Thermogenic Foods

[Being_the_Don]

I know we need to keep our metabolisms elevated to continously burn fat. So what are some of the best thermogencic food sources out there? I don't like coffee but I occassionally drink tea. Green tea is good, too, but what is the difference between say brown tea and green tea? Which has the longer effect? And cocoa for that matter? Of the three listed above, if I had to choose order of preference it would be_____, then _____ and finally ______.

So what foods do you choose to extend thermogenic effects? Should it be done on a continuing basis? or take some time off to recover?

 

[Warboss Alex]

green tea, high protein + high water, green vegetables. another reason why a high protein bulk keeps you leaner than the usual low protein, high carb sh~te

black/brown tea and cocoa give no particular thermogenic benefits.

 

[Being_the_Don]

green tea, high protein + high water, green vegetables. another reason why a high protein bulk keeps you leaner than the usual low protein, high carb sh~te

black/brown tea and cocoa give no particular thermogenic benefits.

I read that caffeine speeds up the metabolism so why wouldn't brown tea be a good source of thermogenics? What I want to do is increase the thermogenics in the morning and later in the day. I know my metabolism is already working at a faster rate than in the past but I need more. I'm defintely getting enough of the green vegetables in my diet esp. spinach, broccoli, and green beans. I remember reading in one of the threads in this forum that darker vegetables provide more health benefits than lighter colored vegetables do. I want the rest of the excess bodyfat off by December.

 

[BluEyes]

Insulin spike.

 

[Warboss Alex]

black tea simply doesn't have enough caffeine in it to create a significant thermogenic effect, that is why.

also if I remember rightly your diet needs major work if you want the excess bodyfat off 'by December' (that's 6 weeks away, I dunno how much you have to lose but unless it's 5-10lbs that is an unrealistic goal)

 

[Being_the_Don]

Insulin spike.

That will happen if I eat foods with a high GI without balancing it out with proteins and fats. What would thermogenics have to do with spiking insulin levels?

 

[Being_the_Don]

black tea simply doesn't have enough caffeine in it to create a significant thermogenic effect, that is why.

also if I remember rightly your diet needs major work if you want the excess bodyfat off 'by December' (that's 6 weeks away, I dunno how much you have to lose but unless it's 5-10lbs that is an unrealistic goal)

About the brown tea, okay. I don't like coffe or green tea but I guess I can get past the bitter taste of green tea if I add some artificial sweetner.

As of the last weigh in my bodyfat is at 19%, I'll be weighing in again in a couple of weeks. Okay, if I do about 30 minutes of cardio 5-6 days per week; add thermogenics to my diet; reduce my consumption of high density carbs; increase or at least maintain my protein consumption; and increasing the intensity of my workouts in the gym that should get the rest of the excess body fat off within 1.5 months, no? I read a source (but I won't mention who at this point-and before you say it-I'm not the source) mention that it could be done safely.

But here it is. I'm at 158 pounds, my target weight was 154. But I want more definition and less body fat. I can't see much of a difference when I look at myself in the mirror, I only know from looking at my clothes and what other people tell me. They say that I'm in good shape, and women who I don't even know compliment me on the way I look. But truth be told, I'm not satisfied. Like on my weigh in thread I posted my current body weight, bf % and that I wear 32" jeans (which seem more loose around the waist now). I don't trust the scale and I don't trust what I see in the mirror half the time. Even one of the guys in this forum said that 32" jeans and 19% body fat don't seem to make sense. I can see some definition but not enough. I have just enough lingering fat on my stomach to prevent my abs from showing. I haven't been doing inclined sit ups for a while but I do the vacuum exercise, and of course there are other exercises in my routine that do strengthen my ab muscles. So I part of it is of course strengthening the ab muscles but the fat has to go.

I've decided that 154 pounds isn't good enough for me anymore. I need to get lower, somewhere around 148 pounds. My goal is lean muscular. Good definition and the lean, muscular physique that women I'm interested in go for. I get looks and compliments but I'm not satisfied with myself. It's not vanity. It's important to be physically healthy and to be able to do what I enjoy doing longer than my friends would be able to. And let's be honest. We all know that women who are physicaly attractive (and intelligent) prefer men who are also physically attractive and intelligent. Physical appearance alone would be a polite rejection for all the women who are not in the class that I'm attracted to. Therefore to keep away the women that I do not find attractive (polite rejection of them) it is also important to have the lean muscular physique. And when I get there I know I'll need to maintain. So it's essential that I get rid of that extra fat. I don't like seeing it and I want it gone.

 

[BluEyes]

I'm under the impression that the sugars and sweeteners you put in normal tea/coffee to make them drinkable, produce an insulin spike. The caffeine in regular teas and coffees is like 1.0mg/? or something, and green tea is far less at 0.1mg/?. Having all that caffeine at once also produces an insulin spike, where as the green tea has a far more mild and sustainable effect.

Don't quote me though.

