Supplements

prodigal6766

I have a protein shake once a day, before lunch (50g). Are there any other supplements that I should be using once I start hitting the gym in January?

prodigal6766

Bump

AnnPT77

Try to get as much of your necessary nutrition as possible from food: That would be my advice, too. Supplements don't necessarily have the same positive effects.

Most people don't need to go lots further, honestly, than eating a good, basic healthy diet: Less processed foods should predominate, and most nutritional experts will recommend lean protein; fatty cold-water fish (for Omega-3s); plenty of varied, colorful veggies and fruits; and some whole grains. (People who prefer specialized diets will quibble with some of that, but that's the mainstream advice.)

If you have a diagnosed deficiency, it's fine to use supplements carefully to address it. As your doctor about blood tests for nutritional deficiencies if you're concerned about this. Your personal health history might lead your doctor to recommend certain supplements (though maybe this is more likely for women than men). Certain minor health conditions or other issues may respond to supplementing certain safe micronutrients. Your doctor may have recommendations, or (maybe better yet) see if you can get a consultation with a registered dietitian (doctor referral, or some health clubs/pharmacies/hospital systems/grocery chains/employer programs/universities offer a registered dietitian consultation service).

If you have been careful to select very accurate entries from the MFP food database, you can analyze nutrition reports from MFP to see whether you're persistently under on an essential macronutrient (protein or fats), fiber, or the micronutrients it tracks. (NB carbohydrates are not technically an "essential nutrient", in that our bodies can manufacture carb-y compounds from other nutrients.)

For the micros, the data in MFP is particularly suspect. If your nutrition looks short on something from that data, dig deeper. One way is to take a couple of typical eating days and look up the foods in a more comprehensive source, such as the USDA FoodData Central Database:

https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/

Another option, if you're concerned about a particular macro or two, is to do a web search for "foods high in XXX" where "XXX" is the nutrient you're interested in. If you're eaten those things frequently, but they show up as 0 in the nutrient in your logs, you may be able to reassure yourself that you're OK.

I don't know whether you're in the US, as I am. Because I am, I usually turn first to US information resources. In other countries, there are usually analogous authoritative sources you can find. Some people are suspicious of official sources. I usually prefer them to random advocates on the internet, no matter how many degrees the random advocate has. YMMV. I do keep in mind that these resources will tend to be conservative, slow to change until substantial evidence accumulates.

Just because I'm in some kind of a mood, I'm going to go into more details about nutrition and supplements, with some sources that I've found helpful over a period of years. I'm putting it in a spoiler because of awareness that No One Asked For This. :flowerforyou:

Researching nutrition (or any complex scientific subject) can be complex for an amateur. Different studies say different things, quality of the studies vary, etc. In that sense, I prefer sources that rely on a consensus of many experts.

There is a US source that will give you a somewhat personalized estimate of basic needs:

https://www.nal.usda.gov/human-nutrition-and-food-safety/dri-calculator

Based on other reading, I think of some of those recommendations as minimums to avoid deficiency, rather than optimum intake. IMO, that's especially true for protein. I don't know how old you are, but your photo looks like you do have some gray in your beard, so I'm thinking you're at least not a kiddo. Below is a consensus document about protein for those who are aging. You may not be in the age group they're talking about, but it's an example of the kind of consensus resource that I think merits at least consideration.

https://www.jamda.com/article/S1525-8610(13)00326-5/fulltext

For specific nutrient and some supplement information, I've personally found this NIH site to be a useful resource:

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/list-all/

I particularly like the "for health professionals" items that will show up when you click on certain links. They usually are more comprehensive than the "for consumers" ones, with better footnotes, but I've found the "professionals" ones understandable (not too complex or technical to comprehend).

Another resource I appreciate is one that's independent of the official sources, but that is generally well-regarded as evidence based and neutral:

https://examine.com/

Some (much) of their information is paywalled, because they're a commercial service that makes its money by summarizing and analyzing nutritional and health research. They do, however, have some very useful information that's not paywalled. Their protein information (not paywalled) is frequently referenced here on MFP:

https://examine.com/protein-intake-calculator/
https://examine.com/guides/protein-intake/

There's a thread here on MFP about useful supplements. It's a little older, and this stuff sometimes moves fast, but was initiated by someone who's been regarded well here for providing solid information. It's more oriented to muscle gain/strength increase/bodybuilding specifically, but that's kind of what you're talking about starting:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10637410/beneficial-supplements-which-ones-are-right-for-you/p1

Personally, I do use some supplements. It tends to cycle episodically between quite a few of them and only a few. Most of them are things that either recommended to me by a medical professional because of a deficiency or relevant health condition, or that I experimented with taking myself to see whether they would help with some specific(-ish) thing. I'm very, very careful to learn about contraindications and safety profile before I start taking anything, and I keep all my medical providers informed about any supplements I'm taking. (I take a list with me to any/every visit.) Because these are personalized things taken for specific reasons, I'm not going to share the list here.

