The biggest problem I have staying on my food plan is my cravings for carbs in the later evening. It is even worse when I have lifted weights and my 2 meals are a protein/carb PWO followed by a protein/carb dinner.

Carbs are a big trigger for me.

I know of course that # 1 is keeping my nutrition in line and #2 my work-outs consistent.

Below is a short-run plan for just the next 3 months.

The 3: synephrine, hoodia, and HCA are supposed to be both fat-burners and appetite suppressants. I am thinking of adding these to my mix of fat-burners.

I already take other fat burners before workouts or meals:
1.caffeine-free Green Tea (mixed with Rhodelia Rosea and Grapeseed extract -- the last of my special caffeine-free mix of GT-turbo from Kent)
2. Acetyl L-Carnitine, and
3. Taurine

I also take 7-Keto DHEA with breakfast and dinner.

I am sensitive to caffeine and so I only drink 1 cup of caffienated coffee in the AM before fasted LISS cardio (45 min.)

I cannot add aspirin to any of this because I am already on NSAIDs (diclofenac) due to consequences from my back surgery 15 years ago.

I know some people find Hoodia not effective and I know there are debates about synephrine.

Do people have thoughts about adding all: synephrine, hoodia, and HCA or some to my mix above?

Again, I understand that these are just supplements to a good nutrition and workout plan.

I'm not too familiar with the results with fat burners since whenever I take them, I can't for more than a day (ruins my day even at half dosage). But on those days that I did try fat burners, I noticed that my appetite was significantly suppressed, even at half dosages. As for hoodia, I found that taking it with your biggest meal and drinking lot of water kinda works. It suppresses my appetite for maybe like 2-3 hours. At some times, it doesn't even work at all. It does suppress appetite somewhat sometimes, but not to the point where I'll buy them ever again. I say, try hoodia and see if it works for you.

T
I already take other fat burners before workouts or meals:
1.caffeine-free Green Tea (mixed with Rhodelia Rosea and Grapeseed extract -- the last of my special caffeine-free mix of GT-turbo from Kent)
2. Acetyl L-Carnitine, and
3. Taurine

I also take 7-Keto DHEA with breakfast and dinner.


It sounds to me you are spending a lot of money on supplements. And it sounds like you want to control cravings. Well, eat carbs if you need to- it sounds like your body is telling you something. Also, be consistent.

Regarding your Acetyl L-Carnitine- why are you taking this? The research on the "fat burning" side are scarce, IMO. The studies usually focus on dementia patients and those with peripheral nerve damage. It's an expensive supp as well.

I would say you should drop most of those supplements and get really consistent with your diet and exercise.

It sounds to me you are spending a lot of money on supplements. And it sounds like you want to control cravings. Well, eat carbs if you need to- it sounds like your body is telling you something. That sounds right to me. The idea of trying to block a craving and suppress our appetite just intuitively sounds like a bad thing. It's like your body is asking you for things, and you're shouting at it "Be quiet!" Unless you know that you have a medically diagnosed hormone imbalance, you're better to find a way to satisfy the cravings naturally.

I think when we start to ingest things in quantities that would not be readily available in the natural environment, things get kinda wonky.

Maybe it's your plan that's not right, not the cravings that aren't right.

Just to add to what others are saying. You do not really need to limit carbs at night. If your body craves carbs, give it what it desires. Just make sure its low in GI and you should be fine.

or you could up your fat intake.....i dont remember where i read it but an article said that one on a low carb diet may be able to banish carb craving s by upping the fat...ive done this and it seems to work

My cravings are for fruit. Not exactly low GI. I can easily eat at night up to 3-5 lbs of fruit: cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew, pineapple, strawberries. And then I am up all night peeing the liquid out and my belly is all swollen the next day... :( If I keep them out of my living quarters, then I will eat half the bananas and apples I bought for the week for my weight days. I am trying just for these 3 months to limit my fruit consumption. Not eliminate it... just limit it.

When I did pure Atkins, which meant essentially no carbs and a lot more fat (healthy fat), after 3-4 days all cravings were gone. But that is tough to stay on long term. You give in once and then like crazy you are off binging. And I don't think it is a very healthy way to lose weight and fat. I did lose a permanent 10 pounds on it that I never gained back. But I do not want to do that approach again.

Anyway, I was just hoping the hoodia, HCA and/or synephrine might help at night.

My cravings are for fruit. Not exactly low GI. I can easily eat at night up to 3-5 lbs of fruit: cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew, pineapple, strawberries. .

Don't buy them.

Umm.... most fruits are really low in GI. And I mean really really low. Take apple for instance. It has a GI in the range of 30s, which is lower than oatmeal. Bananas are in the 50s, which again is decent. There are some fruits that are high in GI like watermelon, which I think it's in the 80s range. Google it online and you can find the GI of most fruits, and you'll see that many of them are really low.

What would happen if you had sliced apple with a serving of sliced almonds or some other type of healthy fat, or does that not make any difference?

Don't buy them.

