Supplements, pills and shakes etc

RosscoBoscko

Have started doing a bit of research into this area of things recently as have plateau'd with my weight loss and want to kick on again, so wanted to see what recommendations/advice other supplement takers out there have on the mixture that I already take or have been taking? Are there any others that you would recommend adding and for what effect?

I should add that at the moment I am looking at either ongoing or weight loss/fat burning supplements, long term I will look into bulking/muscle gain but fat loss and fitness is main priority right now.

My plan/list is as below:

Capsaicin (any recommendations on specific pills)
Zinc
Vitamin C (pre workout)
Craze (pre workout/match)
Calcium
Glucosamine, Chondroitin and MSM (for my joints - have no knee cartilage in left knee and damaged shoulders)
Protein shake (have just finished my supply of Promax Diet, has worked well for me, but have been told there are more efficient/cheaper alternatives available, advice would be appreciated)

Whilst I appreciate there are many people out there who do not believe in taking supplements and nutritional pills, whilst I respect your right to your own opinion and approach, I personally do believe in them, so I am only really looking for advice from people who also use/agree with taking them as to whether I am taking correct/incorrect ones. I'm not looking to start a thread arguing over the rights or wrongs of the principle of supplements, I have already made a decision to include them in my eating plan. Hope that doesn't offend anyone!

tndejong

i have seen people get all crazy over this. i use to take b12 and it worked really well. it gave me energy through out the day. but i recently started taking active vitamins. they also give you a little boost. i do not take the b12 and the active. too much and it will make you very antsy!

tndejong

you are probably think im crazy for this. but i take a shot in the morning and a shot at night of apple cider vinegar. i have been doing this for a year now and it helps with stomach problems and heartburn.

RosscoBoscko

you are probably think im crazy for this. but i take a shot in the morning and a shot at night of apple cider vinegar. i have been doing this for a year now and it helps with stomach problems and heartburn.

Don't think you're crazy at all actually, have read this a few times that a spoonful of vinegar with every meal aids weight loss, have been meaning to try it, but need to get myself organised enough to have the vinegar on hand. Do you know if any particular type of vinegar has better effect, ie is there a reason you are specifically using apple cider vinegar?

RogueViper101

Protein shake (have just finished my supply of Promax Diet, has worked well for me, but have been told there are more efficient/cheaper alternatives available, advice would be appreciated)

I also started on Promax Diet but changed to using MyProtein Impact Diet Whey as its cheaper and just as good in my opinion. I have two scoops for lunch with 300ml of water which provides me with 200kcal and generally keeps me pretty full until I finish work.

HelloDan

Maximuscle are ridiculously expensive for their supplements!

I would take a look at The Protein Works or Bulk Powders, if you want good quality independently certified supplements, without paying a fortune.

Unfortunately I don't rate MyProtein at all, they used to be good, but since being bought out by TheHut their customer service as become atrocious, and they've had a few issues with having banned substances and salmonella in their products. Actually The Protein Works was set up by the original MyProtein owners before they were bought out, so it should be like the original MyProtein when it gets going - only been around about a month!

itsjustdawn

I do drink Shakeology, but more for the vitamins and minerals. Since I started drinking it, I've stopped taking all the vitamins and stuff I used to take, and I swear some parts of me are better than when I was taking the vitamins in pill form *shrug*

n0ob

Creatine mono hydrate, a multivitamin ( if needed) and protein powder (if needed again and it's really just food) are all that should ever be purchased IMO.

Creatine you CAN get naturally, but basically all of a high protein diet would come from red meat or other meats.

Tunnywig

Every day after my morning workout, I take unflavoured whey protein mixed with Almond milk, I buy the whey from Myprotein.com or Naturesbest.co.uk (depending who has the best offer on). Been doing this for about 6 mths and really seeing a difference in muscle tone, it also curbs my appetite.
The reason I take unflavoured is I don't like all the additives in the flavoured varieties.

I've also started mixing a tsp of creatine with this, not sure if it will have any effect, but worth a try.

I take glucosamine for my dodgy, creaky knees, but I haven't noticed any improvement there. :ohwell:

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

As the person who is basically responsible for making sure the man of the house has the proper nutrients on hand, I have to go with noob's advice.

Creatine Monohydrate - the straight-up powder with nothing added (steer clear of products like Assault from Muscle Pharm unless you enjoy that "rage" feeling post-workout). Can be ordered from BodyBuilding.com. The products that aren't straight creatine monohydrate don't have nearly the efficacy, and the added ingredients aren't necessarily going to enhance performance/muscle development. Tastes like blah, but drink it straight up in water and don't add it to other things because it will make anything taste bad.

A protein powder with whey and casein proteins - believe it or not, cheap and not at all sexy Muscle Milk has a good blend of the two, but there are lots out there to choose from. Quick release and slow release proteins are both important to development.

You don't necessarily need a multi-vitamin if you're getting your micronutrients from food sources. Monitor your micronutrients and take one or two that you are missing. I keep an iron supplement on hand for days that iron is low. If you want to take one, then take one with dosages that don't top RDA on everything. Most aren't absorbable anyway, and of the ones that are, you can get too much of a good thing.

There's not a lot of scientific backing the efficacy of glucosamine tablets, but they can't hurt you. If you're feeling better from it, keep taking it.

Keeping it simple is best. It forces you to monitor your food-source nutrition and tweak it accordingly. Supplements are useful, but if you're getting what you need from the food you eat, then best not to waste the money on things you don't need to add in.

Firefox7275

Have started doing a bit of research into this area of things recently as have plateau'd with my weight loss and want to kick on again, so wanted to see what recommendations/advice other supplement takers out there have on the mixture that I already take or have been taking? Are there any others that you would recommend adding and for what effect?

