Supplement question

Hi guys I met with the trainers at the gym by my house and I am going to start in October. I've searched around alot about supplements couldnt really find the answer i was looking for. The only thing that I take andhave been taking for awhile is a centrum multi vitamin. I can't really afford to drop a tone of money on this but I was told by a guy I know that I should probably atleast start drinking protein shakes atleast twice a day and drink atleast 8 cups a of water a day. He said I don't need any crazy expensive stuff just a whey protein from walmart would do?? I dont know anything about this stuff so if anyone can help me out itwould be great.

I use the Body Fortress Whey Protein found at Wal-Mart, and for the price it's a pretty quality protein. It's very low in sugar, so you aren't paying for a quarter pound of sugar. It's got a blend of Creatine, Taurine, Glutamine, and Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine to help with muscle recovery. And it doesn't taste half bad.

I'm sure there are plenty of other good reasonably priced brands, but you would probably have to order them off the web to get a good price since GNC is generally pretty expensive no matter what you buy.

Thanks I'll check that out. So you think just a multi vitamin and protein will be good? How often do you drink it? Probably a stupid question but I'm oblivious to the suppliment stuff.

Ive used the Body Fortress protein to.and imo its not bad at all.


i personally drink 3 shakes a day. 1 with each of my 3 major meals.

If your going for mass gains. than 3 shakes a day sounds about right.along with 5-7 small meals rich in good carbs and vitamins.

But its different for everybody.start off where you feel comfortable.

the only down side to drinking multiple shakes a day is your protein ends up getting used up pretty fast.its not long before you have to buy another tub.


i hope that helps.

Thanks guys definatly a big help.

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Posted by blb8698

Thanks I'll check that out. So you think just a multi vitamin and protein will be good? How often do you drink it? Probably a stupid question but I'm oblivious to the suppliment stuff.

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I usually drink one before and after workouts, and sometimes I just make one as a snack. The way I make them sometimes it's like a meal. If you mix Soy, and Whey Protein, with some milk (I use soy milk. I hate dairy.) water, banana, peanut butter, and flax oil it's like a meal. If I feel like it some finely ground oat meal mixed in is good too, but it has to be well ground, and you can't let the shake sit too long or it all settles.

You go through protein quickly if you drink them a lot, but if you supplement meals with them like I do sometimes it ends up being a meal for less than a buck. When you look at it like that $17 for 28 servings isn't that bad. I can't make a good meal for what a serving costs even with other stuff added.

Alright so my training will be from 730 to 830 so drink 1 before I go and 1 after? Should I drink it a certain amount of time before I go? Again Thanks for all the help.

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Posted by blb8698

Alright so my training will be from 730 to 830 so drink 1 before I go and 1 after? Should I drink it a certain amount of time before I go? Again Thanks for all the help.

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I would recommend somewhere within the hour before you workout, and within 30 minutes after. The before shake isn't absolutely necessary, but I would always drink a protein shake within 30 minutes after your workout. Your body needs easy to absorb protein immediately after a workout.

Alright thanks. i'll probably do the meal replacementwith it in the morning for breakfast because I'm always in sucha hurry with getting my son ready for daycare and gettting ready for work. I'll just have to get a blender to mix it right?

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Posted by blb8698

Alright thanks. i'll probably do the meal replacementwith it in the morning for breakfast because I'm always in sucha hurry with getting my son ready for daycare and gettting ready for work. I'll just have to get a blender to mix it right?

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Blenders the best if you want everything completely mixed.i personally use only a blender.

If your ina hurry a blender bottle is the way to go.although it does sometimes leave clumps at the top of the shake.but buy a good one and that shouldnt be a problem.

so.

Blender = best way to go if you want it blended to the maximum.

Shaker Bottle = Good if your ina hurry.convienent.can take it with you.

heres a link to some shaker bottles

Link

Alright so I picked up the protein and it says 52 g per 2 scoops but says on instructions 1 scoop w 8 oz water for the full 52 do I just mix 2 scoops w 8 oz water? or do I double it?

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Posted by blb8698

Alright so I picked up the protein and it says 52 g per 2 scoops but says on instructions 1 scoop w 8 oz water for the full 52 do I just mix 2 scoops w 8 oz water? or do I double it?

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The more water you take with it the better it will absorb.


Just a note on your vitamins. I would stay clear of cheap vitamins (like Centrum) and spend a little extra to get a good quality multivitamin. Cheap vitamins are usually packed with fillers (to help the pill presses from being gummed up by the vitamin powders) which can prevent absorption.

In my personal opinion, buy a high quality vitamin, which might cost you 2-3 times what the centrums cost, but you'll be better off taking it half the time. Vitamins usually have way more than what your body requires and taking them on your active days or every other day is usually more than sufficient.

ok so I should do 2 scoops of powder with like 12 or 16oz of water? Are there any multivitamins that you recomend? I don't mind spending the money for a better one.

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Posted by blb8698

ok so I should do 2 scoops of powder with like 12 or 16oz of water? Are there any multivitamins that you recomend? I don't mind spending the money for a better one.

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I use Nu-Life, The Ultimate One, Men Active. I don't know if these are available in the US, but you can check. I am happy with them. These are probably mid-line vitamins. There are many more that are cheaper and some that are more expensive.

