- Increased libido and erection frequency
- Pubic hair extends to thighs and up toward umbilicus
- Facial hair (sideburns, beard, mustache)
- Chest hair, periareolar hair, perianal hair
- Increased tendency for violence or aggressive
- Subcutaneous fat in face decreases
- Increased muscle strength and mass
- Deepening of voice
- Growth of the adam’s apple
- Growth of spermatogenic tissue in testes, male fertility
- Growth of jaw, brow, chin, nose, and remodeling of facial bone contours
- Shoulders widen and rib cage expands

The Risks:

The side effects of using anabolic steroids vary depending on the type of drug, dosage, duration of use and individual sensitivity and response.

To be straight with you, there are more stories and myths about steroid effects than you can poke a stick at. But some of the more common and documented effects include severe acne, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, impotence, and mood swings.

So if you think you can handle that, then you’re all set… Well, not really.

Besides the shrunken testicals, people who take large doses (like what’s needed for muscle gain) can lose control of their emotions and become irritable and really aggressive. Little things can make them hysterically angry. This is what is called “roid rage”.

A case study published in the Australian Medical Journal (165:222-26) reviewed the evidence concerning the effects of anabolic steroids on the mind.

The case centered on a 29-year-old bodybuilder who beat his wife to death using a weapon described as a claw hammer. While he committed this horrific act, his four children were in another part of the house. He then shot himself in the head. Before this incident, his home life had been described as ‘‘happy.’’

This man had used steroids off and on for years, and seven weeks before the murder, he had used a steroid stack consisting of Winstrol-V and sustanon, both injectable steroids. A later urine test showed that he also used Valium, a muscle relaxant and anti-anxiety drug.

This doesn’t mean if you take steroids you are going to lose it and become an angry incredible hulk. But it definitely rings warning bells.

More Bad News – The problems don’t stop when you stop taking roids either. People who use steroids can develop a dependence on them. That means they will go through withdrawal when they stop using. They can feel sick to their stomach, have headaches, sweat a lot, feel dizzy and be depressed.

Also, They are illegal – (In case you were wondering):

Steroids are legal for use by veterinarians and doctors but it is illegal to sell or buy them on the street. When steroids are sold on the street or in a gym, they are often mixed with other things which only increases your risks.

Steroids are also banned from amateur sports like the Olympics and most professional sports. Several Olympic athletes have lost their medals after they were tested and found to have used steroids to bulk up.

Are they Guaranteed:

Steroids are going to increase your muscle mass – Hands Down.

That doesn’t necessarily mean your chest and biceps are going to pop out of your shirt first. There are some cases where users experienced very little gain on their chest and massive gain on their shoulders and traps. Who else wants to become the next hunchback? Not me.

I have had a lot of issues and problems with my weight. It has had a major effect on my life, it knocked my confidence and I had an all round low self-esteem.Article Body:
The diet that worked for me

I have had a lot of issues and problems with my weight. It has had a major effect on my life, it knocked my confidence and I had an all round low self-esteem.

A couple of years ago I decided to do something about it, to try to lose some of my excess fat. I had heard of many different types of diet most of which I felt were not suitable for me and even sounded disgusting.

I decided on self-help, doing it my way. I knew that exercise would need to be a factor, however was not willing to join a gym. Gyms seem full of people who are already thin! I started to walk a lot more instead of driving everywhere, and started to play tennis again, even though I must admit am pretty rubbish it. I am not exactly the most athletic person and this basically was all the exercise I did.

The main reason I was overweight was because of my poor diet. I like to eat the types of food you are told not to. I love pizzas, a curry, chips, peanuts and especially alcohol. Most people I knew would tell me to cut out all of these from my diet completely- get real! Sorry, that’s not possible, I enjoy them too much.

I thought about what to do and decided that I would start to write down everything I ate. I would eat a healthy breakfast and then would try not to eat until lunch. I am somebody who loves to snack, eating crisps and chocolate especially. I knew that to not eat anything until lunch would be difficult but I had a plan. Whenever I felt hungry or a desire for food I would eat a polo mint or if at home would clean my teeth. Sounds crazy but it worked for me! I would also not eat between lunch and my evening meal. The evening meal would be my biggest meal of the day and would include anything I wanted including chips. On the weekend I would always treat myself to a takeaway and would allow myself some alcohol.

This type of diet needs a lot of discipline and character, however you do not have to do that much exercise or cut any type of food from your diet.

Good luck.

Coronary heart disease and heart attack like heart infarction can in great extend be prevented by lifestyle measures.

THE DIRECT CAUSES OF HEART DISEASE

The direct causes of coronary heart disease and heart attack are factors like these:

- Narrowing of blood vessels in the heart and the rest of the body by arteriosclerosis.
- High blood cholesterol level.
- High blood pressure.
- Over-weight.
- Diabetes.
- High level of the amino acid homocystein in the blood.
- High content of low density lipoprotein (LDL) and low content of high density lipoprotein (HDL) in the blood. Lipoprotein is a combination of protein and fatty substances bound together.
- Inflammation in the circulatory system.
- High age.
- Inherited tendencies for high cholesterol levels and heart disease.
- Men have somewhat greater chance of getting heart disease than women.

