supplements

mowree

First, thanks for creating the group. I love your no-nonsense approach to giving advice/info. I joined mfp this past May. I run 2-3 times per week; weight train 2-4 times per week. Been doing this for 9-12 weeks now. I like my results so far. No drastic changes; just less fat and a little more muscle showing. I have added protein powder to my diet to get more protein in. Now, I'm really interested in pre-workout supplements because I'm beginning to lose motivation and stamina...no matter if I change things up. Also, I'd like your opinion on fat-burners. I've considered trying one to help get past my current plateau but don't want something that gives you the jitters. Right now, I take CLA, super B, l-carnatine, alpha lipoic acid & fish oil. If there's something simpler and more effective then I'd rather be using it. However, I prefer an experienced reliable opinion on both of these types of supplements before incorporating them into my diet. Thank you so much.

stroutman81

Supplements definitely expose a weakness in my knowledge base. I'll tell you that right from the get go. Seeing as how even the most 'worthy' supplements make so little difference, I just haven't been very passionate about staying abreast of the field. I encounter very few people who have the basics dialed in entirely... and they'd get a lot more mileage out of improving those things.

Worrying about supps when the foundation of basics isn't cemented is akin to putting an exhaust system on an '87 honda civic, haha.

Let me start by saying the only supplements I use are protein powder, fish oil, a multi, and vitamin D. I've also used creatine off and on over the years. I've found that I'm not that much of a responder to it... but for those who are, I think it's a great supplement.

I've recommended calcium supplementation to clients who aren't big on dairy.

I have zero experience with fat burners. Meaning I've never used them myself.

I'll say this though. If I were to use them, I'd get my hands on ephedrine. I'd take this in conjunction with caffeine. It has reams of research supporting its safety and efficacy and it was banned for political reasons. It's great at blunting appetite, increasing fat mobilization, and offsetting some of the metabolic slowdown that occurs with dieting. Granted, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone with contraindications such as heart and blood pressure issues. And I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who might have a tendency to abuse it.

At the end of the day though, most fat burners are stimulants and any stimulant has the ability to make you jittery.

I'd ditch the L-Carnitine... research hasn't supported it's efficacy. CLA is questionable too. While there is some positive data out there, it's only minorly positive and not worth the cost if you ask me.

Green tea has been shown to increase fat burning. There's some conflicting data out there... but the majority of it is pointing toward this being the case.

In terms of pick-me-ups before training, I've been hearing great things about this:

http://www.citadelnutrition.com/pre-workout/tier-1

If it were me though, I'd likely turn to caffeine yet again. Granted, I'm not all hopped up on it as I don't drink caffeinated drinks. Therefore, I'm much more sensitive to it. But it's cheap and effective.

mowree

I appreciate your thoughts. Thank you. Maybe I'm feeling the affect of ditching sodas, which was my only source of caffeine. That, coupled with declining metabolism due to getting older. Again, thanks. Always good to have an experienced point of view.

stroutman81

A reduction in caffeine can definitely be playing a role. If it's really dragging you down and impacting gym performance, I'd highly suggest supplementing with caffeine.

aj_31

You can buy caffeine pills from Walgreen's if you need the extra help. I bought a bottle and then cut the pill in half so I take 100 mg at a time. Otherwise from time to time I have a Monster Energy drink - the zero cal/zero sugar one. It gives me the bump I need.