Jump Start Fat Loss Program

OK….I’ve had enough. I am going to lose weight. I workout 6 days per week, and have seen some gain in muscularity and strength over the past 4-5 weeks of working out, but little fat loss as indicated both by the scale as well as the fit of my clothes. I am 5’5” and 190 lbs. Not sure what my bf% is, but I can grab a handful of flab on my stomach, so I think it’s pretty high.

Feel free to laugh at me, but I’m getting ready to do the “slim fast diet plan.” I plan to drink 3 190 cal shakes per day and eat one 300-350 calorie lean cuisine/healthy choice TV dinner per day as well.

I’m not sure what my MT cal level is, but I’m simply not willing to induce a mere 500 cal deficit per day or 3500cal/1 lb per week. I want faster results and am willing to get catabolic and lose some muscle to accomplish it. Therefore I’m planning on consuming 1000 calories per day with about 50 grams of protein.

I know some of the reasons not to do something drastic like this, but I think I have a solution for each.

1) potential problem: simple malnourishment

solution: I will take mega doses of vitamins and flax oil.

2) potential problem: my metabolism will slow down and diminish my weight loss

solution: I purchased a 40 day supply of stacker 3…I’ll boost my metabolism with fat burners.

3) potential problem: I’ll lose valuable muscle and risk overtraining.

Solution: I’ll weight train using lighter weights for 12-15 reps and do steady state cardio for 30 minutes per session while maintaining a moderate heart rate (120-125 for me).

After I basically starve for 6 weeks, I will begin introducing healthy food back into my diet and attempt to lose the recommended 1 lb per week.

I just feel like I need a jump start in my weight loss. The ease with which I can control portions using the slim fast diet plan makes it seem very appealing to me right now.

Any and all thoughts are appreciated. Has anyone else taken a severe approach and had success in “jump starting” their weight/fat loss goals?
 
You obviously don't want to hear this, but...

That is a bad idea. You seem to know this, then why are you doing it? 1000 cals for your body size is ridiculous. That's less than half of what you should be eating. You are going to feel like crap. OK, you might lose weight, fat and muscle combined. After 6 weeks though, when you start eating normally again, your body will be all kinds of messed up, and you could likely gain all the weight back even if you are eating in a deficit. Do what you want, but I advise against it highly.

What's so wrong with the 500 cal deficit, heavy lifting, HIIT, and cardio? I do that, and I lose 2 pounds a week easy.
 
You have been grossly misinformed if you think any of those are actually solutions.

1. Vitamins are not food. It's why we don't live off of them.
2. Literally everything is wrong with that statement. You're going to be underfed and hopped up on pills.
3. Using light weights won't encourage your body to retain muscle. With how little you're feeding yourself, I doubt you could retain it regardless.

These are not solutions. They are shortcuts, and bad ones. Once you start eating again and go off of the boosters, you're going to be 10x worse off than you are today. Settle down, take your time, do it right and you won't have to worry about this for the next 50 years. Take this opportunity to learn now, not later.
 
Dude.....

I thoroughly applaud your enthusiasm & determination...AND I feel your pain: I too have made huge efforts and seen what I feel are pathetically slow and modest results...but sometimes you just have to deal with what you're situation provides.

If you go that low in calories, you're body will likely dump a lot of glycogen storage, the associated water-weight and some lean muscle....the moment you start introducing even a reasonable caloric intake (albiet healthy), you're gonna replenish what you've lost and probably be no better off.

Slow & steady wins the race. I wouldn't go below 1,700 calories and I wouldn't count on those supplements to do what they claim. Exercise a bit longer/more, eat a bit less....but accept your progress for what it is and just figure it'll take you a bit longer to get where you wanna be. Simple as that.

And hey, I bet you've lost more fat already then you realize....it's just offset on the scale by your muscle gain. The longer that fat has been on you, the longer it'll take to get off. Stay the course, don't get discouraged and realize that even as you do lose weight, you may not feel, see or sense it: I've lost almost 50 pounds and still look in the mirror and wonder when I'm gonna see the difference. And quite frankly, my pants are looser but I haven't really dropped in waist size.

Forget the supplements, just tweak the diet a bit leaner and change-up the exercise routine.
 