Also, if you go for a physique that girls want, don't think too much about it and make sure your game is up to par. I used to lift for the ladies when I had no game(I still feel it sucks), and I'd always wonder why they weren't interested, so I'd keep doubting myself and my physique.

Before you lift for looks, you have to accept yourself now, and truly internalize to yourself that you CAN land some babes even WITHOUT your physique. Don't use it as a crutch, because it won't last forever. If you ever start thinking along the lines of "If my body was just a little better, I would have gotten her/had a chance!" then you know you have problems.

 

[Being_the_Don]

I'm under the impression that the sugars and sweeteners you put in normal tea/coffee to make them drinkable, produce an insulin spike. The caffeine in regular teas and coffees is like 1.0mg/? or something, and green tea is far less at 0.1mg/?. Having all that caffeine at once also produces an insulin spike, where as the green tea has a far more mild and sustainable effect.

Don't quote me though.

Also, if you go for a physique that girls want, don't think too much about it and make sure your game is up to par. I used to lift for the ladies when I had no game(I still feel it sucks), and I'd always wonder why they weren't interested, so I'd keep doubting myself and my physique.

Before you lift for looks, you have to accept yourself now, and truly internalize to yourself that you CAN land some babes even WITHOUT your physique. Don't use it as a crutch, because it won't last forever. If you ever start thinking along the lines of "If my body was just a little better, I would have gotten her/had a chance!" then you know you have problems.

I don't lift just for looks but it is important to look good. The way we look is a symbol of how we feel. If we want to attract intelligent, confident and attractive people we need to be the same, that's the way it is most people. The primary reason I work out is how it makes me feel. It's fun to exercise. And I'm healthy (thank goodness) and I have to stay that way.

Thanks for your advice about insulin spikes, much appreciated.

 

[Warboss Alex]

Being The don .. your motives for working out are your own so I won't comment on them.

However I will say that your wanting to lose 10lbs in 6 weeks is unrealistic, and if it did happen it would be in an unhealthy sort of way. 5-6lbs loss in that time scale is more reasonable.

Now, putting aside my maxim that sub-150lb guys should be shot and stored in the deepfreeze as emergency protein rations, I can tell you that your diet and workout routine need work if you're to achieve your goal.

you need to increase meal frequency and quality, emphasising proteins, fats and vegetables with a little fruit. carbs taken around workouts if you're interested in muscle growth/recovery, otherwise skip them as well. have one day a week when you have some carb meals to keep the metabolism and thyroid happy.

ps - I'm not convinced about you being 19% bodyfat at that bw, post a picture of yourself

 

[BluEyes]

Now, putting aside my maxim that sub-150lb guys should be shot and stored in the deepfreeze as emergency protein rations, I can tell you that your diet and workout routine need work if you're to achieve your goal.

I think I woke up the neighbors laughing so hard, thank you for an excellent start to the day.

 

[Being_the_Don]

Being The don .. your motives for working out are your own so I won't comment on them.

However I will say that your wanting to lose 10lbs in 6 weeks is unrealistic, and if it did happen it would be in an unhealthy sort of way. 5-6lbs loss in that time scale is more reasonable.

Now, putting aside my maxim that sub-150lb guys should be shot and stored in the deepfreeze as emergency protein rations, I can tell you that your diet and workout routine need work if you're to achieve your goal.

you need to increase meal frequency and quality, emphasising proteins, fats and vegetables with a little fruit. carbs taken around workouts if you're interested in muscle growth/recovery, otherwise skip them as well. have one day a week when you have some carb meals to keep the metabolism and thyroid happy.

ps - I'm not convinced about you being 19% bodyfat at that bw, post a picture of yourself

I just PM'd ya.

 

[Throttle]

the bitter taste of green tea

brewed properly it is not any more bitter than other teas (less so, to my taste). you need to brew it around 170-190degF (boiling pt at sea level is 212degF). basically, wait for the water to stop actually bubbling, wait another minute, then drop the bags in, and don't leave them in for more than five minutes (some suggest 2 minutes). black tea gets brewed at 212, so people make the mistake of trying to brew green tea the same way. you can do that, but it comes out bitter.

 

[Being_the_Don]

brewed properly it is not any more bitter than other teas (less so, to my taste). you need to brew it around 170-190degF (boiling pt at sea level is 212degF). basically, wait for the water to stop actually bubbling, wait another minute, then drop the bags in, and don't leave them in for more than five minutes (some suggest 2 minutes). black tea gets brewed at 212, so people make the mistake of trying to brew green tea the same way. you can do that, but it comes out bitter.

I'll remember that, thanks.

 

[SinJester]

so what's a Insulin spike and why is it bad?

 

[Throttle]

the very short answer is that anybody asking about thermogenic foods is generally trying to lose bodyfat, while insulin both blocks the release of energy from bodyfat and makes it easier to store energy into bodyfat. also, the human body doesn't deal well with repeated insulin spikes -- eventually some people develop insulin resistance, which is essentially an early stage of type ii diabetes.

there's much, much more (for one thing, many lifters intentionally spike their insulin right after a workout to drive nutrition into their muscles).