I don't get it. You should base your diet AROUND fruits and vegetables. The micronutrients in fruit FAR outweigh some ridiculous calorie restricted diet that you've created for yourself. EAT the fruit. Who cares what the GI is, unless you're diabetic.

What would happen if you had sliced apple with a serving of sliced almonds or some other type of healthy fat, or does that not make any difference?

Eating fat with carbs will lower the GI even more. So, say you eat apple with peanut butter. The low GI of apple will actually be lower. Can't give you the exact number but I know its lower.

Eating fat with carbs will lower the GI even more. So, say you eat apple with peanut butter. The low GI of apple will actually be lower. Can't give you the exact number but I know its lower.


It's the GL (Glycemic load) that is somewhat lowered. But it's all negligible, really. It's parsing small numbers and small chemical reactions when healthy food should be the focus. Don't throw the baby out....

Eating fat with carbs will lower the GI even more. So, say you eat apple with peanut butter. The low GI of apple will actually be lower. Can't give you the exact number but I know its lower.

I wasn't even thinking about that.

I know when I go on a carb binge I could eat tons of fruit myself. What I found was when I eat some type of fat with it ( almonds, sunflower seeds, ect) and it helps to kill the craving.

This of course wouldn't work for everybody, but it's better than telling a person not to eat fruit at all.

I don't get it. You should base your diet AROUND fruits and vegetables. The micronutrients in fruit FAR outweigh some ridiculous calorie restricted diet that you've created for yourself. EAT the fruit. Who cares what the GI is, unless you're diabetic.

Well she must care. But why did you pick my message to respond to.

I stopped by and read that she was having a problem of eating at night up to 3-5 lbs of fruit: cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew, pineapple, strawberries. And then up all night peeing the liquid out and her belly is all swollen the next day... You jump on her for buying supplements as a waste of money.

So I simply stated don't buy the fruits, she can't binge on something not there. I leave it to you and others to suggest that she eat the fruits which she doesn't want to eat. But I gave her a suggestion to stop binging. It saved money rather than cost her. I stood behind her desire to take fruits out of picture without pills.

I'm not picking on you, dude. Chill.

And yes, buying all those supplements is in fact a waste of money. Sure, binging on anything is not a good idea, but fruit is a lot better choice than pizza, ice cream, and fried foods.

J- fruit is a different kind of carb. Just enjoy it, and don't over do it.



Well she must care. But why did you pick my message to respond to.

I stopped by and read that she was having a problem of eating at night up to 3-5 lbs of fruit: cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew, pineapple, strawberries. And then up all night peeing the liquid out and her belly is all swollen the next day... You jump on her for buying supplements as a waste of money.

So I simply stated don't buy the fruits, she can't binge on something not there. I leave it to you and others to suggest that she eat the fruits which she doesn't want to eat. But I gave her a suggestion to stop binging. It saved money rather than cost her. I stood behind her desire to take fruits out of picture without pills.

Just to clarify, it's okay to eat apples, oranges, etc., right? Do you just add the fruit carbs to the total carb intake for the day? Because frankly I have a hard time eating enough brown rice to meet my macro goals because I get stuffed easily, but get hungry quickly, too. I've been like this my whole life, it's not a recent thing.

(Sorry for the slight hijack).

Just to clarify, it's okay to eat apples, oranges, etc., right? Do you just add the fruit carbs to the total carb intake for the day? Because frankly I have a hard time eating enough brown rice to meet my macro goals because I get stuffed easily, but get hungry quickly, too. I've been like this my whole life, it's not a recent thing.

(Sorry for the slight hijack).

Of course it's okay. Where'd you get the idea that it's not okay? I'm like you in that brown rice makes me go hungry fast unless I have ton of veggies with it. I would recommend you add fruits since they tend to be more filling while lower in calories.

Do you just add the fruit carbs to the total carb intake for the day?

Of course you do!

3-5lbs of fruit....well a lot of the fruits you listed are extremely low GL (due to water content) but still.

You are trying to counter-act your "guilt" with a boat load of thermos (which is a bad idea'r and will not help your cause and possibly cause a strain on your kidneys,liver and HPA axis thus screwing you up further.

SO let's get to the root of the problem....

please post your daily diet.

Which is what I am. You can overeat anything, even the healthy stuff.

I considered fat burners and with the advice of people here and weighing my options, such as dig deep down and work my ass off, I decided not to mess with my body's chemicals.

It is HARD work to do what you need to do to get your body to ramp up and get the metabolism going all the while trying to control cravings and fighting the urge to overeat!!!!!!

Everday is a struggle. Justicia...I can relate to you. But taking all those supplements cannot be doing you any favors...and then your body is going to become adapted to them and you may need more. I would suggest as the others have to dump them and believe in yourself and your own powers. You can do it. And/or just rely on one additional fat burner, if you have to.

I know the feelings behind the eating are strong. Please talk about them to someone close to you...that is what helped me get out of a bad pattern of thinking...denial, guilt, depression, feeling I deserved to eat what I wanted, no matter what.

I'm not saying you are all that I wrote above....just want you to know what I went through and maybe it can help you a little.

Victoria ;)