Day 1

Day 53

Day 44 to Day 53 (02.24.12 to 03.02.12) of using the Clarins Men Ab Firming Gel.  Decided to aggregate the posts because I didn’t have a lot to report on the day to day use of the Ab Firming gel.  Using my NetDiary, iPhone app, I recorded all my daily net calorie intake.  In general, I stayed within my daily calorie allowance.  I applied the gel right after I took a shower in the morning and again right before I went to bed at night.  After I applied the gel, I used face moisturizer to remedy the dryness that I felt after using face wash.

Face moisturizer is very important to protect your face.  If you are in the market for a face moisturizer, some that I think are great include Kyoku for Men Face Moisturizer for day time use.  It has SPF protection so its perfect for the morning and Baxter of California Night Cream for night time use.  Night cream tends to be on the heavier side, so if you don’t like the heaviness, try Baxter of California Oil Free Moisturizer.

Take care of your skin because skincare is all about prevention.  Just like in healthcare, it is much easier to prevent a major illness than cure it.

Daily Net Calorie Record
02.24.12 – 2869
02.25.12 – 2354
02.26.12 – 2302
02.27.12 – 2482
02.28.12 – 2392
02.29.12 – 1873
03.01.12 – 2051
03.02.12 – 2027

Stats
Age: 29
Height: 5’7″

Measurements
Weight: 145 lb
Waist: 31″ (measured from belly button)

Application of Ab Gel
When: (2) Morning and Night

Other Factors
Lifestyle: Sedentary

Michael is the Fashion and Style Editor for Urban Cargo, a men’s e-commerce site focused on helping men improve their looks so they feel more confident at work and in their love lives.   At Urban Cargo, members have the ability to sample body care products from premium brands such as Malin + Goetz, Kyoku For Men, and Baxter of California on a monthly basis.  For $12 / month, men get a themed box that focus on one particular area, whether it be Shaving, Face, Body or Hair.   We serve the modern man who is too busy to take care of himself, so we do it for him.  Our blog provides men advice, products suggestions and tips on areas related to grooming, fashion and fitness. 

Day 43

Day 1

Day 43 (02.23.12) of using the Clarins Men Ab Firming Gel.  Woke up late again today, so I missed breakfast.  It was a crazy work day, so I just ignored my hunger to plow through my to-do list.  Because I didn’t have time to eat, it was a negative 800 calorie day.    Day 1 vs Day 43.  Maybe a like slimmer in Day 43, but not by much.

Stats
Age: 29
Height: 5’7″

Measurements
Weight: 145 lb
Waist: 31″ (measured from belly button)

Application of Ab Gel
When: (2) Morning and Night

Other Factors
Net Calorie Intake: 1552
Exercise: None
Lifestyle: Sedentary

Michael is the Fashion and Style Editor for Urban Cargo, a men’s e-commerce site focused on helping men improve their looks so they feel more confident at work and in their love lives.   At Urban Cargo, members have the ability to sample body care products from premium brands such as Malin + Goetz, Kyoku For Men, and Baxter of California on a monthly basis.  For $12 / month, men get a themed box that focus on one particular area, whether it be Shaving, Face, Body or Hair.   We serve the modern man who is too busy to take care of himself, so we do it for him.  Our blog provides men advice, products suggestions and tips on areas related to grooming, fashion and fitness. 

Day 42 (02.22.12) of using the Clarins Men Ab Firming Gel.  Stayed up late the night before so I didn’t wake up until it was about noon.  First meal of the day was lunch which I prepared a meal of chicken, green vegetables and some rice.  It was mainly left overs from the night before.  Nothing too tasty, but it was quick, which allowed me to go straight to work.  In terms of the gel, I just applied it right after I got out of the shower.  It has a nice cooling sensation, which feels pretty nice now that it is not freezing outside.  After I put on the gel, I put on my face moisturizer.  I really like hot showers, so my skin tends to feel dry right after.  I apply face moisturizer on and it instantly cures the dryness on my face.  I’m currently using product from Lab Series and so far, I really like the products that I’m using.  In terms of getting a six pack, I don’t see much progress.   Another calorie negative day though, so slowly chipping away at the iceberg.