OK….I’ve had enough. I am going to lose weight. I workout 6 days per week, and have seen some gain in muscularity and strength over the past 4-5 weeks of working out, but little fat loss as indicated both by the scale as well as the fit of my clothes. I am 5’5” and 190 lbs. Not sure what my bf% is, but I can grab a handful of flab on my stomach, so I think it’s pretty high.

Diet is the "essential element" within a fitness plan:

The diet can prevent muscle growth, cause muscle growth, prevent fat loss, cause fat loss , and effect a person biologically and psychologically.

It is the catalyst within a fitness plan that makes everything else that one should "also attempt to make optimal" work.
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Education and appropriate personal application and review of this education can bring wisdom.

The mind can be a friend and/or foe, in either case you are in control of variances in the friend/foe equation
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Did you even realize the bodily position that you were in before you started diet and training?

For sake of argument lets say these things about you are in fact true:

a. You in fact trained with weights for 4 to 5 weeks, and it was progressive in intensity.

Did you keep a training log of: Weight, sets, and reps, on the type of exercises you were performing? This data can become an essential tool to combat plateaus--no matter what people tell you.

b. You "probably" didn’t weight train, regularly, prior to this 4 to 5 week period.

This is the "critical" element in your goal quest when first starting out and is an essential element now.

c. You specify muscle and strength gains, with little fat loss. And, this indicates that you believe you are carrying too much fat tissue weight now, and thought you were overweight prior to starting your diet and fitness training.

This too is a "critical" element prior to beginning your goal quest and is an essential element at the present time.

d. I don’t know the specifics of your diet during the 4 to 5 week period.

You didn’t relate much information on your diet during the 4 to 5 week period.

Did you keep a diet journal? Track your calorie deficits and/or macronutrients? This data can become an essential tool to combat plateaus--no matter what people tell you the contrary.

========================================================

A person that has not done any diet or fitness training in the past, but has taken the time to educate themselves on the "requirements" of fat loss/muscle gain, would know this when first starting out:

1. When the body has become accustomed to a rather irregular and possibly high caloric intake, which has caused unwanted tissue gain:Basically any drastic change in diet to the opposite brings a "heightened" response from the body.

If the body is accustomed to a rather "high caloric content", and then "suddenly" the calories drop to the "deficit calorie side of the equation", the body can react rather strongly to this sudden calorie change. This strong response period is very brief, however. Over a period of time (and weight loss can continue), the body will "likely" adjust to this rate of calorie of intake (v. exercise) over time, and the fat tissue loss will begin to slow over a certain amount of time.

Sometimes when people read information, they don’t really READ well. They get too one track minded and leave their perception closed.

Most people not so new to diet and training, know that if one hasn’t dieted before, have rather high body fat/weight, and are used to a high calorie diet, their body is going to react strongly to a deficit diet (for most healthy persons).

Okay, lets look at this when deficit dieting, very briefly:

-->Lets take this in reverse. If one is deficit dieting for long periods (weeks), the body can in fact adapt. And, when one "suddenly" eats in a large surplus, this can have a positive impact not only on their body (replenish energy stores, etc) but on weight loss.

IN FACT, when I eat over my MT line after deficit dieting, I can feel "leaner" the next day.

IN FACT the reason I don’t keep my deficits the same, and eat over my MT Line every 9 days (in what I call a traditional approach to diet) is to prevent adapt and overcome situation with my body when it comes to the issue of fat loss (especially, sub 10%).

When I say I don’t keep my deficits the same I approach it two ways: 1. Strictly adjusting/manipulating calories through diet--only, or 2. Allowing fitness training to make the adjustment. Both therefore can make a calorie manipulation. THIS IS POWERFULL!

2. The body has adjusted to its environment and has "developed enough strength and/or muscle" just for that: Work, your life style and daily living activities. Basically any drastic change brings a "heightened" response from the body.

Factors 1 and 2 presents an environment "primed" for both muscle and/or strength gains and fat loss at the same time, to one that is "educated" and applies the knowledge of fitness training and diet-correctly.

What some people miss with "new to fitness training" situation is the actual meaning of: gaining muscle/strength and fat loss at the same time. Doesn’t this mean that its possible that one could maintain body weight if muscle tissue growth and fat tissue loss is occurring simultaneously? Yes, it does.

