Discussion I need some workout supplement advice please.

[Remobz]

Hello all,

I am 47 years old and way past my prime. I struggle with high blood pressure and weight issues. I am like 20 pounds overweight right now and borderline diabetes. I guess high risk for being a Covid fatality as well.

Anyway, I am on semi vegetarian diet right now and I walk 5 times a week. I want to incorporate some light to moderate bodybuilding to tone up my muscles. I am not looking for mass or becoming the next Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Alright, so considering I want to loose some weight (about 25 pounds) while battling some health issues as well. I need some advice on what supplements I should take right now.

The problem is that they are NOT cheap and many have garbage ingredients and sales people lie to us about what is really needed to make sales. For example, many WHEY protein powders have some bad ingredients in them and false advertising.

I know I might need some extra protein if I start lifting weights but in what form and what type of proteins?

Do I have to take WHEY protein? Creatine tablets? Amino acids powders or tablets? Other? All of them at once?

Any advice?

 

[Torn Mind]

I supplement the vitamins C, D, and K2. I also seek out and eat foods with those vitamins. D3 can be sourced from sunlight exposure, which can save a few bucks of having to buy the food or supplements when weather is better.

Liver is a nutrient dense food; but not necessarily the easiest to find. It’s very hard to overeat it because it tastes bad. Sourcing it maybe take little effort; you might need to go to an ethnic market to get some. It’s probably more cost effective than supplements because you get protein and B vitamins in one package.

Wild sockeye salmon is also a good source of useful minerals and vitamins for bone, an often neglected organ by the time osteopenia sets in. I eat from cans because I still hate salmon; it takes me a few days to finish everything. Canned salmon has the bones still, which provide bioavailable calcium.
Mussels are a good source of manganese.

As for dairy, cheeses with K2, and eggs are fine to eat due to vitamin content.

Vitamin C are usually sourced from plants. Berries are very good because they are pretty low sugar but provide vitamin C and other potentially beneficial compounds. Pears or apples can provide some micros too and tame sweet cravings if one prefers sweets.

Most starches are to be avoided, but sweet potato maybe worth eating still because of promising results in reducing risk of colon cancer. However, baking it increase GI of sweet potato a lot, so boiling it is better. Less processed barley has a low GI as well.

Very low sugar dark chocolate(90 percent or above) is also okay to eat due to the vitamin and mineral profile and the fats present showing beneficial properties. It’s also a bitter food, so it is hard to overeat.

 

[pauldun170]

Hello all,

I am 47 years old and way past my prime. I struggle with high blood pressure and weight issues. I am like 20 pounds overweight right now and borderline diabetes. I guess high risk for being a Covid fatality as well.

Anyway, I am on semi vegetarian diet right now and I walk 5 times a week. I want to incorporate some light to moderate bodybuilding to tone up my muscles. I am not looking for mass or becoming the next Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Alright, so considering I want to loose some weight (about 25 pounds) while battling some health issues as well. I need some advice on what supplements I should take right now.

The problem is that they are NOT cheap and many have garbage ingredients and sales people lie to us about what is really needed to make sales. For example, many WHEY protein powders have some bad ingredients in them and false advertising.

I know I might need some extra protein if I start lifting weights but in what form and what type of proteins?

Do I have to take WHEY protein? Creatine tablets? Amino acids powders or tablets? Other? All of them at once?

Any advice?

Skip supplements.
Focus on the proper nutritional balance of your meals and simply adjust accordingly when weight training. Make sure you get proper rest when you weight train. In order to build muscle, you need sleep and nutrition.
Not gimmicky crap .

Older than you and doing this for decades

 

[deadlyapp]

Skip supplements.
Focus on the proper nutritional balance of your meals and simply adjust accordingly when weight training. Make sure you get proper rest when you weight train. In order to build muscle, you need sleep and nutrition.
Not gimmicky crap .

Older than you and doing this for decades

This. Supplements are not needed, they are only useful for those who have already exhausted other methods and are looking for the smaller things.