Stats
Age: 29
Height: 5’7″

Measurements
Weight: 145 lb
Waist: 31″ (measured from belly button)

Application of Ab Gel
When: (2) Morning and Night

Other Factors
Net Calorie Intake: 2132
Exercise: None
Lifestyle: Sedentary

Michael is the Fashion and Style Editor for Urban Cargo, a men’s e-commerce site focused on helping men improve their looks so they feel more confident at work and in their love lives.   At Urban Cargo, members have the ability to sample body care products from premium brands such as Malin + Goetz, Kyoku For Men, and Baxter of California on a monthly basis.  For $12 / month, men get a themed box that focus on one particular area, whether it be Shaving, Face, Body or Hair.   We serve the modern man who is too busy to take care of himself, so we do it for him.  Our blog provides men advice, products suggestions and tips on areas related to grooming, fashion and fitness. 

Day 41 (02.21.12) of using the Clarins Men Ab Firming Gel.  Stayed at home to cook, so it was a net negative calorie day.  Ate chicken for all three meals.  All prepared with different kinds of seasoning.  Chicken is super healthy and is great to incorporate in your diet.  It is about 120 calories for a chicken breast and it take your body a while to digest it because it’s protein.  Meaning you will stay full longer and have lots of energy for the day.  I do combo the meat with some kind of carbs for a more balanced diet such as rice, corn or potatoes.  Make sure to drink lots of water too.  It’s good for your skin and it’s good for your diet too.

Stats
Age: 29
Height: 5’7″

Measurements
Weight: 145 lb
Waist: 31″ (measured from belly button)

Application of Ab Gel
When: (2) Morning and Night

Other Factors
Net Calorie Intake: 2036
Exercise: None
Lifestyle: Sedentary

Michael is the Fashion and Style Editor for Urban Cargo, a men’s e-commerce site focused on helping men improve their looks so they feel more confident at work and in their love lives.   At Urban Cargo, members have the ability to sample body care products from premium brands such as Malin + Goetz, Kyoku For Men, and Baxter of California on a monthly basis.  For $12 / month, men get a themed box that focus on one particular area, whether it be Shaving, Face, Body or Hair.   We serve the modern man who is too busy to take care of himself, so we do it for him.  Our blog provides men advice, products suggestions and tips on areas related to grooming, fashion and fitness. 

Day 40 (02.20.12) of using the Clarins Men Ab Firming Gel.  For those that have just stumbled on this blog, this is a brief recap.  When I was traveling in Asia, I saw many products making claims of effortless body slimming, cellulite reduction or in this product’s case ab firming.  Curious of the actually effectiveness of this product, I decided to buy the gel and give it a test.  No stranger to fitness, I know that love handles are very hard to get rid of. Crunches or situps don’t do anything to address love handles.  The best proven way to get a slimmer midsection is to do lots of cardio.  The key to getting rid of fat on your midsection is to lose fat all over your body.  Even so, what if this product could perform this targeted fat draining, I thought.

Well, it’s been 40 days of continuous use and so far, I haven’t noticed any significant improvements, but at the same time, I haven’t experienced any significant fat gain either.  Although I passed the 30 day mark of when Clarins states I should be seeing results, I thought it would be a waste not to finish the rest of the product.  So after 40 days, I’m still applying the gel to my body, twice a day.  It’s not too much of a hassle.  It’s now part of my daily routine.   I have kept track of my all my measurements below so I can better assess the effectiveness.  As of today, no changes regarding weight or appearance.

Stats
Age: 29
Height: 5’7″

Measurements
Weight: 145 lb
Waist: 31″ (measured from belly button)

Application of Ab Gel
When: (2) Morning and Night

Other Factors
Net Calorie Intake: 2463
Exercise: None
Lifestyle: Sedentary

Michael is the Fashion and Style Editor for Urban Cargo, a men’s e-commerce site focused on helping men improve their looks so they feel more confident at work and in their love lives.   At Urban Cargo, members have the ability to sample body care products from premium brands such as Malin + Goetz, Kyoku For Men, and Baxter of California on a monthly basis.  For $12 / month, men get a themed box that focus on one particular area, whether it be Shaving, Face, Body or Hair.   We serve the modern man who is too busy to take care of himself, so we do it for him.  Our blog provides men advice, products suggestions and tips on areas related to grooming, fashion and fitness. 

