Phenorex Transformation Blog

By: Omar Habbal

13th December 2010

Days 22-27

The Phenorex bottle is done!  

I promised to review the product fairly and impartially. And I therefore offer the following review scores and comments as testament to my experience.

Energy, Stimulation, Concentration: Score: 5/5

In this category, Phenorex exceeded all expectations. I personally had no diminishing returns using the product. The ability to lift my mood and motivate me to get out and run was beyond compare. This was especially apparent in the morning. I would take my Phenorex literally as soon as I woke from bed – keeping the bottle and a glass of water by the bed and taking them when my alarm went off. Within 20-30mins I was wide awake and ready to go. I would power through my cardio and always felt like I could do more. There was no restless energy, no nervousness, no over stimulation.

Thermogenic Feeling (warming): Score: 3/5

I did not really feel any warming of my body. I know others have reported this feeling, but for me there was no such sensation. I was, for the most of my course, running outside in the cold so this may have affected the process.

Appetite Suppression: Score: 4/5

The appetite surpression did not come on straight away. It took a while for me to feel any sort of change in appetite. But a quarter of the way in, my appetite was quelled. This was probably aided by my diet and natural adaptation. Nevertheless, once I was fully in swing, my appetite was affected.

Ease of use: Score 4/5

Phenorex capsules are not large. They are easy to swallow in one go. I take three in the morning all at once, with no issue. Having said that, I am generally able to chug back pills without much issue. A person who has problems swallowing stuff will just have to take them one by one – All in all, easy to use.

My Results:

As you can see from my photo, I got my abs out a little. This was extremely difficult for me as I naturally hold on to body fat. To achieve this I was strict with my diet all week and when I cheated on my diet I cheated sensibly – i.e. not gorging on huge amounts of pizza, ice cream, chocolate. I would allow myself some dense carbs and sugars, but not go over the top.

I ate every three hours. I drank a lot of water. My staple diet looked like this:

1 - Protein Shake, Vitamins
2 - 5 Whole Eggs, Vitamins
3 - Protein Pudding
(SizeOn Precontest)
4 - Chicken Portions, Veg
5 - Cottage Cheese/Casein Powder

I never missed a morning cardio session. I started low with cardio and finished high. On the final day of my diet I jogged for 1hr, while at the beginning I was doing 25-30mins. I progressed cardio so that I did not plateau early; the idea being that I always had a step further to push myself. This was crucial in my fat loss. I also kept my weight lifting to the evening. I followed high reps, lower weights. I also introduced HiiT cardio into my evening workout towards the end.

To achieve what I achieved you have to be dedicated. Fight against your cravings, but also allow them a sensible respite. Remember that I was also dieting 3/4 weeks prior to my receiving Phenorex so the final result was not purely 28days of diet and cardio but more like 8-9 weeks.

A long road, but I am happy with the results. I thought Phenorex was an amazing addition to my diet and cardio. Gaspari Nutrition continue to be my favourite supplement company; all there supplements are great. I would advise everyone to go out and buy Gaspari products; they are consistently impressive.

Thanks for following my diet and training. I hope people are inspired to achieve their desired look. 

8th December 2010

Days 19 - 21 

Dosing Remains the same: 3caps AM; 2caps PM

I have been good with diet still but I feel that my fat loss is stalling. My weight has not changed much over the past week. The effects of Phenorex are still noticeable but not as sharp as they where to begin with. This is most likely due to my body’s adaptation to the supplement. Nevertheless, the effects are still noticeable and my morning Cardio is definitely helped by my morning dose of Phenorex.

Diet

My diet has been the same as always. Low carb all week with a high carb day on the weekend. I mainly eat chicken breasts, eggs, white fish, oily fish and protein drinks. This has become quite routine for me now and I do not feel the desire to eat carbs all day long. I do sometimes crave chocolate biscuits but this is temporary and a little bit of protein powder and natural peanut butter quells my sweet tooth pangs.

Training

Cardio

I have gone back to running in the morning this week. This is just to keep my body adapting to new stresses. I felt that my morning walks were becoming to easy and not stressful enough for me to lose any sort of weight. I run for 40-45mins each morning. It is cold but I wrap up warm to ensure I achieve some body heating.

