Post: #26

I can only say that Hydroxycut has good reviews on Amazon, nothing more.

Post: #27

(01-12-2012 09:16 PM)bengalltigerr Wrote:  I can only say that Hydroxycut has good reviews on Amazon, nothing more.

Be careful with that shit, it's been linked to liver damage and rhabdomyolysis (muscle breakdown which can lead to kidney failure). The FDA recalled it after it was reported to have caused multiple injuries and deaths and there's no evidence that the "reformulation" that was subsequently released is any safer.

Aside from that, there's no evidence that hydroxycut or any other herbal supplement is effective at producing weight loss (since it isn't marketed as a drug they don't need to put it through clinical trials to prove that it's safe or effective). On its face I'm skeptical that it really works, since if there were a safe, effective weight loss pill there would be no shortage of pharmaceutical companies tripping all over each other to get FDA approval, put every obese American on a monthly prescription, and make billions.

Post: #28

(01-12-2012 09:06 PM)Pilgrim37 Wrote:  Fuck me ..you must have a lot of free time on your hands with that schedule ,or a very flexible job!

Nah, I get up early to run and the gym isn't that hard to fit in. Only need 6 hours of sleep per night.

Post: #29

(01-13-2012 12:31 AM)gringochileno Wrote:  

(01-12-2012 09:16 PM)bengalltigerr Wrote:  I can only say that Hydroxycut has good reviews on Amazon, nothing more.

Be careful with that shit, it's been linked to liver damage and rhabdomyolysis (muscle breakdown which can lead to kidney failure). The FDA recalled it after it was reported to have caused multiple injuries and deaths and there's no evidence that the "reformulation" that was subsequently released is any safer.

Aside from that, there's no evidence that hydroxycut or any other herbal supplement is effective at producing weight loss (since it isn't marketed as a drug they don't need to put it through clinical trials to prove that it's safe or effective). On its face I'm skeptical that it really works, since if there were a safe, effective weight loss pill there would be no shortage of pharmaceutical companies tripping all over each other to get FDA approval, put every obese American on a monthly prescription, and make billions.

It might not work well for everyone, but to say that it caused death is not true at all. How do you know all this?

Post: #30

Someone already said it, but you have to run a calorie deficit.

Once you run a deficit, your body will start eating itself. The more muscle mass you have, the faster it will self-consume. If you continue to lift and take protein, hopefully the muscle cannibalization will be minimal, and it will take away the love handles instead.

An easy way to run a calorie deficit is just to be hungry. Figure that if you're not getting FATTER you must be roundabout your maintenance intake, so just skip a meal or something. If you're not hungry you're probably not running a deficit, or enough of one.

Post: #31

(01-13-2012 10:12 AM)bengalltigerr Wrote:  

(01-13-2012 12:31 AM)gringochileno Wrote:  

(01-12-2012 09:16 PM)bengalltigerr Wrote:  I can only say that Hydroxycut has good reviews on Amazon, nothing more.

Be careful with that shit, it's been linked to liver damage and rhabdomyolysis (muscle breakdown which can lead to kidney failure). The FDA recalled it after it was reported to have caused multiple injuries and deaths and there's no evidence that the "reformulation" that was subsequently released is any safer.

Aside from that, there's no evidence that hydroxycut or any other herbal supplement is effective at producing weight loss (since it isn't marketed as a drug they don't need to put it through clinical trials to prove that it's safe or effective). On its face I'm skeptical that it really works, since if there were a safe, effective weight loss pill there would be no shortage of pharmaceutical companies tripping all over each other to get FDA approval, put every obese American on a monthly prescription, and make billions.

It might not work well for everyone, but to say that it caused death is not true at all. How do you know all this?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=...6)%3A477-8

and

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/Consumer...152152.htm

Quote:FDA has received 23 reports of serious health problems ranging from jaundice and elevated liver enzymes, an indicator of potential liver injury, to liver damage requiring liver transplant. One death due to liver failure has been reported to the FDA.

Liver injury, although rare, was reported by patients at the doses of Hydroxycut recommended on the bottle. Symptoms of liver injury include jaundice (yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes) and brown urine. Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, light-colored stools, excessive fatigue, weakness, stomach or abdominal pain, itching, and loss of appetite.

