I hit level 4 from 1 purchase, its not that hard.
[quote]winkroar3 wrote:
Yea I’m a supplement junkie too. Sad part is looking back on it, I’d have rather spent that money
on something else. I think I’ve learned not to be such a sucker for advertising. I’ve bought DMG, Chromium, Boron, Ginseng, Crap Trib, Test RX, Vanadyl Sulfate (Never bought HMB though…can I get a high five ?? )[/quote]
Vanadyl sulfate and chromium have been shown to reduce blood glucose and increase insulin sensitivity, so I don’t think those were too much of a waste, but the rest of it… yah… 
I take a crap load of supps too… I keep thinking I should cut back and get on a supplement budget, but I keep buying more… yes I def. have a problem too 
It’s tough to narrow it down to just the “bare essential” supps, cause when you look at each one you can justify it’s usage… arg!
[quote]redgladiator wrote:
I haven’t included coconut oil, ground flaxseed or green tea as I consider them food.
(I also consider protein powder food but many people don’t)[/quote]
You are a star.
I am curious, genuine question:
What do you eat?
What is in your fridge?
I find it difficult in the UK for not finding quality food. I am currently stuck with roast halal chicken ready made with their spices and skin and all, bamboo shoots in soybean oil and ricotta cheese: all from ethnic minority shops.
So I actually understand why you would rely on so many suppl’s - I have a tendency to supplement addiction myself; favoring synthetic supplementation over actual food. If the food I buy tastes like plastic then there is no pleasure in eating. That is my eating is, as you say “shit”.
So what do you consider food that is in your fridge at the moment (you can take a picture if you don’t feel like writing a list)?
That will also help us assess your supplement “addiction”.
[quote]redgladiator wrote:
vit d3 (4000/6000IU in winter/day) �?�£20/year
[/quote]
Why d3? And all by itself…seems kind of lonely.
Are you taking that orally?
Yeap, also a supplement-whore. Trying to cut back a bit, but what I currently have:
Spike - 2
Receptormax - 3
Flameout - 2
Alpha-GPC - 2
Loads of Vitamin C
Grow! Whey - 3
Metabolic Drive - 3
Creatine 500g - 2
ProGreens - 1
ZMA - 1
Power Drive - 1
Phosphatidyl Serine - 1
Superfood - 2
Glycine - 1
Leucine - 1
FINiBARs - 1
Surge Workout Fuel - 1
Ultimate Medical Research’s Lean n Fit - Have no idea why I have this
Vitamin D3 - 1
WTF
WHY DO YOU GUYS HAVE SO MUCH SUPPS?!!?
this shit blows my mind. i wish i had 10% of u’re guy’s stockpile
[quote]HolyMacaroni wrote:
WTF
WHY DO YOU GUYS HAVE SO MUCH SUPPS?!!?
this shit blows my mind. i wish i had 10% of u’re guy’s stockpile[/quote]
I think it would just get overwhelming after a certain point. All I take is a multi, essential fatty acids, aminos post-workout, and whey powder while I’m at work. Having to remember when you’re supposed to take like 12 different things would kinda suck.
[quote]Alpha F wrote:
redgladiator wrote:
vit d3 (4000/6000IU in winter/day) �??�?�£20/year
Why d3? And all by itself…seems kind of lonely.
Are you taking that orally?
[/quote]
" Vitamin D: Treatment for Metabolic syndrome?
Metabolic syndrome is that increasingly common collection of low HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood sugar, and high pressure that now afflicts nearly 1 in 4 adults, rapidly gaining ground to 1 in 3. Beyond these surface factors, metabolic syndrome also creates small LDL particles, VLDL, intermediate-density lipoproteins (IDL), increased imperceptible inflammation measured as higher C - reactive protein, and greater blood clotting tendencies. Metabolic syndrome is usually, though not always, associated with a big tummy (“beer belly,” though I call it “wheat belly”).