I am also doing weights with cardio in the evening. I do 30mins on the cross trainer or treadmill post weight training. This, supposedly, is the best time to do cardio training as any glycogen will be depleted and fat stores will be called upon for energy.

Resistance Training 

My strength has diminished quite a bit. I feel weaker in the gym – Except the day after eating higher amounts of carbohydrates. On this day I feel extremely energised and strong. Hopefully when I finish my diet I can regain some strength.

Statistics

My bodywieght has not dropped significantly this week. This is probably due to my adaptation phase. I will most likely be changing my training routine and diet to help aide me through this plateau.

Bodyweight: 94.2

Bodyfat: 15.1%

It is still a loss in bodyweight and fat but not as much as I would have hoped. This most likely means that what I lost in my first week was quite watery.

I will keep persevering with my regime. Phenorex is definitely one of the best fat burners I have tried to date. Lets see how I keep going. 

3rd December 2010

Days 15 – 18

Dosing remains the same: 3caps AM; 2caps PM

The snow has not stopped me.  I have been to the gym every morning still. I drudge my way there in winter attire. Hardly any one in the gym except me! I don’t know whether to be happy or sad about that.

Phenorex is probably the one thing making me go every morning. I keep the bottle by my bed with some water and literally take it when I wake up.  This wakes me up and forces me to get out to the gym.

Diet

My diet has been good this week. I have made no slips and have kept my carbohydrate intake very low. This does make me feel tired; Phenorex offsets this tiredness to a degree.

My Marco’s everyday are as follows.

Protein 280g
Fats 50g
Carbs 40g

 I am also maintaining my vitamin supplements.

Training

Cardio

I have been continuing to do my walk every morning: 120-130bpm. I am steadily increasing the incline as I go along. I am not running outside anymore because it is to cold, and I discovered that cold inhibits weight loss.

Resistance Training

I am doing PM workouts for body parts. Yesterday was shoulders. I felt pretty weak. I have legs tonight.

Other Supplements

Casein powder is nice before bed. Also, I know I keep banging on about it but SizeOn Pre-Contest is really really nice and refreshing whilst on low carb. Next time I do a diet like it will be on my ‘must have’ list.

General

Things are going ok. I feel like I am not losing weight this week. Perhaps my body is slowing down. I'll keep pushing. 

30th November 2010

Days 12–14

Dosing Remains the same: 3caps AM; 2Caps PM.

Again, no diminished effects of the product. I still feel energized and concentrated after each dose. Nothing new to report on this element of Phenorex. No jitters either.

Diet

My diet suffered slightly this weekend. My girlfriend’s birthday obviously made my dieting needs superfluous. However, I powered through with cardio each morning and kept any sugar (cakes) to the evening. This I did to avoid lulling into a daylong binge. The technique worked and I limited my sugar intake to a slice of cake, and some wine. I made her breakfast on Sunday and it was a sly high protein low carb meal, which she failed to notice and just enjoyed (basically: a nice English breakfast). 

I had more carbs on Saturday – as I will do. I felt the lift from these and I continue to feel stronger from the intake.

Saturdays Diet:

Protein 270g
Fat 45g
Carbs 140g

A new edition to my diet is Nando’s Garlic Piri Piri sauce: 0.5 grams of carbohydrates per serving. Excellent taste on everything.

A lovely low carb desert too: 2 scoops MyoFusion, 1 tablespoon all natural peanut butter, little tiny bit of water. mix until thick and gooey. Microwave 20 secs. Pure heaven.

Training

Cardio

My morning walks are going well. I enjoy doing these in the gym and I am able to track my statistics much more easily on the machine. I am now doing 1hr each morning.

Resistance Training

Lifting is going okay. I definitely feel weaker form my diet. Phenorex does give me a good lift to get though, however.

Statistics Update

New Total Bodyweight : 94.6kg

New Bodyfat %: 15.5%

Still losing weight!!! Feels Good. 

27th November 2010

Days: 8 – 11

Doses remain the same: 3 caps AM; 2 Caps PM.

