[timarie]

Exercise update

I increased my Leg Curl exercise to 115lbs. And wow, I was really struggling by the end of the sets! I couldn't even curl my legs all the way up

And since I ran out of my HMB and refuse to go to the store on the weekends (there is this guy who works there on the weekends who emailed me using my email address that the store has for my membership account and asked me out, and he is at least a good ten years my senior, but looks like he is twenty years older!). Needless to say, I am now bothered by him and avoided going there this weekend. So no HMB for me. After having lost .75" off my butt in the past week, I am terribly paranoid about going into catabolic state, and without my HMB I am... even more paranoid! Soooo in preparation for my workout I ate... probably too much I felt like I was going to throw up. But I really pushed on my V-Squat down-set (which I actually forgot to add in my program above. I repeat the V-Quat machine after my walking lunges, but then I do a downset with them instead of my normal 5 sets 5 reps) and actually felt a burn in my glutes for once in a long while. Maybe I will be sore tomorrow!!! I hope so!! It has been a long time since I have gotten sore from a workout. I love that feeling!!

Great post ladies.
Timarie you have inspired me to work a little harder and spend more time with weights.

I have a question for you, you mentioned you only do light cardio but you take tonalin CLA why is that? I understand why you take CLA but not the light cardio.

I do a medium to intense cardio workout for about 45 mins 3-4x per week and also do some weights. I would like to take something to trim my waist (I started using the squeem, thanks Doll) such as raspberry keystones or CLA but I don't want it to interfere with NBE as that is my main goal and I read that it is not good for NBE. I also cut down/out on green tea but don't think this is helping my waist. My measurements are 34.5 - 28 - 35.5, 120 lbs and 5'4".

Recently I did gain some noticeable growth in my Butt and a little in my hips which I am thinking is due to the Maca root powder. I just took a 3 week break as it seemed to be causing tummy weight and my thighs bigger and my friend was also complaining about her thighs getting bigger from Maca and stopped. I have just gone back on Maca for my butt but I hate that my thighs are getting bigger and am having second thoughts About doing leg/glute presses with 180lbs fearing that my legs will get even bigger. I love the toned muscular look which i have but don't like that my jeans are real tight in thigh area now.

Hi ChristinaD!

Your regimen, the way you described it, would be perfect for if your goal is to trim down and tone. My goals are a little different, as I want to get a large, shapely butt. In order to do that, I need to do the most I can to build muscle, even if it means gaining a little fat. Anything more than light cardio works against muscle building, so that is why I do light cardio. Check this out: http://weighttraining.about.com/od/fatlo...t_burn.htm and if you read under "fat burning zone" you can see why I do light cardio, because I want to burn a greater ratio of fat calories to glucose calories (ESPECIALLY less glucose calories, since that is what feeds my muscle and, if it runs out which it undoubtedly will if I do medium to intense cardio, will tap into my actual muscles for fuel!) and check out section 8 of this website if you don't feel like reading this whole page: http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/how-to-lo...ng-muscle/. I will take whatever fat loss I can, but NEVER at the expense of my muscle. This is why I say fat loss is secondary for me, while muscle building is primary. So, as medium to intense cardio can interfere with building muscle, CLA does not, so it is a better option for me for trimming the fat.

Thank you for sharing about the CLA and raspberry Keytones. Do you mind if I ask where you read that? I have not seen anything about that, although I can imagine that just because it encourages fat breakdown and diverts calories to feed muscle instead of fat, that theoretically it could deprive the breasts of fat tissue. And so can any calorie deficiencies caused by eating less and doing cardio, really, so if that is the reason it is not good for NBE, I am not concerned too much. But I'd be interested to see what you have on that!

How has the squeem been working for you? As you may have read in my previous posts, I have ordered a corset, but the results are not supposed to be permanent. I imagine that the results for a squeem are also not permanent. But if it helps BURN fat through thermogenesis (instead of just pushing fat around, or instead of just shedding water weight), and it claims to work without needing to do anything more than the light physical exercise typical in your daily routine, I might consider it. I just cannot wear that to the gym OR who knows, maybe I could tell people it is a back support, a lifting belt designed for chicks... lol my bf has been telling me to get a back support for my workouts, anyway.