Other health problems reported include seizures; cardiovascular disorders; and rhabdomyolysis, a type of muscle damage that can lead to other serious health problems such as kidney failure.

FDA urges consumers to stop using Hydroxycut products in order to avoid any undue risk, says Linda Katz, M.D., interim chief medical officer of FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. "Adverse events are rare, but exist," Katz says. "Consumers should consult a physician or other health care professional if they are experiencing symptoms possibly associated with these products.

In general, taking these herbal supplements can be risky because they don't have to go through the same approval process as other drugs. Diet pills in particular have a history of being recalled due to serious side effects like liver and heart toxicity. There's a reason why there's a lack of FDA-approved weight loss drugs; it's because pretty much everything that's been tried so far has either been shown to be ineffective or unsafe. Getting people to lose weight by altering their biochemistry is really hard because it goes against pretty much the number one thing our bodies have evolved to do (conserve energy).

Post: #32

If you really want to lose weight by taking a pill, get some fucking Ritalin.

Unlike Adderall, Ritalin drastically impacts your appetite. You will generally have to force yourself to eat anything, and it won't destroy your liver, but it's obviously tougher to get because it's presecription.

Ritalin + Protein Shakes like 5x day + water = super fast cut.

I wouldn't do it personally because I hate the way it makes me feel, but I was prescribed the shit for years as a teenager/college student and I was skinny as a rail as a result.

Post: #33

(01-13-2012 03:56 PM)Prowl Wrote:  If you really want to lose weight by taking a pill, get some fucking Ritalin.

Unlike Adderall, Ritalin drastically impacts your appetite. You will generally have to force yourself to eat anything, and it won't destroy your liver, but it's obviously tougher to get because it's presecription.

Ritalin + Protein Shakes like 5x day + water = super fast cut.

I wouldn't do it personally because I hate the way it makes me feel, but I was prescribed the shit for years as a teenager/college student and I was skinny as a rail as a result.

Adderall also causes decreased appetite (maybe it didn't in you since drugs affect everyone differently, but I know that loss of appetite and weight loss are significant side effects just like with Ritalin).

Post: #34

(01-13-2012 03:46 PM)gringochileno Wrote:  

(01-13-2012 10:12 AM)bengalltigerr Wrote:  

(01-13-2012 12:31 AM)gringochileno Wrote:  

(01-12-2012 09:16 PM)bengalltigerr Wrote:  I can only say that Hydroxycut has good reviews on Amazon, nothing more.

Be careful with that shit, it's been linked to liver damage and rhabdomyolysis (muscle breakdown which can lead to kidney failure). The FDA recalled it after it was reported to have caused multiple injuries and deaths and there's no evidence that the "reformulation" that was subsequently released is any safer.

Aside from that, there's no evidence that hydroxycut or any other herbal supplement is effective at producing weight loss (since it isn't marketed as a drug they don't need to put it through clinical trials to prove that it's safe or effective). On its face I'm skeptical that it really works, since if there were a safe, effective weight loss pill there would be no shortage of pharmaceutical companies tripping all over each other to get FDA approval, put every obese American on a monthly prescription, and make billions.

It might not work well for everyone, but to say that it caused death is not true at all. How do you know all this?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=...6)%3A477-8

and

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/Consumer...152152.htm

Quote:FDA has received 23 reports of serious health problems ranging from jaundice and elevated liver enzymes, an indicator of potential liver injury, to liver damage requiring liver transplant. One death due to liver failure has been reported to the FDA.

Liver injury, although rare, was reported by patients at the doses of Hydroxycut recommended on the bottle. Symptoms of liver injury include jaundice (yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes) and brown urine. Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, light-colored stools, excessive fatigue, weakness, stomach or abdominal pain, itching, and loss of appetite.

Other health problems reported include seizures; cardiovascular disorders; and rhabdomyolysis, a type of muscle damage that can lead to other serious health problems such as kidney failure.

FDA urges consumers to stop using Hydroxycut products in order to avoid any undue risk, says Linda Katz, M.D., interim chief medical officer of FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. "Adverse events are rare, but exist," Katz says. "Consumers should consult a physician or other health care professional if they are experiencing symptoms possibly associated with these products.