Effects remain the same. No diminishing returns on Phenorex, so far. Each time I take it I know I will be lifted. I plan my studies around the dosing. My concentration is markedly improved when I get back from morning cardio. Phenorex: the study aide!

Appetite Suppression 

My appetite is definitely suppressed now. I am not that hungry during the day and have to remind myself to eat: a plus and a minus effect of the product. I do want to eat, I just do not want to crave snacks, etc. I don’t crave snacks, so it must be working.

Training

Cardio

I now go to the gym in the morning instead of running, because it’s SUPER COLD.  I do an uphill walk for 50mins. Again, 120 – 130bpm. This now feels to easy and like I am not working hard enough, but I definitely feel a bit tighter in my physique after a walk. I sweat somewhat, but not overly – as I would from a run. I like the walk, its easy.

I have been teaching spin this week. I taught two classes: one Monday and one Tuesday. These were killer. But I advise those who are dieting and trying to lose weight to give them a go. You get 45mins of interval training and it passes very quickly. I make sure I am sipping on my SizeOn during this however, because the high intensity periods are quite hard and lean into the anaerobic threshold.

Resistance Training

I am following my high reps routine still. And I work by “body-part” training: 4-5 times a week.

Diet

I have been consistent in my diet still. It is becoming increasingly easier to get through the week with lower carbohydrates. This is just my body generally adapting. Also, the appetite suppression from Phenorex helps greatly.

Daily Macro’s:

Protein: 300g
Fat: 50g
Carbs: 45g

I do not include any caloric value that may come from vitamins or minerals. But I make sure that I have these always: Vitamin C, MultiVitamin, Cod-Liver Oil.

Fat Loss

Generally I feel like I am still losing weight. I feel lighter and thinner. I am resisting looking at the scales until my next weigh in, but I expect a big loss. 

22nd November 2010

Dosing:

My doses remains the same: AM: 3caps, PM: 2 Caps

My AM dose still gets me through my morning cardio, which I have now increased by 5mins. My PM dose also makes my late night workout very much easier to get through. 7 days in and there are no signs of decreased effects. For me, these doses are the best.

Appetite Suppression

Starting to work. I do not feel tempted to snack or feel really hungry all the time – like I did days 1-5. Now, when I take the doses, I don’t feel compelled to eat. This could be me adapting to my lower caloric diet, but either way appetite suppression is becoming more noticeable.

Diet

The weekend is a test for anyone. For dieters, it’s a nightmare. My friends and I went into town on Saturday night. We were drinking, lightly. I had to reserve myself to Bacardi and Diet Coke; aka the lowest calorie drink you can have. I didn’t have much to be honest. Anyway, alcohol is never good and I felt rubbish on Sunday despite not really drinking anything.

I upped my carbs on Saturday because I was feeling very weak on Friday. I will be having more carbohydrates on Saturday every week. This is my reefed time; it allows some respite in terms of sanity and also to keep my body from crashing. I am still very high on protein and my fats are still very healthy.

Saturday – Macro’s

Protein: 279gs
Fats: 45gs
Carbs: 150gs

Total Calories: 2121: Much healthier number of calories on Saturday.

Training

Cardio

I have been doing my cardio everyday. Each morning I do a slow paced jog - fasted. I have increased this jog by 5 minutes now. And I will increase it by a further 5 minutes in a week’s time. My heart rate fluctuates from 120bpm to 130bpm. This is the ideal zone for "fat burning". What's more, as I am doing fasted cardio, I doubt I could use much more effort than this. 

Resistance Training

I did legs on Friday. I felt extremely weak. This is probably due to my 5^th day with low carbs. Over the weekend I did no resistance training. But I did my cardio each day.

Today is chest and triceps - I will hopefully feel strong due to my carbs over the Saturday. 

Statistics

So this is the interesting part:

New weight: 96.00kg. That's - 1.5kg in 7days.

