You're killing me.
Understanding Fat:
Did you know that your fat cells remain with you forever? That's right. They don't magically disappear, they don't turn into muscle and they don't burn away. When you lose fat-weight, you're actually shrinking the fat cells. That's it. Fat cells are there to stay, in your stomach, arms, thighs, etc... So now you understand the concept. We are working on shrinking fat cells here. There are no more fat cells to accumulate. Only expansion and shrinkage. There are 2 stages of accumulating fat cells, in the womb, and one last time during puberty. After that we're done accumulating. This is mainly why I made the decision to put an end to bulking cycles a while back.
My Experience:
I've been on this protocol for a little over a month from the date of this post. I am pleased with my experience. This is while eating at TDEE, not under. I'm doing basic maintenance calories. I've been supplementing with green tea for a while, but haven't taken mega-doses until this experiment. Chromium was never in my diet, so that's new to me. Finally, Synephrine is also new to me.
It's merely impossible for me to lose fat while eating at maintenance. I've never had the pleasure of meeting this occurrence until now. In just a little over 30 days, I lost 5.6 lbs of fat. Doesn't sound like much, huh? Well, I can tell you that without this protocol, not only would I have not lost a single ounce, but I would have gained some fat. So imagine the effects it would have in a caloric deficit. LBM change was a slight increase. While I said earlier that I am no longer running bulking cycles, those of you who still plan on bulking, this might actually be a perfect stack. But let's focus on fat loss here...
As you know, the lower your body fat percentage, the harder it is to lose fat. I'm at 12.06% today. I assure you, that someone between 16 to 20% would see much better results than I did. It's no secret... The heavier you are, the more you'll notice. This goes for any successful diet/protocol.
Ingredients Needed:
1. Chromium Picolinate
2. Synephrine
3. EGCG (Green Tea Extract)
How Each Ingredient Works:
Chromium:
I've been using this for just a little over a month now. After a friend asked me about it, I realized that my knowledge was pretty limited and that triggered some heavy duty research on my part. My findings were quite astonishing and had me running to the store for the supplement. I had to find out for myself, and I'm happy to report that in just over a month, I'm putting my stamp of approval on this one.
Chromium is quite underrated. My research shows that many of us are actually deficient. This has everything to do with agricultural practices and processing by manufacturers. In other words, you're not getting enough chromium from the food you purchase at your local store. You can also blame the government, too! Dang FDA regulations!
We all have cravings, especially for starchy foods and sweets. Acting on these cravings above moderation raises insulin levels. That's a surefire way to increase fat cell size. Couple that with a chromium deficiency and you can pretty much forget about fat loss. Unless you burn an astronomical amount of calories daily (most of us don't), you'll gain fat and even potentially become a diabetic. Chromium can and will balance insulin levels and inevitably leading to a smaller fat cell. The insulin-sensitivity-regulating mineral will help redirect your appetite away from sweets and starches because you're finally balanced and able to properly process and metabolize sweet foods, starches, etc....
Chromium is also a key player in energy. Almost everyone on earth complains of fatigue, one of the main side effects of a deficient body. That will help add more minutes on the treadmill.
Warning: Consult with your doctor if you are diabetic before supplementing with Chromium.
Synephrine:
In many ways, this is actually pretty similar to the popular Ephedrine. Much safer, however, dosing still requires caution. I can say this from experience. It's considerably powerful. To give you an example of the measurement used, I've attached an image of the micro-scoop used for a single dose. I almost laughed when I saw the dose, but I followed instructions and it works. It works right away, I could feel it in less than 20 minutes. I also attempted tripling the dose and that didn't go over so well.
Anyway, Synephrine is derived from both plants and animals. When looking for it, you may find that it's labeled as "Orange Extract". Synephrine will increase your metabolic rate by increasing lipolysis. So all great news so far. Get on amazon to find it, you can get 5 grams pretty cheap and considering the 20mg high dose, this will last you for a very long time. Just mix it with some water drink it.
Warning: Check your blood pressure while using this. Do not use if you have HBP.
EGCG; Green Tea Extract:
I drink diet green tea everyday as part of my liquid intake. But supplementing with an extract in pill form will yield much more effective dosages. Most folks who claim no results from green tea are the ones who run to the store, purchase some Lipton tea bags and have a cup of hot tea before bed. Forget that nonsense. High doses are required for green tea to make a difference. Let's see how...
You may have heard the abbreviation: EGCG. This is Epigallocatechin Gallate. The main component in green tea. This component has an effect on your daily energy expenditure, as you'll burn more calories than you normally would, even at rest. Drinking Lipton tea will not provide enough EGCG.
Important information regarding purchasing this product: You need to be careful when purchasing green tea extract, many of them out there have low percentages of EGCG, so be sure to read the label very carefully and look at the content. Do not search for green tea, search for EGCG as those specifically labeled with the abbreviation will typically have the highest content. For the protocol, you need 600mg of EGCG. I recommend NOW foods, they carry a product that contains 200mg of EGCG per pill. So for our protocol you'd be taking 3 pills.
Note: Take green tea extract with your daily fish oil supplement, this will increase bioavailability.
The Protocol:
Chromium: 800mcg daily
Synephrine: 10 mg
(1 scoop), for 3 days, if you feel OK, increase to 20 mg (2 scoops)
EGCG: 600mg daily
(that's 600mg of EGCG, not to be confused with total green tea extract)
Frequently Asked Questions:
When do I take this stack and how often?
Because Synephrine works very quickly, I recommend that you take everything pre-workout. Once a day is all you need.
Should I take it on days I'm not working out?
Absolutely, yes. Take it everyday until you're happy with your progress. I recommend that you give yourself a 7 day break from Synephrine every 30 days.
Will I look like I'm stage-ready in 30 days?
No, dummy. But in 30 days you should have a noticeable difference. Your jeans will be looser.
Do I need to eat below TDEE?
Well, preferably. But since March, I've been eating at maintenance and haven't lost an ounce until I started this protocol and lost fat. This protocol was the only change I made.
Are there any side effects?
Chromium and EGCG will not give you any issues. Just be cautious with Synephrine as it's similar to ephedrine. Taking too much can make you jittery and give you that nasty "nervous" feeling in your elbows. Start low and increase slowly. I can only handle 2 micro-scoops. You might be able to do more but I don't recommend you attempt it because it works at smaller doses. As mentioned above, give yourself a week break for every month you're on it.
Where Can I get these supplements?
Google search! I got all of mine on amazon. Don't panic, you'll find them.
REMEMBER: THIS IS NOT AN ENERGY STACK. YOU WILL NOT EXPERIENCE A BOOST IN ENERGY, A JOLT, JITTERS... OR WHATEVER YOU'RE ASSUMING. THIS IS A SILENT STACK. YOU'RE LOOKING FOR PROGRESS AND PROGRESS ONLY.
