Quote :

"Fat burner pills (helps control appetite and maintains energy levels)"

What fat burner pills do you use?


[Edited on March 24, 2011 at 10:47 PM. Reason : .]

3/24/2011 10:46:13 PM

as far as my diet goes, i just try not to eat any bullshit processed food. my meals consists of a muffin and fruit in the morning (my wife makes these amazing whole grain high fiber everything muffins that rock), last night leftovers for lunch and and dinner its a meat and high fiber/low carb veggie like broccoli, edamame, green beans or asparagus. i try to eat fish at least once a week. the other nights its low fat hamburger meat, chicken breast or pork tenderloin/chops. when i cook i use olive oil only. we do have a taco night once a week but i use low carb wraps, low fat toppings (cheese and sour cream) and all the veggies are fresh. i stay away from sweets and any empty carbs from refined grains like pasta, bread, etc. my hardest item to overcome is BEER!! i love it. i've switched to either a Mich Ultra or Amstel Light but even then if a drink a few its a lot of carbs. i've convinced myself that drinking vodka with a zero carb/zero sugar mixer it acceptable but i have nothing to back that up.

3/25/2011 9:03:27 AM

zxappeal this is not the actual study but there is a reference to it in there, and there are liike 3 or 4 more human studies ill try to find
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7326839.stm

(ill keep looking)

sparky: http://www.realbeer.com/edu/health/calories.php

and i have a question for the health nuts and the trainers.
is there any evidence that supports "shocking" your metabolism? i have a lot of work out and nutrition fanatic friends and a lot of them roll their eyes at me when i tell them i usually don't eat breakfast (Joie-you know it boosts your metabolism right?! lol)
but they are also huge fans that if youre on a calorie deficit diet and then you up your calories to say maintenance level for a week or two and then dip back down, you will eventually lose more fat than if you stuck it out on the deficit. is there any truth to this?
(isn't "starvation mode" more or less (mostly) a myth?...at least in the sense that bodybuilders use it. i think i read a study ont that somewhere too- geez-i need to bookmark these things ahaha)

i've been googling for a little while now and i cant seem to find any evidence other than some rambling on bodybuilding.com

[Edited on March 25, 2011 at 9:13 AM. Reason : z]

3/25/2011 9:13:32 AM

My new beach body enemy is Samwise16 for posting chocolate loaded deliciousness on Facebook.

DON'T YOU KNOW I'M WEAK?

( )

[Edited on March 25, 2011 at 9:20 AM. Reason : .]

3/25/2011 9:20:27 AM

bitch

3/25/2011 9:21:30 AM

Not a scientific observation, but I do notice that I lose more weight if I have cheat meals/days. I can eat at a slight deficit for a week or two with no real change in weight, have a maintenance-or-above day and then I will drop a pound or two the day after. And it's lasting weight, not water.

3/25/2011 9:21:47 AM

Quote :

"is there any evidence that supports "shocking" your metabolism? i have a lot of work out and nutrition fanatic friends and a lot of them roll their eyes at me when i tell them i usually don't eat breakfast (Joie-you know it boosts your metabolism right?! lol)"

this tears apart the breakfast myth:
http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top-ten-fasting-myths-debunked.html

Quote :

"but they are also huge fans that if youre on a calorie deficit diet and then you up your calories to say maintenance level for a week or two and then dip back down, you will eventually lose more fat than if you stuck it out on the deficit. is there any truth to this? (isn't "starvation mode" more or less (mostly) a myth?...at least in the sense that bodybuilders use it. i think i read a study ont that somewhere too- geez-i need to bookmark these things ahaha)"

This seems to make the most sense to me in the context of a refeed:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclic_ketogenic_diet

Quote :

"The goals of a refeed are threefold: a) to refill depleted glycogen stores b) to upregulate hormones and thyroid activity that is depressed during dieting c) to provide a psychological "break" that makes the rest of the diet easier to bear A refeed is risky, as a careless individual can end up gaining fat, instead of losing it, if he/she eats more carbs than is needed to refill their glycogen stores."

It really depends on if b) holds any water. I've wondered that for a while. What I can say is that all the evidence on intermittent fasting suggests that you get hormonal benefits even if you don't lower calories overall.

3/25/2011 9:38:48 AM

thanks for the link Joie but i was looking for something concerning liquor specifically. I found this interesting article.

http://www.wellnessletter.com/html/wl/2004/wlFeatured0804.html

DAMMIT!!!