And about your thighs, I totally get that! I hated the fact that my thighs got really big at first, and there really is no way to completely avoid working out the quads while you are working out your glutes (unless you stick solely to isolation exercises, which is not really recommended). When you say you are worried about your thighs getting bigger, I assume you means the quads and not the in-between-the-thighs chub (which is usually my biggest issue when I gain weight! my thighs rub together when I gain weight ).
I mean, built glutes are very attractive, but if you are concerned about your pants getting too tight, I am pretty sure that will be next to impossible to not gain anything more in your quads while you are gaining in your glutes. You will probably need to buy new jeans anyway if you plan on building your glute muscles. But, one way I CAN tell you to minimize the amount that you gain on your quads, you can focus your exercises on your glutes (and you may already possibly know this) by focusing on your posture and pushing through your heels. Squeeze your butt as you follow through with the weight. Whatever works to help you focus on using your glutes instead of your quads, which often like to "take over" if you're not careful. Like with the leg press you are thinking about doing, for example, place your feet up on the mat/board (whatever it is called that you put your feet on ) higher than is recommended on the directions posted on the machinery. This will make it easier for you to push through your heels. Check out this video by Amanda Latona, especially the part about the leg press: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/round-an...rkout.html

Also, I am just curious (because Maca never did anything noticeable for me when I took it last year), but when you say that Maca made your friend's and your thighs bigger, in what way? Did they get wider, or are the quads more protruding?

[AbiDrew85]

Hey timarie!

You seem to be the most knowledgeable on this forum about slimming down a waist... I don't have access to ANY exercise equipment, I only have my bicycle (which is a decent road bike) and things easily found around the house. I don't even have standard weights.

What would you suggest, given my limitations, for me to do to try and target my waist?

[timarie]

Hey timarie!

You seem to be the most knowledgeable on this forum about slimming down a waist... I don't have access to ANY exercise equipment, I only have my bicycle (which is a decent road bike) and things easily found around the house. I don't even have standard weights.

What would you suggest, given my limitations, for me to do to try and target my waist?

Wow, AbiDrew! I doubt that I am the most knowledgeable on this forum for slimming down a waist, as there are so many women on this forum working towards that, and I have been prioritizing my time lately on my glutes! But I can definitely offer you an idea for your situation, as all through college and even up to about three or four years ago used to have the flattest, firmest stomach. And the best part about it is that I never worked out my abs (in the conventional way of working out).

It started when I began to gain weight in college. I used to wear shirts that stopped right above my pant line and, well, even though I only had a little extra meat on my waist, it was noticeable due to the shirts I was wearing. So, I was so paranoid about having my stomach hang out that at every minute of every day, no matter what I was doing or where I was, I would pull in my transverse abdominus (TVA) muscles. It got to a point where I would do it without even noticing it, and my stomach was always flat and rock-hard. And since I was always constantly pulling them in, my abs would get a special focus when I was engaged in other physical activities such a biking, sweeping, lifting, running/jogging, walking, going up and down stairs, and even bending over. I would pretend to be doing the activity solely from my abs (for example, when I swept, I would contract my abs by tightening them and, with the use of my abs alone, would attempt to move my entire upper body, which in turn would move the broom). Getting my abs involved in everything I did surely was a contributor to my success, and getting my abs involved in everything I did was easy after I made a habit of always pulling in my TVA muscles. A funny story: When I was doing volunteer work with teens in a small trailer park town on the boarder of Mexico, the teens with whom I used to work had an on-running game where they would try to poke me in the stomach when I least expected it, in hopes to finally "catch" me with my stomach "relaxed" because they just could not believe how flat and firm it was. They never got what they were looking for, and instead always wound up pulling their finger back with a surprised "ow!" because jabbing a hard surface hurts, right?

Anyway, I found an actual "exercise" guide that teaches you how to do what I did, and even a handy reminder (since not everyone will be as paranoid as I was with my extra chub and short-stopping shirts!) to keep the TVA muscles pulled in throughout the day. You can find it here: http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Flat-Abs-Doing-TVA-Exercises and here: http://www.nowloss.com/flat_tummy.htm. I recommend this more than any other ab exercise if what you are aiming for is a flat stomach because all other ab exercises I have tried only seem to add bulk and are not nearly as effective in "flattening." This is VERY effective, and at the very most all you will need is a string or a rope! I will note here though that it obviously will not make you lose fat off of your midsection, as I am sure you know that the only way to do that is by overall body fat loss (which can be done in several different ways), or by thermogenesis, and possibly even fat burning creams (about which I am still researching). But I just wanted to share this exercise because it definitely worked for me and if you're looking for a tight and flat midsection, it will give you just that (at least, the best it can give you with whatever fat you have there!). Even girls with absolutely no fat on their stomach can still have a loose, droopy midsection (because if their TVA muscles are not toned, they will just flop). So, it is a MUST to tone and tighten your TVA muscles if you want a more slender waist. Also, I feel that I should also add as a disclaimer that, although it is probably the best out there for making your stomach flat and tight, this obviously will not be pulling in the sides of your waist.

