# Psychology behind weight loss



## AlexHealy (May 27, 2012)

I've often noticed how helpful people on here are. A prime example, when someone says they want to start a cycle, they're told to forget it unless their diet is spot on.

Last year I kept to a strict diet for 13 weeks and lost 2 stone and 5 pounds. I let slip and went back to about 12 stone 10.










My training is better this time around, and I've worked on my diet. However I'm losing the battle psychologically.

What are your thoughts on getting it right in your head and sticking to diets? What do you do to get into that place where you don't stray?


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## Queenie (May 30, 2013)

You should give yourself planned breaks. Like diet for 12 weeks, have a week or two off, then back on. You can always focus ahead then, have something to look forward to.

Do u have cheat meals? If not, they can help.


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## trololoDROL (Jan 27, 2013)

AlexHealy said:


> I've often noticed how helpful people on here are. A prime example, when someone says they want to start a cycle, they're told to forget it unless their diet is spot on.
> 
> Last year I kept to a strict diet for 13 weeks and lost 2 stone and 5 pounds. I let slip and went back to about 12 stone 10.
> 
> ...


I personally have never been over 13% bodyfat and i am an extreme ectomorph. but what motivates me is just thinking about the end result. i want to walk and want to see people looking at me and appreciating the hard work i've put in. i want to have a presence. i want to fill out shirts. i want to go to my son/daughters parent evening and be the most jacked kvnt in that place.

thats what does it for me, but yeah thats my two cents pal.


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## AlexHealy (May 27, 2012)

RXQueenie said:


> You should give yourself planned breaks. Like diet for 12 weeks, have a week or two off, then back on. You can always focus ahead then, have something to look forward to.
> 
> Do u have cheat meals? If not, they can help.


I used to. I would be strict all week, and have a cheat meal on a Friday evening.

I like the idea of giving yourself a week off, but I can't get through a week of being strict to deserve that yet.


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## AlexHealy (May 27, 2012)

trololoDROL said:


> I personally have never been over 13% bodyfat and i am an extreme ectomorph. but what motivates me is just thinking about the end result. i want to walk and want to see people looking at me and appreciating the hard work i've put in. i want to have a presence. i want to fill out shirts. i want to go to my son/daughters parent evening and be the most jacked kvnt in that place.
> 
> thats what does it for me, but yeah thats my two cents pal.


That's a pretty good insight, cheers bud.


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## trololoDROL (Jan 27, 2013)

AlexHealy said:


> That's a pretty good insight, cheers bud.


no worries pal. be sure to message me if you need any advice.


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## Queenie (May 30, 2013)

I did 9 weeks with no cheats last year but it was frickin hard graft. I dont think id do it again!!


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## saxondale (Nov 11, 2012)

I look at my old school friends updates on facebook, fat puffy faces and pssed every weekend, keeps me on the straight and narrow.


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## AlexHealy (May 27, 2012)

trololoDROL said:


> no worries pal. be sure to message me if you need any advice.


Cheers.


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## AlexHealy (May 27, 2012)

RXQueenie said:


> I did 9 weeks with no cheats last year but it was frickin hard graft. I dont think id do it again!!


9 weeks is hard graft! I bet you saw good progress from it though?


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## AlexHealy (May 27, 2012)

saxondale said:


> I look at my old school friends updates on facebook, fat puffy faces and pssed every weekend, keeps me on the straight and narrow.


See that works in my favour, I rarely drink so cutting that out isn't a problem.

My biggest problem is food.

I used fat burners last year and I think they helped to the extent of a placebo effect. I may have to try that again.


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## Queenie (May 30, 2013)

AlexHealy said:


> 9 weeks is hard graft! I bet you saw good progress from it though?


I ended up losing just over 10kg in 12 weeks


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## bobbydrake (Nov 19, 2012)

I've been a little bit slack for a while but back in the game now. Just keep thinking about the end result - I bore everyone senseless in work talking about low carb while all the women are on their low fat diets but still drinking every weekend and eating high sugar cakes/yogurts etc. As I see more results it just makes me more determined but if I do slip up I don't beat myself up over it - I just get back into it.


