L-Carnatine

[Biffins]

Just wanted to start a quick thread on this supplement I've been taking since May 1st. This supplement, when taken before a workout session, is so far showing some real promising results for me. I'll work on getting some links up about the scientific data about it, but in essence, it assists in using fat stores for energy as opposed to carbohydrate stores. So if teamed with a solid workout regiment of HIIT cardio, and good eating, one should expect nice results if your plan is to lose fat mass.

I'll post updates as I get them, bi-weekly from my nutritionist. For reference, February 1st I was approximately 239 lbs, 30% body fat. May 1st, I was approximately 230 lbs, 27% body fat. Those measurements were recorded from a less accurate machine (http://www.virginlifecare.com - at one of their Kiosks in Redondo Beach, CA). I have been using the nutritionist's machine since May 28th.

The Nutritionist I go to has a pretty high tech machine to measure body fat and such, and the results are below. More results are forthcoming to see if the trend continues.

May 28:
Weight: 220.5 lbs
Fat Free Mass: 163.61 lbs (74.2%)
Fat Mass: 56.89 (25.8%)

June 7
Weight: 219 lbs
Fat Free Mass: 165.5 lbs (75.6%)
Fat Mass: 53.5 lbs (24.4%)

So in just 10 days, I added nearly 2 lbs of fat free mass, while cutting almost 3.5 lbs of fat mass. This supplement is amazing, and it is only the first of many that helps assist in the goal of burning fat stores for your energy while at the gym. It isn't a miracle drug, but it certainly is a great addition to an already solid workout & eating routine.

-Eric

[Fabalous]

price?

[Ryowen]

I was talking with my SF buddy the other day and I asked him, what those guys did to keep in shape. He was telling me that they do alot of training on their own to keep in shape and he introduced me to this website called crossfit. I read it over and it has a nice program for athletes, law enforcement, and military personnel. Some of the stuff they have is really funny too! I've started a routine based on this program in preperation for ranger school so I'll let you know how it works out by the end of the summer.

http://crossfit.com/

[Talisen]

I need to get in better shape as well.. I'll get some stats soon to see what I've got to work with.

[Rickroll]

okay biffins, i'm in summer so i'm home all day playing WoW. I want to start something to get in shape,

what do u suggest for something to start off lite?

I quit drinking soda as a starter :\

[Metzer]

okay biffins, i'm in summer so i'm home all day playing WoW. I want to start something to get in shape,

what do u suggest for something to start off lite?

I quit drinking soda as a starter :\

Replace soda with water/milk/juice and you'll drop weight. More water, than juices though. Ride a bike for like 45min to, nonstop. Not like some gym bike but outside. Its less wear and tear and pounding on your body than running. I say at least 45 minutes, because at around 43minutes of a constant exercise, thats about where yoru body starts turning to your body fat for energy. That at least applies for running, not sure about other forms.

[Biffins]

Read my other thread, it is a perfect starter diet + exercise plan for someone who never really has done much in the past X amount of months. Should be easier to work into without disrupting or being too challenging to maintain.

Also, what Metzer was saying, you can achieve that same effect by doing smarter cardio. In-fact, I've only been doing 35 minutes of cardio each time I go, and I burn quite a bit of fat doing so. The key is this: Do your cardio after your lifting in the same day. So example:

Monday: Lifting, Cardio
Tuesday: Cardio
Wednesday: Lifting, Cardio
Thursday: Cardio
Friday: Lifting, Cardio
Sat / Sund: Warcraft

High intensity interval training (HIIT) Cardio accomplishes this fat-burning goal much more effectively on bike than just doing 45 minutes of something moderately challenging. Currently, I do my cardio exclusively on the bike to avoid knee damage, since I am still fat. My knee's can't handle extended periods of running just yet!

What I do, and of course adjust your RPM/Resistance levels based on what you can actually maintain:

Minutes:
0-3: Warmup on Resistance 7, RPM 70-75
3-4: Interval, Resistance 11, RPM 110-115
4-6: Slow down, Resistance 7, RPM 70-80
6-8: Speed up, Resistance 8, RPM 80-90
8-9: Interval, Resistance 11, RPM 110-115

Repeat this trend of 1 minute interval at the hardest level you can maintain (In other words, where you can barely finish the 1 minute, and are sweating/breathing like a madman), with 4 minutes between each one, for 35 minutes. So you'll do an interval at the 3, 8, 13, 18, 23, 28, 33 minute marks. As you get better, increase the difficulty of your interval, while always keeping the 4 minute gaps at about 75% of the levels of your interval. So if you can only maintain a RPM 90, Resistance 9 interval, do Resistance 6/7, RPM 65-75 between intervals.