Quote :

"VODKA (single shot): Calories: 55 Carbs: 0 grams Fat: 0 grams Protein: 0 grams How Many Calories Does Alcohol Contain? Pure alcohol contains about 7 calories per gram, which makes it nearly twice as fattening as carbohydrates or protein (both contain about 4 calories per gram) and only just under the caloric value for fat (9 calories per gram). This means that if you want to lose weight and reduce excess body fat, alcohol is not a good choice."

[Edited on March 25, 2011 at 9:48 AM. Reason : quote]

3/25/2011 9:43:13 AM

Quote :

"I do notice that I lose more weight if I have cheat meals/days. I can eat at a slight deficit for a week or two with no real change in weight, have a maintenance-or-above day and then I will drop a pound or two the day after. And it's lasting weight, not water."

the bolded part is what gets me.
when i have cheat days i lose weight too but its not lasting.
im still holding at solid 140

so if i were to have a binge weekend i would probably jump up to 143ish and then itll be gone by next week.


i think im gonna try to throw out cheat days altogether....its obviously not working for me (however the only cheat meals will be wedding related- ie showers, and the like)


[Edited on March 25, 2011 at 10:01 AM. Reason : try]

3/25/2011 9:57:15 AM

My first week of cutting down carbs and working on my arms and I am up 3 pounds, having nightmares every time I sleep, and very tired. This would also be the first week of my new nanny job. I was watching 3 year olds who did most everything themselves and I am now watching a 2 year old and a 6 month old, so I'm doing lots of lifting and running, lol.

3/25/2011 10:48:37 AM

Quote :

"i've convinced myself that drinking vodka with a zero carb/zero sugar mixer it acceptable but i have nothing to back that up."

The sugar/carbs in beer or alcohol drinks aren't what typically make them high in calories. It's the alcohol. Notice how low calorie beers are always low in alcohol percentage (2-3%)? Alcohol in it's purest form is almost the definition of a calorie. It's fuel and hence energy. So you'd almost be better off drinking low alcohol drinks and getting full then drinking straight alcohol. The more alcohol in a drink the more calories.

3/25/2011 10:51:34 AM

maybe i just need to change my drug of choice to something with less calories

3/25/2011 10:56:25 AM

^^i think its also very dependent on the aim of drinking too....if im going out to get a little drunk and hang out then im gonna go for few sugar free redbull and vodkas or diet and beams as opposed to 6 or 7 beers.

and actually even if you are going out to just have a few drinks (like 1 or 2) the calories in a shot of 100 proof vodka are less than those in an ultra.

[Edited on March 25, 2011 at 10:59 AM. Reason : ^^]

3/25/2011 10:59:18 AM

i hear ya Joie

3/25/2011 11:02:20 AM

alcohol is the death of my healthy habits! lol

ive gotten better about it though, still not good ahaha

3/25/2011 11:03:53 AM

Has anyone used ensure muscle health?

3/25/2011 11:11:49 AM

[user] spanky[/user], give up that muffin recipe

I miss beer so much. Not that I'm an alcoholic, just that I enjoy kicking one back after work sometimes

3/25/2011 11:25:23 AM

here you go....

Everything Bran Muffins
Makes 15-18 muffins


Ingredients

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup ground flax seed
3/4 cup oat bran
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cup skim milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup apple sauce
2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds
*optional – substitute 1 cup of shredded carrots for shredded zucchini

Directions:

Preheat over to 350 degrees. In a medium-large mixing bowl combine flours, oat bran, ground flax seed, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Add eggs, milk, vanilla, and apple sauce to the flour mixture stirring until well combined. Stir in shredded carrots/zucchini, raisins, and chopped walnuts. Scoop batter into prepared (sprayed with non-stick spray) muffin tins until 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until done. Allow to cool for 10 minutes inside tin before removing. Enjoy!

3/25/2011 12:24:26 PM

^^ haha spanky

3/25/2011 12:40:24 PM

Quote :

"and actually even if you are going out to just have a few drinks (like 1 or 2) the calories in a shot of 100 proof vodka are less than those in an ultra."

100 proof vodka: 120-130 calories per 1.5 ounce shot (.75 ounces of alcohol)
Michelob ULTRA: 95 calories in a 12 ounce beer (.5 ounces of alcohol)

So lets say to get an ounce of alcohol:

166 calories via 100 proof vodka
190 calories via Michelob ultra

So yeah you're better off drinking vodka for the alcohol although a shot of 100 proof vodka still has more calories than an Ultra.

3/25/2011 12:56:36 PM

Ahahaha damn phone

3/25/2011 12:58:33 PM

^^^ Kelly you are about to get a spankin from spanky so watch out!!


also...as an addendum to the recipe...if we have left over bananas that are about to go bad my wife will throw them in the freezer until its muffin makin time. then she'll defrost them in the microwave, mush 'em up and put that in the batter too. amazing!!