In general, taking these herbal supplements can be risky because they don't have to go through the same approval process as other drugs. Diet pills in particular have a history of being recalled due to serious side effects like liver and heart toxicity. There's a reason why there's a lack of FDA-approved weight loss drugs; it's because pretty much everything that's been tried so far has either been shown to be ineffective or unsafe. Getting people to lose weight by altering their biochemistry is really hard because it goes against pretty much the number one thing our bodies have evolved to do (conserve energy).

I wonder why Amazon is still sells Hydroxycut! Apparently herbal supplement have a lot of risk factors. Today I found out that Yohimbe is dangerous as well.

Post: #35

(01-13-2012 03:43 PM)Prowl Wrote:  Someone already said it, but you have to run a calorie deficit.

Once you run a deficit, your body will start eating itself. The more muscle mass you have, the faster it will self-consume. If you continue to lift and take protein, hopefully the muscle cannibalization will be minimal, and it will take away the love handles instead.

An easy way to run a calorie deficit is just to be hungry. Figure that if you're not getting FATTER you must be roundabout your maintenance intake, so just skip a meal or something. If you're not hungry you're probably not running a deficit, or enough of one.

I eat a ridiculous amount of food and I'm ALWAYS hungry.

To put it into perspective this is what I ate for breakfast today at 8am.

2 cups of cooked oats with .5 cups blueberries and .25 cups of walnuts
3 cups of fresh fruit
roughly 10 eggs scrambled, 5 pieces of bacon

Now thats a lot because today is a gym day, I eat much more on gym days, normally I would've go for the oats at all and would do about half the fruit

I was pretty hungry by noon.



The running training seems like a good alternative to me. I might take a month off of the weights (or go lighter) and just run, probably when it gets a little warmer and sunnier so I can grab a tan in the process.

For the moment I'm just gonna keep on doing what I'm doing and hope that my muscle gain will eventually over run the fat Im holding onto. Im actually kind've starting to see that effect already.


Again thanks for all the input

Chef In Jeans
A culinary website for men

Post: #36

(01-13-2012 06:58 PM)Chad Daring Wrote:  

(01-13-2012 03:43 PM)Prowl Wrote:  Someone already said it, but you have to run a calorie deficit.

Once you run a deficit, your body will start eating itself. The more muscle mass you have, the faster it will self-consume. If you continue to lift and take protein, hopefully the muscle cannibalization will be minimal, and it will take away the love handles instead.

An easy way to run a calorie deficit is just to be hungry. Figure that if you're not getting FATTER you must be roundabout your maintenance intake, so just skip a meal or something. If you're not hungry you're probably not running a deficit, or enough of one.

I eat a ridiculous amount of food and I'm ALWAYS hungry.

To put it into perspective this is what I ate for breakfast today at 8am.

2 cups of cooked oats with .5 cups blueberries and .25 cups of walnuts
3 cups of fresh fruit
roughly 10 eggs scrambled, 5 pieces of bacon

Now thats a lot because today is a gym day, I eat much more on gym days, normally I would've go for the oats at all and would do about half the fruit

I was pretty hungry by noon.



The running training seems like a good alternative to me. I might take a month off of the weights (or go lighter) and just run, probably when it gets a little warmer and sunnier so I can grab a tan in the process.

For the moment I'm just gonna keep on doing what I'm doing and hope that my muscle gain will eventually over run the fat Im holding onto. Im actually kind've starting to see that effect already.


Again thanks for all the input

Okay this is why you have love handles. I don't care how much you exercise you do or how much muscle you have, there's no way you're working out enough to offset the amount of calories you're taking in if this is at all a typical meal (there's probably over 1500 calories in what you listed--I'm actually shocked that you're not gaining weight). Paleo or not, ultimately weight loss is about taking in fewer calories than you burn. I don't see any way you're going to be able to lose fat without reducing your intake.

I know where you're coming from. I get really hungry too and I do a lot of cardio to compensate for the fact that I like me some food, but I still can't eat absolutely anything I want without getting fat. At the end of day it's about deciding what your priorities are and having some self-discipline.

Post: #37

Chad, 10 whole-eggs is way too much saturated fat and cholestorol.

Post: #38

You ever thought about doing chin ups/pull ups?