Whey and creatine are the least offensive. Most of the commercialized wheys aren't too bad (optimum nutrition is probably the most widely seen) but you can certainly buy more expensive grass fed derived whey, etc with diminishing gains. Again, if you're eating a diet with plenty of protein, whey isn't needed. Creatine is probably one of the cheapest and most beneficial supplements for building muscle growth, but if you're not doing regular lifting then it has limited benefits.

BCAAs are useless if you have a good diet.

Other supplements that I've found useful in the past but aren't necessary:
pre-workouts (with or without stimulants)
hydration powders (mostly contain electrolyte salts)
fish oil
collagen

Generally, if you're eating a well balanced diet, you don't need any supplements. Whey and creatine are cheap so I continue to use them.

I work out 5-6 days a week, HIIT, weightlifting, etc.

 

[JohnyBeee]

General multivitamin complex is a good option for health and to feel slightly better. For other supplements I would only recommend Whey protein to feel a bit more full without too many calories. I would recommend a slight calorie deficit (300-500 calories). When going crash diets (big calorie deficit) you might loose the fat quicker but you'll gain it back because you haven't implemented a proper nutrition and start eating what you ate beforehand. Using oil spray, low calorie drinks and/or sauces are a good way to start your deficit without changing your diet at first

Also, there are fat-burners to help suppress your appetite and give more energy to burn more calories: https://supplements4muscle.com/xtreme-fat-burners/324-skull-labs-ripper-60-caps.html

 

[purbeast0]

If you are just starting out, you don't need any supplements.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

" I am on semi vegetarian diet " What does that even mean? You do meatless Monday? You stopped eating red meat? The only thing I get from that info is that you are probably not doing keto; probably.

If you are eating added sugar foods, stop. If you are eating processed garbage, stop. If you drink soda or other sugar added beverages, stop. Keep walking, lift, eat right, and good things will happen.

 

[pauldun170]

" I am on semi vegetarian diet " What does that even mean? You do meatless Monday? You stopped eating red meat? The only thing I get from that info is that you are probably not doing keto; probably.

It's an established term with searchable definitions, even though some people do get sloppy in how they define it for themselves.
From my experience, semi veggie folks do dairy and seafood.
Despite having some friends on semi veg, I had do double check the definition myself

Google Search

If you are eating added sugar foods, stop. If you are eating processed garbage, stop. If you drink soda or other sugar added beverages, stop. Keep walking, lift, eat right, and good things will happen.

I can't count how many times someone will hop on some gimmicky diet, where they stop eating garbage and then credit the nonsense from the diet as the reason they lost weight.

For example, they stopped eating poptarts, donuts, burgers and 3 foot chicken parm sandwiches every day where they were consuming 5000 calories a day and then credit the butter in their coffee for the weight loss.

 

[Remobz]

" I am on semi vegetarian diet " What does that even mean? You do meatless Monday? You stopped eating red meat? The only thing I get from that info is that you are probably not doing keto; probably.

If you are eating added sugar foods, stop. If you are eating processed garbage, stop. If you drink soda or other sugar added beverages, stop. Keep walking, lift, eat right, and good things will happen.

I don't know what the hell to call it. I eat fish and chicken breast and some low fat cheese that I sprinkle over my salads. I avoid high starchy veggies and eat leafy greens or steam veggies.

A typical meal for me would be chicken breast with some steam veggies or garden salad with cheese on top. Snacks would be 1/4 cup mixed unsalted nuts or some greek yogurt.
I only drink water and no processed foods or to a minimum. For example, I buy those store bought pepperoni slices for homemade pizza on wheat pita bread now and then.


Anyway, I eat some meat to cover my proteins and other nutrients not found in veggies. I love conch or shrimp ceviche.

 

[purbeast0]

Dude ceviche isn't some unknown super secret dish lol. I think most people know wtf ceviche is.

 

[Remobz]

General multivitamin complex is a good option for health and to feel slightly better. For other supplements I would only recommend Whey protein to feel a bit more full without too many calories. I would recommend a slight calorie deficit (300-500 calories). When going crash diets (big calorie deficit) you might loose the fat quicker but you'll gain it back because you haven't implemented a proper nutrition and start eating what you ate beforehand. Using oil spray, low calorie drinks and/or sauces are a good way to start your deficit without changing your diet at first

I skip meals and eat one meal per day more or less. Sometimes I eat two meals per day. No snacks in between meals and ONLY WATER. I use low fat ranch dressing on salads and low fat mayo when I make a whole wheat chicken breast pita with veggies.