However, the variances in diet and fitness stimulus will have a cause and effect on either side of the equation dependent on application, and this situation doesn’t last long and will likewise vary person to person.

You didn’t use this situation to your advantage, I believe. I personally have the opinion that if you are going to embark on a starvation diet thinking that this will improve your situation and do not care about the "gains" you may have made during the 4 to 5 weeks, by accepting muscle loss, and thinking you are optimizing fat loss, you were not that careful with your diet during the first 4 to 5 weeks of dieting and fitness training, and this effected your rate of fat tissue loss.

Appropriate education and application would have served you beyond belief if you had.

I personally believe with the knowledge I know about you at this time, that the diet was your killer in your fat loss attempt (I am assuming you did in fact "fitness train" for 6 days per week for 4 to 5 weeks), and the body was more in the position of improving its strength and muscle due to no "regular" fitness training in the past.

You introduced a new outside stimulant: Fitness training. And from your input, it was quite a change from what the body was used to, but your---diet suffered, BUT you were in the "new to weight training period" and didn’t suffer as much as another person who may have been training and dieting for a longer period of time.

With your history of not "regularly" training, you were going to improve your muscle and strength. The body had no choice but to react "favorably" to this sudden change in personal environment. At this time there is an improved probability of gaining good weight.

Education and application of this education is KING. Open up your perception and thought processes toward your diet and fitness training and decide how valuable it is to you, and what you will withstand to obtain your goal--this is the bottom line.


Feel free to laugh at me, but I’m getting ready to do the “slim fast diet plan.” I plan to drink 3 190 cal shakes per day and eat one 300-350 calorie lean cuisine/healthy choice TV dinner per day as well. I’m not sure what my MT cal level is, but I’m simply not willing to induce a mere 500 cal deficit per day or 3500cal/1 lb per week. I want faster results and am willing to get catabolic and lose some muscle to accomplish it. Therefore I’m planning on consuming 1000 calories per day with about 50 grams of protein.

If you dont know your MT Line is now, I think its safe to assume you didnt know it during the first 4 to 5 weeks you began diet and fitness and further adds to my belief you diet suffered from the beginning.

3*190=570. 570+350=920. Basically you are deciding to eat about 920 calories per day.

Whether you believe this or not, starving oneself removes the fuel from the fat burning furnace.

Good plain truth advice:

Don't EVER STARVE yourself especially at your young and youthful age (let alone a mature adult).

Your body will resist you. You are setting yourself up of biological, psychological, and physical, failure. Wouldn't you rather enjoy more food and have fat tissue loss at the same time?

If you do then learn how to manipulate the almighty calorie in direct relation to fitness training.

If you do then learn how to manipulate the almighty fitness training in direct relation to calorie consumption.

Correctly applied, it will NEVER steer you in the wrong direction.

The POWER of CHOICE (within diet and fitness) is both a curse and a blessing. Proper manipulation of choice, and you will maintain your course. Improper manipulation of choice will compel you to low levels of personal despair. Right now you are making an improper choice toward your diet and fitness goals.

Being young, you have things going on in your body that REQUIRES adequate CLEAN food consumption OVERALL (entire body), don't starve it: This is a disservice to yourself and health I believe.

You appropriately handle "choice" within your life (when concerning diet and fitness), and you will become nearly unstoppable as you work down your goal path.

When you open up perception with things you read, learn about the biological and psychological feed back one obtains when dieting and fitness training, and separate the brain from the body--as the empowering tower, and learn how to "properly" master your "unique" self, the odds of the fire within your spirit burning out goes down tremendously.

1. A diet vs. fitness plan optimized for tissue loss.

A. Determine your MT Line.

B. Create a small deficit

C. Create calorie TARGETS each day

D. Track your calorie intake each day

E. Learn how to manipulate the calorie versus fitness activities.

F. Create an exercise program that is a FBW or an upper/lower split (when work and other life issues require such a split). Or flat develop "something" within the confines of what you have available to use (even marginally less equipment can get the job completed)

G. Create Diet and Fitness Training journals

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Some say dont track calories, some say do. Some that dont track calories are in the position of knowledge that they dont have to. Some are in the same position of knowledge want to eliminate the element of memory failure and track calories.

