Multivitamins and other supplements novice question

Hirgy03

Hey all, Newbie here (at least to this specific forum).

I have lost about 30 lbs in the last 3-4 months from just watching my diet and getting back into a relatively light workout regimine.

Recently I have hit a plateau in my weight loss (I'm 6'0" and currently at around 235-240 lbs). While my body is changing in good ways appearance-wise, the weight hasn't dropped a pound in the last 2-3 weeks. I found my way into a nutrition store this weekend and purchased a fat-burner called "Super HD", which I found in a GNC. I'm going to give this a try to see if it helps me break through this plateau I've been struggling with/at for a while now. Wondered if any of you have any suggestions, tips, advice when it comes to taking something like this.

Also, I'm thinking it may be a good idea to take a multivitamin to supplement my diet. While I do my best to try and eat healthy and balanced, with a couple of kids in the house its not always the easiest to stay on top of all of that, especially since I get home late a lot of nights and end up eating whatever the rest of the family had earlier. I have a weight loss shake (generic version of Weight Watchers shake) in the morning for breakfast (usually a banana as well). I have a protein bar each mid-morning and mid-afternoon, and a 250-320 calorie frozen entree for lunch. Then at night, its usually a pretty good meal cooked at home.

Without getting "graphic", while I don't have any problems to speak of in the bedroom, my endurance isn't what it was just a few years ago even and I've noticed that I don't have the sex drive as strong as I used to. I keep hearing on the radio all sorts of advertisements for testorsterone boosters for men over 40. Are these just a 'hoax', or is there something to them? Other than my weight, I'm a very healthy guy (recently had a full physical for work, so my numbers are good (blood sugar, blood pressure, etc.).
Are there any multivitamins that would help with overall health AS WELL AS maybe giving me a boost in the bedroom as well?

Thanks in advance for any insight, tips, advice, etc.

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Hirgy03

Thanks for the feedback. I know these things aren't "wonder pills", just been frustrated and wanted something to maybe help me push through a wall. Trust me, I've got a large belly, plenty of fat to burn, and I've really been taking a low caloric intake approach. I've been dropping steadily 2-3 lbs a week for the most part up until this last month. Just trying to push a little harder now. We are going on a cruise the first week in Feb., and I want to lose as much as I can before that, yet do so in a healthy way in that it will stay off.

dunadan

I've hit plateaus a couple of times in the past three or four months, and what has worked for me is to actually increase calories for a short period of time (say, a Saturday night dinner at a good steakhouse, order whatever you want). My trainer and nutritionist call this "keeping my metabolism guessing", and while I'm not entirely clear on the science behind this, it seems to work. I also switched up my workouts with my trainer recently (going from a push/pull/leg rotation to full-body circuits), and that has allowed me to break through my most recent plateau at 222/223 and get down to 217 (as of Saturday).

In general I am skeptical of supplementation, but I do take an adult multivitamin every day (and have for years), and have a protein drink immediately after each workout (dotFit and Cytosport) to get some protein into my body quickly.

vuboo614

I recently lost 60 lbs in the last 3.5 months, and I take Super HD, exactly as the label prescribes. I find it helps me push harder during my workout and it does carb my appetite. I also prefer to use the system, Herbalife, (google it). It is an amazing system that is all organic, it has the meal replacement shakes, which I found leave me fuller for less calories, an herbal tea, which boosts metabolism and gives you energy, and aloe which helps your digestive system get back in order. I highly reccommend you take a multi-vitamin (try to get the best fit for you i.e. Male) I like the GNC brand vitamins bc my stomach is sensitive to vitamins, and these are the only ones that do not make me sick. If you want to boost it a little, add CLA to your diet, it helps your body build more muscle and burn more fat, and most people's bodies do not produce enough of this. Try to also cut out the frozen meals as they have too much sodium, which causes your body to attach to more fat and be "bloated" try to also stay away from bananas because they are high in natural sugars, try berries, or grapes.

The best thing to do would be to have a healthy breakfast like a egg white veggie omelette, or wheat toast and eggs and fruit, and have the meal replacement shake for lunch if your day is hectic. Avoid fruit or juices at night because it will take your body too long to process before going to bed. Also, try to get 8-8.5 hours of sleep a night- this will actually boost your metabolism, also try to eat something (like the fruit) within 15 mins of waking in order to really kickstart your metabolism during the day. Try to switch it up every once in a while, and try to add extra calories occasionally. If you always intake the same things, your body will get used to it and not lose weight as quickly.

Try to work out a little more too, especially if you are in a time crunch. Cardio is good, but you have to remember to weight train too so you build muscle, and your body burns more calories per minute with the more muscle vs fat you have. Also, after a heavy workout, make sure to drink a protein shake ASAP.

Hope this helps, let me know if you have any more questions- I've done a lot of research and my trainer is amazing

G__Force

Are you hitting the gym at all? Just getting on a treadmill or an eliptical will help you break through the plateu. As for multivitamins I take Natures Way and some extra C on top of that. As far as i've heard the other supplements for low testosterone dont work but i'm not a Dr. and I have never tried them. I'm sure loosing the weight will.