Day 39 (02.19.12) of Clarins Men Ab Firming Gel.  Stopped by friend’s for dinner today and we decided to cook.  We made steak, brussels sprouts with bacon, and mashed potatoes.  It was one of those decadent dinners.  We used a lot of butter and everything tasted great.  Again, I exceed my daily calorie consumption limit, but it is a bit hard to stay disciplined when visiting and hanging out with good friends.  Measurements are about the same.  Abs look about the same.  Not sure if I’m getting that “six pack” anytime soon, but it was sure a great time.

Stats
Age: 29
Height: 5’7″

Measurements
Weight: 145 lb
Waist: 31″ (measured from belly button)

Application of Ab Gel
When: (2) Morning and Night

Other Factors
Net Calorie Intake: 2728
Exercise: None
Lifestyle: Sedentary

Michael is the Fashion and Style Editor for Urban Cargo, a men’s e-commerce site focused on helping men improve their looks so they feel more confident at work and in their love lives.   At Urban Cargo, members have the ability to sample body care products from premium brands such as Malin + Goetz, Kyoku For Men, and Baxter of California on a monthly basis.  For $12 / month, men get a themed box that focus on one particular area, whether it be Shaving, Face, Body or Hair.   We serve the modern man who is too busy to take care of himself, so we do it for him.  Our blog provides men advice, products suggestions and tips on areas related to grooming, fashion and fitness. 

Day 38

Day 38 (02.18.12) of Clarins Men Ab Firming Gel.  The picture to left is a shot of my abs.  In previous posts, I mentioned that I haven’t noticed  a meaningful difference with my abs and I cited my doubts about the effectiveness of the gel, but one thought came to mind today – what if the Ab Firming gel is working.  What if  I haven’t been getting more love handles is because of the gel?  I’ve been taking my measurements daily and they haven’t changed. If we were to look at the gel’s effectiveness from the standpoint that the gel has been firming the abs while my body has been generating more fat, then the fact that the appearance my abs haven’t changed could indicate that the gel is working.

I still have a good amount of gel left, so I plan to keep using it until it is all gone, but when it is gone, I plan to continue to track my daily calorie consumption, and take pictures and measurements of my abs.  It is not a perfect science experiment, but it does provide somewhat of a control to examine the effectiveness of the gel.   Stay tuned!

Stats
Age: 29
Height: 5’7″

Measurements
Weight: 145 lb
Waist: 31″ (measured from belly button)

Application of Ab Gel
When: (2) Morning and Night

Other Factors
Net Calorie Intake: 2839
Exercise: None
Lifestyle: Sedentary

Day 37 (02.17.12) of using the Clarins Ab Firming Gel.  Had quite a day hanging out with new and old friends.  What turned out to be a simple 30 minute catch up became an 7 hour drinking / eating feast.  It all started with just 2 glasses of white wine  at 5 pm.  Then we went to this bar where we ordered potato skins, chicken fingers and chips with salsa.  I had a margarita.  Afterwards we went to a Mexican restaurant where I ordered a beef and cheese enchilada with chips and guac on the side and had another margarita.  By 10 pm, we decided that the night was still young, so we went to a sports bar.  We then commenced our marathon drinking of beers.  By the end of the night, I totaled about 10 alcoholic drinks or about 1500 in empty calories – might even be under counting.   It’s days like this that undoes all the discipline from the days before, but I think once and a while is fine.  Hard to get a six pack or get ripped this way, but I just need to make up for the calorie splurge in the following days.  Will have to be better about it for the summer, but since it is since relatively cold, I think I can get away with it.

Stats
Age: 29
Height: 5’7″

Measurements
Weight: 145 lb
Waist: 31″ (measured from belly button)

Application of Ab Gel
When: (2) Morning and Night

Other Factors
Net Calorie Intake: 3661
Exercise: None
Lifestyle: Sedentary

Day 36 (02.16.12) of Clarins Men Ab Firming Gel.   Finished up with researching on the last five ingredients and have provided a full recap below.  Of all the ingredients in the gel, it seems that Lauroyl Proline and Sorbitan Laurate has the strongest connection with love handle reduction.  Although I haven’t seen significant evidence or scientific papers that touts its effectiveness.  As of this post, the gel does seem to have components that will help with getting rid of your love handles or help you develop a “six pack” but the extent of the effectiveness is inconclusive.

