Lipoflame vs. ECA

[abxavier]

I'm roughly 130lbs, 5'5". I have not gotten my body fat tested as i'm not sure how or where to go to get it done.

I'm not trying to lose weight, really. Just body fat. I know many women have those stubborn fat storage areas. I.E. lower abs, love handles, thighs and butt. I have the lower abs curse. I've been working out religiously for over a year. 5 days a week, most weeks. No less than 4 unless i'm unusually busy on any given week. I work abs at least 3 days a week and am not seeing ANY results in the lower area. I have abs of steel for the first 4packs. And i'm sure I do have a 6pack, underneath the blubber. It's just a matter of shedding the rest of it. My other problem area is my love handles. I'm obliques are there, also underneath some blubber. My legs are great. It's just those two areas. Starting today, i'm doing cardio monday, wed and fridays for 30mins each. I also work in with my bf. So today i'll be doing back and cardio and maybe light bi's to get ready for tomorrow's workout. I don't eat the best because I eat to get full, so I don't get 6 meals in a day. And because I work in retail, I don't get much time to just sit and nibble on carrots and celery all the time. My bf is putting me on a better diet plan, and i'm working on reading up on diet and nutrition. I do take a women's vitamin every morning after breakfast, however. And I have no medical problems to date.

Now that that's said, I want something to just boost what i'm starting. I've heard a lot about both ECA and lipoflame. I just want to hear from the ladies with experience, which is better for me? In the last year alone, i've lost maybe 15lbs by just adding exercise to my life. And i've tried OTC stuff. Nothing worked. Got jitters. But nothing ever noticeable. So, basically, I need all the info I can get on the product you ladies think is best for me? I'm leaning more toward lipoflame.

Thanks in advance.

 

[ironwings]

lipoflame all the way - it will intensify your workouts - in turn increasing calorie burn.

BUT - I'm sure you know this already -that stubborn lower belly fat is DIET and DIET and DIET. Trust me, I was stubborn too. It doesn't take carrots and celery. Matter of fact, quit the opposite. We'd be glad to help if you post your new diet.

Also - I'd up the cardio if I were you. Can you share what type of cardio you are doing and at what speed/incline/how long/heart rate...etc?

 

[mommalu]

what is lipoflame?
Would I benefit from taking it?

 

[abxavier]

Like most women, i'm the type that thinks if I eat too much, i'll get fat. Now that i've been reading up and reading quite the opposite, today i'm starting a new diet. I was maybe getting 3 big meals a day, or at least big enough to fill me for a couple of hours. I'm a junk food junkee. So starting today, i'm done with candy bars and candy in general. I'm going to start the 6 small meals a day thing. So far i've had cereal- cheerios. That's all i've got for now. The others I have are fruity types. two hours later, I ate two scrambled eggs and orange juice. I'm about to head to the gym and after the gym, i'll be munching on peanuts and apples and carrots (while at work.) Few hours later, i'll be eating a turkey and cheese sandwich. After that, i'm not quite sure. If you have some input on things I can eat and some things to get at the store, i'd greatly appreciate it.

I used to do cardio once a week for an hour. Depending on how I felt that day, i'd do stairs at 10spd and eliptical at 6 or 7 incline at 30mins each. Today i'll be doing either/or for 30mins.

 

[mommalu]

If it comes from the ground~ I eat it
If it comes out of a box(processed) I leave it!!
Be careful with the nuts as they are high in fat and you can easily overeat your 1 oz serving.

 

[ironwings]

what is lipoflame?
Would I benefit from taking it?

I sent you a PM. It is a personal choice but I outlined the benefits I would get when taking it and a few pointers if you start.

 

[Thandie]

Like most women, i'm the type that thinks if I eat too much, i'll get fat. Now that i've been reading up and reading quite the opposite, today i'm starting a new diet. I was maybe getting 3 big meals a day, or at least big enough to fill me for a couple of hours. I'm a junk food junkee. So starting today, i'm done with candy bars and candy in general. I'm going to start the 6 small meals a day thing. So far i've had cereal- cheerios. That's all i've got for now. The others I have are fruity types. two hours later, I ate two scrambled eggs and orange juice. I'm about to head to the gym and after the gym, i'll be munching on peanuts and apples and carrots (while at work.) Few hours later, i'll be eating a turkey and cheese sandwich. After that, i'm not quite sure. If you have some input on things I can eat and some things to get at the store, i'd greatly appreciate it.

I used to do cardio once a week for an hour. Depending on how I felt that day, i'd do stairs at 10spd and eliptical at 6 or 7 incline at 30mins each. Today i'll be doing either/or for 30mins.

As Ironwings has asked, could you post your diet? post everything you eat and drink, from the time you get up to the time you go to sleep.
I know you're trying to eat healthier then what you were eating, but fruit, cheerios and bread is not the way to go.

You also need to do more cardio and weight training.

 

[ironwings]

"Depending on how I felt that day"

We all fall into this trap. Consistency is key - whether you feel like it or not. You will find that once you are done it was all just fine. It should become a task just like putting gas in your car or paying a bill. I know it is easier said then done - trust me.