Once the 35 minutes is complete, do 2 minutes at low resistance, low speed to cool down. And always stretch a few minutes before AND afterwards to avoid injuries.

Make sure you haven't eaten solid foods in the past 2.5 hours before working out, since quite often your metabolism will not have finished digesting it all yet. Protein shake 1 hour before the gym is what I recommend, depending on the speed of your metabolism. On days where you lift AND run, I propose waiting 30 minutes upon completion of everything, and then eating a delicious Chipotle Chicken burrito, which is basically the perfect after-meal: Carbs, Fiber, tons of Protein, Vegetables. Or pre-cook a chicken breast, cut it up, toss it on top of a salad with carrots, cucumbers, balsalmic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper.

Start with that. Water is crucial - be sure that anytime you have 'dry mouth', its basically a sign that you are already dehydrated, so keep drinking fluids in that case. At the gym, bring a good 1 L bottle of water and you should consume most of that while biking.

-Eric

[Rickroll]

Alright, thx, i'll get start doing that.

also, I have a bike, and I have weights, but i dont have membership to any Gym :\

also, sometimes i feel like i jsut wanna grab something and munch on it, lately , when i go to the kitchen and about to grab something, i stop, and then i think that i'm actually not hungry at all, so I just leave and go back to my computer.

I have been going to bed around 2-4am, and because of that, waking up at 12pm-2pm.

I'll start going to bed at 12am, to wake up at 10am, then eat breakfast and start lifting weights, and running 45mins on a bike, or should I lift weights, and use the bike BEFORE I eat breakfast?

Oh! i just remember, I have an Ab Lounge thing in my living room. So i'll add that to my cardio?

EDIT: Also, I dont have many healthy foods around to eat. Theres mostly just ceral and pop tarts, instead of eating that in the morning. I should instead eat something like Eggs and sausage? and since bread has alot of carbs, I shoudl just skip the bread part?

[Biffins]

I forgot to add something:

The brand I use is called Carni-clear, made by Designs for Health. Bottle is 235ml, and each dose is 1tsp, or 5ml. Thus you get ~47 doses, assuming you take it once daily (recommended). It runs about $45-50 a bottle where I get it (at my nutritionist), and I'm not even sure if this brand is sold at stores. You'd probably have to find a nutritionist or specialty pharmacy store to get this particular brand.

Should you be able to acquire L-Carnatine, as this was the purpose of this thread originally, take 1 TSP of it with a glass of water 15 minutes before working out. If you can afford to, also take another dose of it the moment you wake up each day w/ water, first thing, before anything else gets consumed. Wait 10 minutes before eating anything after doing so, thus giving the LC time to work uncontested in your stomach.

-Eric

[Biffins]

Alright, thanks, i'll get start doing that.

also, I have a bike, and I have weights, but i dont have membership to any Gym :\

also, sometimes i feel like i jsut wanna grab something and munch on it, lately , when i go to the kitchen and about to grab something, i stop, and then i think that i'm actually not hungry at all, so I just leave and go back to my computer.

I have been going to bed around 2-4am, and because of that, waking up at 12pm-2pm.

I'll start going to bed at 12am, to wake up at 10am, then eat breakfast and start lifting weights, and running 45mins on a bike, or should I lift weights, and use the bike BEFORE I eat breakfast?

Oh! i just remember, I have an Ab Lounge thing in my living room. So i'll add that to my cardio?

EDIT: Also, I dont have many healthy foods around to eat. Theres mostly just ceral and pop tarts, instead of eating that in the morning. I should instead eat something like Eggs and sausage? and since bread has alot of carbs, I shoudl just skip the bread part?

(EDIT) Up front: This is a diet/plan if your goal is to lose weight exclusively while maintaining your current muscle level. If you are looking to bulk up, a seperate plan is likely to be more effective.

