Every day I always can count on someone asking me two questions. The first one, how tall are you? The second one, which supplements can I take to lose weight or gain muscle? Well, I don't think I can control the first question, but maybe this blog will decrease the number of times the second questions gets asked. No, don't get me wrong, I am glad people are coming to me for advice before the go piss away their money at the drug store. One last pro claimer, I am not a dietitian nor a nutritionist. I simply have experience with supplements and have done a plethora of research on them to know what is good for the body, and what is not.
The first step is taking a look at the word supplement. A supplement is an accessory or something you add to your diet. Supplements CAN'T replace an unhealthy diet! So, before anyone goes off and adds any supplement to their body, they need to have a healthy diet. Once your diet is in check for several months in a row, consistently, then there may be some things that can be beneficial for you.
The first one we look at is a multi-vitamin. A multi-vitamin is just that, a pill that contains multiple vitamins. It is always a good idea to take a multi-vitamin twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. Your body can only absorb about 50% of the vitamins at once, so those one-a-day pills are junk unless taken twice a day.
Fish oil would be next on my list. Fish oil has shown several benefits including joint health, cardiovascular health, healthier skin complexion, and some fat loss. Each brand contains different dosages, so typically just follow the directions on the back of the bottle.
Next up is protein. There are several types of protein including egg, soy, casein, and whey. In my opinion whey is the best overall protein. It is fast absorbing and typically doesn't hold a ton of sugars. You should remember back from one of my previous blog posts that depending on your goal you should get between 1-2 grams of protein per pound of body weight each day. This can be done with the proper foods such as eggs, meats, nuts, and dairy. However, there will be days when a protein shake may be needed as a snack to give you that extra protein. Try to stay away from the premixed protein shakes. I suggest 100% whey protein that comes in a jug and you simply mix it with water.
Those three basic supplements can cover the general person. Now, my advanced lifters and athletes, they might need a little more. You might want to take a look back at my blog on creatine, a great supplement for advanced lifters. However, it doesn't matter who you are, you should not be taking any supplements until your diet is in check.
The important thing to remember is supplements just like everything today, is a business. All of these companies are just trying to make as much money as possible. So, they write things on their bottles like muscle gain, fat loss, and lose 100lbs in one month. The sad thing is, so many people each day fall for these gimmicks. Sadly, 99% of the time they are literally just pissing away their money. America is all about the quick fix, they want a pill to do all the work for them. Well, I got news for you. If you want good results, that will last a life-time, you need to work hard and have a good diet. There are no secrets!
Questions or comments? Shoot me an e-mail or comment below.
Best,
Doug Spurling, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
Spurling Strength & Speed
dspurling@une.edu
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