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## saxondale (Nov 11, 2012)

AlexHealy said:


> See that works in my favour, I rarely drink so cutting that out isn't a problem.
> 
> My biggest problem is food.
> 
> I used fat burners last year and I think they helped to the extent of a placebo effect. I may have to try that again.


and I set myself three week targets - sometimes weight, sometimes increasing lifts, sometimes distance, variety, variety and cheat meals.


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## palbay (Feb 24, 2013)

Sort out your carbs is the solution, your only carbs should be from fresh veg and limited fruit. It can take a couple of weeks to get over the cravings for sugary and starchy carbs, but after that if you've stuck to it then you won't notice it and won't even need to cheat at all. Eating like that requires you to up your protein a bit, but fat even more. Fat just drops away.


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## AlexHealy (May 27, 2012)

RXQueenie said:


> I ended up losing just over 10kg in 12 weeks


That's a great achievement. 

That's roughly what I want to lose. I'm about 12 stone 10 and the moment, and I'd like to get down to about 11 - 11.5 stone mainly to shift my belly fat.


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## AlexHealy (May 27, 2012)

bobbydrake said:


> I've been a little bit slack for a while but back in the game now. Just keep thinking about the end result - I bore everyone senseless in work talking about low carb while all the women are on their low fat diets but still drinking every weekend and eating high sugar cakes/yogurts etc. As I see more results it just makes me more determined but if I do slip up I don't beat myself up over it - I just get back into it.


Similar position to me in work. Most of the women in work are dieting, and only one of them has been focused.


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## AlexHealy (May 27, 2012)

saxondale said:


> and I set myself three week targets - sometimes weight, sometimes increasing lifts, sometimes distance, variety, variety and cheat meals.


That's a good idea. I suppose to an extent I'm not worried about the weight I should focus more on the body measurements.


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## bobbydrake (Nov 19, 2012)

palbay said:


> Sort out your carbs is the solution, your only carbs should be from fresh veg and limited fruit. It can take a couple of weeks to get over the cravings for sugary and starchy carbs, but after that if you've stuck to it then you won't notice it and won't even need to cheat at all. Eating like that requires you to up your protein a bit, but fat even more. Fat just drops away.


Totally agree with this. In fact even before I tried low carb I always knew if I ate a cake I would just want more - once you are over the initial craving its much easier and when you see results that spurs you on too. I did really low carb (basically no carb) for 2 weeks and lost 16lbs then just started having more complex carbs again but still kept on gradually losing weight - still losing fat now and putting lean muscle on so it can be done.


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## AlexHealy (May 27, 2012)

palbay said:


> Sort out your carbs is the solution, your only carbs should be from fresh veg and limited fruit. It can take a couple of weeks to get over the cravings for sugary and starchy carbs, but after that if you've stuck to it then you won't notice it and won't even need to cheat at all. Eating like that requires you to up your protein a bit, but fat even more. Fat just drops away.


I'm going to be readjusting my diet for this. Last year I did low carbs, but got bored of certain foods.

When you say limited fruit, how much would you suggest?


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## AlexHealy (May 27, 2012)

bobbydrake said:


> Totally agree with this. In fact even before I tried low carb I always knew if I ate a cake I would just want more - once you are over the initial craving its much easier and when you see results that spurs you on too. I did really low carb (basically no carb) for 2 weeks and lost 16lbs then just started having more complex carbs again but still kept on gradually losing weight - still losing fat now and putting lean muscle on so it can be done.


Yeah I know what you mean, the second I give in to a craving I tend to go all out.

Would you say it's the initial period then?

That's what I hope to get out of this thread, a lot of really good replies so far.


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## bobbydrake (Nov 19, 2012)

AlexHealy said:


> I'm going to be readjusting my diet for this. Last year I did low carbs, but got bored of certain foods.
> 
> When you say limited fruit, how much would you suggest?


Look up the glycemic index - best fruits are berries - worse are grapes/pineapple I think. There is plenty of other stuff you can do to help too - add cayenne pepper to your meals as it helps to burn fat - adding lemon to sugary foods stops your body storing sugar as fat - things like that.