Thank you for bringing up this topic and reminding me about this... I have been focusing so much on my glutes and relying on the idea of the corset later to help pull in my waist that I completely forgot about this which works so well. I just have let myself get too relaxed in the midsection the past few years (due to trying to encourage relaxation, as I tend to get anxiety and get overwhelmed easily)! I need to get back on that!!! It really works, you just have to be consistent with it and then you will not even have to think about it anymore once it becomes a habit for you, just as good posture can become a good habit that you don't have to think about. I'm going to make an effort to start this back up again

[AbiDrew85]

That really works? That is where most of my problem is... Though I do have slight love handles as well.

Any sweet ideas for those? I'm talking about at the hip "wings". Where the upper ridge of the hip bone is -supposed- to be able to be felt... It's hard to detect mine because I've got a bit of extra flub there.

It seems that no matter what I do, I'm NOT losing weight, and I'm certainly not losing it at the only place that I really need to!

[ChristinaD]

Exercise update

I increased my Leg Curl exercise to 115lbs. And wow, I was really struggling by the end of the sets! I couldn't even curl my legs all the way up

And since I ran out of my HMB and refuse to go to the store on the weekends (there is this guy who works there on the weekends who emailed me using my email address that the store has for my membership account and asked me out, and he is at least a good ten years my senior, but looks like he is twenty years older!). Needless to say, I am now bothered by him and avoided going there this weekend. So no HMB for me. After having lost .75" off my butt in the past week, I am terribly paranoid about going into catabolic state, and without my HMB I am... even more paranoid! Soooo in preparation for my workout I ate... probably too much I felt like I was going to throw up. But I really pushed on my V-Squat down-set (which I actually forgot to add in my program above. I repeat the V-Quat machine after my walking lunges, but then I do a downset with them instead of my normal 5 sets 5 reps) and actually felt a burn in my glutes for once in a long while. Maybe I will be sore tomorrow!!! I hope so!! It has been a long time since I have gotten sore from a workout. I love that feeling!!

Great post ladies.
Timarie you have inspired me to work a little harder and spend more time with weights.

I have a question for you, you mentioned you only do light cardio but you take tonalin CLA why is that? I understand why you take CLA but not the light cardio.

I do a medium to intense cardio workout for about 45 mins 3-4x per week and also do some weights. I would like to take something to trim my waist (I started using the squeem, thanks Doll) such as raspberry keystones or CLA but I don't want it to interfere with NBE as that is my main goal and I read that it is not good for NBE. I also cut down/out on green tea but don't think this is helping my waist. My measurements are 34.5 - 28 - 35.5, 120 lbs and 5'4".

Recently I did gain some noticeable growth in my Butt and a little in my hips which I am thinking is due to the Maca root powder. I just took a 3 week break as it seemed to be causing tummy weight and my thighs bigger and my friend was also complaining about her thighs getting bigger from Maca and stopped. I have just gone back on Maca for my butt but I hate that my thighs are getting bigger and am having second thoughts About doing leg/glute presses with 180lbs fearing that my legs will get even bigger. I love the toned muscular look which i have but don't like that my jeans are real tight in thigh area now.

Hi ChristinaD!

Your regimen, the way you described it, would be perfect for if your goal is to trim down and tone. My goals are a little different, as I want to get a large, shapely butt. In order to do that, I need to do the most I can to build muscle, even if it means gaining a little fat. Anything more than light cardio works against muscle building, so that is why I do light cardio. Check this out: http://weighttraining.about.com/od/fatlo...t_burn.htm and if you read under "fat burning zone" you can see why I do light cardio, because I want to burn a greater ratio of fat calories to glucose calories (ESPECIALLY less glucose calories, since that is what feeds my muscle and, if it runs out which it undoubtedly will if I do medium to intense cardio, will tap into my actual muscles for fuel!) and check out section 8 of this website if you don't feel like reading this whole page: http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/how-to-lo...ng-muscle/. I will take whatever fat loss I can, but NEVER at the expense of my muscle. This is why I say fat loss is secondary for me, while muscle building is primary. So, as medium to intense cardio can interfere with building muscle, CLA does not, so it is a better option for me for trimming the fat.