Food...cereal? Throw it away ;-)

Take a look through mommalu's journal - Thandie has given her some basic meal ideas. Your main concern should be protein, healthy fats, and clean carbs. A few basic guidelines to get you started are:

1. eat from the ground not the box
2. don't mix carbs
3. cut off your carb intake after 6pm (3 preferably but if you are like me I can't sleep when I do this)
4. know how many calories you need
5. decrease sodium and sugar intake (read your labels - you'd be suprised)
6. drink water, water, water (green tea is good too)
7. sleep - get plenty of it
8. understand that your mind is reasoning with you all the time - don't listen to it - it is seperate from your being - learn this and you'll never struggle with any of this
7. don't start all of this at once - it is a journey - try one thing at a time and build upon it

I think you might become frustrated if you start right off trying to get 6 meals in a day. Although this is ideal for most people - it isn't for everyone. I only eat 4 (5 on days I lift). I have a similar schedule as you - I am with clients all day so it is also hard for me to eat like that. 4 or 5 work just as well for me - I've done both. I would recommend you start with eating breakfast (protein, healthy fat, and possible a few carbs). Then split your lunch into two meals (protein, healthy fat, and carbs). Then you'll find you won't be starving at dinner time and will eat more sensibly (protein and a little healthy fat). Once you get used to this and it is going well - think about splitting your breakfast into two meals. You'll eventually get there.

Tom Venuto - a natural bodybuilder and diet author recommends his top 10 foods in each category (i concur)

HE WRITES:

Clean carbs and grains
1. Oatmeal (old fashioned or steel cut)
2. Yams
3. brown rice
4. Sweet potatoes
5. Multi grain hot cereal (mix or barley, oats, rye titricale and a few others)
6. White potatoes (glycemic index be damned!) - keep these to early in the day, preferably after workout
7. 100% whole wheat bread
8. 100% whole wheat pasta
9. Beans (great for healthy chili recipes)
10. Cream of rice hot cereal

vegetables
1. broccoli
2. asparagus
3. spinach
4. salad greens
5. tomatoes
6. peppers (green and red)
7. onions
8. mushrooms
9. cucumbers
10. Zucchini

lean proteins
1. Egg whites
2. Whey protein (protein powder supplement)
3. Chicken Breast
4. Salmon (wild alaskan)
5. Turkey Breast
6. Top round steak (grass fed beef)
7. Flank Steak (grass fed beef)
8. Cod Fish
9. Bison/Buffalo
10. Rainbow Trout

fruits - go easy on these and preferably keep them to early day/post workout
1. Grapefruit
2. Apples
3. Blueberries
4. Canteloupe
5. Oranges
6. Bananas
7. Peaches
8. Grapes
9. Strawberries
10. Pineapple

I'm getting ready to update my journal too with my diet/new workouts. Many others have great journals too that you can learn tons from. Matter of fact, another good one to look at is LocalGirl's.

Keep posting...

 

[abxavier]

With work, sometimes its hard to get a last meal in before 7:30(heard about oprah's whole thing on not eating after that time.) And because I don't go to bed at 9 or 10 (well after 10, some nights) its hard to sleep on a hungry stomach.

And I didn't mean "depending on how I felt that day" as in it depended if I felt like doing cardio... I mean, it depended on what cardio machine I felt up to doing that day. I have a hard time building the energy I need to get me going. I did cardio today for 30 minutes. I did 15 on an eliptical and 15 on the stairs at 10spd (using the fat burning one.) Eliptical I did on 5 incline to work the butt and legs the most. Before that, I worked back. And I did heavier weights this time. On some, I even had to have the bf help me a little on pulling it down. Heh. I know i'll be sore in the morning. My chest is even still sore from saturday. So, there's no doubt I weight lift pretty heavily- heavy enough to work a sweat and even grunt a little in between. I just have to get the cardio thing down, which isn't even bad for me. Most days, I don't mind doing cardio at all. I played soccer all through high school, and though it's been a little while, I still have that running streak in me. Somewhere.
Today, I started with cereal (which is probably one of my biggest enemies. though I have oatmeal in the cabnet, so i'll start eating that instead.) A few hours later, I ate 2 scrambled eggs with orange juice. While at work, I ate a few carrots, celery, a few small cheese blocks and an apple. I didn't even touch my sandwich or the peanuts. Didn't have much time to. When I got off, I had a few of my bf's chicken nuggets. And I drank water all through the day, of course. It is hard to get those small meals in when i'm used to just eating 3 big ones. But it wasn't too bad.
I'm thinking about going ahead and ordering some lipoflame. A guy told me that I should take that AND a certain kind of ephedrine together. Good idea or no?

 

[ironwings]

I personally don't like to combine them - but I am very sensitive to that stuff and concerned about elevating my heart rate from a substance. I would absolutely try just the lipoflame first. Take it right before your workouts (I mean right before - like 10 to 15 minutes).

I can tell by what you wrote that you are not getting enough calories, particularly clean calories and almost no protein (chicken nuggets don't count). It takes protein to build muscle. It isn't all about calories. If you go about it this way you may lose some weight but it WILL come back. You can't eat like that forever. I would work on making sustainable changes.

I know it is difficult with what you do. I used to say the same thing. But, it is an excuse. I know you don't want to hear that. Get creative and find moments to eat and get a consistent schedule down. Don't use your job or any other activity as a reason you can't eat properly or timely. Remember what I said about the protein, fat and carbs in each meal. That is the first step. Work on getting those macros every time you eat.

Keep up the workouts! You come to enjoy that sore feeling!