Post: #39

(01-13-2012 07:58 PM)bengalltigerr Wrote:  Chad, 10 whole-eggs is way too much saturated fat and cholestorol.

I agree. 10 whole eggs, and the adding bacon to that is juts wayyyy over the top, even on gym days. Post #36 by Gringochileno is DEAD ON: TOO MANY CALORIES!! I think this is why you are not seeing that huge drop in stubborn sub-q fat creating the hated love handles.

I know Chad is making an effort to keep his body in Ketosis, but you can still go into Ketosis by eating healthy carbs that do not impact Ketosis state.

Healthy carbs:

Green Spinach, Romaine lettuce, fresh green veggies like cucumbers, zucchini, a ruby red grapefruit, a medium, green apple.


All of those have GOOD carbs (there's lots more veggies you can eat too), and you will still go into ketosis by eating that with lean protein from wild caught, white fish, and chicken breasts, and 1 gallon of water daily!

You can eat entire barrel of green spinach and cucumbers and STILL be in ketosis without any dangers of increasing LDL cholesterol.


Mixx

Post: #40

(01-13-2012 08:40 PM)sine wave killer Wrote:  You ever thought about doing chin ups/pull ups?

I do em all week long.


I know what you guys are saying, I'm going in conflicting direction. I'm doing the powerlifter "eat everything" mantra while trying to burn fat, and the two dont coincide AT ALL.

Its worth noting, though, even when I was hard into dieting and keeping my daily kcals below 2400 I still didn't see a loss in this specific area.

I'll mull some of this over, revaluate my weekly intake, and for a whole slew of reasons beyond just vanity weight I have to need to start doing more low intensity cardio


Edit:

Just realized its also worth nothing I dont eat like that all day. Breakfast is my big meal because its free at work, I eat a lite lunch just in general, and especially on gym days because I eat at it at work as well and have to eat just an hour before I'll be working out and I don't want to be lifting on a full turning stomach.

My tenetive plans right now are to switch from eggs to egg whites, while I disagree the fat is bad for you, I do agree that yolks are incredibly calorie laden, some crazy number like 85% of an eggs calories are in the yolk, while only about 40% of the protein is.

Also has anyone done an over night intermitten fasting program? Ostensibly skipping dinner so you have a 14-16 hour period of no food occurring over night?

Chef In Jeans
A culinary website for men

Post: #41

(01-13-2012 09:46 PM)Chad Daring Wrote:  

(01-13-2012 08:40 PM)sine wave killer Wrote:  You ever thought about doing chin ups/pull ups?

Its worth noting, though, even when I was hard into dieting and keeping my daily kcals below 2400 I still didn't see a loss in this specific area.

...and you won't....ever at that calorie intake.

Still too many calories at 2400. You want to reduce calories to 1100-1400 per day, and no, this does not mean starve on 3 cans of tuna per day and stick of celery and break down muscle, it means pile up on GREEN, RAW VEGGIES and FISH MORE. This whole mantra you have of "eat everything" like powerlifetr is killing your goals. Have you seen a power lifters body? They are FAT!. You cannot EAT EVERYTHING when trying to burn fat to get a six pack. You must restrict yourself to just eating raw and watch your calorie intake. We told you before that these ripped bodies are made in the kitchen, NOT THE GYM.

Any guy that has a six pack will tell you that they get there by restricting their calorie intake to be between that range. Along with watching sodium levels and drinking a gallon of water per day. Your body will not go into starvation-mode so long as you stay in Ketosis. I speak from experience.

I strongly recommend you get a hold of a nutritionist/dietician, they will definitely make this dream a reality for you....mine did.

Mixx

Post: #42

(01-13-2012 11:19 PM)MiXX Wrote:  

(01-13-2012 09:46 PM)Chad Daring Wrote:  

(01-13-2012 08:40 PM)sine wave killer Wrote:  You ever thought about doing chin ups/pull ups?

Its worth noting, though, even when I was hard into dieting and keeping my daily kcals below 2400 I still didn't see a loss in this specific area.

...and you won't....ever at that calorie intake.

