Fitness freaks...I need advice, mostly supplement advice

[ThatsMeGC]

I need to lose weight, I did the atkins started before it became the rage it was, over like a year I lost around 50 pounds, then it stopped working, and I slowly went off it. Had a girlfriend who loved me even though I was a big fat fatty and I didn't worry about it.

But now it's time to start again, this time not using some trendy magic diet, just eatting more healthy and working out.

Sure I'm looking for fast results, who isn't, but I know I'm not just going to wake up one day and be skinny, I'm going to need to work at it.

I know alot of you guys here are big on working out so I'm asking for your input. I have been looking at supplements and I'm liking the following.

Tonalin CLA
Xenadrine EFX
CLA-supplement-information
xenadrine-efx-review

I also plan on drinking a "lo-carb Monster energy drink every morning, mostly because I enjoy them and they aren't that bad for you because they aren't loaded in sugar, however I am concerned about mixing that with the Xenadrine because they do contain some of the same supplements, and caffine.

What do you all think about those supplements? Are their better things out there? I'm looking for weight loss not building muscle mass, sure working out will gain muscle and thats great but I'm focusing on weight loss.

Also what type of workout routine would be best for weight loss?

I will be getting a gym membership, but I want to wait a little longer, to try to avoid some of the new years resolution people who will just be wandering around aimlessly thinking that spending an hour at the gym is the same as working out.

I'll be heading to GNC or a similar store tomorrow afternoon after lunch at Red Lobster where I plan on ordering a bowl of soup and a salad.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Flowbee V6]

Best supplement to your body = water, and good small planned out meals and snacks. But whey shakes are good to meet your protein requirements. I specifically like Muscle Milk. Its quite a bit more expensive than the pro-rated whey tubs you can get at costco, but they keep you full longer and taste a hell of a lot better. Those snickers lo-carb marathon bars are good too.

I dont think diet pills are worth it (especially the non-ECA name brands), green tea or coffee is fine for an energy boost. I've gotten pretty ripped without them. Vitalert multi-vitamins are better since at least it helps you meet all your nutrition needs.

[ThatsMeGC]

Ah yes I forgot about a good multi-vitamin.

I drink a good amount of water anyway, I feel weird if I don't have something to drink with me all the time. I would say I drink around 96 oz. of water a day. In the summer I was taking aa gallon of water with me to work plus a bottle with 32 oz. and I was nearly drinking the whole thing.

The Xenadrine is an ECA stack, the review I read on it seems to think it is one of the best on the market. And the CLA is more of a dietary supplement than a fat burner, it's something we would get more of naturally if our food was more natural.

[Flowbee V6]

EFX is the non-ephedra verison so technically its not an ECA. Just make sure the review your reading is not a site just trying to sell you the supplement like most do. I think I heard if you take full dosage of a good ECA stack, you can burn around 200 or so "extra" calories a day.

AS far as diet, it really does come down to burning off more calories than you consume. Calculate your maintainence calorie requirement and keep a 300-500 calorie defecit each day. I dont think its necessery to reduce your carbs down to extreme levels like 20 grams a day. I'm selective in my carbs eating the the "good ones" and probably having around 60-70 "net" carbs a day along with moderate amounts of fat and high protein. Its worked well for me.

Medium-intensity cardio running is the best all-around exercise to lose weight dont bother staying in the "Fat burning zone" that they put on treadmills. To help conserve muscle, weight lifting once or twice a week is a good idea. Its best to lift heavy low reps, 3 or so sets, just dont over do it

[ThatsMeGC]

For my "diet" I mostly just plan on smaller portions and healthier foods, at work if I want a snack get a little bag of pretels or peanuts instead of doritos.

Working out: 3 days a week at the gym for about an hour-hour and a half. Do some trendmill and bike or whatever things like that they have between lifting weights. Then everyday at home do push ups and sit-ups and whatever other little workouts you can do while watching tv. Also buying a set of small 15 lbs. or so dumbbells to lift while I'm doing nothing else.

[L36Camaro]

I lost 90 lbs, then worked out a lot, and gained a lot of muscle mass. Here’s what I did to lose the weight:
No diet pills!!!
Eat light and healthy (Like 2 eggs & toast for breakfast, a salad for lunch, and chicken or fish for dinner)
Exercise bike for 1 hour (Slowly increase the intensity)
Workout w/ light weights just to burn off fat (Very basic exercises like Bicep Curls, Military Press, and Bench Press)
Drink Whey Protein Shakes (Now I drink 200-300 grams of protein because I’m a Bodybuilder, but to help lose some weight I recommend 50-120 grams everyday w/ Skim Milk)
Take one Multi-Vitamin / Multi-Mineral Tablet everyday (Something like Centrum)
Stay away from cake, donuts, cinnamon rolls, sugar, etc...
Drink PLENTY of bottled water (4 or 5 bottles a day)

Just basic stuff like that helps the most. Now if you want to gain muscle mass or become a bodybuilder let me know, because I can give you tons of info! Hope that helps! Also, email me if you want very detailed workouts / exercise plans to lose weight. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ThatsMeGC]

Thanks alot. Both of you.