Thank you for sharing about the CLA and raspberry Keytones. Do you mind if I ask where you read that? I have not seen anything about that, although I can imagine that just because it encourages fat breakdown and diverts calories to feed muscle instead of fat, that theoretically it could deprive the breasts of fat tissue. And so can any calorie deficiencies caused by eating less and doing cardio, really, so if that is the reason it is not good for NBE, I am not concerned too much. But I'd be interested to see what you have on that!

How has the squeem been working for you? As you may have read in my previous posts, I have ordered a corset, but the results are not supposed to be permanent. I imagine that the results for a squeem are also not permanent. But if it helps BURN fat through thermogenesis (instead of just pushing fat around, or instead of just shedding water weight), and it claims to work without needing to do anything more than the light physical exercise typical in your daily routine, I might consider it. I just cannot wear that to the gym OR who knows, maybe I could tell people it is a back support, a lifting belt designed for chicks... lol my bf has been telling me to get a back support for my workouts, anyway.

And about your thighs, I totally get that! I hated the fact that my thighs got really big at first, and there really is no way to completely avoid working out the quads while you are working out your glutes (unless you stick solely to isolation exercises, which is not really recommended). When you say you are worried about your thighs getting bigger, I assume you means the quads and not the in-between-the-thighs chub (which is usually my biggest issue when I gain weight! my thighs rub together when I gain weight ).
I mean, built glutes are very attractive, but if you are concerned about your pants getting too tight, I am pretty sure that will be next to impossible to not gain anything more in your quads while you are gaining in your glutes. You will probably need to buy new jeans anyway if you plan on building your glute muscles. But, one way I CAN tell you to minimize the amount that you gain on your quads, you can focus your exercises on your glutes (and you may already possibly know this) by focusing on your posture and pushing through your heels. Squeeze your butt as you follow through with the weight. Whatever works to help you focus on using your glutes instead of your quads, which often like to "take over" if you're not careful. Like with the leg press you are thinking about doing, for example, place your feet up on the mat/board (whatever it is called that you put your feet on ) higher than is recommended on the directions posted on the machinery. This will make it easier for you to push through your heels. Check out this video by Amanda Latona, especially the part about the leg press: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/round-an...rkout.html

Also, I am just curious (because Maca never did anything noticeable for me when I took it last year), but when you say that Maca made your friend's and your thighs bigger, in what way? Did they get wider, or are the quads more protruding?

Hey Timarie, thanks for the wealth of information, you really know your stuff.

I dont know where exactly in the thighs the maca was making my friend as well as her friend gain in thighs, but maca has made my hips come out a little, gave me more bum, and my thighs are a little more bigger in the front and right in between my thighs at the top appears to be a little bigger with muscle.

I will try your tip about keeping my legs higher on the foot board .

I wear the squeem for about 8 hours a day, I bought it based on reviews but am still skeptical as to whether it will really do anything. It does really give you am hourglass figure, and sometimes my eyes play tricks on me making me think I really do have that hourglass figure, but I find it a little bulky under my clothes in that it makes my lower belly and waist look bigger than it really is. So I think I will start using at home and during sleep only because I don't want to look like I have big stomach with curves.

I have read online that PM should not be taken be with diet products and that caffeine should be cut out.

This is taken from Anterol's site:
Do not use any fat blocking medicines (no diet treatments) while you are take PMP. It will have adverse effect to alternative natural treatment and Pueraria Mirifica will not absorb 100% to your body.
www.ainterolspuerariamirificapowderextracts100gm-p-132.html

But be because of the excess hormones, estrogen ( i am currently cycling) and water retention, I find my lower belly bloated and a little puffy so I am have been drinking a cup of green tea a day. But am going to try dandelion tea which is suppose to be good for belly fat, cleansing the liver and toxins from body, ridding the body of excess of water, balancing hormones and is also caffine free

My problem is although I eat healthy and workout I can have big appetite and the herbs and PM only increases it. I also have a sweet tooth and tend to snack everyday on some sort of junk and a lot. I am really trying to cut out the junk
I really don't think I am in a calorie deficit, but maybe I should work out at a medium intensity in the fat burning zone?