Still too many calories at 2400. You want to reduce calories to 1100-1400 per day, and no, this does not mean starve on 3 cans of tuna per day and stick of celery and break down muscle, it means pile up on GREEN, RAW VEGGIES and FISH MORE. This whole mantra you have of "eat everything" like powerlifetr is killing your goals. Have you seen a power lifters body? They are FAT!. You cannot EAT EVERYTHING when trying to burn fat to get a six pack. You must restrict yourself to just eating raw and watch your calorie intake. We told you before that these ripped bodies are made in the kitchen, NOT THE GYM.

Any guy that has a six pack will tell you that they get there by restricting their calorie intake to be between that range. Along with watching sodium levels and drinking a gallon of water per day. Your body will not go into starvation-mode so long as you stay in Ketosis. I speak from experience.

I strongly recommend you get a hold of a nutritionist/dietician, they will definitely make this dream a reality for you....mine did.

Mixx

I agree his problem is probably too high of a calorie intake, but for someone his size (6'3" 220 lbs) it's a little extreme to say he should be limiting himself to 1100-1400 calories a day. More than likely that's going to put his body into starvation mode and cause him to retain fat stores, but the real issue with that is that it's simply not realistic to expect him to stick to a calorie goal like that.

Fact is, somebody that size probably needs about 2600 net calories a day (subtracting any calories burned exercising) to maintain their weight (muscle mass has some effect on this but it's not as much as you might think--each additional pound of muscle only burns about 6 calories per day). Chad could lose 2 lbs a week, which is considered a healthy rate of weight loss, by limiting himself to 1600 net calories a day, whether that's done by eating 1600 calories, eating 2100 and burning 500 by running for 45 minutes, or whatever. That's a much more realistic goal and it's more likely to be something he could stick to in the long term.

Post: #43

The body goes into starvation mode when you reduce to less than 1000 calories. As long as he eats frequently every 2hrs, my nutrionist insists starvation/survival mode will not kick in. He will need to cut down on the exercise and focus more on his diet and stay in Ketosis. Ketones is the key for his body to use fat as primary fuel, and not break down muscle tissue.

When he is hungry, she should be piling on cucumbers, and spinach salads and some more water. Yeah, this shit sucks, having a six-pack is NOT easy.


Mixx

Post: #44

(01-14-2012 03:13 AM)MiXX Wrote:  The body goes into starvation mode when you reduce to less than 1000 calories. As long as he eats frequently every 2hrs, my nutrionist insists starvation/survival mode will not kick in. He will need to cut down on the exercise and focus more on his diet and stay in Ketosis. Ketones is the key for his body to use fat as primary fuel, and not break down muscle tissue.

When he is hungry, she should be piling on cucumbers, and spinach salads and some more water. Yeah, this shit sucks, having a six-pack is NOT easy.


Mixx

"starvation mode" is not healthy weight loss to me. Your body will cannibalize muscle tissue in that state, you'll lose weight but it wont be good weight loss.

I'd rather lose no weight and maintain my muscle and strength then starve myself into being thin. You cant make blanket statements as to how much ANYONE should be eating per day. Strongman Magnus Samuelsson eats something like 8k calories a day, regardless of training, because he has an inhumanly massive frame of so much muscle. At the same time I'm sure off season soccer players probably eat very little to maintain the lite and fast bodies they need.

And again, I dont want a six pack, thats not my goal, from what I've read a 6 pack starts to show around 10% body fat, I'm roughly at 16% now, I'd like to be about 12%-13% Im looking for a nice middle ground.


I mulled it over through the night and my plan is to take up an Intermittent Fasting program. I just did a write up on what my plans are here http://chefinjeans.com/2012/01/14/interm...allment-1/

Chef In Jeans
A culinary website for men

Post: #45

If you want to stay fairly trim and not think about every meal then I would recommend following the Leangains programme.

I've never put so little effort into diet..obviously I ate clean, but still remained in very good shape. I would definitely recommend it, the best thing about it is it's very simple. I always choose simple methods over complex calorie counting.


When I saw Love Handles I immediately thought of an article I read on T-nation.

Here's an excerpt:

Quote:Physique Problem #1: Love Handles

Are you relatively lean except for that hideous roll of fat perched on your suprailiac? If you fit that profile, chances are you suffer from some degree of insulin resistance.

Obviously, you need to make yourself more sensitive to the effects of insulin and this is quite easy to do. All it requires is a prudent eating strategy, a couple of proven supplements, and a little bit of willpower.