[Edited on March 25, 2011 at 1:24 PM. Reason : .]

3/25/2011 1:23:27 PM

So it's still cool if I drink my red wine right?

I was always a beer guy until I moved to Hungary. Hungarian Beer is like a nation of Bud Light (a FEW good ones scattered here and there... and Czech beer is delicious too), but Hungarian Wine is amazing. I never even liked wine before I moved here, and according to my calorie counter it's like 100 calories / serving on average.

/shrug I like a glass of wine with dinner and I'm still losing at a decent rate. I don't want to give that up. haha

sparky, what are the nutrition facts for those bad boys? They sound delicious.

[Edited on March 25, 2011 at 1:30 PM. Reason : Mmmmmmmmmmmmm muffins.]

3/25/2011 1:30:09 PM

My incredibly uneducated opinion on that would be red wine has enough beneficial properties that it makes it worth the caloric intake -- especially at "a glass of wine with dinner." That would seem to be hardly enough to detract from weight loss significantly.

3/25/2011 1:43:08 PM

^^ I'm not sure but you can take the ingredients and divide by 18 to get how much is in each muffin. the reason i like them is because they are relatively low in sugar, low in sodium and full of fiber. its a good way for me to start the day.

3/25/2011 1:48:30 PM

neodata686: i was going by one once of vodka

my bad

3/25/2011 2:15:43 PM

Estimated nutritional info for the muffins


Geez that's hard to read. You can go to http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php and enter the recipe for an estimate.

[Edited on March 25, 2011 at 2:19 PM. Reason : G]

3/25/2011 2:17:26 PM

haha you're good. British shot!!!!

3/25/2011 2:17:51 PM

you know. i do not think i am dumb at all but a lot of times i do things that make me o.O

3/25/2011 2:31:35 PM

^^^WOW that's awesome!!

Serving Size 72 g
Amount Per Serving
Calories 178
Calories from Fat 67

Total Fat 7.5g
Saturated Fat 0.7g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 21mg
Sodium 230mg
Total Carbohydrates 24.5g
Dietary Fiber 3.2g
Sugars 12.3g
Protein 5.1g

3/25/2011 2:58:00 PM

hey people into paleo

http://paleodietlifestyle.com/making-clarified-butter-ghee/

how is this allowed?

3/25/2011 3:14:39 PM

Yeah I love that tool. It's great when trying to manipulate a recipe into meeting your dietary needs. My only complaints about it is it is lacking in info for more"exotic"ingredients and sometimes the units of measure are funky so you have to convert to whatever their default measurement is.

3/25/2011 3:52:54 PM

holy crap that is awesome

3/25/2011 4:04:45 PM

Yeah substituting things here and there with that site I was able to get the recipe down to 7 net carbs. Yay!

3/25/2011 4:15:59 PM

^^^^To make a long story short, it's pretty much pure animal fat. And, in general, animal fat is healthy.

3/25/2011 5:00:29 PM

^ yup


I tend to side more with "primal" living than paleo

http://www.marksdailyapple.com is a good example

3/25/2011 5:34:41 PM

So I have had a great month and have lost a significant amount of weight I feel like...

My fiance broke her leg in late January and is just now starting to be somewhat mobile (Hungarian healthcare = way different than AMURRICAN). Needless to say we went out for our first date night in two months and it was really special. Had a chicken green curry over jasmine rice and was doing fine. We're also hosting the very first Serve the City: Budapest volunteer event tomorrow, and she made some cookies.

Now I haven't had refined sugar in a while. I've been overall eating healthy.

So she gave me one of the mixer things and said "You've done really well lately. Enjoy."

No homo or anything, but I licked that thing clean. I immediately felt like I had betrayed the previous month. Not counting that thing, I'm 100 calories under. Think I licked 100 calories off the mixer?

(Also, that stuff is like crack... I immediately wanted more... but was able to contain the hunger... THE HUNGER)

[Edited on March 25, 2011 at 7:15 PM. Reason : Check out stcbudapest.wordpress.com! It's very much in it's infancy.]

3/25/2011 7:14:40 PM

Quote :

"Not counting that thing, I'm 100 calories under. Think I licked 100 calories off the mixer?"

It doesn't matter if you did or didn't. I guarantee you that you aren't counting every single thing you eat with 100 percent accuracy and/or know your burn with certainty. 100 calories is only 1/35 of a pound anyway. And there isn't some magic boundary between having a deficit or being exactly at maintenance or eating a surplus where if you were right at 100 calories under and ate that 100 calories off the mixer you'd suddenly stop losing weight in the long run. It's OK to lick a mixer once in a while

3/25/2011 9:21:23 PM

I use TrueProtein's Burn pills. http://www.trueprotein.com/Product_Details.aspx?cid=25&pid=6935 They work very well in maintaining energy and reducing hunger. I take a lot lower than the recommended dosage, and I can go most of the day feeling great and hunger free.Use discount code: JAM921 to get %5 off your order.

