Good Source for Info on Supplements?

westphalia · 14th August 2006, 09:17 AM

I'm in the process of losing weight. I work out aerobically for an hour each morning, first thing, then do resistance training for one hour, three times a week. I've cleaned up my diet, and am taking in around 1700 calories. It sucks, but I'm paying the price for years of Mickey D's and Wendy's once a day. I'll get there, though.

Anyway, some friends of mine are also losing weight, or bodybuilding, or training for various and sundry sports, etc., and they all seem to be taking a multitude of supplements that claim to enhance fat-burning, stimulate muscle growth, etc.

Having already taken the steps to lose weight the right way, can anyone point me to a good source that might contain information on whether any of these supplements actually work, and whether they are beneficial to someone in my position?

Thanks for any help rendered.

(By the way, I'm not talking about steroids here. Some of the supplements I've heard of, and been able to find reliable information about [chromium picolinate, for example]. I know a lot of that stuff doesn't work, but there are so many new supplements that have made their way onto the market since I was exercising regularly years ago. It's hard to keep up with the latest.)

Blue Wode · 14th August 2006, 10:08 AM

Can’t help with any information as to whether particular supplements work, but this source might be of interest to you:

Side Effects, Interactions and Warnings About Vitamins and Supplements
http://www.personalhealthzone.com/vi...eractions.html

If you do decide to go the supplement route it would be best to see your doctor about it first.

I might also add that if you’re already losing weight “the right way” that in itself should be enough for you to reach your goal in the long run – healthily and safely.

westphalia · 14th August 2006, 10:30 AM

Originally Posted by Blue Wode

I might also add that if you’re already losing weight “the right way” that in itself should be enough for you to reach your goal in the long run – healthily and safely.

I totally agree. I just need an educated answer when folks ask me why I don't take anything. Results don't seem to be enough.

ponderingturtle · 14th August 2006, 10:33 AM

Nutrionists can not agree on what is and is not helpful in doseages and the like. Then there are also no standards that the listed doses have any relationship to what is in a suplement, and there is also no official testing for contamination.

Consumer Labs does test them, to see if they for example have excessive lead in them and have the ammount of the ingreadients that they claim. They do not make any claims about what effect the product has just if it has what is says it has in it.

rjh01 · 15th August 2006, 02:59 AM

My attitude towards supplements is that there are heaps of vitamins, minerals and other stuff, some of which we may not even know about, we need. Pills only give you a small percentage of these. Sometimes in very large doses.

Results
If your diet is poor then adding pills is unlikely to do much help for you. Take certain pills and they will do damage to you (see the above posts for an expansion of this point).

Gromit · 19th August 2006, 06:06 PM

This is going to be too late for you, but may help others in the future. Then again, the sample size will be too low for it to be scientifically valid, but perhaps stronger than anecdotal evidence:
A friend of mine is a twin. He and his brother are going to spend a few months with exactly the same diet and exactly the same workout routine, and both use a different brand of supplement. They'll be listing all the body fat, colesterol etc etc before and after to see what happens.
It's a pity they aren't triplets, so they can include a control on no supplements at all.
Anyway, they plan to have a web site up with all the details and how it goes, sort of like a blog. I can post the URL as it gets underway, if there'd be any interest.

ponderingturtle · 21st August 2006, 06:31 AM

Originally Posted by rjh01

My attitude towards supplements is that there are heaps of vitamins, minerals and other stuff, some of which we may not even know about, we need. Pills only give you a small percentage of these. Sometimes in very large doses.

Results
If your diet is poor then adding pills is unlikely to do much help for you. Take certain pills and they will do damage to you (see the above posts for an expansion of this point).

Well this is and isn't true. We know what diseases are caused by deficencies very well and how to treat them. It is the difference between not causing deficency based desease and optimal that is the issue.

So saying that we don't know much isn't really true. We know how to prevent all kinds of deseases based on nutritional defencies, it is if there are benifits to ammounts that to not cause problems by either thier excess or their lack that we have little information on.

Beady · 21st August 2006, 06:56 AM

Originally Posted by westphalia

I totally agree. I just need an educated answer when folks ask me why I don't take anything.

How about, "I don't need anything else."

NeilC · 21st August 2006, 07:33 AM

Most of them are pure BS but some of these supplements do work. There is one called Melting Point that people have a lot of success with. Has pretty aweful side effects including cramps sometimes so bad as to make one bedridden. Can't see it's worth that.

Bodybuilders love supplements. They tend to be quite compulsive/obsessive about their body and constantly look for a way of making things happen faster. That makes them an ideal target for dodgy products.

Chromium Pico. does jack s**t for anyone without a chromium deficiency. It's supposed to help with insulin sensitivity but if it does have any effect, it's so small as to be insignificant.

If you want things that really work then just take the steroids and be done with it. You can buy legal steroids and the post cycle therapy to go with them. They come with a list of side effects including baldness and ball shrinkage but they do actually work - you pay your money and take your choce.

What you are doing will work better than anything and make you healthy too.