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## lotus (May 30, 2009)

I manage by not thinking of what I'm doing as a diet with a time frame it's just my lifestyle , also have weekly cheats where I let myself eat whatever I want . This may slow my progress down by a few weeks but means I don't go stupid when I've reached the weight I want to be and can easily maintain .


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## saxondale (Nov 11, 2012)

AlexHealy said:


> That's a good idea. I suppose to an extent I'm not worried about the weight I should focus more on the body measurements.


do it - " I'm about 12 stone 10 and the moment, and I'd like to get down to about 11 - 11.5 stone mainly to shift my belly fat."

I had, have the same target and went on a dangerous cut - forget weight as a measure.

I weigh more now (12st 10) than I did at Xmas (11st 06) but still have a smaller waist, when I get more time I`ll post the pictures back up.


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## AlexHealy (May 27, 2012)

bobbydrake said:


> Look up the glycemic index - best fruits are berries - worse are grapes/pineapple I think. There is plenty of other stuff you can do to help too - add cayenne pepper to your meals as it helps to burn fat - adding lemon to sugary foods stops your body storing sugar as fat - things like that.


I didn't know about any of that, apart from pineapples being high in sugars. Thanks for that, I'll read up on it!


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## AlexHealy (May 27, 2012)

saxondale said:


> do it - " I'm about 12 stone 10 and the moment, and I'd like to get down to about 11 - 11.5 stone mainly to shift my belly fat."
> 
> I had, have the same target and went on a dangerous cut - forget weight as a measure.
> 
> I weigh more now (12st 10) than I did at Xmas (11st 06) but still have a smaller waist, when I get more time I`ll post the pictures back up.


That's good going, and definitely something I want to see me achieve too.

I'd happily tell people some day that I'm 15 stone but with a low body fat %.


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## bobbydrake (Nov 19, 2012)

AlexHealy said:


> I didn't know about any of that, apart from pineapples being high in sugars. Thanks for that, I'll read up on it!


And give up wheat/rice/pasta/starchy veg (all part of low carb) and if you do cardio just do hiit training as steady state cardio for long periods of time can actually promote fat around your middle as it stresses your body and causes more cortisol. (Which is why despite running for hours on treadmills I was getting some major love handles). I don't do any cardio now just weight training and have done for a year now.


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## AlexHealy (May 27, 2012)

bobbydrake said:


> And give up wheat/rice/pasta/starchy veg (all part of low carb) and if you do cardio just do hiit training as steady state cardio for long periods of time can actually promote fat around your middle as it stresses your body and causes more cortisol. (Which is why despite running for hours on treadmills I was getting some major love handles). I don't do any cardio now just weight training and have done for a year now.


Ok cheers.

These are typically my lunch and tea meals -





I've started doing HIIT after my weights sessions, does it work as well on a cross trainer? I find its less messing around with the speeds to just get your head down and sprint.


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## saxondale (Nov 11, 2012)

we`re in that twilight zone mate between those at the gym who are just playing at it and the real heroes who have been at it for years.

just keep training.


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## AlexHealy (May 27, 2012)

Will do, thanks everyone for the input.


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## bobbydrake (Nov 19, 2012)

Remember hiit is high intensity interval training so you want to go all for for say 30 seconds, rest or go slow for say 1-2 mins then all out fast as you can. Do this for about 20 mins should be good enough. Make sure you are getting enough protein too and I've been eating Greek yogurt just before bed with a scoop of whey to stop muscle loss during the night.


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## AlexHealy (May 27, 2012)

bobbydrake said:


> Remember hiit is high intensity interval training so you want to go all for for say 30 seconds, rest or go slow for say 1-2 mins then all out fast as you can. Do this for about 20 mins should be good enough. Make sure you are getting enough protein too and I've been eating Greek yogurt just before bed with a scoop of whey to stop muscle loss during the night.


Yeah that's what I've been doing. Slow for a minute, sprint for 30 seconds and repeat. I've been doing it for 15 minutes but will look to increase it to 20 minutes.

Do you mix the whey with the yogurt?


