2 pills with EVERY food meals (small snacks and protein shakes not necessary)

not really, you'll be fine. It's quite a common problem and shouldn't cause any problems.

hey raynor, what's your stance on so-called negative calorie foods? for example, most people accept it is fact that apples and the like take more energy to digest than they actually give you, but i can't imagine that it's identical to not eating anything at all. would eating apples be a legit way to reduce hunger, or is it all hype? thanks

No. This is myth.

Fruits and some vegetables contain sugar. This sugar (regardless of total calories) if not burned as energy in approx 20 minutes of consuming, will be stored as fat if glycogen stores are already full.

Moreover, digestion takes a LOT less calories than some "dietitians" believe. Realistically, all fruits, veggies, and any food for that matter is not a "negative-calorie" food unless it is made entirely out of something non-digestible (so pure fiber would be negative calorie).

Anyway, with this in mind, let me clarify a few things:

1. Eat as many raw green veggies as you want and you will not gain ANY fat.
2. On a cutting diet, stick to grapefruits and mixed berries as your only fruits and eat them only during the first 3 meals of the day
3. avoid veggies like carrots, peas, corn, potatoes, and any other starchy/sugary veggies

Are artificial sweeteners bad for your teeth?

ok sounds good, thanks for the info

No. Bad for your long term health possibly.

Do you think this is a good exercise for the abs? i started really doing them today i work the abs in a circuit once a week.

Eh....not really...this exercise puts a lot of stress on the back and neck and tends to focus mostly on the upper abs (the easiest to hit anyway).

For proper ab exercises, stick to complete movements or leg movements...avoid pure upper body movements.

example: hanging leg raises or standing knee raises are excellent for developing lower abs and obliques. Also machine V-Crunches (where your back and legs BOTH move at the same time) and laying double crunches (also both legs and back moving at the same time) are way better than doing flat back situps/crunches or these standing ab pulldowns.

Lastly, if you like the way this motion feels, try the ones arnold used to do....kneeling ab bows...it looks like you are literally bowing down to someone....from a kneeling position and using a rope attachment with the cable machine behind your neck and gripped with both hands, bow down slowly contracting the ab muscles. Perform each rep slow and controlled.

at 13% bf/ 180, i was trying to decide whether to bulk or recomp? i got a bulking diet down, but how would a recomp diet look like? eating at maitnence?