1) As it pertains to food, check out my thread called like Starter diet. Most of the things I list will be cheaper for you to purchase, and eating is easily half of the battle here. Eating pop tarts and cereal isn't going to do you much good even if you work out as I said. My motto is 'go big or go home', so I recommend you take on both parts of the diet if you want to see maximum results. That or be realistic if you don't change your eating that your results will follow more slowly.

Some ideas for snacks, mid-day / afternoon: Almonds, Celery with peanut butter, Carrots, salad, protein shake. Pop tarts are a few bucks a box, and cereal is no cheaper. You get more out of a head of lettuce for 1-2 bucks, cut it up, dampen a paper towel, rinse it out, and store it in the fridge. It'll last you at least 5-6 meals, and be considerably better for you. Fruits / vegetables, though often not as appetizing as a Strawberry Poptart, will contribute little to no carbs, low calories, and fill you up nicely given the substance of eating a portion of them. Ideal snack late night too, given the low calories.

2) Carbohydrates: They are not bad for you, they are just bad for you if you mis-manage them, big distinction to make here. I don't eat many carbs, but when I do, I am sure to get them in before my workout, and some small amount afterwards. Carbs become your enemy, similar to excess calories, if you eat too much of them at times you will have no chance to burn them off as energy (Evening / Late night).

3) Timing of meals: All depends on your appetite. Typical day for me looks something like this, adjust accordingly if your sleep schedule does not line up with mine:

9am: Wake up, Cappuccino, Oatmeal
11am: Small bowl of fruit
12:30pm: Chicken, Salad, Vegetables (carrots)
3pm: Protein Shake - Protein powder, water, Kefir (cultured milk), Fish oil, Flax seed
4pm: L-Carnatine with water
4:15pm: Gym
**5:30pm: (if cardio only day) Home from Gym, Almonds
**6:30pm: (if cardio+lift day) Home from Gym
7:00pm: Dinner
Main Dish (Only one of the following): a) Fish, b) Chicken, c) Steak, d) Fried Rice
Always accompanied by EITHER: a) grilled carrots, b) green beans, c) brocolli, d) side salad
10:00pm: Late night snack - Salad, apple, carrots, cucumbers, celery. Some type of fruit or vegetable. Take your pick.
12-2am: Winding down, Go to bed

1 thing to note: I only eat fried rice on days I come home from a cardio+lift day, else it often is too much carbs for me to handle.

Key to maintaining a meal plan like mine is simply to plan ahead and cook extras all the time. Anytime I cook fish or chicken, I buy 2-3 times as much as I plan on eating, that way I save the meat, cut it up, and re-use it the next day in a salad, or as a meal. Since I like to eat 30 minutes after coming home from the gym, its absolutely essential to have that food ready to go, heat it up, warm up the vegetables (pre-boiled), so that there is little to no effort involved.

Hope this helps.
-Eric

[Rickroll]

Alright.

I'll go to the grocery store and start buying some stuff

For breakfast, would it be okay to eat fried eggs with sausage? or I could just eat Oatmeal, I usually use Milk and sugar when i make the oatmeal. instead of sugar should i use Splenda? and with a Glass of Water? the only juice we have is Passion Fruit, but i think it has too much Sugar.

I'm not trying to do a diet to get bulked up, i just want to lose some weight as well as lift weights to get more muscles.

for the fruit part, grapes and Strawberries alright? those are my favorite fruits ;D
i'll use those for snacks and also almonds. and is Popcorn bad? or is popcorn WITHOUT any butter alright?

for things like lunch and dinner, eating chicken or a steak, isn't bad at all right?

[Biffins]

First off, I never asked, but who are you RickRoll? Like do you play on BC or anything?

To answer your Q's:

1) Eggs are a fantastic breakfast. High in protein. I eat oatmeal for a few reasons: Carbohydrates early, Protein, Fiber. I eat whole oats with milk, and a packet of Equal sweetener. So yes, splenda is probably a suitable substitute. Whatever you prefer is fine. I drink a cappuccino daily with my oatmeal, not juice or water. I don't really get into drinking water until say 11am or so.