Fish sticks and chicken nuggets don't count do they? [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[SpeedingFirebird]

A while back I lost 30 lbs. Here was my formula:

Jog 2 miles every day after work.

That's it. no pills, no special diets. No stupid s--t. Get off the couch and run.

Good luck.

[V6Bob]

I'm suspicious of "magic supplements".

The CLA article said:

"One of the biggest reasons for obesity in America could be CLA deficiency".

They gotta be kidding.

And, the review of the Xenadrine is by someone who sells it, for a lot of money.

Exercise more, eat less, and eat a varied diet with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, and slow acting carbs instead of things like sugar and corn syrup. Maybe a multivitamin. I'll bet that works. If taking a supplement makes you feel like you can cut corners on any of those, you're kidding yourself.

"Sure I'm looking for fast results, who isn't"

Anybody who reads the studies. People who take it off slowly have a better chance of keeping it off. Be patient with yourself. If you're going the right direction...

"Also what type of workout routine would be best for weight loss?"

Anything aerobic (treadmill, bike, elliptical (my favorite), rowing machine, etc.). The key thing is duration. A longer time at a lower intensity beats a shorter time at high intensity. Start off slow, don't hurt yourself. Motivation is everything. Do what motivates you. Changing around helps most people. So does reading, watching TV, or music while you're on the machine.

Get a good book, one that's not trying to sell you something.

[ January 08, 2006, 06:46 PM: Message edited by: V6Bob ]

[ThatsMeGC]

Ok I went to "The Vitamin Shoppe" Employee was great. He talked me out of the Xenadrine and set me up with a plan he give to someone else and that person lost tons of weight.

I got:
Tonalin CLA 1000mg
7-Keto 50mg
Chromium Picolinate 200mcg
BodyTech Whey Tech
and
a "Weight Sense" Multivitamin/mineral with EGCG

He also gave me 6 1-day passes for the gym I'm looking to sign up at.

He also told me to avoid eating after 7 or 8, avoid empty carbs, and work out... I mean nothing earth shattering there. He says I should expect to lost between 15-20 lbs in a month if I do it right. [img]graemlins/rock.gif[/img]

[V6Bob]

"He says I should expect to lost between 15-20 lbs in a month if I do it right."

This is way too fast. It is probably a way to set yourself up to be discouraged. If not, you're very likely to be one of the people who puts the weight back on.

Most good people recommend 1-2 pounds/week as a good goal.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/e...cle/001940.htm

http://www.dietitian.com/overweig.html

http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/h...s/setgoals.htm

[ January 08, 2006, 07:00 PM: Message edited by: V6Bob ]

[Mighty Thor]

You don't really need supplements. That's just a big waste of money. Most of them don't work and the ones that do work are very harmful to your health.

Just to it the natural way. Get a Food Index book and average out your Kcal. that maintains you. Then subtract 500-700 Kcal. from that and you'll definately start losing weight.

You also need to perform some form of activity where it raises your cardio for a duration of 30 min.

2 pounds a week may not sound much. But it's more of a permanent weight loss in the long run.

[Gallstaff]

I'm a bit younger than most here so maybe my input isn't as helpful, but during my sophomore and freshman years in High School (I'm a junior now) I was a big fatty. I lost 9 pounds and have kept it off since. Eating right and exercise are really the way to go. Don't bother with diet pills because those will just screw your body up. Losing weight the natural, healthy way will keep weight off longer. I run 4 miles a day and make sure to take in no more than 1300 calories daily (although most days its closer to 1100). Just make good choices and stay active. Weight will shed off as time goes by.

[witweew]

yea, for workout music, you basically need hard-hitting
:bs:
euro-dance music.... nothing else does the job really.
:spank:
Search around on itunes for "euro club hits"

or check this link::banana:

http://www.futurelectrohouse.com/tracks

[Archer]

Re: Fitness freaks...I need advice, mostly supplement advice

A while back I lost 30 lbs. Here was my formula:

Jog 2 miles every day after work.

That's it. no pills, no special diets. No stupid s--t. Get off the couch and run.

Good luck.

Running and eating right is the only way. I laugh at those diets.. people see those books and pills and think they can sit on the couch and loose weight. Running is the only way to get it off. doing sit ups are great, but if you dont sweat the fat away, you'll start looking bigger. had a friend in the army with me. did damn near 100 sit ups a day. couldnt figure why he looked fatter. I told him that muscle is building up under that fat pushing it out. told him to Run more and harder during PT.

Thats what I do. not only is it good for weight loss, but its good for your heart, lungs, and muscle.

NOw I just have to get off my lazy *** and do it. lol

Archer