In short, metabolic syndrome creates a metabolic mess that leads to dramatic increases in heart disease, vascular disease and stroke, and cancer. The medical community has been paying increasingly greater attention to this condition because of its booming prevalence and because of the big bucks invested in “education” by the manufacturers of the diabetes and pre-diabetes drugs, particularly makers of Actos and Avandia.
But here’s a curious observation:
Replacement of vitamin D to healthy levels (we aim for 50-60 ng/ml, or 125-150 nmol/l) yields:
–Higher HDL
–Lower triglycerides
–Lower blood sugar
–Reduced C - reactive protein
–Reduced blood pressure
–Reduced small LDL
–Enhanced sensitivity to insulin
(Whether blood clotting and effects on IDL should be added to this list is uncertain.)
It’s obvious: Vitamin D is proving to be a very important and powerful corrective influence on many of the facets of the metabolic syndrome. In fact, I would go as far as saying that, side by side, vitamin D yields nearly the same effect as prescription drugs Actos and Avandia–without the extravagant cost (nearly $200 per month), leg swelling, congestive heart failure and heightened heart attack risk (with Avandia), and average 8 lb weight gain. Of course, vitamin D also provides benefits beyond metabolic syndrome like facilitation of coronary plaque regression, increased bone density, reduced arthritis, and reduced risk of several cancers.
You’d think that agencies like the American Diabetes Association (ADA) would be all over vitamin D like white on rice. Yet they remain curiously quiet about the entire issue. (That should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the behavior and politics of this organization, the same outfit that has widely propagated the ADA diet, a program that accelerates diabetes and its complications. In my view, the ADA is an embarrassment.) "
Metabolic syndrome -cured.
"Peter started out at age 59 at 248 lbs, standing 6 ft tall (BMI = 33.6!).
Along with his weight, Peter had the entire panel of phenomena of the so-called “metabolic syndrome”, or pre-diabetes:
–Triglycerides 238 mg/dl and associated with extremes of excess VLDL and IDL
–High blood pressure
–Blood sugar 115 mg/dl
–High C - reactive protein
–Small LDL particles 99% of total LDL
Interestingly, Peter’s HDL was a surprisingly favorable 58 mg/dl (HDL is usually low in this syndrome). However, when broken down by size, he had nearly zero large, healthy HDL (sometimes called HDL2b). Though total HDL was favorable, most of it was simply ineffective.
Peter eliminated snacks and processed foods, particularly bread; increased his reliance on healthy oils and lean proteins; incorporated soy protein; increased vegetables. He added 30 minutes of a rapid walk on a treadmill every day. He added vitamin D to achieve a blood level of 50 ng/dml. He added a magnesium supplement.
Peter has lost 31 lbs. in the last year. Weight 207 lbs., BMI 28.1 (desirable <25). Blood sugar: 96 mg/dl; triglycerides: 56 mg/dl; HDL 71 mg/dl with 35% in the large fraction; small LDL 45% of total. Not perfect, but a damn site better.
Control of metabolic syndrome is an achievable goal for over 90% of people, just with these simple efforts. We haven’t yet had a chance to assess the effect on the progression or regression of Peter’s heart scan score, but he has, at the very least, spared himself a future of diabetes and all its complications."
If the gentleman above went to the doc for traditional treatment he would have received 1-2 BP meds, a cholesterol med, possibly an anti-depressant, type II diabetes med or two, and an anti-clotting agent.
Making his health worse and deteriorate further.
A 100 mg shot of test would have did that body good but we know that will never happen as a treatment for aging and combating the effects of decreasing hormone levels.
Iâ??m seeing more and more of it and I am convinced that there is a relationship: significant boosts in HDL cholesterol from vitamin D supplementation.