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## bobbydrake (Nov 19, 2012)

AlexHealy said:


> Yeah that's what I've been doing. Slow for a minute, sprint for 30 seconds and repeat. I've been doing it for 15 minutes but will look to increase it to 20 minutes.
> 
> Do you mix the whey with the yogurt?


Yeah - I usually have my whey protein 3-4 times a day with water (and ice) usually around 40g protein each time. But as this gets into your body quite quickly I have a scoop before bed in yogurt as I think this slows down the release of the protein so it (hopefully) stops my body using muscle instead of fat for energy during the night (catabolism I think its called?). You can also get casein protein which is a slower acting one too.


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## palbay (Feb 24, 2013)

There is still a lot of myths going around about how much protein you should be taking, so you need to be really careful about that as it still counts as calories and you'll end up ****ing most of it out anyway. If you've got your diet dialed in then you don't need to supplement protein. As for how much fruit, then I wouldn't have anymore than 2 pieces a day, and stay away from bananas. As someone else said, berries are best. Don't drink any fruit drink, even fresh as it will cause a massive blood sugar spike and avoid fruit drinks made from concentrate like the plague. I mostly drink water and occasionally herbal tea (avoiding caffeine).

As for cardio, again there is still a lot of myths about this too. HIIT is a great tool, but I've seen it abused so much by people thinking they should be doing it every day and for too long. You want to do 1 session a week and do between 6-10 intervals (with a 10min warmup and 5min cool down). Anymore than that is overkill and puts too much stress on your body. You have to remember that HIIT is a tool to promote hormone increases (testosterone, HGH) and this won't happen if you do it everyday. There is a place for cardio everyday, if you do it properly and it should be done for 30-45mins a day at between 55% and 75% MAX HR. I find this all works really well (and I've tried all the hyped methods for training/carido) and delivers the best results.

Apart from getting over the cravings when you kick the bad carbs, the worst thing for me was realizing what a minefield it is with most modern food... You find so much junk in foods from the supermarket and just wonder why the hell they need to be wheat in pretty much everything, and HFCS/artificial sweeteners are very common too. All very bad if you're trying to stop blood sugar/insulin spikes.


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## AlexHealy (May 27, 2012)

bobbydrake said:


> Yeah - I usually have my whey protein 3-4 times a day with water (and ice) usually around 40g protein each time. But as this gets into your body quite quickly I have a scoop before bed in yogurt as I think this slows down the release of the protein so it (hopefully) stops my body using muscle instead of fat for energy during the night (catabolism I think its called?). You can also get casein protein which is a slower acting one too.


Yeah I know what you mean.

I've stopped using protein supplements but I still have a fair bit of MP whey left so could do with using a scoop a day at least. I may give the yogurt idea a go.


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## AlexHealy (May 27, 2012)

palbay said:


> There is still a lot of myths going around about how much protein you should be taking, so you need to be really careful about that as it still counts as calories and you'll end up ****ing most of it out anyway. If you've got your diet dialed in then you don't need to supplement protein. As for how much fruit, then I wouldn't have anymore than 2 pieces a day, and stay away from bananas. As someone else said, berries are best. Don't drink any fruit drink, even fresh as it will cause a massive blood sugar spike and avoid fruit drinks made from concentrate like the plague. I mostly drink water and occasionally herbal tea (avoiding caffeine).
> 
> As for cardio, again there is still a lot of myths about this too. HIIT is a great tool, but I've seen it abused so much by people thinking they should be doing it every day and for too long. You want to do 1 session a week and do between 6-10 intervals (with a 10min warmup and 5min cool down). Anymore than that is overkill and puts too much stress on your body. You have to remember that HIIT is a tool to promote hormone increases (testosterone, HGH) and this won't happen if you do it everyday. There is a place for cardio everyday, if you do it properly and it should be done for 30-45mins a day at between 55% and 75% MAX HR. I find this all works really well (and I've tried all the hyped methods for training/carido) and delivers the best results.
> 
> Apart from getting over the cravings when you kick the bad carbs, the worst thing for me was realizing what a minefield it is with most modern food... You find so much junk in foods from the supermarket and just wonder why the hell they need to be wheat in pretty much everything, and HFCS/artificial sweeteners are very common too. All very bad if you're trying to stop blood sugar/insulin spikes.