Joie, yes you are right that the calories come out to ~1,200. That is the objective; a significantly low deficit. I do that on my off-days.

On training days, I pile on the carbs and calories (reasonably).

I am hoping to get down to ~8% BF by mid-May.

[Edited on March 25, 2011 at 10:52 PM. Reason : ;]

3/25/2011 10:48:47 PM

Starvation Mode

From the stuff I've read, I've come to the conclusion that it happens when someone loses too much weight too quickly. Their hormone profiles/sensitivity get's whacky... Leptin sensitivity/resistance plays a large role here.

Leptin works to regulate energy intake/expenditure. It influences hunger and potentially other many metabolic elements.

Many other hormones affect it too... Cortisol, testosterone, hgh, norepinephrine, thyroid hormone. It's a pretty complicated system.

[Edited on March 25, 2011 at 11:06 PM. Reason : ;]

3/25/2011 11:04:34 PM

If you order from True Protein you should probably use paypal for now. On another forum and on reddit people are reporting that their credit card numbers were jacked by ordering from True Protein, and the company says it's a problem with their credit card processor.

Their protein powder flavors are delicious.

3/26/2011 8:08:02 AM

^^ hahahah i swear everytime i ask a question you guys tell me stuff i already know

im curious of the intricacies and details of it.
i actually understand quite a bit about the metabolic workings of the body (im getting a doctorate in drug metabolism) but this is somewhat new for me.
we don't talk about starvation that much in class (unless we are talking about making parental feeding solutions)
im genuinely curious. i understand all of the hormones you listed, when they are let go, and what they do but i honestly don't know that much of their release (and possible dual functions?!) when faced in the eye with "real" starvation.
i put real in quotations because i don't really think 1000 cals a day is "real" starvation as everyone would tell me. its real unhealthy but not starvation, IMO of course!

Quote :

""I've come to the conclusion that it happens when someone loses too much weight too quickly"

from what ive read (which is only a few things, and i dont even know how credible they are) it happens not when you lose weight but when you restrict your self to like 25-35% of maintenance for months.
not this bullshit that people are trying to feed me (i had a girl tell me that restricting my cals to 1200 a day will send me in to starvation mode and ill forever remain 140 lb)

which is what boils to be so interested. this girls says she weighs 155ish lbs. she eats 1500 a day and her body has hit "starvation mode" . so to shock her metabolism she is going to up it to 2200 a day for a wekk and then bring it back down to 1500. something sounds off here and i dont want to tell her that unless i feel educated about the subject.

so yeah, it seems like there isnt areal consensus on it and im just genuinely curious, and i would love to make a decision for myself based on evidence.

that being said i want studies!!!!
this site seems ok
http://unu.edu/unupress/food2/UID07E/UID07E00.HTM#Contents

[Edited on March 26, 2011 at 9:13 AM. Reason : !]

3/26/2011 9:13:13 AM

scale says i'm down another whopping half a pound

however I look fatter than I used to. as in my stomach pudge that was looking like it was going away is suddenly BACK WITH A VENGENCE. wth. and I have to fit into my dress today ugh.

please to explain and tell me if there is something i could do to not look like a porker in what i'm sure is going to be a bajillion family photos taken today

[Edited on March 26, 2011 at 9:45 AM. Reason : V aaahaha ]

3/26/2011 9:42:57 AM

skinny arm.

3/26/2011 9:43:28 AM

lol

3/26/2011 9:52:34 AM

Stand next to a fat relative.

I'm trying to help!

3/26/2011 10:10:54 AM

hahahahahahaahahah

3/26/2011 10:59:53 AM

Joie, if you are interested in this... spend some hours reading over Lyle McDonald's work at http://www.bodyrecomposition.com

In particular:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/research-review-homeostatic-and-non-homeostatic-pathways-involved-in-the-control-of-food-intake-and-energy-balance.html

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/set-points-settling-points-and-bodyweight-regulation-part-1.html

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-hormones-of-bodyweight-regulation-leptin-part-1.html

3/26/2011 11:02:19 AM

hell yeah!


thanks so much!

3/26/2011 11:45:24 AM

Current weight: 168

Leg press this morning: 577x5



Definitely felt like I had more in my legs, but the gf asked me to stop,

[Edited on March 26, 2011 at 12:13 PM. Reason : ]

3/26/2011 12:12:09 PM