[gravediggingaditch]

Everything you are doing is fine man, you've got a balanced diet. . . you need carbs (the good ones - there is a difference), fat and protein. . . . and it sounds like you are doing right . . . if you wanna get a little more lean, pick up on the proteins and lower the carbs and fats a bit . . .just drink lots of water to keep your kidneys runnin smooth . . . throw in a low carb protein shake . . . every once in a while instead of a lunch.

Overall . .. . i you are trying to lose weight, you need to figure out what way you think is the best way to do it . . . . there are two ways , the quick ways that are really only diets and last a short time and the slower, longer lasting way.

1)Quick way - aka DIET -- focus on eating less calories than you are burning. Low carbs, low fats . . .these diets don't focus on building muscle to burn fat, but focus on just the idea of lowering the number on the scale

2) the right way IMO - aka "A way of life" - gain muscle, turn the fat you have into muscle by eating properly, exercising with weights, and getting a good amount of cardio (the more cardio you get, the harder it is to build muscle). Muscle needs calories - energy - to sustain itself and it will burn calories on its own just to operate. The more muscle you have, the more calories you are burning - this is basic metabolism.

i dont think Markoni was talking about a juice "diet", i think it was a quick cleanse. which is just a temporary - get the crap out of my system flush . . .

although I do agree with you that all natural juice still does have loads of sugar. But no, it is not the same sugar as that in soft drinks . . . In the end, however, sugar is sugar and it will screw with your metabolism.

What is HIIT? I think you are referring to High Intensity Interval Training which would probably be similar to what Markoni was referring to above.

Rather than running a mile at the same pace, HIIT would say sprint 100 yards, walk 100 yards, spring 100 yards, walk 100 yards, etc. Applying that theory to different exercises. It does work and I use it a lot.

In any event, if you want this to work out, you need to delete the word "DIET" from your life so that you don't have to worry about losing 10 lbs every few months. . . eating healthy and proper just has to become a lifestyle. I don't really give myself a "cheat day" because i dont want one. I don't look foward to having a lunch at mcdonalds, etc. . . . every once in a while, I'll have a piece of desert, or popcorn at a movie, but most of the time, i'm just not interested in it.

Also, as to Boosted's comment - I'm not sure how eating healthy and playing ball for 2 hours would have a negative effect and give him the opposite of what he is looking for . . . . and as for the cortisol levels, i'm pretty sure that they are not negatively affected by healthy eating habits or playing ball for 2 hours . . . Moreover, as for being hungry after playing ball, personally, I'm really never hungry after cardio or "playing ball" . . .I almost have to force myself to eat something . . . i am, however, starving after my morning workout routine.

My workout routines have been maintained for a few years now and its just habit. I love it. I look forward to waking up in the morning to workout and I look forward to a healthy meal (I love Chicken). If you aren't liking it, sad thing is, its not going to last. You have to learn to love it and be patient for the results, they will come.

PS - if you drink sodas . . . stop.