One thing I do take, that might be relevant for you (read up on it yourself!) is also in the MFP supplement thread I mentioned, but I checked it out in depth at the NIH site and Examine site, among others, before starting it: Creatine monohydrate. It's not an "everybody needs it" thing, though.

Food/nutrition-wise, there are two things I personally think deserve attention that I haven't mentioned:

1. Mix of fats: Balance of saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated. (None of these are inherently evil, but statistically, many people consume mostly saturated fats, but I think it's better to also include mono- and poly- routinely.) Also, Omega-3/Omega-6 balance. (Same deal, neither are evil, but many people consume lots of O-6 and not much O-3.)
2. Probiotics and prebiotics. There are probiotic supplements, but I focus on probiotic foods: Live culture yogurt and kefir; unpasteurized (usually refrigerate) miso; raw vinegars; unpasteurized sauerkraut, kim chi, other types of raw/unpasteurized fermented (not vinegar-cured) pickles. Kombucha is another type that's common, but I haven't found one I like. Prebiotics are fibers that the priobiotic microbes like to digest in our gut, so they can produce beneficial nutrients or chemical compounds for us.

None of this stuff is IMO necessary for everyone to think about or track, as I said up top. For sure, it doesn't have to be all perfect instantly, Personally, I find it interesting, and have gradually worked on improving in some of the areas I was concerned about. It may sound compulsive when summarized, but I can only say that's not how I experienced it, since it was more a matter of learning over multiple years and tweaking my eating in good directions by eating foods I actually do enjoy eating.

You asked about supplements; you didn't ask for an essay about nutrition and supplements. You got one anyway. That's me for ya. Sorry!

cmriverside

You don't really need any supplements. At all.

Food.

Retroguy2000

Creatine. It's cheap, safe and effective.

prodigal6766

Thanks Ann. I am not a kiddo. I am 57 years young, I weigh 274 lbs, and according to one of the articles in your spoiler, I should be taking in at least 186g of protein a day. Look at my diary and you can see that I pretty much hit that everyday. Retro, I will look into the creatine. When do you use, how do you use, and why? I’ve got questions, you guys seem to have the answers. Thanks!

AnnPT77

The Examine site I linked has a good article on creatine that includes that info:

https://examine.com/supplements/creatine/

I don't think that one's paywalled. There's info on the NIH fact sheet site I linked, too, a little more conservative as one might expect:

https://www.opss.org/article/creatine-supplements-basics
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/ExerciseAndAthleticPerformance-HealthProfessional

If you got the 186g protein from the Examine calculator, note that the related explainer suggests that if materially overweight, one can use something closer to goal weight as an input. If you got it from the Prot-Age Study Group article, I'm not sure about using a lighter weight. I'd have to re-read. 186 doesn't sound crazy: I'm at 100g minimum for 5'5" and around 130 pounds, estimate lean mass something a little under 100 pounds. I usually eat more like 120 because of being vegetarian (among other reasons).

Retroguy2000

prodigal6766 wrote: »

Thanks Ann. I am not a kiddo. I am 57 years young, I weigh 274 lbs, and according to one of the articles in your spoiler, I should be taking in at least 186g of protein a day. Look at my diary and you can see that I pretty much hit that everyday. Retro, I will look into the creatine. When do you use, how do you use, and why? I’ve got questions, you guys seem to have the answers. Thanks!

186g is a bit high unless you are lifting, in which case it's sensible. The creatine is also for the lifting. Aids recovery, helping you progress faster. 5g per day, at any time. It's very cheap.

prodigal6766

Before or after workout? I don’t plan to lift til January so I’m just planning ahead. I figure I will use the protein after I workout, so I would prolly take creatine same time? Thanks!

Retroguy2000

prodigal6766 wrote: »

Before or after workout? I don’t plan to lift til January so I’m just planning ahead. I figure I will use the protein after I workout, so I would prolly take creatine same time? Thanks!

Doesn't matter when. Every 24 hours is good.

Some will say pre-load with five servings per day for a week to saturate your system. You can, but you don't need to. If you just take it daily you'll have the same saturation after a month.