What ever you decide to do there is NO DOUBT what this information can do for you when its on paper--precisely--what you had been taking in calorie wise. It is a foundation base that CAN prevent heartache and weight loss plateaus......its underestimated IMO, because alot do not USE IT to their personal GOAL ADVANTAGE--properly, and this is TOO BAD.

I still track and count my calories to this very day.

Within this journal you would have information without a price tag. IMO.

I am going to assume you don’t have a diet journal.

Additionally, I am going to assume you don’t have a weight training journal. If you have one but not the other, shame on you. If you don’t have either, shame on you again.


The very problem you possess now could be better solved with:

1. Continued education and appropriate application of this knowledge
2. Data from: The Diet journal (and inputting goal progress per week, in fat loss)
3. Data from: The Fitness training journal
4. Periodic reviews and adjustments.

Watch, look, and listen, to your body:

Use the data from the diet and fitness journals along with appropriate application of knowledge learned to have the tools available to "work with" to allow you to have a foundation to "work from" to make improvements, "when" complications come up during diet and fitness training.

THIS IS SMART.

If one is keeping a training journal, this essential journal can tell you many things: Your progress from one work out to the next (on individual exercises), and whether your progress is occurring good, or slowing down.

In addition, if one is keeping a diet journal per day along with the training journal, one can look in the diet journal per day and compare results in the training journal and in effect determine if its something in the diet or training and/or both is slowing progress.

Though its rather brief, this portion of my post is the heart and soul of my success--I attribute nearly all of my goal success to the 4 units listed in this section.

Personally I dont like tracking calories, and sometimes it seems I dont have the time----I MAKE TIME.

I know some of the reasons not to do something drastic like this, but I think I have a solution for each.

1) potential problem: simple malnourishment

solution: I will take mega doses of vitamins and flax oil.



Young man this is not smart. Taking "mega" doses of vitamins can be TOXIC to the body and can KILL YOU or severely damage an organ. This is plainly counter productive and intrusive on your health. Even if you take the appropriate amount of vitamins, it will have little to do with your overall fat loss results.


Second half next post, LOL......:)


Best regards,


Chillen
 
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Second half:


2) potential problem: my metabolism will slow down and diminish my weight loss

solution: I purchased a 40 day supply of stacker 3…I’ll boost my metabolism with fat burners.

Welcome to the: "Smelling-The-Turd-Course"

When completed you will:

"Have been educated, and will earn the "Bull-SH@t Degree, BSD"

You clearly don’t understand what impact diet and fitness "basics" has on stimulating metabolism.

Metabolism is a complicated subject; however, I thoroughly believe that if one were to understand how to manipulate calories and exercise together as a comprehensive unit, this will have a far greater impact on fat tissue loss--then the placebo effect and false sense of accomplishment so called over the counter fat loss pills tend to create.

From all the data and information I have read thus far, "meal frequency" (but is useful for nutritional and other fitness purposes) is a minor player on the impact of metabolism (if having any), and has much less of an impact on metabolism, than calorie manipulation and exercise manipulation.

You would be better served paying attention to manipulating your calories and exercise, than exercising your wallet on fat burners.


For amusement, I was looking at a bottle of Mega-T.

Product label:

*Helps curb appetite
*Helps burns calories
*Helps fight mental fatigue

All the above have a caption asterisk next to it, and when one reads this it says:

"We believe over a period of time you can lose up to 20 pounds if you follow a proper weight loss diet and exercise plan."

Bang the head on the table and shake and rattle the brain! WAKE UP!

Fat loss pills WILL NOT BE responsible nor the stimulant to bring about fat loss! Why do you think they include clauses such as these on so called fat burner products? Because the deficit diet is the absolute KING of all fat burners, the nutrients are the decision maker, and fat burners are bull SH@tters to take your money from your pocket and make a profit. In addition, you need to understand this market isn't even regulated to the degree it should be.

Congratulations, you just had a "smelling-the-turd-course", and have earned your "bull-sh@t" degree.


3) potential problem: I’ll lose valuable muscle and risk overtraining.

Solution: I’ll weight train using lighter weights for 12-15 reps and do steady state cardio for 30 minutes per session while maintaining a moderate heart rate (120-125 for me).

After I basically starve for 6 weeks, I will begin introducing healthy food back into my diet and attempt to lose the recommended 1 lb per week.