A good site is: SupplementWatch

14th August 2006, 09:17 AM	#1
westphalia Critical Thinker Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: I am a third-rate intellect. Posts: 297	Good Source for Info on Supplements? I'm in the process of losing weight. I work out aerobically for an hour each morning, first thing, then do resistance training for one hour, three times a week. I've cleaned up my diet, and am taking in around 1700 calories. It sucks, but I'm paying the price for years of Mickey D's and Wendy's once a day. I'll get there, though. Anyway, some friends of mine are also losing weight, or bodybuilding, or training for various and sundry sports, etc., and they all seem to be taking a multitude of supplements that claim to enhance fat-burning, stimulate muscle growth, etc. Having already taken the steps to lose weight the right way, can anyone point me to a good source that might contain information on whether any of these supplements actually work, and whether they are beneficial to someone in my position? Thanks for any help rendered. (By the way, I'm not talking about steroids here. Some of the supplements I've heard of, and been able to find reliable information about [chromium picolinate, for example]. I know a lot of that stuff doesn't work, but there are so many new supplements that have made their way onto the market since I was exercising regularly years ago. It's hard to keep up with the latest.)
	__________________ "If it moves, the liberal wants to tax it. If it keeps moving, the liberal wants to regulate it. And if it ever up and stops moving, the liberal wants to subsidize it." - Ronald Reagan

14th August 2006, 10:30 AM	#3
westphalia Critical Thinker Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: I am a third-rate intellect. Posts: 297	Originally Posted by Blue Wode I might also add that if you’re already losing weight “the right way” that in itself should be enough for you to reach your goal in the long run – healthily and safely. I totally agree. I just need an educated answer when folks ask me why I don't take anything. Results don't seem to be enough.
	__________________ "If it moves, the liberal wants to tax it. If it keeps moving, the liberal wants to regulate it. And if it ever up and stops moving, the liberal wants to subsidize it." - Ronald Reagan

19th August 2006, 06:06 PM	#6
Gromit New Blood Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 22	This is going to be too late for you, but may help others in the future. Then again, the sample size will be too low for it to be scientifically valid, but perhaps stronger than anecdotal evidence: A friend of mine is a twin. He and his brother are going to spend a few months with exactly the same diet and exactly the same workout routine, and both use a different brand of supplement. They'll be listing all the body fat, colesterol etc etc before and after to see what happens. It's a pity they aren't triplets, so they can include a control on no supplements at all. Anyway, they plan to have a web site up with all the details and how it goes, sort of like a blog. I can post the URL as it gets underway, if there'd be any interest.
Gromit New Blood Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 22

21st August 2006, 06:56 AM	#8
Beady Philosopher Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: 44:57:19N, 73:16:18W Posts: 5,490	Originally Posted by westphalia I totally agree. I just need an educated answer when folks ask me why I don't take anything. How about, "I don't need anything else."
	__________________ I tolerate with utmost latitude the right of others to differ with me in opinion without imputing to them criminality. I know too well all the weaknesses and uncertainty of human reason to wonder at its different results. -- Thomas Jefferson

14th August 2006, 10:08 AM	#2
Blue Wode Graduate Poster Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 1,277	Can’t help with any information as to whether particular supplements work, but this source might be of interest to you: Side Effects, Interactions and Warnings About Vitamins and Supplements http://www.personalhealthzone.com/vi...eractions.html If you do decide to go the supplement route it would be best to see your doctor about it first. I might also add that if you’re already losing weight “the right way” that in itself should be enough for you to reach your goal in the long run – healthily and safely.

14th August 2006, 10:33 AM	#4
ponderingturtle Orthogonal Vector Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Tarrytown, NY Posts: 26,432	Nutrionists can not agree on what is and is not helpful in doseages and the like. Then there are also no standards that the listed doses have any relationship to what is in a suplement, and there is also no official testing for contamination. Consumer Labs does test them, to see if they for example have excessive lead in them and have the ammount of the ingreadients that they claim. They do not make any claims about what effect the product has just if it has what is says it has in it.

15th August 2006, 02:59 AM	#5
rjh01 Gentleman of leisure Tagger Join Date: May 2005 Location: Planet Earth Posts: 17,190	My attitude towards supplements is that there are heaps of vitamins, minerals and other stuff, some of which we may not even know about, we need. Pills only give you a small percentage of these. Sometimes in very large doses. Results If your diet is poor then adding pills is unlikely to do much help for you. Take certain pills and they will do damage to you (see the above posts for an expansion of this point).

21st August 2006, 06:31 AM	#7
ponderingturtle Orthogonal Vector Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Tarrytown, NY Posts: 26,432	Originally Posted by rjh01 My attitude towards supplements is that there are heaps of vitamins, minerals and other stuff, some of which we may not even know about, we need. Pills only give you a small percentage of these. Sometimes in very large doses. Results If your diet is poor then adding pills is unlikely to do much help for you. Take certain pills and they will do damage to you (see the above posts for an expansion of this point). Well this is and isn't true. We know what diseases are caused by deficencies very well and how to treat them. It is the difference between not causing deficency based desease and optimal that is the issue. So saying that we don't know much isn't really true. We know how to prevent all kinds of deseases based on nutritional defencies, it is if there are benifits to ammounts that to not cause problems by either thier excess or their lack that we have little information on.

21st August 2006, 07:33 AM	#9
NeilC Graduate Poster Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: London, UK Posts: 1,331	Most of them are pure BS but some of these supplements do work. There is one called Melting Point that people have a lot of success with. Has pretty aweful side effects including cramps sometimes so bad as to make one bedridden. Can't see it's worth that. Bodybuilders love supplements. They tend to be quite compulsive/obsessive about their body and constantly look for a way of making things happen faster. That makes them an ideal target for dodgy products. Chromium Pico. does jack s**t for anyone without a chromium deficiency. It's supposed to help with insulin sensitivity but if it does have any effect, it's so small as to be insignificant. If you want things that really work then just take the steroids and be done with it. You can buy legal steroids and the post cycle therapy to go with them. They come with a list of side effects including baldness and ball shrinkage but they do actually work - you pay your money and take your choce. What you are doing will work better than anything and make you healthy too. A good site is: SupplementWatch