I really miss some foods like brownies, chocolate and plantains among other things.

 

[Remobz]

Dude ceviche isn't some unknown super secret dish lol. I think most people know wtf ceviche is.

Alright, don't get mad. Some Europeans had no clue what it was on another forum and some Chinese people as well on another forum. I meant no harm.

 

[pauldun170]

I don't know what the hell to call it. I eat fish and chicken breast and some low fat cheese that I sprinkle over my salads. I avoid high starchy veggies and eat leafy greens or steam veggies.

A typical meal for me would be chicken breast with some steam veggies or garden salad with cheese on top. Snacks would be 1/4 cup mixed unsalted nuts or some greek yogurt.
I only drink water and no processed foods or to a minimum. For example, I buy those store bought pepperoni slices for homemade pizza on wheat pita bread now and then.


Anyway, I eat some meat to cover my proteins and other nutrients not found in veggies. I love conch or shrimp ceviche.

lol
"I eat chicken and processed red meat along with cheese and yogurt but I have a salad so I'm semi veggie"

Might want to cut out pepperoni. It's super processed trash meat and your arteries will thank you in the long run.
It's probably one of the worst thing you could put in your body.

 

[deadlyapp]

I don't know what the hell to call it. I eat fish and chicken breast and some low fat cheese that I sprinkle over my salads. I avoid high starchy veggies and eat leafy greens or steam veggies.

A typical meal for me would be chicken breast with some steam veggies or garden salad with cheese on top. Snacks would be 1/4 cup mixed unsalted nuts or some greek yogurt.
I only drink water and no processed foods or to a minimum. For example, I buy those store bought pepperoni slices for homemade pizza on wheat pita bread now and then.


Anyway, I eat some meat to cover my proteins and other nutrients not found in veggies. I love conch or shrimp ceviche.

I don't know why you would even call it semi vegetarian. Youre eating chicken. At best you can say you don't eat red meat (if true). You don't have to label your diet, it's not necessary.

I skip meals and eat one meal per day more or less. Sometimes I eat two meals per day. No snacks in between meals and ONLY WATER. I use low fat ranch dressing on salads and low fat mayo when I make a whole wheat chicken breast pita with veggies.

I really miss some foods like brownies, chocolate and plantains among other things.

Do you have any idea how many calories you eat? One meal per day is not healthy, no matter how much intermittent fasters / Paleolithic eaters tell you. Similarly, living a life where you curtail all things enjoyable isn't worth living. It is not hard to balance 90% healthy eating with 10% enjoyable meals and snacks. Similarly it's not hard to eat enjoyable meals and still stay within nutritional needs.

 

[Remobz]

I don't know why you would even call it semi vegetarian. Youre eating chicken. At best you can say you don't eat red meat (if true). You don't have to label your diet, it's not necessary.


Do you have any idea how many calories you eat? One meal per day is not healthy, no matter how much intermittent fasters / Paleolithic eaters tell you. Similarly, living a life where you curtail all things enjoyable isn't worth living. It is not hard to balance 90% healthy eating with 10% enjoyable meals and snacks. Similarly it's not hard to eat enjoyable meals and still stay within nutritional needs.

I need to lose some weight I gained over Christmas. At one point last year I was only 9 pounds overweight according to BMI calculations. Then, Christmas was coming around and I went off my hardcore eating and gained some weight back.

I understand and agree with you about long term sustainability. However, my approach makes me lose lots of weight more quickly in the short term. My problem is that when I go off hardcore diet I indulge in brownies and many other bad foods since I miss them a lot.
My struggle is to find some long term sustainable diet while maintaining some foods that I like.

I am over 45 years old and this is getting harder for me to do body wise.

Lucky for me, since I walk a lot now and do light exercises, I carry my weight well. No pot belly. no love handles or huge thick thighs. Most of current weight is in my chest and back area.