The article is on http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_arti...elly_belly

I think Leangains, i.e. intermittent fasting would help you. It's shown to reduce fat whilst maintaining mass. I train fasted a lot as well, you could also try runs after workouts when your glycogen stores are depleted, so you will burn fat stores.

If you're serious about your diet and lifting weights then I recommend what Shelby Starnes has to say. Some articles from him:

http://articles.elitefts.com/tag/shelby-starnes/

and his ebook 'Tips and Tricks for Dieting Success' is worth a read: http://www.flexcart.com/members/elitefts...0&pid=3050

Post: #46

@chad. I think your misunderstood my post. Starvation mode IS NOT what I am recommending. I said reduce your calories to 1400, stay in Ketosis and your body WILL NOT go into starvation mode.

I would never fathom telling anyone to lose weight by sacrifing water and muscle; this suggestion is designed to lose 100 % Sub Q FAT! YOU WILL NOT kick starvation mode, I already did this, and I GAINED MUSCLE!

I was under strict supervision of a nutrionist for 3 months, I suggest you do the same.

Mixx

Post: #47

Hey Mixx, you know any good resources for reading more about this "ketosis" strategy?

How did it effect your work-efficiency - could you still perform as well on the job? Or did this numb the mind? Is it your preferred method?

Post: #48

(01-14-2012 01:35 PM)dk902 Wrote:  If you want to stay fairly trim and not think about every meal then I would recommend following the Leangains programme.

I've never put so little effort into diet..obviously I ate clean, but still remained in very good shape. I would definitely recommend it, the best thing about it is it's very simple. I always choose simple methods over complex calorie counting.


When I saw Love Handles I immediately thought of an article I read on T-nation.

Here's an excerpt:

Quote:Physique Problem #1: Love Handles

Are you relatively lean except for that hideous roll of fat perched on your suprailiac? If you fit that profile, chances are you suffer from some degree of insulin resistance.

Obviously, you need to make yourself more sensitive to the effects of insulin and this is quite easy to do. All it requires is a prudent eating strategy, a couple of proven supplements, and a little bit of willpower.

The article is on http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_arti...elly_belly

I think Leangains, i.e. intermittent fasting would help you. It's shown to reduce fat whilst maintaining mass. I train fasted a lot as well, you could also try runs after workouts when your glycogen stores are depleted, so you will burn fat stores.

If you're serious about your diet and lifting weights then I recommend what Shelby Starnes has to say. Some articles from him:

http://articles.elitefts.com/tag/shelby-starnes/

and his ebook 'Tips and Tricks for Dieting Success' is worth a read: http://www.flexcart.com/members/elitefts...0&pid=3050

The normal LG method doesn't fit my life and schedule, but Im basing my plan entirely on Martin's method, Im just adjusting the time frames to fit my life. I've talked to a few other people about this and done some more research and I'm feeling good about this choice.

@MiXX

Okay I didn't reat it properly, but 1400, for me, from personal experience, is still way to low. My maintenance calories are over 3000/day due to my size and activity level.

I did a low calorie diet for 6 months when I lost the first 30-40 pounds, I was eating about 1800-1900 a day and saw good losses. I'm hoping keeping an eye on my calories, while doing intermittent fasting, as well as keeping my carbs low will be a trifecta that'll crush the remaining fat my body has retained.

Chef In Jeans
A culinary website for men

Post: #49

(01-14-2012 08:00 PM)Chad Daring Wrote:  

(01-14-2012 01:35 PM)dk902 Wrote:  If you want to stay fairly trim and not think about every meal then I would recommend following the Leangains programme.

I've never put so little effort into diet..obviously I ate clean, but still remained in very good shape. I would definitely recommend it, the best thing about it is it's very simple. I always choose simple methods over complex calorie counting.


When I saw Love Handles I immediately thought of an article I read on T-nation.

Here's an excerpt:

Quote:Physique Problem #1: Love Handles

Are you relatively lean except for that hideous roll of fat perched on your suprailiac? If you fit that profile, chances are you suffer from some degree of insulin resistance.

Obviously, you need to make yourself more sensitive to the effects of insulin and this is quite easy to do. All it requires is a prudent eating strategy, a couple of proven supplements, and a little bit of willpower.