[timarie]

That really works? That is where most of my problem is... Though I do have slight love handles as well.

Any sweet ideas for those? I'm talking about at the hip "wings". Where the upper ridge of the hip bone is -supposed- to be able to be felt... It's hard to detect mine because I've got a bit of extra flub there.

It seems that no matter what I do, I'm NOT losing weight, and I'm certainly not losing it at the only place that I really need to!

Actually yes, it really does. Trust me. I would not have posted about it if it didn't! And this is also why I shared my personal story. The important thing to remember is to pull the TVA muscles in CONSTANTLY, so whatever mind games you have to play with yourself to get that to happen will do. The string is one recommended way. Personally, I just pretend I still have extra chub on my midsection and pretend that everyone can see the profile of my stomach, and so I keep it pulled in at all times (I just started this up again today! So we'll see how long it takes to become a permanent habit again that I do not have to think about). Sometimes I pretend that I am getting ready for a 500 yard dash, and my whole midsection tightens up. It might take you some time to play around with to find out what works for you, to help keep you in that position all day long. So, yes it really works, but it is not exactly the easiest thing to "get down."

As for love handles... I think I know what hip "wings" you're talking about... I believe they are an extension of love handles (if you're talking about right above the hip bone, on the sides but kind of in the front). I only wish I had a sweet tip!! Understanding the anatomy of the human body, obviously love handles are just, well, fat. No exercise will help you to spot reduce, as your body (I'm sure you know this) will choose to burn the fat off where it chooses. The only confirmed way (of which I know) that will get the fat off of this area is making sure that you go into a caloric deficit, resulting in all-over body fat loss. Simple as that. Since I have no idea of what "everything" you have tried, I am just going to spit out a bunch of random ideas

• Now I personally have found that I pack less on my midsection if I DON'T eat past a certain time of the night, like 7pm. That may help with your love handle/ hip "wings" on the long-term, as it helped me trim down on my midsection long-term. Or at least on the bloating.
• There are also fat burning creams, of which I really cannot say I know much about but they may be able to burn fat off a specific location (I am still researching this). Just make sure to get one made with nano-technology so that it can go through your epidermis better.
• There is the squeem idea, or other products like this, which are supposed to work through thermogenesis, which is the process of oxidizing fat and, through oxidizing fat, it is burned. The idea is that, while you work out and have your heart rate elevated and you are already starting to burn calories, this device is supposed to heat up that location faster, drawing the blood to that location, which helps oxidize the area better, resulting in more fat loss of the specific area. There are numerous debates about whether or not this really works, as some say it just makes you shed water weight, but it is worth a try!
• There is also a product called Sweet-Sweat, which works off of the same principle as the squeem but only it is a cream product that you rub on a certain location. The main acting ingredient is jojoba oil, which is supposed to increase the circulation in the area and therefore oxidize the fat in that area while, again, maintaining an elevated heart rate. I tried this product a few months ago and the two times I applied it, I could really feel a burn in the area which I applied it! (I had to stop because I had a terrible allergic reaction to one of the ingredients ) If you plan to lose weight by gaining a caloric deficit with a lot of cardio to lose your handles, I would recommend this product.
• There are products like SafSlim or CLA which are supposed to help direct the glucose in your blood to be less likely deposited as fat and more likely used to aid in energy or feeding muscle. While CLA is an all-over fat reducer, SafSlim is meant to target the belly. CLA is a natural fatty acid found in most meats and dairy products, and SafSlim is safflower oil. I am currently on CLA (only for the past couple months), but have considered SafSlim because of the amount of people who I have heard to have success with it, and because it targets the midsection, and I want that more than all-over body fat reduction. I cannot comment on the CLA yet because I think the results are not expected to be seen until long-term.
• And here is a link to a list of herbs that "reduce belly fat" (but I advise looking at HOW they reduce belly fat, as that can make a difference for you!): http://www.buzzle.com/articles/herbs-to-...y-fat.html.
• Also, I don't know how stressed you are in your personal life, but stress is a huge contributor to belly fat.
• And finally, this is what I do to keep belly fat off (of what I have been able!): I eat right, little to no added sugars or processed carbohydrates, eat in moderation, eat enough fiber and protein, and eat six small meals spaced evenly throughout the day. The purpose of this is to keep your glucose levels as level as possible, so as to avoid swinging into extreme anabolic (too much glucose) and catabolic (too little glucose) states, which causes you to deposit more of your food into fat stores instead of for energy. When people keep their diet to, say, three large meals in a day, they will go through periods of sugar spikes to serious sugar drops throughout the day. This will lead to times of the day where your body will be "starving", and then other times of the day where your body will have more glucose than it needs, and will deposit it to fat stores. Not good!

