I think anyone who has considered taking supplements to help boost their potential with weight loss, in the weight room, or both will agree that there are so many choices out there it's confusing and overwhelming. This one area I will admit I am not extremely knowledgeable about. But I have managed to learn a little and pick out what I believe to be the best and most effective supplements for my needs. What you need may different, but this might help someone to get an idea of how to go about selecting supplements.
I take three different "stacks" (combos of supplements), timed morning, afternoon, and before bed:
1. With breakfast (for maximum absorption) I take-
- A multi-vitamin. I don't take any one brand- I just try to find a well-rounded one. Truth be told, right now I am taking children's gummy vitamins. So shoot me. My diet is good enough that I don't feel I have to get picky about this one.
- A calcium/magnesium/D supplement. The one I take has about 30% daily recommended amount of calcium and 50% recommended daily amount of D per pill (not per dose- a dose is 2, and I only take one at a time). I take the calcium because more often than not I don't get two servings of dairy in daily. The magnesium is for max absorption of the calcium. And the D is because I have a past history of depression that I have noted is a lot better when I am in the sun frequently. I thought this might be related to vitamin D, and sure enough, when I started taking D my depression was a lot easier to manage. If I didn't get magnesium or D with the calcium pills, I would take them as a separate supplement along with it.
- An Omega fatty acids pill. The one I take has all 3 Omegas in it (3, 6, and 9). There is enough scientific evidence behind this one that I believe it is worth the expense. Plus, I swear my eyesight is better when I am taking it. On days I eat fish I skip this supplement.
In the afternoon (with lunch, if I remember) I take:
- Another Omega Fatty Acid pill
- An Iron pill, because I have a low iron level. I keep the iron pill far away from calcium intake, either in diet or supplement, because calcium inhibits Iron absorption.
Before bed I take:
- Another calcium/magnesium/D pill. This is a great time to take it because cal/mag has been proven to help with sleep.
- A glucosamine pill, because I have arthritis in a knee and it's supposed to help with joints.
In addition to these, on days I work out I take an L-Glutamine pill with my breakfast stack. I guess it's best to get L-glutamine in powder form immediately following working out, but since I have a bunch of them in pill form and I know pills take a while to break down and get into the system, I take them with breakfast, reasoning it will reach my muscles by the time I am done lifting. My reasoning is NOT based on science, though; just simply on what I think, so I could be dead wrong with this one. But I don't want to waste the pills, so until they are gone this is what I will be doing. After that I don't think I will take Glutamine at all anymore.
And right after I am done working out I have 5g of BCAA (branched chain amino acid) powder in protein powder that I put in my gym bag and add water to after lifting so I can drink it while I am walking out of the gym. Since starting this I swear I am not as sore after my workouts. I think they are also supposed to help aid in weight loss, but I'm not quite sure how. I use the Modern brand and the recommended dosage is 10g, but since I am a 150-lb woman I just take 5g (single scoop). This helps to stretch the container. A word of warning about flavoring with BCAA powder- make sure it has some! I got the plain the first time and my goodness, it was bitter! I had to add a packet of stevia to my protein powder/BCAA concoction to make it palatable enough to swallow. The flavor seems to help mask quite a lot of the bitterness.
Okay- so there you have my stacks and my reasons for them. I used to take more, but this is what I've brought it down to and I believe benefits me the most.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
What I Eat Over the Course of a Day
I'm always amazed at the number of people who ask me what it is I eat and drink in the course of a day. This is a really hard question for me to answer, because I don't eat the same things all the time, but here are some general guidelines I try to follow:
1. I always have at least one serving of complex carbs. This is usually 1/2 C of dry oatmeal, cooked, about an hour or so before I workout. Often I'll have more servings of complex carbs than this throughout the day, though.
2. I usually eat oatmeal or some kind of whole grain cereal and a lean protein (Most often an egg with 3/4 cup of egg whites) for breakfast.
3. I eat before I workout. When I don't I find myself short on both strength and endurance. This meal is usually the above breakfast.