I just feel like I need a jump start in my weight loss. The ease with which I can control portions using the slim fast diet plan makes it seem very appealing to me right now.


You worked out approximately 6 weeks. You gained good muscle weight along with some fat tissue. With your present mentality this is what is going to happen to you:

Your energy levels are going plummet after the first week once the body adjusts to the new starvation level of calories and consumes its internal energy stores from the liver and other places of the body. Since you are not meeting the calorie level for basic body function--your body is not going to function optimally, and the "body will be talking to you"--I promise, and you will not like what it has to say.

This IS going to effect your emotions, attitude, and persistence: You are setting yourself up for failure.

While your energy levels are dropping, your body is going to bring in all its internal armies to fight you (and they are powerful), you are going to ruin its recoverability, you are going to over train, and when the smoke clears and you are in a weakened state, you will be worse off--than when you initially started training in the first 4 to 5 week period. And, that’s IF you are able to make it the entire time you set to starve yourself.

You WILL lose any hard earned muscle tissue you may have gained during your training efforts the previous 6 weeks. Your diet is going to wipe-it-out like it never existed. And, you don’t care? . You will find it difficult to progress in the weight room: The body will flat not have the ability to give you progression your mind seeks, will pucker your cheeks, and make you meek in what you seek.

It will be learning lesson you will not forget. So, all will not be lost if you learn from it IF you make the CHOICE to follow this course of action.


Any and all thoughts are appreciated. Has anyone else taken a severe approach and had success in “jump starting” their weight/fat loss goals?


Speaking for myself, no.


Best regards,


Chillen
 
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Now that you officially learned that FAT BURNER products are full of it, I officially convey the "Full of Bull Award" for your good grade in the "Smelling-The-Turd-Class":

Fullofit.jpg




I wish you all the best in your diet and fitness quest, young man! :)

Keep smelling the BULL SH@T!



Chillen
 
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If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Dont take my previous posts the wrong way, they mean well. The feeling I have for the members on this site are very strong; I believe in them all and in what they aspire to do with life and within fitness, and you are no exception.

You can do this, but you have to change your choices, and we can help you if you will listen

Fat-burners are bull sh@t, you cannot count on them. You can count on only one thing in diet and fitness: Yourself.

During the entire time I lost over 30 pounds, I never used ANY supplements other than Whey Protein Powder, Flax and fish oil, and a multi-vitamin.

The way I lost 30 pounds, and got down to 8%, and soon to be below 8% is through hard work, and manipulating calories, macronutrients, and fitness training.

If I looked for something special, I look no further than myself for the input to bring the output. No excuses, just getting it done and doing what it takes.

If one wants their goal they will make "appropriate" sacrifices or they won't. Either ones want-o-meter raises to the requirement or it doesnt--this is the bottom line, really.

Hey!

You may want to consider creating a journal. This way you can ask additional questions, post your diet and training, keep a log of thoughts, etc.

A lot of persons view these logs, and it could assist you, possibly, in allot of ways!

There is alot of information on this wonderful fitness site.

Go here and read on some basic and fundamental information:

Weight Training 101

Basics on weight loss and weight gain

Weight Training Technical Articles

How to get abs guide


Go here for some thoughts on the mental side:

Weight Loss Intricate


The ChillOut Log by Chillen
(allot of pages to go through, but there IS good information that may help you if you take the time to seek it)

If you need ANYTHING let me know, I will try to help you all I possibly can.



ROCK ON! :)

Chillen
 
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I have a feeling I am going to be kicked out of this place in the near future:rolleyes:

Just finished reading some of the links you provided Chillen. In one of them, someone was asked about their cheat meal. I think a slice of cake was mentioned(GASP!) and it was also stated, in general terms, that their weight was higher the following day.

Are you guys that serious about your weight loss/gain? I mean, I have lost some 50 pounds over the past year and have maintained a very healthy lifet style since. Once a week I cheat a bit....may even eat a desert after dinner. Sure, it is not the lean healthy diet my body is accustom to the other 6 days per week, but I have never had a surge in even a moderate body fat gain. Maybe some of you have differant goals or interprations of things. I'm not baseing my opinion of folks here on that one thread, but I hope folks are not that anal to think one slice of cake is the end of the world.