Ingredients that could be “Active” Ingredients

Bocoa Prouacensis Extract – extract for a type of tree in Amazonian forest.  It is patented by Clarins for its uses in consumer products.  Traditionally was used by natives in the Amazonian forest to energize their bodies.  According to some cosmetics databases, the ingredient has skin protecting and moisturizing properties

Ascorbic Acid – Vitamin C that acts as a anti-oxidant agent, which helps to combat damage to our skin cells from our environment

Lauroyl Proline – Sorbitan Laurate & Lauroyl Proline make up Adiposlim, a patented SEPPIC slimming active ingredient.  Sorbitan Laurate has been researched before in previous posts and it  is used to reduce the surface tension of the gel.  Adiposlim seems to be in a lot of anti-cellulite gels / creams, so from the surface, it seems to be a trusted ingredient.  Source: http://bit.ly/yxgil0

Phospholipids – helps regulate cell life.  It is an organic substance.  As natural components of cell membranes, they have a high affinity to skin and therefore penetrate skin easily.  They are an important source of essential fatty acids to keep the skin soft.

Escin – not a lot of information out there, but it seems like people use this ingredient to improve blood circulation

Caffeine – No substantial research that proves caffeine does anything regarding cellulite when applied to your skin.  Reason why it’s in so many fat/cellulite reducing products is because of its distant relationship to aminophylline (a pharmaceutical once thought to reduce cellulite, but now dis-proven regarding it’s effectiveness), which is a modified form of theophylline, and caffeine contains theophylline.

Atractyloides Lancea Root Extract – an herb used in Chinese medicine that acts primarily on the digestive system.   Couldn’t find information on how this ingredient might be effective when applied to the skin.

Related to Texture or Appearance of the Gel

Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate – Emulsifying agent (helps with binding the other ingredients in the gel) and acts as a skin moisturizing agent

PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone – emulsifying agent

Trideceth-6 – emulsifying agent – used to bind solids and oils together / hold components of the gel together

Sodium Polyacrylate – thickening agent

Sodium Acrylates Copolymer – another thickening agent

C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside – keeps the water and oil components mixed together.

Sorbitan Laurate – reduces the surface tension of water / gel

Octyldodecanol – Prevents the gel from separating into the oil and liquid components.  Has lubricating properties

C14-22 alcohols – Prevents the gel from separating into the oil and liquid components.

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer – a thickening agent that makes gel feel substantial and helps it to glide on your skin smoothly.

Butylene Glycol – Controls the thickness of the gel

Menthol – creates the cooling sensation when you apply the gel to your skin

Moisturizing

Hierochloe Odorata Extract – Used to mask the smell of the gel as well as has moisturizing properties

Diphenyl Dimethicone - anti-foaming agent as well as helps to lubricate the skin

Dicaprylyl Carbonate – it smooths the skin, leaving a velvety sensation

Glycerin – it draws moisture up through skin layers and slows or prevents excessive drying and evaporation

Dimethicone – helps to moisturize the skin

Hydrogenated Polyisobutene – skin moisturizer and prevents water loss

Base

Potassium Sorbate – preservative

CI 42090/Blue1 – gives a bluish color to the gel

Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil – Oil that is likely to act as one of the base oils of the gel.  Also it acts as a moisturizer.

Sodium Benzoate – preservative

Phenoxyethanol – preservative

Sodium Hydroxide – very strong base that might be used to neutralize the acids in the gel.  This ingredient is also included in products such as drain cleaners and is also used to bleach pulp white.

Cyclopentasiloxane – a thin silicone that makes the gel feel slippery and acts as a base fluid

Water – No need to explain

Alcohol (Ethyl Alcohol) – My guess is that it is used as a preservative or as a solvent to dissolve components of herbs or other plants.
Stats
Age: 29
Height: 5’7″

Measurements
Weight: 145 lb
Waist: 31″ (measured from belly button)

Application of Ab Gel
When: (2) Morning and Night

Other Factors
Net Calorie Intake: 2887
Exercise: None
Lifestyle: Sedentary