Supplement Help

[BSHAW]

Hello Everyone I am new to this forum and have been researching old posts for a few hours but am still pretty confused. After graduating High School I was tired of being the little skinny kid so I became a work out junkie and gained about 40 pounds of muscle over a 3 year span taking creatine and protien supplements. I was 5'11" 195 pounds and pretty cut until 2 years ago when I was in a bad car accident. I used this as an excuse to not hit the gym even after I was better and have since probably put on 20 (maybe more ) pounds of fat and lost alot of muscle and I was up to 203 pounds but in much worse shape then before. I am 24 years old now and recently engaged so I want to get back in shape before the wedding (15 months) For the first time in my life I need to lose weight so I have just started taking thermonex and completely changed my diet. I am at 194 lbs now but have about 10-15 pounds of fat I need to lose still but I want to also start putting back on some of the muscle. Sorry for the life story but on to my questions:
I will probably stay on the thermonex for weight loss but should I start taking creatine also? Will they work ok together? I obviously will go back to taking protien also but not sure if creatine is still the best product out there. All the new products seem to be N.O. which I know nothing about and now the many different types of creatine when all I ever took was monohydrate. So is creatine still the way to go for someone like me or is there something better now and what specific product do you recommend for creatine, N.O., or something else?? Also should I try to cut the extra weight first before going on these products or do them both at the same time?

Thanks in advane,
-BSHAW

**This is a double post cuz I put it in the wrong section the first time!! Sorry **

[Sir Savage]

You could go ahead and start using creatine if you want. Some guys use it while cutting to maintain their strength.

I'd probably wait, though, until you start bulking again. You can use it later on, in combination with some high-volume training, to pack on some good size.

Since you're already cutting, I'd just continue to do that until you lose the last 10-15 lbs.

I'd recommend looking into our SesaThin. Stacking SesaThin with some high dose fish oil would work very well as a non-stimulating fat loss stack.

Also, you might look into some Melting Point as another non-stimulating fat loss product.

[Curlingcadys]

Originally Posted by Sir Savage

You could go ahead and start using creatine if you want. Some guys use it while cutting to maintain their strength.

I'd probably wait, though, until you start bulking again.

agreed

[Curlingcadys]

1st off have you cleaned up your diet yet? This is priority #1!
**Eating 5-6 times a day
**Eating clean foods excluding Mcdonalds

2nd Hows the cardio frequentcy? 2,3,4 days a week? Look into HIIT

3rd Now if you feel you must, you can look into a thermogenic.

**Really your goal wont be hard for you provided you get your shiit together, in reality you could lose 15lbs in a couple months or a little better-with minimal muscle loss, assuming you have a base allready.

And actually you could probably just get back into training, taking whey, creatine, multi,fish oil, and get a decent diet down with a day or 2 of cardio maybe and losing the wieght you want in 15 months would be no problem. So in a sense I'm taking back my "agree" from above, I think for your application you really dont need to go into "cutting" mode you just need to get on a healthy track again and meeting your goal would be peanuts. And actually with training you're probably going to put on weight- don't be a scale queen use a tape measure or body fat caliper to guage your progress.

Good luck, to say your goal is easily achievable would be an understatement so don't stress just get your ducks in a row.

[BSHAW]

Thanks for the reply CC,

1) I have cleaned up my diet but I have trouble breaking into 5-6 meals but I have been trying to split my lunch at work into 2 parts. Do you recommend using the protien shake as one or 2 of these meals??
2)Doing Cardio 3 times a week now, I play volleyball twice a week and I try to run at least one day a week but cardio is definitely my weakness. I think I will try the HIIT program though
3) I don't think I 'must' use any supplement but I always feel they have given me a mental edge as much as a physical one. When this bottle of thermonex runs out (1 week) I will switch to the whey, creatine, multi group instead.

Just to clarify on your later statemnts I do want to lose 15 pounds but I also want to put on the 20 pounds of muscle in the 15 months. I know this is very doable but not quite as simple as just losing 15 pounds. Thanks for your advice I have taken it all to heart.

-BSHAW

[BSHAW]

OK I read up about the HIIT training and I definitely think I will do this but I have a question. If I feel I can do this more often then 3 times a week should I try? I wouldn't up the time early but I feel I could do this 4-5 times a week and wondered if that would be a mistake or if it would be a good idea. It says it is best to do it on non lifting days but if I do it in the morning and lift at night would that be OK?? What do you think?