I have about 1 - 1.2g of protein to my body weight. I've amended my diet and in terms of macros I'm getting more fat than protein to compensate for the carbs.

Doing my food shop tomorrow so hopefully find a decent pack of berries to have,

I tend to stick to squash through out the day, I'll get about 3 litres at least. But I don't like the taste of water on its own, I can only drink it when I'm working out.

I train three times a week so I've started doing HIIT after each session, I wouldn't do it more than that but do you think 3 times will be ok?

In terms of avoiding caffeine, what would you say about fat burners? I'm looking to take some again as I found they helped me suppress my appetite.


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## AlexHealy (May 27, 2012)

I tried some Greek yogurt with a scoop of whey in and fair play it tastes really nice, great shout.


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## irwit (Mar 29, 2007)

bobbydrake said:


> Look up the glycemic index - best fruits are berries - worse are grapes/pineapple I think. There is plenty of other stuff you can do to help too - add cayenne pepper to your meals as it helps to burn fat - adding lemon to sugary foods stops your body storing sugar as fat - things like that.


Is there anything scientific to back up about cayenne pepper helps burn fat and lemon stopping your body storing sugar as fat ? Its just they are pretty broad statements and I've had a quick google and not come up with much except

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/myths-about-lemon-juice-and-weight-loss.html#b

At the end of the day sugar is just carbs and unused carbs convert to fat. I'm not sure how lemon juice would stop this process within the body ?

Also I remember Jamie Oliver on one of his programs stating that peppers increase your metabolism by 25%, what a load of bull, lol. Its people like him where these food myths normally originate.

EDIT: Sorry that sounded like I'm having a go, I'm not, I'm just a bit sceptical on forums of stuff that sounds too good to be true


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## bobbydrake (Nov 19, 2012)

irwit said:


> Is there anything scientific to back up about cayenne pepper helps burn fat and lemon stopping your body storing sugar as fat ? Its just they are pretty broad statements and I've had a quick google and not come up with much except
> 
> http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/myths-about-lemon-juice-and-weight-loss.html#b
> 
> ...


Yeah I'm not trying to pass my saying of as fact  Its only what I've read in books/internet/heard etc. I've just heard about lemon slowing the release of sugar into the blood stream so not such a rush (not making it vanish into thin air). I have put a quote below about cayenne pepper but again I couldn't say it is scientific fact - but hey it adds great flavour so why not  Plus if you don't like your water plain how about just adding fresh lime juice to it to give it some flavour?

Yes. Cayenne peppers can help you to lose weight. They contain substances that drastically increase thermogenesis (heat production) and oxygen consumption, all key ingredients for weight loss. They also have other benefits.

Studies have shown that, when taken topically, it can ease headaches, osteoarthritis, and pain brought on by diabetic neuropathy.

Cayenne and other red chili peppers can help reduce blood cholesterol, and triglyceride levels, while assisting the body to dissolve blood clots. Cultures that use hot peppers like cayenne liberally enjoy a much lower rate of heart attack, stroke and pulmonary embolism.

Cayenne peppers contain large amounts of beta-carotene or pro-vitamin A. Just two teaspoons of cayenne pepper provides you with almost 30 percent of your daily value for vitamin A. Often called the anti-infection vitamin, vitamin A is essential for healthy lungs, intestines and urinary tracts.

Contrary to popular belief, cayenne peppers can actually ease your stomachaches and digestive disorders. These hot peppers prevent stomach ulcers with a one-two punch: first they kill harmful ulcer-causing bacteria; two, they stimulate the cells lining the stomach to secrete protective buffering juices that prevent ulcer formation.


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## lickatsplit (Aug 21, 2012)

I find keeping pictures of what I'm aiming for around me help keep me on track.


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## irwit (Mar 29, 2007)

Ah ok,

Well I found this which may be where the lemon comment originated from.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/472840-the-benefits-of-lemons-on-blood-sugar/

So it is lemons specifically that just have less sugar in them compared to other fruits. There's nothing really about it lowering sugar intake to the bloodstream.

