originally i had the plan of leavin ephedra/caffeine stack until the last four weeks of contest prep, i also have some 7 keto i planned on using then as well. from the board though i hear that its awful nice to be contest ready 2 weeks out. so my question is that should i start my final fat burning stack now? im about 5 weeks out or wait? and if i start them now and stop them a week or two out, is there a chance of me gaining that little bit of weight back? im at about 5.8% bf right now doing minimal cardio, so fat loss hasnt been much of a problem yet.
any ideas?
thanks
ben

Ben - Here is my two cents worth. If at five weeks out you are really at the BF level your test indicates and as you say you are still on track with bf loss I would not jump in yet with any ephedra/caffeine stack. My own personal opinion is that E/C stacks can be dangerous and have some undesirable side effects so I like to use other options such as LO/ER/GH, black coffee in moderation (others suggest green tea).

When on a calorie and carb restricted diet you walk a fine line with catabolism and the various "balances" that your body naturally strives to maintain. If you are making good progress with your current diet/supplement/training plan I would be hesitant to add an E/C stack on top of what is already working for you.

Have you got any progress pics up anywhere? I never like to go by bf testing results as a significant indicator of progress - there are just to many variables involved with bf testing. The mirror is really your best feedback.

Keep up the good work - it sounds like you remain on track and are monitoring the right things to gague progress. How does your current condition compare to any other prep phases that you have gone through? That is another good feedback tool as it compares you to you in another similar contest prep phase.

One thing to remember with the L-Carnitine products (LO/ER) is that for fat burning purposes it is best to cycle them two weeks on/one week off.

well thank u very much for the good advice. no pic as of right now, but in a couple days ill be moving off to school and i know my roomie's got a digital camera, so im sure ill be able to get a few pics and ill post them asap.

i wish i had another contest prep to compare this one too but this is my very first one, so everything is very new to me. i have a few people that are great bodybuilders that tell me im right on track, but im sure like alot of other people on this board im a bit obcessive.

i think for now ill stay away from the stack and just get alittle more serious with good ol' cardio.

thanks again
ben

Your first contest! Good for you, you will learn so much and I hope have a great time. I would also go slow on the cardio and only add that in if you feel you need to accelerate bf loss. If you do add it in just start with 2 or 3 15-20 minute sessions of HIIT cardio a week. For guys who are on track with bf loss cardio can actually be a negative if overdone. (I say for guys because many women members here find that they do need cardio to stay on track.) Cardio can push you into catabolism and actually slow down fat loss under certain circumstances. If you can do this without cardio you have a better chance of retaining more LBM (muscle).

Just be very strict with your diet, don't miss any meals and try to do your best to eat a meal every 2-3 waking hours per your meal plan.