Supplements

[Pork Chop]

Alright, well I had an interesting experience this weekend.
An antihistamine and a little nasal spray and it was like I was suddenly cured of this sore throat that refused to go away for like a month.

The experience & my resulting new found inspiration to hit the gym has made me think again about supplementation.

I'm looking to eat leaner than I have been, maybe not as lean as I used to, but not a whole lot of calories.

I also have a problem of trying to cope with a heavy workout schedule, with a body that is rarely cooperative.

Goal wise, I want to lose weight first, improve sprinting & long distance endurance, power next, maintain/improve strength, and finally increase muscle size.

I was thinking of supplementing with protein, creatine, and ZMA, L-Glutamine or something else that helps recovery.

Any advice on what I should get?
Got any good suppliers that sell stuff cheap?

[fa_jing]

I especially recommend supplementing with protein and a B Multivitamin. Protein could be a can of tuna, or a bowl of cottage cheese, or a piece of salami, or a whey mix. Vary the diet. 1 times extra protein supplementation in a day should be enough except for an advanced athlete. The B vitamin will make you feel better. I don't take them every day, though.

KISS -- focus on a balanced, healthy diet and training - 95% or more of the equation.

[Ford Prefect]

I also like a good multivitamin, extra C and E, fish oils, and a ZMA. It's hard to get all the vitamins and minerals you need in a regular diet.

[fa_jing]

I get a fair amount of fatty fish in my diet -- at times. Other times, I eat the higher animals more consistantly for a stretch :D . What exactly do the fish oils promote? How do they extract them, BTW? Cook the fish down until the oil runs off?

[Pork Chop]

I've been eating sardines lately after that one discussion.
Not half bad.
Nice variety from boring old tuna.

Yah I need to find a cheap site for ZMA and a nice 5 pound bag of whey- those 2 sound like they could do me the most good.

Forgot to mention that I'm already taking a decent multivitamin; tho I'll keep an eye out for a better one.

[Vash]

Not a big fan of sardines. I prefer the kippers.

Gosh, it's getting close to time when I have to start worrying about my dietary habits.

[mickey]

BMore Banga,

Check out IronFists thread on making your own protein bars. I put in some good oldtime suggestions; strangely, sardines was one of them. I am glad you like them.

Oh yeah, one thing.......STAY AWAY FROM CREATINE!!!!!!!!

mickey

[Viper555]

Creatine is awesome. Why not take it?

[mickey]

Hello Viper555,

Creatine "may" be responsible for the identical kidney condition suffered by both Alonzo Morning and Shaun Elliott, both were playing for the Orlando Magic when they got it. Up until the appearance of creatine both players were pencilneck geeks. The NBA supports creatine use and I think it is a small way they can recoup some of the millions that they pay their players.

Imagine your kidneys as toilets that cannot flush properly. Over time there will be a backup and the toilet will no longer be able to fulfill its use. Heatstroke is another factor due to the cells holding water. This is great for cows/bulls in winter. They can run and then huddle together to hold in the heat. While it is encouraged that one drink more water, that does not necessarily make creatine safe.

There has not been sufficient long term studies for creatine. Why be a guinea pig? and if you are so willing, why should you have to pay to be a guinea pig? Viper555, I do not know you, but your life and all life is still precious to me!

mickey

[mickey]

Viper555,

When I wrote that last line, I got a flash if Liu Chia Liang in Legendary Weapons of China saying, "I loved my students and I did not want them to die." That emotion is at the core of my feelings about why I hate creatine.

mickey

[IronFist]

I've heard that ZMA is pretty much worthless despite being touted as one of those "mircale supplements" by Biotest.

Just what I've heard, tho...

[Toby]

Problem is, I can get a 100g can of tuna (== about 75g tuna) for AUD$1ish. I can get 100g sashimi quality tuna for AUD$4.50. Big difference, although I'd prefer to eat the sashimi tuna (for the same reasons you do). Of course, it's all relative. I could go to a Japanese takeaway for lunch and get 20g sashimi for AUD$8 or so.

[IronFist]

And what's with all the canned crap?

Wow dude you don't even wanna know what I eat :D

Or what I'm eating right now.

[fa_jing]

wow, they sell sashami tuna in a can? Awesome.

[Pork Chop]

Well I found a critique of ZMA on this site:
http://www.supplementquality.com/z_askexpert/ZMA.html

Dunno if I trust that site though.

If ZMA really does just equate to Zinc, Magnesium, and B-6; I can see how it would help with people who's diets are low in it and dont' know. Bodybuilding.com 's review however says that the levels in the supplement cannot be reached by a normal multivitamin.

Wondering if it's just the USRDA not accounting for an active person's lifestyle?

I could really use something that helps me overcome a propensity for DOMS and any symptoms of overtraining.

If L-Glutamine and ZMA are cr@p, then what do I need?

Sardines & such enough to replace the dietary needs/deficiencies?

[Mika]

I am positively surprised at how well informed people here are about the effects of supplements. Or the so-called effects, I should say...:D

Which should answer some of your questions, Banga.

Which brings me to Ford Prefect (cool nick, btw; DA rocks! :cool: ) : maybe for some, but with adequate meal planning, vitamin and mineral intake can be monitored and should be enough for most healthy individuals.

Banga, there are no miracle products or shortcuts. If your first goal is to lose weight, as you said (and you might be better off focusing on one goal at a time), then increasing your protein intake is an idea worth pondering. You could up it to 1 gram per every pound in ya. Protein shakes and the like can help in this (protein shakes and energy bars etc. are just food, normally, although sometimes the manufacturers add all kinds of funky stuff in them for marketing reasons; look for the pure stuff).

Good luck! :)

//mika

[Pork Chop]

Definitely going to up my protein...
Though after around 150g, it usually starts coming out the other end... :D

[fa_jing]

Yes, when you're hungry, concentrate on satisfying that urge with protein. Don't get so hyped up about the starch. Never eat a snack that doesn't contain some protein. example - If you're going to snack on crackers, eat a piece of cheese with it or something.

[Toby]

Originally posted by fa_jing
wow, they sell sashami tuna in a can? Awesome.
No, I meant normal tuna. We get flavoured ones in Oz. Today's "Ginger and Light Soy" in springwater. It says "flaked tuna" on the can, so I presume that it's precooked then mashed so all the nasty bits are harder to see ;). You can get sliced tuna in cans too, but it used to be unflavoured and I like the flavours for variety.

I meant I'd prefer sashimi over the canned stuff, assuming equal volume, but it's easier to afford the canned stuff.