Im not arguing both lemon and peppers are not a good thing to include in your diet, but Im just saving some poor soul chomping down on some Haribo then necking some lemon juice thinking it will all be ok


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## palbay (Feb 24, 2013)

AlexHealy said:


> I have about 1 - 1.2g of protein to my body weight. I've amended my diet and in terms of macros I'm getting more fat than protein to compensate for the carbs.
> 
> Doing my food shop tomorrow so hopefully find a decent pack of berries to have,
> 
> ...


Asda do frozen packs of berries, which are very good value. Some are mixed so it adds a bit of variety.

If you work out how much squash concentrate is in 3 litres worth you might be a bit shocked about how many carbs are in it (all of which will be sugars). You say you don't like the taste of water, is that tap water or mineral? If the taste is not to your liking then you could easily add a squeeze of lemon or lime juice.

I used to do HIIT after each training session a few years ago, but looking at it now I realise that it would have been putting extra stress on my body and compromise recovery times. I would say that doing 3 sessions of HIIT a week is overkill. You could try doing 30mins of steady state cardio before training, this would get your body warmed up for weight training, get the blood pumping and increase oxygen burning which will burn more calories throughout the day.

I think caffeine can be good if used correctly, but what you find is that people take too much and then use it as a crutch just to get through the day or give themselves a boost. If you are staying away from bad carbs then your body will sort out its energy levels and if done properly will be burning fat for fuel rather than sugar, so the need for caffeine or fat burners is just not there.

The simple fact is that most of the progress you will make if any is due to what you do in the kitchen and your diet, if you nail that then the rest sorts itself out with the right intensity and duration of training. If you think that you have to do excessive amounts of cardio during the week just to burn calories then you're making a mistake. Recovery is very important, and your body can't get stronger and build more muscle until it has recovered from your training, so if you put too many demands on it then you won't make any progress and will just overtrain or burnout. Mike Mentzer used the analogy of training as digging a hole, and when you recover you are filling the hole, with strength gains and muscle gains as going on top when the hole has been filled through adequate recovery. If you are not getting enough recovery time then the hole will not get refilled, so when you go to train again you are just digging a deeper hole. (Not sure if that makes sense the way I've written it).


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## AlexHealy (May 27, 2012)

palbay said:


> Asda do frozen packs of berries, which are very good value. Some are mixed so it adds a bit of variety.
> 
> If you work out how much squash concentrate is in 3 litres worth you might be a bit shocked about how many carbs are in it (all of which will be sugars). You say you don't like the taste of water, is that tap water or mineral? If the taste is not to your liking then you could easily add a squeeze of lemon or lime juice.
> 
> ...


Cheers for the info on the frozen berries. Bought some and can't fault the price. That should save me about £8 a week just on berries. 

Both tap and mineral, I'll drink it when I'm training because its refreshing then, but at other times I don't like it. I use Robinsons squash and I think there's about 1g of carbs in a full bottle or so?

I've been doing HIIT after my weights training (3 days a week) so my rest times are still the same if that makes any difference?

I could probably fit 30 minutes steady state training onto my Tuesday session.

I'm giving Grenades a go at the minute, I've taken 3 today and its helped me if I'm honest. I struggled to eat my tea and its only as an appetite suppressor that I want them.

The ones I used to use were taken off the shelf as they contained DMAA.

Cheers for the advice, I really appreciate it. Today's the first day that I've hit my diet 100% and I'm hoping to keep going from here now.


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## AlexHealy (May 27, 2012)

Using the scales that tell you body fat percentage as a rough guide (I know this isn't accurate) instead of focusing on actual weight.

I was 23.1% last Monday and I am 21.9% today so a loss of 1.2% so far.

Diet is pretty simple.

Greek yogurt with 25g whey protein.

60g cathedral city lighter cheese.

200g turkey with veg.

5 egg omelette with 40g cathedral city lighter cheese.

200g turkey with veg.

Greek yogurt with 25g whey protein.


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