I stay aware and realistic with myself regarding carbs & fats. I can never eat enough protein & fibres, so Im always trying to restrict carbs & fats, when I have them I make sure they are healthy!

Not enough healthy proteins! Forgetting...eggs, low-fat greek yogurt, fish, dark chocolate (85% and higher), almonds, chicken, spring mix lettuce... How about spices: cinnamon, chilli, turmeric... lemon, apple cider vinegar... Although raisins are full of nutrients, they are packed with simple sugars which will not fill you up! If not restricted, they will contribute to fat storage!

I'm not much of a breakfast eater, although I do have something every morning. I normally have an Omega-3 supplement & natural multi-vitamin before I leave home, then at the office I will have a very small bowl of oatmeal & 3-5 egg whites. This is my breakfast/pre-workout meal since I will go lift weights and/or do cardio a few hours later. I guess what matters most to me is how I eat around my workouts to get the most energy and best results, then go into muscle building & fat burning mode for the rest of the day (and night). What I eat for supper & before bedtime is my energy for the next day's workout. The morning oatmeal is to have some carbs while I expel glycogen during workouts. As for the protein, I always have protein throughout the day to satisfy my body's needs when repairing damaged muscle.

Thanks all, hopefully I will be adding another pic soon to complete my journey :) Nitara, Wow! you look very sexy...keep it up! Ginnyray, your pic is too small I cant see!!

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Great work everyone, this is motivating! I will post too if I can remember later!

Keep in mind that FATs are extremely dense in calories and so are sugars (refined sugar but also honey/maple syrup). Are you exercising? Maybe you are burning fat but gaining muscle mass.

[quote=fatoldlady]I would take real natural sugar over any sugar substitute any day. Its all about managing your calorie intake. I agree that having huge amount of sugar in your diet could cause many problem, including obesity, but replacing sugar with chemicals is not a more healthy option.[/quote] Well said. I entirely agree :)

[quote=Kppadgett] Your body is designed to derrive energy from any carbohydrate, protein, or fat. Arguably any alcohol too. You are over complicating a simple thing, all carbs are basically 4 calories per gram with slight variations, and will all have the same effect on weight gain or loss regardless of if the carb in question is waxy maize (The quickest "digested" carb source that is claimed to already be in a form that can be sent straight into the blood stream) or the longest chain complex carb.[/quote] Your liver is not the only organ that regulates your blood sugar level (glucose in bloodstream). Another major organ which is just as important as the liver is your small intestine. When you eat natural foods, your intestine must break it down while working through fibres which regulates how quickly your carbs are sent to your liver for further processing (e.g. converting sucrose to glucose). This really slows it down hence regulates the glucose going to your blood. What is important to understand is that your hormone levels produced by your thyroid and other glands is directly proportionate to your insulin level in your blood stream (which is produced in conjunction with your blood sugar). So if you look at carbs as all being the same and eat refined white flour instead of whole grains, your blood sugar level will spike since the glucose will make its way directly into your bloodstream with minimal digestion or processing required. As a reaction your body will produce a spike of fat storing hormones. Also, the spikes and falls in your insulin level make it very difficult for your body to properly regulate its energy. Of course, if you can tolerate spikes in estrogen and the hunger effect of ghrelin, then go ahead and do IIFYM. But if what you are eating is total crap (think Mc Donald's) then you will need zen focus and discipline to succeed imo.

Great article / find! Carbs from refined sugars are not processed the same as carbs from natural sugars found in fruits, honey, maple syrup, etc. First of all, your body evolved around the ecosystem and is designed to process natural foods. Natural foods will have certain molecular structures different from processed, different carb types e.g. fructose vs. glucose, and will contain a variety of nutrients required for your body to properly and optimally metabolize the energy (calories). For example, biotin is required for your body to properly expend blood glucose energy, and anti-oxidants help with cellular function which again helps metabolize energy. Not to mention vitamin C, B-complex, D, folic acid, CoQ10, calcium, iron, etc, etc. Remember, how these molecules are organized/structured in natural foods is also very important. Also, what is important is how the energy is processed. Carbs (complex glucose, fructose, sucrose, etc) must be broken down and converted to simple glucose molecules before they enter the blood stream by your liver and other organs. Your organs have evolved to specifically process complex natural foods which will never be replicated in a lab. Just something to keep in mind. Remember, although it helps with the learning process to simplify the human body model, it is an extremely complex machine which has adapted specifically to nature.

I agree with you Mark, it's just the idea that your body will go catabolic which is crazy to me. There is a lot of energy in the tank, and if you ingest enough protein, your body will have no reason to breakdown muscle because of 30 mins of cardio. I still prefer HIIT and I do it for 15 mins. I'm adding you, I like studying the science of health and fitness..you know a thing or two ;)

Why do people over-simplify body functionality. I agree about doing cardio after your weight training, but I doubt your body will go catabolic because you exhausted some glycogen stores. First off, assuming you ate pre-workout, there is energy in your digestive tracks and in your blood sugar. As you do cardio, you do expel glycogen but your body is refueling your muscles using blood glucose (which is replenished by the food in digestive system), glycogen in liver & fat stores. When it comes time to the weight training, I doubt your body is producing Cortisol to breakdown muscle. At WORST, you will be a little weaker and won't get as much out of your weight training because your not tearing as many muscle fibres.

congrats. Im getting close to it 4 lbs to go!

working out your stomach will not burn stomach fat. Here are a few tricks that worked for me: 1 drink alot of water, especially pre-meal 2 go to bed earlier and dont eat late at night 3 start body building and get knowledgeable via the internet and youtube 4 do some high intensity interval training / swimming and some endurance running 5 start doing your groceries and only buy healthy foods aka lean protein (fish, bird, egg, yogurt, cottage cheese), veggies, fruits, nuts, whole grains if you must, and for your sweet tooth some dark chocolate. ok i hope this helps get you started.