CLA..does it actually work?

abursey1

I was wondering if any of you MFPers have ever tried CLA and if you have had any success? I have hit a plateau (sigh) with my last 20lbs to lose and I went into our local nutrition store (GNC....it's in Canada, not sure if they have those stores in the USA) and they suggested that I take CLA in conjunction the protein powder that I have been taking for the last 2 months. I also know that I must change up my exercise, which I plan to start tomorrow (I will doing Jillian Michaels Banish Fat Boost Metabolism....the Jillian Michaels DVD's have helped me lose 30lbs since I started to try and lose weight, so I was thinking of sticking with her workouts)...but I was wondering if anyone has tried CLA and if you have had any success with it??? Any advice you could give me would be great!! Thanks again! All you guys are awesome at giving advice!

luv2run4fun

I have read a lot about it and how beneficial it is to our bodies' metabolism...I also checked into buying it at one point in time but was a little concerned after doing some research on it because there isn't enough studies done to determine how much you should take and how often...let me know if you find better information regarding quantities. I know if you take too much, it can cause harm to your liver & kidneys.

LeandraCat

I take CLAs. I tried Nature's Made 500mg CLAs...one with every meal. Didn't notice anything until the whole bottle was gone. It definitely worked for me! Now I am taking 1000mg gel tabs by Vitamin Shoppe.

Magenta15

I am told it can also take a few months of taking them to notice a difference.... I have some but have not committed to taking them as a supplement , lol I hate pills

for those of you who do take them, do you take them WITH anything?
I found they made me feel "green" (slightly nauseous) for lack of a better description, after taking them which is prob why i stopped. I read somewhere milk would help?

perrim

I tried it for a long time a couple of years back (in powder form in smoothies which was supposed to be the most effective). It was very expensive and I honestly didn't see results. I just talked to my trusted health food store manager about it and he said that he's seen and heard more results from it with men and specifically with men who are already in really good shape (like body builder types) who are looking to shed those last few percentages of body fat. Also, you have to take A LOT of it in hopes of maybe getting results, and like I said, it's not cheap.

Personally, I think there are better natural supplements out there that can help besides CLA. The same guy told me he's heard very good things about chromium picolinate (200 mcg 2x/day on empty stomach), and probiotics (which are just good for your general health - but recent studies have shown that it may help with weight loss). I just started taking something called PGX by Natural Factors. It's a certain type of fiber that's supposed to help with metabolism and feeling of fullness. It's also pretty pricey though but so far, I love it and have noticed a difference. I have to be really careful about what I take because I'm still breastfeeding and since this is just fiber, it's very safe.

April0815

What is CLA

perrim

congulated (?) lineolic acid. It's a type of fat (fatty acid) that's supposed to help your body burn fat.

Magenta15

Bumping to get more replies

XFitMojoMom

I started to take it along with a green tea supplement - together it's supposed to help build lean muscle mass (CLA) and help support weight loss (green tea). Does it work? I'm not a believer yet, but my view is a little biased since I do have metabolic issues.
My trainer does not support it - he says you have to take large quantities of CLA for it to be of any benefit.

Perrim - I'm surprised that you like PGX - They are HUGE supplements!! I did not benefit from those either.

perrim

I have a high tolerance for large pills! So those PGX pills don't bother me. I also use the slimstyles double chcolate protein powder (as a pudding) which also has the PGX in it and that's been a total life saver for me. I've only been taking the PGX pills for a few days so far, but I swear I notice a differnece and I usually don't notice much when taking supplements even though I'm a firm believer in them. We'll see. My health food store just had a huge sale on that brand, it was all 40% off, so I bought it all! I'll give it a couple of months and see if I still feel like it's helping. I read many reviews about it and many of the negative ones said bad things about digestion (gas, diarrhea, bloating), but so far I haven't experienced any of that.

I took very high doses of the CLA for several months consistently and never noticed a difference.

perrim

Oh, one other thing...my health food store guy also told me good things about green tea supplements...another thing I tried in the past with no success, but I couldn't try it now anyway because of the caffeine and breastfeeding. And I typically don't feel anything from caffeine anyway, so I'm not sure it would do anything for me. If you get a jolt from drinking caffeine, they may help.

whyflysouth

I visited gnc today and the guy there told me that to lose weight that three things taken together work quite well: Green tea extract, CLA, and L-Carnitine. I wanted to do more research on CLA and L-Carnitine but I did go ahead and get the green tea extract.

From online reading, it looks like CLA doesn't help you lose fat really but rather it helps you in not putting on more fat as you up your caloric intake. The studies where it appears the most successful are ones which test the rebound off of a low calorie diet. 2 groups of people were on crash diets for some period of time and as a result lost weight due to the calorie deficit, but then after diet was ended these groups returned to their normal eating habits. One group supplemented w/ CLA and the other w/ a placebo and they both gained weight after returning to their original diets, however the placebo group gained that weight back as fat quickly over a short period, while the CLA group gained it back as muscle and at a slower pace, thus suggesting the CLA interferes with the mechanism of storing of excess macronutrients within the fat cells.

Since body builders go through "bulk" and "cut" phases whereby they initial eat ALLOT while lifting heavy in order to quickly gain muscle mass in "bulk" phase, and then eat very little with lighter lifting and more aerobics to cut down their % body fat (fat picked on due to the excess eating in the bulk phase), something like this would be really useful in the "bulk" phase as it limits the amount of fat built up while allowing the absorption of nutrients to increase muscle mass... well, that's if this stuff really works...