A little disclaimer: I am NOT an expert on quirky ways to lose body fat. I just know basic tips on healthy ways to lose body fat.

So those are just some ideas, I don't know if you have tried any of them. I am sorry that I do not have anything more reliable... it's just that spot reduction is a tricky thing, if it exists at all. I am surprised and a little disappointed to know that the waist training is not helping push these love handles of yours to a better location!! Taking in the sides of my waist is the main reason for me buying a corset, since I really don't have much of a pooch and my stomach is rather flat (for the most part). I really just want to pull the sides inward. You are still waist training, right?

[AbiDrew85]

I am surprised and a little disappointed to know that the waist training is not helping push these love handles of yours to a better location!! Taking in the sides of my waist is the main reason for me buying a corset, since I really don't have much of a pooch and my stomach is rather flat (for the most part). I really just want to pull the sides inward. You are still waist training, right?

I'm not doing it like I should... It's just too uncomfortable to wear if I'm going to be sitting all day, which is often the case...

I imagine it's partly how I sit, I've never had very good posture. And it really won't improve your posture for you, it'll just make you uncomfortable if your posture is bad.

[timarie]

Hey Timarie, thanks for the wealth of information, you really know your stuff.

I dont know where exactly in the thighs the maca was making my friend as well as her friend gain in thighs, but maca has made my hips come out a little, gave me more bum, and my thighs are a little more bigger in the front and right in between my thighs at the top appears to be a little bigger with muscle.

This is crazy interesting. Clearly it sounds like muscle (as you mentioned the abductors, glutes, quads, and adductors), which would make sense since maca increases testosterone.... but to what degree? How much maca were you taking in a day? I have rather high testosterone as it is (although still within the normal range), so I am not sure if taking maca will help my case to build in those locations.... and am not exactly sure how it works, either. I have only read that it balances the hormones, but how? Does it balance by converting estrogen to testosterone (therefore decreasing estrogen as it increases testosterone), or does it increase the testosterone to "match" estrogen for balance? And I wonder, therefore, how it will effect my NBE program.

I wear the squeem for about 8 hours a day, I bought it based on reviews but am still skeptical as to whether it will really do anything. It does really give you am hourglass figure, and sometimes my eyes play tricks on me making me think I really do have that hourglass figure, but I find it a little bulky under my clothes in that it makes my lower belly and waist look bigger than it really is. So I think I will start using at home and during sleep only because I don't want to look like I have big stomach with curves.

So is the material kind of thick? Yeah, I wouldn't like that either! Seems to defeat the purpose. Keep me updated on this, please! I still wonder if it really burns fat, or if it just sheds water weight (which you would know based on how fast you gained it back after stopping wearing it). Based on the information of another product (Sweet-Sweat), in order for thermogenesis to happen (which is the process by which the squeem is supposed to burn fat off permanently), you need to have an elevated heart rate. So I am not sure if I'd understand the point of wearing it all day long like a corset, unless you are very active throughout your day

I have read online that PM should not be taken be with diet products and that caffeine should be cut out.

