Ironically, and I don't know if it's related, I started taking Zebutol on Friday afternoon, and today is Monday. Weight started going up on Saturday.

By the way, the Zeb seems to make me a little racey. The only active ingredient listed on the bottle is Suma Sterol Extract 10mg. It's supposed to increase protein synthesis and nitrogen retention and have an adaptogenic effect, which means faster recovery times. I'm not sure about that because I've been sore for three days after a sick workout on Friday and this morning.

Also, about the food, I'm a little concerned about rapid weight gain, because of my age (40) and past weight problem. I don't want to increase body fat levels too much because I will want to shred it again in the spring. Last week 10.5% bf. Should I be concerned about increased levels of bf? Other question I have is: Is it definitely necessary to gain weight and some fat in order for your muscles to grow? i.e. bench press gains etc.

BTW, what will your bf be when you go into your cutting cycle? Do you try to get it into the single digits for shows or anything? How long are your cutting cycles? I like alot of the things you have to say about BB. Also, once you asked me to send in before and after pictures. I may still do that, I got a new digital camera. I just don't want to get flamed. You know how this board can be! Maybe I'll just e-mail them to you.

Drink lots of water, a gallon a day. Each meals should consist of protein carbo's and fat. With at least 2 servings of vegetables per day. Eat lean proteins, tuna, chicken, turkey, and lean steak. Always avoid saturated fats, they have no nutritional benefits, i.e. fried foods. Always opt for baked or grilled. Even items like chicken parmesan look innocent enough but they're not, because they're fried.

Cardio 4 - 5 times a week sounds good, but what intensity are you working at. You need to sweat excessively to burn fat. I say at least 30 - 45 minutes per session to lose weight and fat.

When I was on my way down from 242 to 186, I got up to 60 minutes on the elliptical trainer and burning about 1000 calories per session. I lost about 25 or so lbs. doing this. Then I graduated to spinning, 3 - 4 times a week for 45 minutes, and lost another 30 pounds, until I reached my bottom weight of 186. Then, I had to slow down cardio, and increase my weights to build more muscle because I had lost a little, but not much during this process. But I definitely looked shredded, due to the low bf count. Currently, I am at 197 10.5% bf, only 2 spinning sessions per week.

I can be done, but you have to be willing to work very hard. Continue with your weight training, and your muscles will become more defined due to the fat loss. Make sure your resistance training is intense. You will probably want to do it before your cardio or on separate days, so your weight training doesn't suffer. The more muscle you have the faster your metabolism is, and the more fat you'll burn. Some people think they can lose weight just by doing cardio, but they end up losing weight and having no definition, and they also tend to have sagging skin. You will have less of that with a good weight traing program. You will be surprised at 6'2" and 218, you don't have that far to go.