Quasita

My boyfriend swears by taking zinc to help with his testosterone levels. It works very well for upping levels for men who have low levels of testosterone.

Examples of ways to boost naturally:
Lose weight
HIIT and intermittent fasting
Lifting weights
Getting more vitamin D especially via sun exposure
Reduce stress
Lower sugar intake, if not eliminate completely
Increase use of healthy fats
Make a point to geting good amino acids, such as those found in dairy and whey protein items (not necessarily supplements)

A good multi-vitamin that is designed for men should have ample amounts of C, B6, E, A, and D, which are all directly related to testosterone production.

However, I would think that you are ready for a higher intensity work out. It should help boost your manly levels while hopefully kickstarting your weight loss. I would work more REAL foods into your diet. Remember, meal bars are not necesarily meant to replace meals so much as add to them. If you are using things like Clif Builder bars, they are meant more for people that are working out a lot, and tend to have a lot of sugar and things that you don't necessarily need.

No offense, but I wouldn't take most of vuboo's advice. Supplement "weight loss" pills often work by creating a paste or introducing chalk type substances in your stomach, and that's how they curb the appetite. Many of them will dehydrate you and can create the unfortunate result of breaking down your muscles if you are not eating well enough. This will result in false positives for diabetic signs in a urinalysis, which is a whole other ball of wax.

As long as the sodium in the meals is within your daily amounts, which should be 1500mg-2000mg at most, then you'll be fine. Watch those meal bars here as well, as from my experience, they can have 20-30% of your daily need, so you'll quickly meet that goal and then some. The only way to counteract sodium (by the way, bloat is water retention, not fat retention) is to increase potassium. I agree with limiting bananas, though one a day isn't that bad. Try to diversify, and keep in mind that the sweeter the fruit, the more sugar it brings. While these sugars aren't necessarily bad, they can work against you. I recommend more things that are tart, like granny smith apples, citrus, strawberries, etc. The vitamin C and A found in them will help the testosterone AND help you feel more alert.

Good luck!

supertracylynn

Don't take "fat burning pills" or anything that kind of sounds like that.
It sounds like you eat a lot of pre-packaged foods. That's fine when you're in the beginning stages because it seems quick/easy and similar to the "big" lifestyle. As you're finding out, you plateau and need to change Something in order to keep going.

The shake is okay, but probably lacking in nutrients. Switch out your protein bars for fresh fruits, veggies, a piece of cheese or nuts or a yogurt. Or use the shake in place of one of the protein bars.
Try taking the leftovers for lunch instead of a frozen (processed) meal. Maybe even a sandwich with a side of veggies and hummus.
Leftovers are awesome, just saying.
You can do a quick sautee for dinner - ground meat, chopped veggies (I have a machine that slices them for me, LOVE it!), that sort of deal, and experiment with seasonings to make it interesting, and put that over a little rice.

Most people need a multi-vitamin because their diets are lacking. I notice I'm a lot more energetic when I take mine consistently. Don't worry too much about your testosterone levels - unless you have them specifically tested, your endurance can be blamed on minor deficiencies.

tonyamariepierce

i am a woman , but this is the truth. nothing gets my mojo going like a long hard cardio/weight lift workout. not sure if it increases my testosterone, women have it too, or what but dang it works. this summer i did a bootcamp style workout 3 days a week and couldnt think of anything other then my libido.

BrentJulius

Caffeine is one of the most effective and safest tools there are for speeding up your metabolism, suppressing appetite and studies show that it also encourages your body to utililize more fat for energy over glycogen in areobic activity as well as resting . It is also very cheap and easy to get so it is rarely advertised as a stand alone and put into fat burning pills, mixed in with a lot of other ingredients, some with questionable effectiveness in order to turn a profit. I believe Cellucor makes the HD product? They are a pretty reputable supplement company so if you feel it working I'd say go for it.

As far as testosterone boosting, that is very iffy. To answer simply, the supplements are scams in my opinion. Especially is it says "Tribulus Terrrestus" on the bottle. Run away. As people said above, having adequate nutrients and minerals, sleep and frequent heavy weight lifting with reps of 12-15 with no more than 1 minute between sets has shown to optimize T. As for supplements, you could try 3 grams (3000 mgs) a day of D-Aspartic Acid- DAA for short. It has been shown to raise test about 45% over 12 days. This is not a huge number, considering your test can fluctuate that much in a day, but the only supplemnt actually shown to be effective in a clinical setting and it is cheap in raw form as well. As for sex there are good supplements. They may not work by directly boosting T, but do have results none the less for libido and stamina. I would suggest 5000 mg of L-Arginine (cheap amino acid) about 2 hour before "activity" or 200 mg of yohimbe. They are also good to take before working out because they help boost your muscle "pumps".

JustJennie1

If you think you have low testosterone go to your doctor and get it checked. That's not something to screw around wit. Low T can lead to a whole ost of other problems.

Hirgy03

Thank you all for your input, it is ALL being taken to heart and considered while I make up my mind which route to take next, and what changes to make to my routine....heck, to my lifestyle. I appreciate the feedback greatly!