This is taken from Anterol's site:
Do not use any fat blocking medicines (no diet treatments) while you are take PMP. It will have adverse effect to alternative natural treatment and Pueraria Mirifica will not absorb 100% to your body.
www.ainterolspuerariamirificapowderextracts100gm-p-132.html

That link didn't work for me for some reason, but I was able to find the page I think to which you were referring. Thanks for sharing! A couple things about this...
1) I do not trust Ainterol on everything, as they have told me many times that they do not believe in cycling PM and believe that if a person's cycle is thrown off, that they should continue taking PM regularly and their system will just adjust. They obviously have an agenda, and the possible agenda they could have in this one (about fat blocking medicines) is that, they won't eliminate from their success list the people who get bigger breasts just from gaining overall body fat. So I would not be entirely convinced of this statement until I saw actual scientific evidence of it.
2) Even if it WAS true (as it does make sense to me), I would have to step back and consider what was most important to me. I would much rather prefer to keep my breast size with a healthy, toned figure, than to gain breast size at the cost of gaining overall body fat. I know it will possibly decrease my success for breast growth, but I would prefer slow gains with my breasts while maintaining or losing overall body fat, than gaining overall body fat and fast breast growth. No thanks. That’s just called getting fat, and some of it going to the boobs !
3) Ainterol is being a little self-contradictory, because if they turn away something like CLA (which is naturally found in all meats and dairies, btw), then I guess we cannot take our PM with that milk that they so strongly suggest us to take with it. Hmmm... did they think of that? So, I am sure that some intense fat-blockers might not be a good idea (like Oxyelite Pro), but something like CLA which is naturally found in the foods we eat everyday? Now that's just being silly.

And yes, caffeine should be cut out mostly because it decreases estrogen levels in white females http://healthland.time.com/2012/01/30/st...-in-women/. It also dehydrates you (if taking more than 500mg a day), and it increases metabolism and in that way indirectly contributes to fat loss; therefore, it MAY effect breast growth but again, I think it is unrealistic to do everything in one's power to increase fat intake unless one's ONLY goal is to have bigger breasts, then sure. I think big breasts on a big body look less attractive, as it is all about proportion, so I want to keep the unhealthy fat off and whatever fat I manage to get to my breasts, great; and whatever doesn't get to my breasts, so be it. It's not worth getting a belly for that. But that is just my opinion!

But be because of the excess hormones, estrogen ( i am currently cycling) and water retention, I find my lower belly bloated and a little puffy so I am have been drinking a cup of green tea a day. But am going to try dandelion tea which is suppose to be good for belly fat, cleansing the liver and toxins from body, ridding the body of excess of water, balancing hormones and is also caffine free

It looks like dandelion is supposed to help with fat by suppressing appetite and helps you to shed water weight. If you think that one of the contributors to your belly is your diet and/or water weight (which from what you wrote, it does), then this should be promising! Otherwise, I am not so sure. I currently drink dandelion for my NBE program, and take the capsules at night. I never crave sweets or junk or really even food for that matter, and haven't since the end of last summer (I think ) so I could care less about the appetite-decreasing part of it... but was hoping for the laxative and cleansing effects and, more importantly, the possibility that it may increase the amount of estrogen receptors. I was not aware of its ability to balance hormones which now actually concerns me, as I am concerned about maca (mentioned above, in what way do they balance the hormones?).

My problem is although I eat healthy and workout I can have big appetite and the herbs and PM only increases it. I also have a sweet tooth and tend to snack everyday on some sort of junk and a lot. I am really trying to cut out the junk
I really don't think I am in a calorie deficit, but maybe I should work out at a medium intensity in the fat burning zone?

It depends on your priorities. If your priority is to lose fat and your secondary goal is to gain muscle, then yes, go ahead and do the medium intensity and please completely cut out the junk. The sooner you do, the sooner the day will come when you no longer crave it! If your priority is to gain muscle and your secondary goal is to lose fat, like mine, then I would suggest you not to do the medium intensity (do light cardio alternated with intense cardio for short periods, such as mine) and to just focus on cutting out the junk. Either way, you need to focus on completely cutting out the junk. It helps with nothing except for robbing your body of opportunities to gain valuable nutrients and helping you to gain fat (as you know). Just think of how many more healthy foods you can eat that your body wants and needs if you cut out the junky snacks? Imagine the gains! I think your idea of drinking the dandelion tea is great, because it is a very healthy appetite suppressant.

[timarie]

I'm not doing it like I should... It's just too uncomfortable to wear if I'm going to be sitting all day, which is often the case...

I imagine it's partly how I sit, I've never had very good posture. And it really won't improve your posture for you, it'll just make you uncomfortable if your posture is bad.

Have you tried a back support brace, Abi?

[AbiDrew85]

Have you tried a back support brace, Abi?

like this?

http://www.amazon.com/Cincher-Womens-Pos..._lmf_tit_5

First I've ever even heard of them! So nope. I certainly don't have the money to buy a few...