[Curlingcadys]

Originally Posted by BSHAW

Thanks for the reply CC,

1) I have cleaned up my diet but I have trouble breaking into 5-6 meals but I have been trying to split my lunch at work into 2 parts. Do you recommend using the protien shake as one or 2 of these meals??
2)Doing Cardio 3 times a week now, I play volleyball twice a week and I try to run at least one day a week but cardio is definitely my weakness. I think I will try the HIIT program though
3) I don't think I 'must' use any supplement but I always feel they have given me a mental edge as much as a physical one. When this bottle of thermonex runs out (1 week) I will switch to the whey, creatine, multi group instead.

Just to clarify on your later statemnts I do want to lose 15 pounds but I also want to put on the 20 pounds of muscle in the 15 months. I know this is very doable but not quite as simple as just losing 15 pounds. Thanks for your advice I have taken it all to heart.

-BSHAW

1) I always recommend having some real food as well with a shake but if you can't you can't have the shake its certainly better than not consuming anything.
2) I hear ya, I hate cardio with a passion I'd rather bathe my genitals in lava but you got to do it. Thats a good reason for HIIT as well,besides the fact you'll burn more through the day), its quicker-granted you're cashed by the time you're done if you did it properly but you don't have spend a friggen afternoon doing it 15-20min recover and you're done.
3)Yeah there's nothing wrong with supplements just don't make them priority over organizing the diet and a good training schedule is all.

**Now 20lbs lean in 15months? You certainly got your work cut out for ya-eat eat eat and train train train like a sum*****. For now as mentioned above do as he said, cut. Cut back you calories a bit and make your cardio a daily thing. Cutting 15lbs of fat is going to seem like a cake walk compared to trying to put on 20 lean pounds. Its going to take a lot of work/food/and commitment.

[Curlingcadys]

Originally Posted by BSHAW

OK I read up about the HIIT training and I definitely think I will do this but I have a question. If I feel I can do this more often then 3 times a week should I try? I wouldn't up the time early but I feel I could do this 4-5 times a week and wondered if that would be a mistake or if it would be a good idea. It says it is best to do it on non lifting days but if I do it in the morning and lift at night would that be OK?? What do you think?

Some will debate it but I think if you do your cardio in the morn. you have all day to replenish yourself (nutrients) for your lifting at night and be fine; and by all means do it more often to shed the existing fat you have now or at least most of it then start bulking OR you could just skip the whole cutting and just start eating like a horse and lifting like one too and pack on the weight to try to gain that 20lbs; then deal with cutting next Jan. and that will give you 3 months to cut before your wedding. Its up to you.

[BSHAW]

Well I did my first HIIT workout just now since my last post and I have to say that will KICK YOUR ASS!!! I did 5 minutes (I know the table says 4 but that ended me half way around my block and I couldn't just walk back after all that hard work! lol) It went Jog, sprint, jog, sprint, jog, sprint, walk, sprint, walk, sprint in 30 second intervals and it is much harder than it sounds. I havn't felt a burn like that in a long time. My heart is still pounding! But I am with you I would do that anyday compared to an hour on a treadmill. I am going to have to be in shape to do 15 minutes of that though. I will keep you updated on my progress.

-BSHAW

[Glockwork3]

yeah bshaw im kinda in the same boat as you, except a little smaller... though i am younger.. I want to lose weight, bulk, and get cut. Right now i am on a lifting program i cant really do many leg lifts due to a knee injury, but i can run and jog fine, as long as its not like 3 miles or so. So i am doing HIIT since my knee and i hear its better for you than running 2 miles or more. So here are my stats, im 16, 6'0 and this last summer i weighed at an all time high about 197, i hated it. So i just recently got serious about cutting and lifting, i could barely do 135 on bench 2 times last year, and from this program i am currently on week 6 of 7 i am now at 205 for my max. But now i am still 16 years old, 6'0, and 180 pounds, i have noticeable extra fat when my shirt is off, handles, gut that sticks out and my chest somewhat but has gone down sufficiently since i weighed 197, i used to have man boobs no longer though , so i was wondering... if i keep up on my good eating habits *i dont really have a set "diet* just i cut all junk food POP COMPLETELY, and start doing HIIT on tues, thurs, sat, becuase mon. wed. fri. are lifting days, will i lose the excess fat and keep gaining muscle? and if this makes a difference im going to buy a 10 lb of Whey protein, what will this do for me. any comments, and help are welcomed... Thanks in advance.