New Body Fat Percentage: 16.5%. Thats - 1.5%

This is very pleasing to me. I am losing weight at a high level. However, I think this is too much in one week. 1kg per week is healthier and less likely to me muscle wasting. Also, my low carbs probably help me shed body water and that could be attributable to the total loss value. Either way, I lost weight. A whole 1.5% of body fat reduction is good too; however, it could also have to do with water shedding.  

To be clear, I do not wish to lose weight - I wish to lose body fat :). All is going well and Phenorex looks the real deal so far. 

19th November 2010

Days: 2-4

Upped my Dose: AM: 3caps PM: 2caps

AM Dose 

The morning 3 cap dose (taken pre-breakfast and pre-cardio) definitely gives me an increase in drive. I am ready to do my run – no problem! No lethargy; no metal block. What’s more, the noticeable increase in alertness helps me concentrate on my work when I get back. In both these respects, Phenorex is great.  

PM Dose 

By the time the PM dose arrives I am tired. I take the PM dose before weight training. This is normally 8 – 9 hours after the first AM dose. Again, I am lifted and ready to train. The feeling creeps up as opposed to rushing. 

Appetite Suppression

There has been no noticeable appetite suppression as of yet - perhaps after my evening dose there is a little. I don’t crave food as much in the evening.  Not 100% attributable to Phenorex yet.  

Diet:

My Diet has been solid, if a little low on calories.

Marco Nutrients: Day 2,3,4

Protein: 270g
Fats: 44gs
Carbs: 50gs
Total Calories: 1665

Deficit is quite high. I will add some more food!!

Other Supplements

SizeOn Pre-Contest is really great during my evening session. It feels very refreshing and is actually helping motivate me. The nutritional benefit whilst on caloric deficit is also extremely valuable. Great Product!

Training:

I do fasted cardio every morning: slow jog for 35-40mins. 120-30bpm

I resistance train: 2days on 1 day off.  I did chest and tri’s Tuesday.  Back and Bi’s Wednesday. Then rested (not from cardio). Today is legs.

Progress is good. After seven days I will do a weight and measurement report.

For now, all is well. 

16th November 2010

Morning Fasted Cardio

30mins slow-jog; 120-125bpm.

Evening Resistance Training:

Chest , Triceps, Abs:

Chest -

Hammer Strength Decline Presses: 4x15reps: 95kg

Decline Dumbbell Flyes: 3x16reps: 15kg

Machine Presses: 3x20reps: 80kg

Triceps –

Dips: 3x12: Bodyweight

Cable Tricep Press: 4x12: 45kg                       

Abs –

4x20 Decline Sit-ups: 10kg

3x20 leg raises

 

Diet:

Waking: 2 caps – Phenorex

Cardio

Meal 1: Banana, 2 scoops Whey Protein, Vitamin C, Multivitamin 

Meal 2: Omlette: 4 whole egss, 2 egg whites, Olive Oil

Snack: Handful of Almonds

Meal 3: Two Turkey Steaks, Brussel Sprouts, Vit C

2 caps Phenorex

Meal 4: 2 scoops whey protein, Rice Cake

Train – Sipping on Gaspari SizeOn Pre Contest.

Meal 5: Salmon Fillet, Brussel Sprouts, Brocolli

Meal 6: Casein Protein Blend.

 

First experience of Phenorex: It definitely woke me up for my morning cardio. I felt alert and was comfortable jogging – no lethargy. The feeling of Phenorex is not a jittery buzz but a gentle, noticeable increase in mood. There is a noticeable increase in awareness and alertness also. I am currently writing essays and I felt more focused on what I was doing. I had no ‘come down’ either. I took 2caps pre cardio, and 2 pre-training. Definitely felt a slight lift each time.

Diet was solid today. Good protein intake and good fat sources. Low carbohydrates as you can see. I felt slightly hungry. No noticeable appetite surpression from Phenorex yet. We’ll see how I progress with that. I doubt anything will ever kill my appetite.

Training was decent. SizeOn was great during workout - keeps me feeling strong and tastes good. Following high reps and good form. Hence, the machine dominated workout. I kept it pretty short. 45mins in total.

All in all, good first day. 

15th November 2010

Received my Phenorex today!!!