To my knowledge this remains an undescribed and uncharacterized phenomenon. There have been several observers over the last two decades who have noticed that total cholesterol shows a seasonal fluctuation: cholesterol goes up in fall and winter, down in spring and summer; year in, year out. This phenomenon was unexplained but makes perfect sense if you factor in vitamin D fluctuations from sun exposure.
I have come across no other substantiating evidence about fluctuations of HDL. But I am convinced that I am seeing it. Replace vitamin D to a blood level of 50 ng/ml, and HDL goes up if it is low to begin with. If HDL is high to begin with, say, 63 mg/dl, it doesnâ??t seem to change.
But, say, starting HDL is 36 mg/dl. You take niacin, 1000 mg; reduce high-glycemic index foods like breakfast cereals, breads, cookies, bagels, and other processed carbohydrate foods; exercise four days a week; add a glass of red wine a day; even add 2 oz of dark chocolate. You shed 15 lbs towards your ideal weight. After 6 months, HDL: 46 mg/dl. Better but hardly great.
Add vitamin D at a dose of, say, 4000-6000 units per day (oil-based gelcap, of course!), and re-check HDL two or three months later: 65 mg/dl.
Iâ??ve seen it happen over and over. It doens’t occur in everybody but occurs with such frequency that itâ??s hard to ignore or attribute to something else. What Iâ??m not clear about is whether this effect only occurs in the presence of the other strategies we use to raise HDL, a â??facilitatingâ?? effect, or whether this is an independent benefit of HDL that would occur regardless of whatever else you do. Time will help clarify.
We are tracking our experience to see if it holds up, how, and to what degree on a more formal basis. Until then, a rising HDL is yet another reasonâ??-among many!-â??to be absolutely certain your 25-OH-vitamin D3 level is at 50 ng/ml or greater.
How high is an ideal vitamin D blood level? If 50 ng is good, is 60 or 70 ng even better? Probably not, but there are no data. We have to wait and see. Unlike a drug that enjoys plentiful â??dose-responseâ?? data, there are no such observations for vitamin D into this higher, though still â??physiologic,â?? range."
"
Vitamin D in multivitamins is very poorly absorbed, if at all. Likewise, about 90% of the D in most calcium preparations is not absorbed. The vast majority of tablet or powder preparations, such as those in calcium tablets, are not absorbed to any significant extent. Take all you want and you remain vit D-deficient with osteoporosis, growing coronary plaque, low HDL, and exposed to risk for prostate and colon cancer.
If you take vitamin D in supplement form, it must–MUST–be in an oil-based capsule. The tablets are simply much too poorly and erratically absorbed to be reliable. There’s nothing more frustrating to take, for instance, 4000 units of vitamin D in tablet form, only to have a blood level of 12 ng/ml–severe deficiency. Take the same 4000 unit dose in capsule form and blood level skyrockets to 58 ng/ml. And it’s no more expensive.
One other thing: If you want to waste time and money, take the prescription vitamin D prescribed by many doctors. This is vitamin D2, also known as “ergocalciferol”. Why use the synthetic vitamin D2 when D3 is the form your body needs? Because the D2 is patent-protectable and profitable to the drug manufacturer, similar to using Premarin (horse estrogens) when human preparations would suffice–or be superior. I saw a woman today taking 50,000 of prescription D2 once per week. Her blood level of 25-OH-vitamin D3? 17 ng/ml–severe deficiency. Don’t waste your time with this garbage."
www.intensemuscle.com/32277-vitamin-d-simple-cheap-supplement-bbers-can-really-benefit.html
I have 1 bag of Whey Concentrate 10 lbs
If i ever figure out what other supplements do i will buy more LOL
Recession missed me thank god !
whey
casein
creatine
leucine
bcaa
dextrose
fish oil
i reckon thats pretty average
Some of my supps are what I consider “health” supps that I would take even if I wasn’t lifting.
multi
fish oil
vit d
vit b complex
I have tried almost every Biotest supp. I have no problem trying stuff out to see if it does anything for me. I have quite a few bottles of stuff that didn’t get finished, and there has been stuf that I have just thrown away because it flat out sucked (not Biotest stuff).