The article is on http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_arti...elly_belly

I think Leangains, i.e. intermittent fasting would help you. It's shown to reduce fat whilst maintaining mass. I train fasted a lot as well, you could also try runs after workouts when your glycogen stores are depleted, so you will burn fat stores.

If you're serious about your diet and lifting weights then I recommend what Shelby Starnes has to say. Some articles from him:

http://articles.elitefts.com/tag/shelby-starnes/

and his ebook 'Tips and Tricks for Dieting Success' is worth a read: http://www.flexcart.com/members/elitefts...0&pid=3050

The normal LG method doesn't fit my life and schedule, but Im basing my plan entirely on Martin's method, Im just adjusting the time frames to fit my life. I've talked to a few other people about this and done some more research and I'm feeling good about this choice.

@MiXX

Okay I didn't reat it properly, but 1400, for me, from personal experience, is still way to low. My maintenance calories are over 3000/day due to my size and activity level.

I did a low calorie diet for 6 months when I lost the first 30-40 pounds, I was eating about 1800-1900 a day and saw good losses. I'm hoping keeping an eye on my calories, while doing intermittent fasting, as well as keeping my carbs low will be a trifecta that'll crush the remaining fat my body has retained.

That's not surprising. If you really want to get rid of that residual fat once and for all, just take your maintenance calories, subtract 1000, and eat that. You should lose about 2 lbs per week. Even if you ate like total shit and ate only twinkies and McDonald's or some shit (granted it would be extremely difficult to limit yourself to 2000 calories' worth of twinkies every day), if you really stick to that calorie goal you'll be pretty much guaranteed to lose weight. At the end of the day you can't beat the laws of thermodynamics, it's calories in vs. calories out.

Make sure you continue to lift weights so the weight lost is mostly fat, not muscle.

Post: #50

If you are seeing ribs, but you have love handles, you are what is called "skinny fat". You simply do not have enough muscle on your frame and your diet and training is completely messed up. Some things I can tell just from what I have read:

1 - You are right, fat is not bad for you at all. But eating fat and carbs is a recipe for disaster. You need to pick which one you will limit
2 - Your calories are coming predominantly from breakfast. Contrary to popular belief, this is not ideal
3 - Calories are too high!
4 - You are doing way to much cardio.
5 - Fasting at night hammers sleep. Fasting only works when you eat at night.
6 - Eating way too much fruit

There are a few basic problems here. Your insulin levels are screwed, you are doing the wrong sort of activity and you are eating too much. Try this for a month and I will guarantee you will see a huge improvement.

- Cut calories down to 2000 max.
- Cut the carbs. Even the oats and fruit. From now on all calories come from protein and fat only. You will feel fuller and it will be much easier for you to do. The only carbs you can eat must come from veg, greens and nuts. You need to keep it under 80g of carbs a day, in fact I would suggest no more than 40 a day all from veg. No more than that.You are holding onto fat because your body is using your high calorie, heavy carb diet for fuel. Your insulin levels are fucked if you are storing your weight in very specific areas like that. You are not burning fat.
- Cut the cardio completely for now. Skinny fat and cardio are not friends. You WILL make it worse.
- You are hungry because of the amount of carbs you are eating AND because you eat them so early. Your insulin spikes and then crashes, which leads to hunger pangs and you eat.
- Breakfast may be free, but its killing you. Fasting only works when your calories come at the end of the day. It has to do with the way the body processes food after a fast, but its also very reliant on sleep. Intermittent fasting when your calories are consumed in the morning is not advised. If you are going to eat breakfast, make sure its protein and fat only.
- Train heavy. Max out at 8 reps, but you should be failing at 6 or so. Almost a strength training type routine. This is important.
- Once a week, get some carbs into your body as part of a refeed.

What the above will do for you

1) Heavy weight training will ensure a lot of the protein intake is used for repair.
2) Fat intake being high, with carb intake low, means that fat and protein become primary source of fuel instead of carbs
3) Calorie deficit will be far easier to maintain on a high fat diet.
4) Your insulin levels will normalise

Give it a bash for a month. Your first week will be tough as your body adjusts, but once you are over the hill it will get you results quickly and also stop a lot of the bad habits you have