These factors are interrelated in complicated ways, and are causing or amplifying each other. For example, arteriosclerosis will cause higher blood pressure, and high blood pressure will cause even more arteriosclerosis. Many of these factors are ultimately caused or aggravated by these lifestyle factors:

-A too high consume of fat, cholesterol and sugar.
-Consuming the wrong fat types.
-Lack of fibre, vitamins, minerals and other diet deficiencies.
-Stress at work and in the daily life.
-Smoking.
-Lack of exercise.

Lifestyle adjustments will therefore be the main methods of preventing heart failure.

GENERAL DIET ADVICES

A diet with the aim of preventing heart disease is generally the same as a diet to prevent cancer and other diseases. Here are the general diet advices

- Avoid or reduce the amount of food that are industrially processed, artificially made or heavily fried.

- Eat fish at least every second day. Also eat seafood and fouls.

- Do not eat very much red meat.

- Eat 5 fruits or vegetables each day. Each piece should be of the size of an apple or carrot. They should be raw or carefully boiled so that the nutrients are not washed out.

- Eat full corn bread, full corn cereals, peas, beans and potatoes.

- Eat just a moderate amount of fat.

- Consume cholesterol rich foods like egg, spawn or liver in just moderate amounts.

- Ideally most fat you eat, should be of the type mono-unsaturated. You also need some poly-unsaturated fat of the types omega-3, and omega 6, but not too much of omega-6. The consumption of saturated fat should be moderate.

- In order to achieve right fat balance, much of the fat supply should come from a blending of sources like olive, olive oil, canola oil, nuts, nut oil, sunflower, sunflower oil, linseed oil (flax oil), fish and fish oil.

- Use only a moderate amount of soy oil and corn oil in the diet. Only using such oil types will give you too much poly-unsaturated fat of the omega-6-type.

- Use just a very moderate amount of fat sources like butter, coconut oil and palm oil. A high consumption of these fat sources gives you too much saturated fat.

- Avoid altogether fat that has been chemically altered, giving so-called trans-fat. This type of fat is often found in margarine, cookies, snacks, fast food and other pre-made food.

- Consume just a very moderate amount of sugar, refined flour or refined cereals.

- Consume just a moderate amount of tranquilizers and stimulants like alcohol and caffeine.

- Use just a moderate amount of salt in the food. However, in warm weather and by hard physical work, you will need more salt.

DIET SUPPLEMENTS THAT HELP PREVENT HEART DISEASE

Evidence suggests that it will be helpful to take some supplements of natural substances to prevent heart disease and help to ameliorate already manifest heart problems. These supplements are:

- Omega-3-fatty acids derived from fish and other marine sources, especially the fatty acids EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and alfa-linolaeic acid. 1 gram a day of each of these substances may be taken as a supplement. Higher amounts should only be taken under medical supervision, since higher amount of these substances may cause bleeding tendencies, and may suppress the immune system.

- Supplement of vitamin C has been thought to help prevent heart disease, but newer findings cast doubt upon this.

- Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine), folic acid / folate, vitamin b12 and riboflavin seem to prevent the building up of the substance homocystein in the blood and thereby help prevent heart disease, according to results from research projects.

GET RID OF OVER-WEIGHT

The lifestyle measures listed in this article will also help you loose weight. If these measures are not enough, you should consider engaging in a more specific weight reduction program. You should choose a program that has a moderate fat content philosophy. Some weight reduction programs have a higher fat and low carbohydrate consume philosophy, and those are probably not the best ones to reduce the chance of getting heart disease.

EXERCISE

You should do some exercise of at least half an hour at least every second day. Condition training as vigorous walking, jogging, cycling or swimming is best for reducing the heart attack probability. Muscular building exercises are also of value, especially exercises building leg muscles

STOP SMOKING

If you smoke, stopping or reducing this habit radically will decrease the chance of getting heart problems.

CONTROL DIABETES

If you suffer from diabetes type 1, a good control of the disease by insulin medication and by diet adjustments will help to prevent heart disease.

Many people over the age of 50, and an increasing number of young people suffer from diabetes type 2 because of bad lifestyle. This disease does not necessarily give dramatic symptoms, but the disease increases the chance of getting serious heart problems, and many have the disease without knowing it. This disease can be prevented by the same lifestyle measures depicted above. If you already have got the disease, a more rigorous control of carbohydrate intake is necessary. And sometimes also medication must be used. People over the age of 50 and younger people that do not feel well should find out if they suffer from this condition.

TAKING ASPIRIN

Low doses of acetyl salicylic acid or aspirin prevent heart disease by persons bearing a high risk for heart disease. However, this medication increases the risk of bleeding and should not be used without constant medical supervision. For persons with a low risk of heart disease, the dangers of aspirin will be greater than the benefits.