Currently using
Superfood
Surge Workout Fuel
Surge Recovery
Leucine
Power Drive
Alpha-GPC
Circumin
Beta-Alanine
Creatine
Z-12 (I don’t think I will ever stop taking this)
various protein powders
This list will get cut down as I am finding the most important ones to be the ones I take para-workout.
I remember the days when I could go workout for 2 hours and not even feel tired afterwards. Those days are gone. I am 33 now with 3 kids, a house, and a job that can be too stressful sometimes. There is no downtime, and I average about 5 hours of sleep a night. I can get through workouts without the supps and did for a while, but I enjoy workouts more and my gains are better when I am using them.
By the time the weekend rolls around I pop some z-12 and try and recover for a couple of days.
My wife thinks I am crazy, and I probably am (a little). But I shit you not when I say that I don’t do anything else. I don’t go to sporting events, bars, strip clubs, movies, anything. I spend time with my family and if I get some free time the last thing I want to do is go out, so I don’t mind spending the money on myself.
/confession
[quote]Alpha F wrote:
redgladiator wrote:
vit d3 (4000/6000IU in winter/day) �??�?�£20/year
Why d3? And all by itself…seems kind of lonely.
Are you taking that orally?
[/quote]
Why I take vit d3:
I don’t take any sort of multivit, there is no particular reason.
I was doing a really good job at getting rid of my supps in the past 3mo. I haven’t used any protein in about 3wks, dumped some old protein that my girl bought for herself and never used, gave away some creatine, threw away some useless medium chain triglycerides and tossed some shitty diuretics.
but the rest of my shit i buy in bulk so it “looks” worse then it really is.
plus my big 3lb container of leucine powder looks funny b/c i wrote “Steroidz” on it. lol
[quote]amphibian wrote:
I’m not an addict…addicts go to meetings.[/quote]
If they could only banned all meetings we could rid the world of addicts.
And my job would be easier too
[quote]waldo21212 wrote:
amphibian wrote:
I’m not an addict…addicts go to meetings.
And support groups are for pussies and quitters.[/quote]
Not ours. Our support group is for bad ass mother fuckers who are addicted to bodybuilding supplements.(Seriods optional) Exclusivly for T-Nation ELITE members level 4’s and 5’s.
[quote]skohcl wrote:
Vanadyl sulfate and chromium have been shown to reduce blood glucose and increase insulin sensitivity, so I don’t think those were too much of a waste, but the rest of it… yah…
I take a crap load of supps too… I keep thinking I should cut back and get on a supplement budget, but I keep buying more… yes I def. have a problem too
It’s tough to narrow it down to just the “bare essential” supps, cause when you look at each one you can justify it’s usage… arg![/quote]
If you stopped using just one of the many supplements you’re using for the next year - to what extent would you guestimate it having a negative impact on your physique and performance? In other words, how many more pounds of fat and how many less pounds of muscle would you be carrying?
To me this is the only way to justify using a supplement - not by what it can theoretically do.
I honestly don’t think I buy that much shit.
[quote]HolyMacaroni wrote:
WTF
WHY DO YOU GUYS HAVE SO MUCH SUPPS?!!?
this shit blows my mind. i wish i had 10% of u’re guy’s stockpile[/quote]
b/c they want to.
I’m a huge fan of Biotest’s recent trend towards products with anti-cancer, or just plain old health-improving benefits.
Turns out three things have killed the last four generations of men in my family:
high-velocity lead from jealous husbands/boyfriends
Suicide via alcohol
Cancer, cancer, cancer
I’m also prone to various . . . issues, plus having fought my back for years on end, I’m focused primarily on staying vertical, with athletic ability, hypertrophy, and the rest on the back burner.
If I drink Guinness while lifting then it counts as a supplement right?