Supplements, Should I Be Taking Any?

Nutrition
1

I am trying to just get healthy, I’m not too concerned about weight loss or bulking up or anything like that. I guess you could say my main goal is just total body fat loss and strength gain. I am currently taking HOT-ROX, downing about 2 myoplex shakes a day, and eating about one protien bar a day, I am also taking a multi-vitamin every morning.

Anyway, I am a little confused as to all the stuff out there and I don’t even know if I should be concerned with any of it. I look at protein shake mixes and stuff but, with all the calories that I see in them I don’t knwo if I even need them. I was told by some people that I should be consuming around 1gram of protein for every pound of body weight, which is not an easy task by any means.

So obviously a protein shake every now and then through tthe day would be extremely helpful. I guess I just don’t know what I should be taking and what combinations would be most effective.

2

When people say they want to eat for “health” what they usually mean is that they want a diet that is going to be preventative of sickness and disease. There isn’t a whole lot of thought that needs to go into this really… simply eating a Mediterranean diet and taking an everything supplement like IntraMax would pretty much cover your bases, except for the fact that aspiring bodybuilders get sick a lot less often than you people do because we’re constantly eating enough food and generating enough muscle mass to fight and recover from illness, and the intelligent ones among us eat a lot of nutritious foods to back it up even further.

3

you’re asking a question like this on a site that sells supplements? There is plenty of info here about supplements and nutrition if you search for it.

4

You can be perfectly healthy without any supplements. Lots of veggies (I usually buy frozen diced veggies that I can just pop in the microwave, that way I can make sure that I eat at least a pound every day) and fruits. Look into exotic fruits, it’s always fun to discover new ones and literally all of them have manyfold benefits for overall health.

For protein, I’d say look into whole cheese (like emmentaler or the like), beef, fish, chicken, whatever. If you actually consider eating something solid every once in a while, 1 gram per pound is easy. 400 grams of emmentaler= 105g Protein, 500 grams of turkey breast = 100grams. And how much do you weigh again?

Having said that, Flameout and FA3 would be best to supplement your diet with a complete fatty acid profile.

5

I’m 6’1" 250 but, my body fat percentage is retarded out of control. I realize that I am asking questions about supplements on a site that sells them. I’m just a little confused on what supplements are good to take with others. Like, I read that Alpha Male you shouldn’t stack with HOT-ROX because they basically do the same thing but, I found that on a forum not in an article which made it harder to find.

I see what you’re saying though Adm. I read as much as I can but, some of the stuff is kind of confusing, not to mention over my head. I’m just beginning to get a routine down and get my diet squared away. As sad as it sounds, I was proud of myself yesterday for turning down ribs (which I should just throw out) and instead eating a plain chicken breast with brown rice for dinner last night.

I appreciate the responses guys, just the fact that there are folks like y’all reading what I’ve typed helps me stay motivated. Please keep the advice and critizism coming!

6

[quote]Palmetto_Panther wrote:
I’m 6’1" 250 but, my body fat percentage is retarded out of control. I realize that I am asking questions about supplements on a site that sells them. I’m just a little confused on what supplements are good to take with others. Like, I read that Alpha Male you shouldn’t stack with HOT-ROX because they basically do the same thing but, I found that on a forum not in an article which made it harder to find.

I see what you’re saying though Adm. I read as much as I can but, some of the stuff is kind of confusing, not to mention over my head. I’m just beginning to get a routine down and get my diet squared away. As sad as it sounds, I was proud of myself yesterday for turning down ribs (which I should just throw out) and instead eating a plain chicken breast with brown rice for dinner last night.

I appreciate the responses guys, just the fact that there are folks like y’all reading what I’ve typed helps me stay motivated. Please keep the advice and critizism coming![/quote]

You are asking some pretty vague questions. I would suggest starting in the beginners forum, where all of your questions have already been answered in a simple, straightforward fashion.

I guarantee that if you spend some decent time on that forum (beginners), that your knowledge and understanding will improve quickly.

Once you have a better understanding, then you can come back with some more specific questions, after you have developed some more specific goals.

7

[quote]Palmetto_Panther wrote:
I am currently taking HOT-ROX, downing about 2 myoplex shakes a day, and eating about one protien bar a day, I am also taking a multi-vitamin every morning.[/quote]

Quick reminder: HOT-ROX (or any fat burner) isn’t an excuse for a sub-par diet. Popping a HOT-ROX or two doesn’t cancel out eating crap. You’d get further, faster, if you held off on the fat burners until you have a structured nutrition plan in place. That way, when/if you bring them back into play, they can be more effective.

“Need” is a funny word. You don’t “need” a car, but the damn things come in handy a lot of the time. Talk about timing; today’s article might help in sorting things out.

That’s a rough guideline. Counting numbers can become a chore, but for now, if you focus on big picture stuff - avoiding obvious crap no matter how tasty (like those ribs, good job.), cutting portions of carbs, focus on eating meat, vegetables, and some fruit - that’ll be a solid start in the right direction.

Myoplex is okay, but I prefer Metabolic Drive for flavor, ease of mixing (no blender needed) and consistency. Other than a “throughout the day” protein shake, you’ll want to sort out your workout nutrition once you’re on a consistent plan. Surge Recovery would be the best bet.

Alpha Male is absolutely not the same as HOT-ROX. One is a Testosterone booster, one is a fat burner. They shouldn’t be stacked together because they both contain a particular ingredient, Carbolin 19, and taking them both would overlap the dose.

Like I said, this was a great call on your part. But… there’s no need for you to eat like a pre-contest bodybuilder just yet. Plain chicken breast and brown rice sounds kinda boring long term, but I get that it was a quick fix. That 28 Days article described a bunch of calorie-free spices and not-too-complicated recipes for making “healthy” stuff worth eating, just to keep in mind.

8

Thanks for the input, I read that article and there’s alot of good information in there. Funny how when I think of health food I always think “boring and bland”. Growing up down south it seems I was brought up on fried everything or, if not fried, drown it in butter.

Westcoast, this thread actually started on the beginner’s forum actually, I guess they moved it because of the title. Sorry about that, I probably should’ve titled it something different.

I’m going to go ahead and purchase some protein powder though, what’s the difference between egg protein and whey protein? Is one better than the other?

9

[quote]Palmetto_Panther wrote:
I’m going to go ahead and purchase some protein powder though, what’s the difference between egg protein and whey protein? Is one better than the other? [/quote]

Besides the obvious, whey is usually better tolerated than egg protein.

I’ve encountered way too many cases of very nasty gas from egg protein with myself and others who’ve tried it.

Besides, I’d rather eat my eggs in just about any form over drinking them.