LEAN MACHINE

YOU'VE COMMITTED to eating right and exercising to drop those pounds you've put on since college. And, you've been doing well so far. But, maybe you need a little extra help. "Losing weight is never easy," says Phil Harvey, Max Muscle's Chief Science Officer. "And there's no magic potion."

But, Max Muscle's new 3-product dietary supplement program is as close to a weight loss magic potion as it gets. The three products include Quadra Cuts Extreme, a thermogenic accelerator, Quadra Cuts Advanced Thyroid Support, which helps to assure healthy functioning of the thyroid gland, and Quadra Cuts Night-Time, a formulation designed to help with fat metabolism while you're sleeping. "Used together, they offer 24/7 dietary support," says Harvey.

The Quadra Cuts supplement program was developed using four main ingredients for each product - thus the word "Quadra." Each ingredient was chosen for both its ability to help with weight loss - based upon sound scientific research - and also for its record of safety, explains Harvey.

Here is the science behind each formulation:
Quadra Cuts Extreme
Quadra Cuts Extreme is designed to increase thermogenesis, or the rate at which the body generates heat, or energy, by increasing the metabolic rate above normal. This helps to break down fatty acids and reduce overall body fat.

While many weight loss products with thermogenic properties have the undesirable side effect of increasing the heart rate and blood pressure, Extreme contains Advantra Z, a patented product that burns fat without these unwanted results. And Extreme is also a time-released formulation, meaning that the thermogenic effects are delivered smoothly over a period of time, rather than delivering a sudden surge of ingredients to the body.

Nevertheless, Extreme is a powerful product, says Harvey. So it's important to test your tolerance to the supplement as the label directs before taking the maximum allowable amount.

Quadra Cuts Advanced Thyroid Support
Like Extreme, Quadra Cuts Advanced Thyroid Support is designed to boost the metabolism. But this gentle product does so by enhancing the body's own metabolic system - the thyroid gland.

There are many reasons that the thyroid gland may become sluggish, resulting in a slower metabolism: hormonal changes as a result of aging, nutrient and mineral deficiencies, and even excessive exercise or caloric restriction are just a few.

Thyroid Support's blend of four special ingredients helps the thyroid to produce the necessary hormones you need to help convert food into energy rather than storing it as fat. It also contains iodine, a mineral that the thyroid gland needs in order to produce those hormones.

Quadra Cuts Night-Time
Have you ever found that you have little dietary self control after a sleepless night? If so, you can understand that getting the proper amount and quality of sleep is a crucial part of weight loss. In fact, recent research suggests that lack of sleep can disrupt the levels of hormones that are tied to feelings of hunger and fullness.

Quadra Cuts Night-Time addresses the common problem of sleeplessness with the ingredients Valerian root and Melatonin. Valerian root extract encourages a restful and refreshing sleep and also stimulates the body's digestive tract to help with proper digestion. And Melatonin helps to promote the body's natural sleep cycle. In combination, these two ingredients assist you in getting to sleep and staying asleep - and waking up feeling refreshed.

But that's not all that Quadra Cuts Night-Time does. Like the other two Quadra Cuts products, this supplement contains four ingredients and together, they can help you to continue burning calories - even while you sleep!

As exciting as the Quadra Cuts 24/7 program may be, Harvey is adamant that a successful weight loss program must include three other components: dietary modification, exercise and behavioral changes.

Dietary Modification
All too often, our dieting efforts involve radical and excessively restrictive changes, such as eliminating entire food groups or drastically reducing calories. This approach may work at first, but it's important to keep in mind that quick weight loss is usually a result of lost water and muscle, not fat loss. And a drastic change in diet is also a set-up for failure -your feelings of deprivation eventually catch up and you will steadily regain the lost weight. Even worse, if you've lost muscle in the process of rapidly shedding pounds, your metabolism will slow down, meaning that it will be even harder to lose weight.

A better approach to dieting is to make moderate changes in your diet over a long period of time. Many health experts believe that adopting a Mediterranean diet is the best way to go for long term weight loss - and it has the added benefit of being heart healthy.The basics of a Mediterranean diet are to make poultry and fish your main sources of protein, limit red meat and avoid high-fat meats such as sausage and bacon, and broil or bake rather than fry.

Also, you should eat 7-10 servings of varied and colorful whole fruits and vegetables daily, go for low fat dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt and add nuts to your daily routine. Try a handful of almonds, walnuts, or pecans on a salad or as a snack.

Other dietary tips include choosing whole grain breads, cereals and pastas and brown rice, using olive oil or canola oil for cooking and for salad dressings and spreads, and avoiding butter and other fats, especially trans fats. And, if your doctor approves, have a glass of red wine at dinner. A healthy alternative to wine is a glass of purple grape juice.

Remember that how you eat is just as important as what you eat. Keep portion sizes reasonable, and try to eat your meals slowly so that you don't consume more than you need to.

Exercise and Weight Training
It can be hard to fit regular exercise into your life, but research shows that physical activity is one of the most important factors in weight loss success. Not only does exercise rev up your metabolism and speed calorie burning, but it also makes you feel good. And done in moderation, it may help to suppress your appetite.

If you've never considered it before, it may be time to think about weight training. Weight training adds muscle, and the more muscle tissue you have, the more calories you'll burn. Join a gym or splurge on a home gym system. Make sure that you have proper instructions for using the equipment, though, so you don't end up with an injury.

Behavioral Changes
One of the most difficult parts of losing weight is making lasting behavioral changes. A good way to start is trying to understand why you overeat. Many experts believe that keeping a food diary can help you to recognize your personal triggers for eating and to retrain yourself to eat in a more mindful way.

A food diary records everything you put into your mouth. You should record time of eating, what and how much you've eaten, where you are, a description of how hungry you are, and any feelings or emotions that you-re experiencing just prior to eating. This exercise can help you to become aware of whether you eat in relation to stress, boredom, or simply through habit.

The next step in making changes is to formulate a conscious decision about what actions you'll take in response to overeating. Do you eat in front of the TV and end up eating much more than you want to? Resolve to sit down at the table for each and every meal and snack. Pay attention to the food, how it smells and tastes, and savor each bite. Try to stop when your stomach tells you that it's full.

If your food diary reveals that you eat out of boredom or stress, make a list of things you can do rather than devouring a half bag of chips. Call a friend, take a walk, or write a letter. Studies show that those who address behavioral and emotional aspects of overeating have a better rate of long-term weight loss maintenance than those who do not. You may need to consult a licensed counselor or psychologist to help you with this.

Ready to begin? Write down a reasonable weight goal and pick a day to start. Make sure you have the right foods, a plan for exercise and a diet diary. And don't forget the Quadra Cuts dietary supplement products, says Harvey. "The three products work together as a comprehensive 24/7 program that provides dietary support throughout the day - and even while you sleep."