July24Lioness

CLA does work. It is best to get natural occurring CLA which is found in grass fed beef. Our own bodies make it in small amounts, but GRASS FED BEEF is abundant with it.

I am not talking about that corn and grain fed stuff you buy in the main stream grocery store either............

BamaRose0107

I am not big into to supplements, but are there any other foods I could get CLA from besides grass fed beef?

hammster

I've been taking Tonalin CLA religiously for 3 weeks (about 3.5 g/day). I'm also on a low carb diet. Initially, I lost 3 lbs but haven't lost anything since. What I did notice was my belly and legs getting thinner and my clothes started fitting better. However, I think I am going to stop taking CLA. It definitely does shrink fatty problem areas but it's not going to make you lose weight. I've read where people said you need to take it for 3-4 months before seeing results. However, I had been losing 10 lbs per month with no supplements and since taking CLA, I feel like I'm stalling. There is definitely a future for CLA in my life...AFTER I lose more weight and want to shape my body. But for now, I feel I lose weight better without it.

July24Lioness

I am not big into to supplements, but are there any other foods I could get CLA from besides grass fed beef?

Grass Fed Beef, lamb and dairy products are the best resources to get CLA naturally without having to supplement.

On another board I frequent, a lot of women eat a lot of beef (hamburger and steaks) and lose weight really easy due to the CLA content in beef, which includes dairy.

hammster

I have done a lot of research about people's experiences with CLA. Here is what MOST people experience:

1. CLA will actually slow down your weight loss if you are low carbing.
2. CLA goes after the fatty deposits but builds lean muscle. This is why weight loss appears to slow.
3. CLA will make you lose inches from your body, especially from your thighs, stomach and bootie. This will happen even if you don't lose much or any weight.
4. CLA is WONDERFUL after you've achieved your weight loss goals. CLA is probably best used as an obesity blocker. People have reported eating a lot while taking CLA and the weight did not come back on. I think this is how to best utilize CLA.

If your goal is to lose a lot of weight, I would recommend NOT taking CLA until you get closer to your weight goals. If your goal is to lose inches from your body, then CLA is definitely the way to go. (Bodybuilders use CLA as it adds more muscle mass so they may actually gain weight while taking CLA but not adding fat).

Note: Every body type is different so your experience may vary. From my research, though, most people will witness the above results.

July24Lioness

I have done a lot of research about people's experiences with CLA. Here is what MOST people experience:

1. CLA will actually slow down your weight loss if you are low carbing.
2. CLA goes after the fatty deposits but builds lean muscle. This is why weight loss appears to slow.
3. CLA will make you lose inches from your body, especially from your thighs, stomach and bootie. This will happen even if you don't lose much or any weight.
4. CLA is WONDERFUL after you've achieved your weight loss goals. CLA is probably best used as an obesity blocker. People have reported eating a lot while taking CLA and the weight did not come back on. I think this is how to best utilize CLA.

If your goal is to lose a lot of weight, I would recommend NOT taking CLA until you get closer to your weight goals. If your goal is to lose inches from your body, then CLA is definitely the way to go. (Bodybuilders use CLA as it adds more muscle mass so they may actually gain weight while taking CLA but not adding fat).

Note: Every body type is different so your experience may vary. From my research, though, most people will witness the above results.

Ha. I have done research to all the while low carbing and that first statement is a total false statement. The opposite is quite true............

I would love for you to go post that on the low carb websites I belong to as that is where I first started researching it 7 years ago and CLA actually speeds up your fat loss, especially on a lower carb plan.

Nina74

My brother is big into fitness (he does Strongman...yeah..not ironman....strongman!) and I asked him about CLA a month ago. He said the amount you need to take for it to REALLY work (I forget off the top of my head) is a ridiculously huge amount. He told me to save my money, take a multivitamin and get myself to the gym (i.e. no shortcuts).

July24Lioness

My brother is big into fitness (he does Strongman...yeah..not ironman....strongman!) and I asked him about CLA a month ago. He said the amount you need to take for it to REALLY work (I forget off the top of my head) is a ridiculously huge amount. He told me to save my money, take a multivitamin and get myself to the gym (i.e. no shortcuts).

I take CLA supplements intermittently, but I notice a BIG difference when I eat a lot of grass fed beef. There is a lot of CLA in grass fed beef.

I lose fat at a good rate when consuming both.

Taking CLA is not a shortcut, you are just adding an amino acid that your body already makes in small quantities. It's an AID, not a shortcut.................

whyflysouth

Well, to update from the original post. I hit my goal weight roughly a month ago and as of late I've been focussed on reducing % body fat and increasing muscle mass. my BMI is 23.5 which is in the healthy range and my body fat % is at 14% and I'm looking to get it to 9-10% to get the six-pack abs, lol. I'd like to get to the point where I can feel comfortable walking around outside in a tank top all the time .

So with that said, I've started taking CLA supplements, yeah about 4, 800mg pills a day yielding about 3.2g of the stuff/daily. On top of that I've been taking some L-Carnitine, but only a small amount, like 500mg/day while it seems these websites suggest also taking 2g+/day... but I'm not entirely convinced L-Carnitine does anything.

My appetite has been under control w/ or w/o supplements, and honestly I might even want to eat a little more since my goal is muscle building at this point, so I'm curious if taking any of this stuff is really worth it. Still hitting the gym every weekday, but focussing on weight-lifting, and doing very little 10-15 minutes of intense cardio.