Supplements I have Used

A very, very brief bit about me for you. I have exercised on and off since I was a teenager, I am now 35. I don't proclaim to be an expert. I have no fitness or nutrition related qualifications. What I do have however is 20 odd years of trial and error, and 20 years of reading all sorts of diet and exercise related stuff. At the moment I am exercising regularly and watching my diet most of the time. I have been doing this continuously for a year now. I am also really pleased because I am hitting all of my goals.

So there you have it, I thought I would create some lenses to share with you some of the stuff that I know.

Here we go then....on with the supplements lens.

Supplements are meant to supplement your diet. Therefore whatever you are trying to achieve, ie lose fat or gain muscle, then you won't get there unless your diet is spot on. Add to this exercise and you will see a difference. Supplements aren't essential though. You can do it with just diet alone. Some supplements will however most likely get you there quicker. Supplements such as protein are also very useful as quick snack or a way to kick-start your metabolism first thing.

If they are not essential then, why is the supplement industry booming?

I have read a lot of magazines and the body building magazines in particular promote supplements very heavily. It is of course a multi million pound industry. Many stories about supplements are backed up by 'scientific research'. I think it is worth looking into it a bit further and ask yourself who has sponsored the research, does the research paint an accurate picture?

I may be totally wrong about all of this. As I say this is all based on my experience and I haven't tried everything out there. Maybe there are some miracle pills that will help you reach your goals. I think though that there is no substitute for good diet and exercise in achieving your fitness targets. After all you are trying to become healthier so can it be good to ingest synthetically made products all of the time? When it comes to it you will have to decide for yourself.

If miracle pills don't work alone then what can you do? Well obviously you can exercise and follow a healthy diet. Sounds simple doesn't it? To some
extent it is simple. However I am a big advocate of learning as much as you can so that life becomes easier. I take this approach to health and fitness as well.

I am commited to exercising for as long as I am able to do so. A long term approach works best. However I also want to get where I want to be quicker. I have both short and long term goals. I have found that I have met my short term goals quicker by learning as much as I can and trying to remove trial and error from my daily routine.

There is a lot you can read about this, but I am going to recommend just one book to you. This book has helped me tremendously that is why I can give it my personal endorsement. You will note that I am promoting a product that I have tested, a product that does work (providing you have the time to read it and the commitment to follow what it says).

Don't just take my word for it, have a look for yourself. Check out all of the impressive endorsements.

Also don't be put off that it is written by a bodybuilder. The way I look at it, bodybuilders need to achieve very, very low bodyfat levels to enter competitions. They know their stuff when it comes to exercise, diet and nutrition. We can learn a lot from them. Tom, the author, is a natural bodybuilder, ie he does not use steroids.

Why do I recommend these?

Whey protein for me acts as an occasional meal replacement drink. Whey is absorbed quickly into the bloodstream and will replenish your muscles after exercise and can potentially prevent muscle
breakdown during exercise if you take some beforehand. I also use whey sometimes first thing in the morning to kick start my metabolism. An hour and a few coffees later I will have my porridge.
If you are interested in weight loss then buy a low carb option it will normally be low in calories. You can mix it with water and really keep the calorie count down.

When I am trying to put on muscle I find that I incorporate more whey protein into my diet. In this phase I aim for 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Last time I did this I added an inch to my upper arms in around 3 months of intensive arm focused training. My body fat stayed the same.

Creatine seems to help me to train harder. I have found that when I am using creatine, I can squeeze an extra few reps out of each set. I am unsure whether it has helped me when doing cardio. At present however I am not using it and I can definitely notice a difference in the intensity of my training. For those of you that are vain (maybe that is me too) creatine also swells your muscles a little as it fills them with more water.

When using creatine, remember to drink a lot of water - you should be doing this anyway- and if you can, then please drink tap water (I feel strongly about this and feel obliged to add this next bit)- Bottled water is wrong on quite a few levels. It is bad for the environment due to its shipping and the empty bottles and the energy used to make it, it costs you money, and when there are so many people that are suffering due to droughts and who would love the water from your tap to drink, can you morally justify using bottled water in your home?

Maybe donate the money you will save by not buying bottled water.

Caffeine and Green Tea are supposed to work by speeding up your metabolism thus helping you to lose weight. Does this happen? I don't care. I like both of these. I can't personally see the point of buying them as supplements though, when both are available in your supermarket as a drink. I like coffee so have no problems drinking it. For fat loss though you should really drink it without milk and without sugar. Same with the Green Tea. If like me you think Green Tea tastes really nasty, then give Green Tea mixed with mint a shot. You can buy it like this. Strangely it tastes of mint when it is hot and as it cools it starts to taste like Green Tea. Drink it hot.

There are claims that you should take both of these before exercise as well to increase fat burning potential and exercise intensity. I do this. I am losing fat and I am training hard. Would this be happening without these two supplements? Probably. As I say I am not sure if they work, but as they are cheap, full of anti oxidants - and apparently this includes coffee - and taste good, then they are most likely worth taking a chance on.

As an addition, I really recommend drinking fresh coffee rather than instant. I am a convert. Four or Five years ago after spending some time in Sicily, I came back to the UK and just couldn't palate the freeze dried stuff anymore. I use a cafetiere . I make a pot in the morning and then (I am sure the purists would say this is wrong, but I taste no difference) I microwave the remaining cups as the day goes on. Also please buy Fair Trade Coffee. I switched after seeing a Channel 4 documentary about this. You can help to make a difference in the communities that produce the coffee just by making this simple switch.

Carnitine is an amino acid. It is claimed that it aids fat loss. It is cheap, especially if you wait for one of Holland and Barret's regular sales. I have tried it in combination with Caffeine and Green Tea in my own home made 'fat burning' stack. Not sure whether it is effective, but as it is cheap, I will continue to use this whilst I want to lose fat.

ZMA, a mix of Zinc, Magnesium and Vitamin B6, is supposed to increase your testosterone levels. I tried this for around one month. I can honestly say I felt no difference whatsoever. Studies say that it works, however it is my understanding that the main study promoting it was commissioned by the creator of the product. Read into this what you will.

Glutamine ,an amino acid is supposed to help with gaining muscle. There are also claims that it will help with fat loss. I am just not sure. Maybe it will. I have tried it, mainly because it is so cheap. I don't think it made any difference to me at all. I will most likely not use it again, preferring to save my money.

CLA is supposed to encourage fat loss, especially around the mid section. I tried it for one month, it seemed to make no difference. It is expensive. I would ditch it and stick with the coffee and tea.

Some Links to other sites that are useful.

• Even if supplements work, they won't work alone.


• I buy most of my protein and creatine from Holland & Barrett
  Look out for their sales. Can work out very cost effective.


• CONFUSED by all those SUPPLEMENT INGREDIENTS? Get your Free Supps eBook at Bodybuilding.com. Start decoding them now!
  


• Shop at eVitamins and save 20%-70% on top name Health products!
  


• The fat burning nutrition bible

Some of my other lenses

• Yes You- Lose Some Fat Now What I have done to get my bodyfat down.


• Exercise Plan for the Busy (Wo)Man. What I do to stay fit , lose fat and gain muscle, in my busy life.


• Pack Your Abs We're Going on Holiday. Ways to get your abs looking good and to strengthen your core.