Differant strokes for differant folks ;)
 
Some of the posts within the thread can move the intention away from the main point; therefore, I think I will remove it for this reason.

I appreciate YOUR feed back.


Best wishes to you!


Chillen
 
Allow me to ask you this, if I may.

How often do you cheat, and if you do, what do you have?

For me, I normally go once a week and have a slice or two of pizza, maybe a diet coke or pepsi. I may also go have a steak with a baked tater and a Miller Lite. So, nothing awful, but obviously these items have some bad stuff in them. I actually feel it rejuvanates me to eat this cheat meal. I can alsmot feel my body react to it, and then when I go back the following day to my normal meals, it feels good to be eating clean. Normally If I cheat I eat it during the day, not nearer to dinner time...sometimes I do. I try to make some accomadations to make my cheat meal less negative.
 
Allow me to ask you this, if I may.

How often do you cheat, and if you do, what do you have?

For me, I normally go once a week and have a slice or two of pizza, maybe a diet coke or pepsi. I may also go have a steak with a baked tater and a Miller Lite. So, nothing awful, but obviously these items have some bad stuff in them. I actually feel it rejuvanates me to eat this cheat meal. I can alsmot feel my body react to it, and then when I go back the following day to my normal meals, it feels good to be eating clean. Normally If I cheat I eat it during the day, not nearer to dinner time...sometimes I do. I try to make some accomadations to make my cheat meal less negative.

First, I want to say that my goal desire is above the desire to cheat and cant be beat.

Second, one's definition of "cheating" can be different from one person to the next.

With this said, I plan my meals 9 days in advance. This is from learned behavior of bodily responses. Sometimes the plan doesnt pan out as I want, and I have to modify it (with work interference, etc), but it still falls within the scope I plan out.

Personally, I define a cheat as eating in surplus when wanting to eat in a deficit AND/OR eating something I shouldnt. To be honest, I litterally cannot remember when this sort of cheating as defined by me, has been done last--because I have too many things developed to combat my biological and psychological bodily feedback, and it prevents it from happening.

However, I do allow a surplus every 9th day. Sometimes its the 8th day. I allow a surplus that I personally designate, and it can be from +500c to +1000c. Within this day, I will allow some pre-planned healthy sweet item recipes, and sometimes one of my not so healthy sweet items I love. Other than this, its pretty strict within the limits I set forth.

I follow the 95%-5% rule most of the time. But its rare I enter the 5%. Eating strict isnt really all that hard for me, as the food that is basically (overall) required, I love anyway and I have built in household items to combat cravings if or when the develop.



Best wishes,


Chillen
 
I can quit all the cheat meals cold turkey. But, I understand it to be a good thing to have a cheat meal ever so often. It helps keep your metablolism amped so that your system continues to burn fat at a higher level.

Is this not true?
 
I can quit all the cheat meals cold turkey. But, I understand it to be a good thing to have a cheat meal ever so often. It helps keep your metablolism amped so that your system continues to burn fat at a higher level.

Is this not true?

I think that's something people made up to make them feel better about cheating.

I never cheat because I really don't have a strong drive to eat anything "bad" anymore. It's largely psychological; I know how much better I feel and look now, so the idea of eating fast food or junk food sickens me.

Some say if you DO have a strong urge to eat something like that every now and then there may be some wisdom in giving yourself that treat occasionally so you don't crack and give up on your diet completely.....on the other hand, if you go cold turkey I believe the desire to cheat almost completely goes away eventually and that is a better strategy.

How many drug addicts could stay clean if they occasionally had a "cheat"? I think junk food is addictive. Why else would there be so many obese people? No one would freely chose to live that way.
 
Well, I must say, I'm surprised by the two responses thus far as to a "cheat meal". I have read it serveral places that shocking the system is a good thing...in moderation. Guess I need to study that topic a bit more to see where it takes me. Frankly, from what I have read thus far about it, it makes sense to me. I, for one, do not feel at all guilty when I have a small desert. I know that I am commited to my life style and that's that. I want to be able to enjoy myself, but in a responable way.
 
You will read a lot of things in fitness magazines and on the web that are flat wrong.

I'm not saying you should necessarily feel guilty if you give in sometimes, but don't fool yourself into thinking it's actually beneficial
 
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