2) Fruit: Any fruit is just fine, whatever you prefer the taste of. Popcorn isn't terrible, but it isn't productive either. I'd avoid it unless you have some compelling craving. The key here is timing and moderation. Popcorn probably has carbs, so having it earlier in the day will remove some of the negative effects of it should you burn that energy. Also, it doesn't really have any helpful ingredients for you, so its just filler. Typically what accompanies popcorn is what you'd like to avoid: butter, excessive salt.

3) Chicken and steak are fantastic meats to be eating. High in protein, and if you purchase lean pieces, low in fat. L-Carnatine is actually an extract from grass-fed red meats. So if you can even find steak from grass-fed cows, you will be getting some amounts of L-Carnatine, which is excellent for most diets.

Watch your serving size is all I would say in regards to Chicken and Steak. Basically, turn your palm face up and tuck your thumb in. You want to eat a piece of meat that is about 2/3 the size of your hand in length, and approximately as thick as your hand - Roughly 6-8 ounces. (This is assuming you don't have tiny or gigantic hands)

-Eric

[Rickroll]

My 70 druid used to be in Bonechewer, but i recently transfered to Area-52 because of 3 RL friends, the new server sucks big time -_-...well regarding PvP. Its a PvE server, but most battlegroups consists of PvE - PvP servers (and aroudn 16-21servers), this battlegroup only consists of 7 servers and all PvE. Ally are outnumbered and lose every single match. while ally is filled with ppl who ONLY want the pvp gear, and actually DISLIKE PvP, I only PvP for fun :(
oh and I deleted my draenei mage and i have a Undead Mage in bonechewer ;\ (don't gank Athaka plz)

About the eggs, When i make fried eggs, i Normally just fry eggs, and get 2 toasts of bread with cream cheese (and sometimes sausages), since the bread is carbs but also, its early in the morning, so i guess i could burn that off, so is it alright to eat breakfast + bread + sausages (not every time tho) and a glass of Water or Juice (prolly mostly water)

The bread i'll use will be whole wheat bread. for lunch, would it be alright to have Tuna sandwich? all it would contain would be Tuna, mayo and 2 slices of whole wheat bread.

I'll do the Cardio and lifting before breakfast, then eat breakfast, couple of hours later do a bit more cardio right before lunch (if i'm eating more carbs :\) or after a couple of hours after lunch?

When I buy strawberries, they are never fresh, most of them are all mushed up and nasty :(, so it takes me like 10mins to find the right strawberries. I'm gonna go buy that, and some grapes, whole wheat bread, and Chicken/Meat, anything else I should get?

[Biffins]

Well, I'm no expert on what is the perfect way to do things, I'll just comment on what has been working for me.

Personally, again back to my whole 'go big or go home' philosophy, I'd cut out a lot of that fried food and cottage cheese. You could just as easily put jam on the bread, scramble the eggs with some pepper and low-fat cheese, and be much better off. I mean, if you are ok getting slower results (but results, nonetheless) your proposed diet sounds ok. If you want better results faster, I'd personally cut down on the fat consumption. Then again, I'm not attached to any food, drink, etc. I can interchange them at will with little disruption. Not all people are like that, they have quirks and things they enjoy daily. My only quirk is red wine.

Tuna is an exceptional source of protein, I just do not like the taste/texture of it myself. However, i highly recommend it as a substitute for chicken or some other protein around lunch time. For other suggestions about food, check my threads here, its all outlined pretty clearly.

Last, you should only need 1 hard cardio session daily. I'll leave the timing of it up to you, but I would highly recommend eating first, and doing the cardio 2-3 hours later (once your food digests). I find that you will be more focused and able to perform better.

When I said you want to eat the carbs earlier in order to burn them throughout the day, I'm going off of the assumption you might be leaving your house and walking around etc. General activity burns carbs too, so walk your dog, go to the store, etc, all of that will utilize your carbs for energy.

-Eric

[Ryowen]

If your a beginner, I would suggest getting some friends and playing sports together on a regular basis. Basketball and raquetball are two of the best for getting a full, well-rounded exercise. It's also summer, unless you live in the southern hemisphere, so go out and do some swimming. Monotonous exercising is the enemy. Home exercise equipment is for pussies because it usually just singles out a few muscles, you might as well put on one of those electrode belts while you play WoW.

Getting outside of your house to do something will give you a purpose to leave plus you can meet interesting people with similar interests. If all else fails, join the Marines. :D