4. On the way home from the gym I have a whey protein shake and a piece of fruit (usually a banana).
5. I try to eat at least one salad a day, either for lunch or dinner. My favorite is some kind of a southwestern salad so that I get some carbs from the corn. It always has a source of protein (usually shrimp or chicken breast), and I ask them to leave off any chips or croutons and go easy on the cheese. If the meat is grilled on a griddle I ask them to go easy on the butter. I get whatever dressing I like (usually creamy), but order it on the side and fork-dip for the non-flavorful bites. Very little is gone by the time the salad is finished.
6. I usually have two afternoon snacks, because it's a very hungry time of day for me. Almost always one is a small protein bar (I make sure it's really a PROTEIN bar with about the same grams of protein as carbs and low fat- otherwise I consider it a carb bar). If it's a big one (over 300 calories) I cut it in half. The other snack is usually low-fat string cheese and lean beef jerky OR a scoop of protein powder mixed into Greek yogurt.
7. I try to limit my fruits to 2 servings a day (I consider a banana 2 servings), and have at least 3 servings of veggies. More is better on the veggies.
8. The meal that is not a salad is usually a lean source of red meat (I have low iron), a whole-grain carb like brown rice, OR a baked sweet or regular potato, and a LOT of non-starchy veggies.
9. I don't drink my calories (unless it is a protein shake).
10. I drink at least a gallon of water a day (read my blog on The Importance of Water to see why).
11. If I drink anything in addition to the water, it is unsweetened tea. Sometimes I'll put a little Stevia or Splenda in it, but I've learned to usually drink it unsweetened. I just don't think the additional stuff does my body any good.
12. Before bed I have a scoop of Casein powder mixed with cold water into a pudding.
If you were counting, that's seven feedings on most days. I am always eating! :-)
I'll blog about supplements next blog, but that's what I ingest as a general rule most days, whether losing or maintaining. When I am in maintenance mode my portion sizes get larger. I hope this helps someone!
1. I always have at least one serving of complex carbs. This is usually 1/2 C of dry oatmeal, cooked, about an hour or so before I workout. Often I'll have more servings of complex carbs than this throughout the day, though.
2. I usually eat oatmeal or some kind of whole grain cereal and a lean protein (Most often an egg with 3/4 cup of egg whites) for breakfast.
3. I eat before I workout. When I don't I find myself short on both strength and endurance. This meal is usually the above breakfast.
4. On the way home from the gym I have a whey protein shake and a piece of fruit (usually a banana).
5. I try to eat at least one salad a day, either for lunch or dinner. My favorite is some kind of a southwestern salad so that I get some carbs from the corn. It always has a source of protein (usually shrimp or chicken breast), and I ask them to leave off any chips or croutons and go easy on the cheese. If the meat is grilled on a griddle I ask them to go easy on the butter. I get whatever dressing I like (usually creamy), but order it on the side and fork-dip for the non-flavorful bites. Very little is gone by the time the salad is finished.
6. I usually have two afternoon snacks, because it's a very hungry time of day for me. Almost always one is a small protein bar (I make sure it's really a PROTEIN bar with about the same grams of protein as carbs and low fat- otherwise I consider it a carb bar). If it's a big one (over 300 calories) I cut it in half. The other snack is usually low-fat string cheese and lean beef jerky OR a scoop of protein powder mixed into Greek yogurt.
7. I try to limit my fruits to 2 servings a day (I consider a banana 2 servings), and have at least 3 servings of veggies. More is better on the veggies.
8. The meal that is not a salad is usually a lean source of red meat (I have low iron), a whole-grain carb like brown rice, OR a baked sweet or regular potato, and a LOT of non-starchy veggies.
9. I don't drink my calories (unless it is a protein shake).
10. I drink at least a gallon of water a day (read my blog on The Importance of Water to see why).
11. If I drink anything in addition to the water, it is unsweetened tea. Sometimes I'll put a little Stevia or Splenda in it, but I've learned to usually drink it unsweetened. I just don't think the additional stuff does my body any good.
12. Before bed I have a scoop of Casein powder mixed with cold water into a pudding.
If you were counting, that's seven feedings on most days. I am always eating! :-)
I'll blog about supplements next blog, but that's what I ingest as a general rule most days, whether losing or maintaining. When I am in maintenance mode my portion sizes get larger. I hope this helps someone!
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