Things you should look for in a vitamin if you are comparing.

1) The size of the tablet vs. the contents. Big tablets with fewer contents means more fillers. Chewables of course have more fillers in order to make them taste better. Higher quality tablets typically have a smaller size to content ratio

2) Look at the contents of the vitamin.
For the one I take here are the contents

Ingredients:
Beta carotene (Pro Vitamin A) 10,000 IU
Vitamin A (Palmitate) 2,500 IU
Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol) 400 IU
Vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopheryl succinate) 100 IU
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid, Calcium ascorbate) 150 mg
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine Hydrochloride) 35 mg
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin,
Riboflavin 5'phosphate) 40 mg
Niacin (Nicotinic Acid) 30 mg
Niacinamide 20 mg
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Pyridoxal 5'Phosphate) 30 mg
Vitamin B12 (Hydroxo-cobalamin,
Dibencozide) 100 mcg
Folic Acid (Folacin) 1 mg
Biotin 50 mcg
Pantothenic Acid (d-calcium Pantothenate) 35 mg
Calcium (Citrate, Malate, Bisglycinate) 125 mg
Magnesium (Citrate, Malate,
Bisglycinate) 63 mg
Zinc (Citrate, Malate, Bisglycinate) 20 mg
Iron (Citrate, Malate, Bisglycinate) 5 mg
Iodine (Kelp) 0.2 mg
Manganese (Citrate, Malate,
Bisglycinate) 5 mg
Potassium (Citrate, Malate,
Bisglycinate) 35 mg
Chromium (Citrate, Malate,
Bisglycinate) 200 mcg
Selenium (Malate, Bisglycinate) 100 mcg
Molybdenum (Citrate, Malate, Bisglycinate) 50 mcg
Vanadium (Citrate, Malate,
Bisglycinate) 50 mcg

Lipotropic Factors:
Choline (Citrate) 75 mg
Inositol 50 m
Methionine 25 mg



Now, I don't know what type of Centrums you took, but looking at the Forte version of Centrums and comparing (for example Vit A and Beta Carotene contents), my brand has 2-3 times the level of both of those vitamins compared to the centrum Forte.

This is why you can't compare prices on a tablet basis. A box of 50 centrums at Walmart costs about 10$ or so. A bottle of 60 tablets of my brand is about 30-40$. However, when you factor in that you get 2-3x more concentrated vitamins (not tablets) in my brand, you are getting a pretty good deal.

Finally when you buy a multivitamin, don't be concerned with the components that you know you get on a daily basis. i.e. if you drink milk and eat fruit, you most likely get more than enough of your daily dose of Vit. C, Vit D and Calcium. Therefore, pick a multivitamin that focuses on (or enriched for) the vitamins that you need. Different multivitamins have different ratios of various vitamins depending on the companies/product's target consumer (i.e. older people tend to need more calcium and vit D, women need more iron, etc.) and their philosophy on nutrition. It also depends on the cost of a particular vitamin. i.e. certain vitamins are harder to isolate/synthesize than others. Multivitamins that contain higher levels of these types of vitamins will be more money compared to one that is high in Vit C for example.


Added to which, too much of any one vitamin can have acute side effects (like upset stomach), which is why I don't take mine every day (aside from the fact that I generally eat healthy).

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Posted by blb8698

ok so I should do 2 scoops of powder with like 12 or 16oz of water? Are there any multivitamins that you recomend? I don't mind spending the money for a better one.

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As for the powder, I do what tastes best for me. However, I either drink more water before or after taking my protein. It doesn't matter how much you mix with the powder (pre se) but rather how much total water you take with the protein at that sitting.

Alright thank you for all the info. One more question do you drink the protein every day or just the days you work out? I'm very new to this so I want to get all the info I can. Thanks again

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Posted by blb8698

Alright thank you for all the info. One more question do you drink the protein every day or just the days you work out? I'm very new to this so I want to get all the info I can. Thanks again

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I don't drink it every day. I only have it on the days where I have a big workout. I've been a little lazy lately and haven't taken it much, but then again, I haven't really been able to train hard (no time).

My general advice is to take it when you think you need to recover your muscles. That is, take it immediately after your workout.

IMO, if you normally eat a healthy balanced diet, you don't need to take it on off days. Some may disagree, but that is my opinion.

Alright so for mixing it, it doesnt matter how muchwater you add? I just wanted to make sure the water content wasnt going to take away from what it did. Also would you take it after a good cardio workout? I usually do half hour elliptical workout and do some heavybag work right after.

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Posted by blb8698

Alright so for mixing it, it doesnt matter how muchwater you add? I just wanted to make sure the water content wasnt going to take away from what it did. Also would you take it after a good cardio workout? I usually do half hour elliptical workout and do some heavybag work right after.

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Like I said, I don't tend to take it unless I feel that I have damaged my muscles and I need the quick recovery. Taking after any (every) workout certainly wont hurt you, but I'm not convinced it is needed after a "light" workout (of course light being a reletive term). It's really up to you and how much you think you need the extra protein and how much money you want to put out for Whey powder. I buy expensive whey because the cheaper brands upset my stomach, so I tend to be a little stingy with it.