I should add that at the moment I am looking at either ongoing or weight loss/fat burning supplements, long term I will look into bulking/muscle gain but fat loss and fitness is main priority right now.

My plan/list is as below:

Capsaicin (any recommendations on specific pills)
Zinc
Vitamin C (pre workout)
Craze (pre workout/match)
Calcium
Glucosamine, Chondroitin and MSM (for my joints - have no knee cartilage in left knee and damaged shoulders)
Protein shake (have just finished my supply of Promax Diet, has worked well for me, but have been told there are more efficient/cheaper alternatives available, advice would be appreciated)

Whilst I appreciate there are many people out there who do not believe in taking supplements and nutritional pills, whilst I respect your right to your own opinion and approach, I personally do believe in them, so I am only really looking for advice from people who also use/agree with taking them as to whether I am taking correct/incorrect ones. I'm not looking to start a thread arguing over the rights or wrongs of the principle of supplements, I have already made a decision to include them in my eating plan. Hope that doesn't offend anyone!

Any supplement regime should be tailored to the individuals diet, health issues, goals and so on, nutrition and dietetics are sciences taught at degree level ad beyond, they are not something just any unqualified person on a forum can do. To be clear it's not that I don't believe in clever use of supplements quite the reverse, I am one of the few who hold relevant qualifications and so I absolutely cringe at some of the food diaries and self prescribed supplement regimes. Please understand nutrients are absorbed and utilised synergistically and in opposition, you randomly add one or small groups into your diet and you can create or worsen health issues and deficiencies not solve them.

Sorry but without knowing the details of your diet, training regime, detailed medical history, current position and goals your entire post is absolutely meaningless. There are few supplements which are proven in weight management and even those that are give underwhelming results. The studies on calcium are largely within DAIRY products and are believed to be partly due to synergism with other components therein. Neither calcium nor zinc should be supplemented alone other than when directed by a suitably qualified medical professional or after a detailed analysis of a food diary.

Please read decent nutrition and fitness textbooks (eg. Human Kinetics), published research papers (PubMed, Google Scholar) or thoroughly referenced unbiased articles written by medical professionals and exercise scientists, broscience can be ineffective at best harmful at worst.

ETA there are plenty of changes you could make in your regular diet to make it more nutritious and balanced, I suspect you won't like what I have already had to say so won't waste my time and yours running through it. PM me if you do want me to or I will try to check back on the thread.

DamnImASexyBitch

I use mostly Herbalife supplements and protein shake. I get it through Ebay, dirt cheap.
I take:
multi vitamin
total control metabolism booster
thermo bond fiber pill
allergen free protein shake
chlorella ( chlorophyll and algae because I'm anemic and iron alone isn't enough )

I feel great, and I've lost 41lbs and counting so I must be doing something right.

tndejong

i just always stuck with the apple cider. no reason. but i think any kind will work as long as you can handle the taste.

PikaKnight

Not against supplements...but I don't think doing all that is going to just break through your plateau. I think you need to recalculate your TDEE or perhaps change up your exercise regime.

If you want, check out this link by MFPer Heliotsdan - It'll give you a detailed walkthrough (with pictures even) on finding your TDEE and calculating what you should be eating.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Or for a different version to figure out your TDEE, as well as some great advice...check out:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833500-what-do-i-do-common-sense-cliff-notes
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/844040-raspberry-ketones-for-the-rest-of-us


Also, if you are worried about the calorie intake, I also suggest you read this thread that has numerous people who met their goals and are maintaining. Some for years and they also provide their calorie intake and how often they work out.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/816542-let-s-hear-it-for-maintainenance

For more information about fitness and nutrition, I highly suggest checking out and joining this group: (Read all the stickies. It's great information to know.)
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress


Yes, this is can all be overwhelming and complicated , but you are more than welcome to ask questions on the post.
One of the things that I have found that has been one of the best methods for me to get fit is to understand fitness. To understand where all these figures, etc come from.

The good thing is once you get the hang of it - it is something you'll be aware of constantly and you'll get a better understanding about your eating habits.

So I HIGHLY suggest making the effort to take every chance to educate yourself. Even if you don't end up going with any of these methods, calculations, etc - at least you understand what they are, where others are coming from, and maybe they will still be able to help you figure out what is best for you.

chimp517

I used cissus for a shoulder issue and I feel it helped starting around the 6 week mark or so. It was not a huge difference but was cheap purchased in bulk powder so I felt it was worth it.

JESSJESJ

I haven't taken any of those, occasionally I'll take Gloucosamine / Chondrotin (sorry for spelling errors :-) ) for a damaged knee. I've heard that is one of the few supplements that have shown to be helpful, but who knows.

For the past 3 weeks or so I've been taking 5HTP (for PMS / mood / mild depression when I have no health insurance to actually deal with it) / L Carniitine / CLA (on the recommendation of a nutritionist who I was seeing who did research with athletes and found good results with increasing muscle mass & lowering body fat or so she said.)

I have been happier and had more energy for the past three weeks, but haven't lost any more weight. Whether this is from the supplements, the fact that I've been exercising more, or a placebo effect who knows.

RosscoBoscko

Joylia, not using this as the only thing to break the plateau, have just switched to the Road Map that Dan has put together, but am trying to start all things together. So am varying exercise regime, have changed my calorie intake and building new diet plan around this, and looking into supplements to enhance this at the same time so taking an all round approach.

Am doing a lot of reading around the subjects as well, but also trying to tap into the other peoples knowledge if possible.