Straight out of the bag, Phenorex does not appear like most Gaspari Products. It looks a much more pharmaceutical style of product. Similar to Spirodex, Phenorex looks like a product which means business. No fancy logo’s, no wild and outrageous claims. There is only a simple title and instructions – plus a warning statement.

120 caps in this bottle; serving size 1-3 caps in the morning on an empty stomach; followed by 1-2 caps 6-8 hours later - also on an empty stomach.  The capsules are not very big and are gelatin based for quick dissolution and ingestion. I don’t really have a problem swallowing tablets or pills, so there is no issue there. Even if I did, they are not really that big and shouldn’t cause any problems.

It says, not to exceed 4 caps in 24 hours, or 3 caps in 5 hours. So I wont.

Ingredients look interesting:

3mg of Vitamin B6
50mcg of Vitamin B12
Selenium 4mcg

B-Vitamins are good for energy regulation and ensuring good energy levels. I generally take a B-Complex vitamin supplement, but I am going to stop that whilst taking Phenorex. Too many B-Vitamins can be toxic.

Thermogenic Amine Complex: 335mg – Containing:

Carnipure, Oxytropis falcate extract, Caffeine USP, Advantra Z, Paullinia cupana extract, 3,5 Diiodothyronine.

So, Phenorex is a stimulant based product. With most of these ingredients being extracts of plants shown to produce stimulant effects (Oxytropis, Paullinia, Caffeine). I am going to therefore avoid overdoing it on any other stimulant products or foods that I currently take; i.e coffee, etc.

I have not started to take Phenorex yet, but I hope to start my first dose before morning cardio tomorrow. I will post my daily routine and diet from tomorrow, and I'll let you all know how it goes.

12th November 2010

Hey everyone, I'm Omar Habbal, winner of the Gaspari Phenorex Volunteer trial. I am going to start posting and blogging on my transformation using Gaspari Nutrition: Phenorex. This blog will feature my training routine, diet, body statistics and supplement reviews. I am a NASM Personal Trainer; Masters student at King's College London and generally fun guy. There is a lot I have learnt from my qualifications - both physically and mentally. I ahve access to some very good sources and I hope to keep you all updated with the information I choose to use in this process.

My goal is to get lean and achieve a healthy physique - and to show off some abs.

Personally, I have trained for 4-5 years now. I never used to be into weights. I was a massive cardio-head. I ran like a lunatic for years and did little weight work: never getting anywhere. But now I am resistance training correctly, dieting accordingly, and have been making strong progress.

So here will begin my blog. My statistics:

Age: 24
Height: 6ft 2
Weight: 97.5kg
Body Fat: 18%
Waist: 35"
Bicep: 16.5in
Legs: 24"
Chest: 44"

Personal Best:

Bench Press: 135kg
Squat: 150kg
Should Press: 38's
Deadlift: 220kg

Training

I have been following a 3 day upper body / lower body split. It's got me some significant gains. I focus only on compound exercises formy main lifts and do a different set of isolations at the end of each workout. (Tip - Compounds are tried and tested mass building exercises, most routines should be built around them) However in my training I have hit a plateau - hence why I am volunteering for this blog. I have a new routine which incorpoarets higher reps, fuller ranges of movement, and cardio! I will be posting my workouts on this blog.

Diet

My calorie expenditure at rest is 2300 calories. Add 700 for activity and daily calorie expenditure will be roughly 3000 calories. When leaning I need to be at a calorie deficit of around 400 per day. This will be my aim to begin with. The method of dieting I am choosing to use will be to reduce my carbohydrate intake initially and then gradually phase it out. I will not be eating any sugars or higher GI carbs and will receive my fats from healthy sources: monounsaturated, etc. My protein intake will be crucial in my ability to hold on to lean muscle tissue whilst on a calorie deficit and I hope to get 250 -300 grams per day. I will blog my diet and macro  nutrients for you all to see as we go along.

Most importantly, I will introducing Phenorex to my diet. Phenorex is a new fat burning supplement from Gaspari Nutrition. I hope to review it fairly and appropriately. I am expecting great things from Gaspari as there supplements have always been top class.

Thanks for reading,

Let the transformation begin!!!