My grandmother hated veggies and loved sweet tasting snacks and desserts. She went against all the people advice here. She died a few years back at age 99. My Dad is nearing 90 years old and he ate badly most of his life.

My mother was a vegan most of her life and she died at age 58 from cancer.

Weird right?

 

[purbeast0]

Losing weight quickly in the short term is not healthy nor sustainable. It's a bad way to try and lose weight.

 

[deadlyapp]

I need to lose some weight I gained over Christmas. At one point last year I was only 9 pounds overweight according to BMI calculations. Then, Christmas was coming around and I went off my hardcore eating and gained some weight back.

I understand and agree with you about long term sustainability. However, my approach makes me lose lots of weight more quickly in the short term. My problem is that when I go off hardcore diet I indulge in brownies and many other bad foods since I miss them a lot.
My struggle is to find some long term sustainable diet while maintaining some foods that I like.

I am over 45 years old and this is getting harder for me to do body wise.

Lucky for me, since I walk a lot now and do light exercises, I carry my weight well. No pot belly. no love handles or huge thick thighs. Most of current weight is in my chest and back area.

My grandmother hated veggies and loved sweet tasting snacks and desserts. She went against all the people advice here. She died a few years back at age 99. My Dad is nearing 90 years old and he ate badly most of his life.

My mother was a vegan most of her life and she died at age 58 from cancer.

Weird right?

Purbeast has the right answer. You wonder why you always go back to eating like shit agyer you crash diet? It's because of the crash diet.

Finding the balance of eating well 90% of the time (and fueling yourself correctly!) and treating yourself the other 10% is the most sustainable method long term, and can result in weight loss if that's what you want.

 

[Torn Mind]

I need to lose some weight I gained over Christmas. At one point last year I was only 9 pounds overweight according to BMI calculations. Then, Christmas was coming around and I went off my hardcore eating and gained some weight back.

I understand and agree with you about long term sustainability. However, my approach makes me lose lots of weight more quickly in the short term. My problem is that when I go off hardcore diet I indulge in brownies and many other bad foods since I miss them a lot.
My struggle is to find some long term sustainable diet while maintaining some foods that I like.

I am over 45 years old and this is getting harder for me to do body wise.

Lucky for me, since I walk a lot now and do light exercises, I carry my weight well. No pot belly. no love handles or huge thick thighs. Most of current weight is in my chest and back area.

My grandmother hated veggies and loved sweet tasting snacks and desserts. She went against all the people advice here. She died a few years back at age 99. My Dad is nearing 90 years old and he ate badly most of his life.

My mother was a vegan most of her life and she died at age 58 from cancer.

Weird right?

I would suggest boiled (plain or Japanese) sweet potatoes to tame the sweet beast. Make it the only starch you eat if necessary. No flour products, white rice, bread. Only good whole grain is barely. Whole wheat flour is still a sugar pill but with more vitamins.

As an Asian, I got sweet-favoring genes too. I eat just enough fruits(low carb preferably like berries, but I can accommodate a pear, apple, or orange once in a while) or peanut butter(made from only peanuts) to not crave things.

90-100% Dark Chocolate would also help as the stearic acid helps the mitochondria fuse thus improve fat metabolism.

Meats-wise, you can consider shellfish like mussels as a change of pace. Fish should predominantly be fatty fish like salmon or sardines, and wild-caught. Once-in-a-month ground beef with onions is fine IMO.

Fasting is easier to do with these types of foods as well. Keep on fasting.

 

[Torn Mind]

The low-fat mayonnaise will have to be discarded from your diet, however. The hilariously low serving size of 1 Tbsp contains about 1g of sugar per Tbsp. Only 0.5 oz in a Tbsp.

 

[purbeast0]

Low fat mayo is in my daily diet when I am leaning up. You can eat good food when losing weight. When I lean up I eat pretty strict during the week (including the low fat mayo in chicken salad) and then on the weekends kind of eat whatever I want. I dont' go overboard but I will eat out every weekend including fast food and junk food. No way I could eat in a way that cuts out stuff I like, and eating strict during the week, knowing I can treat myself on the weekends, helps mentally.

People think I'm lying when I tell em I eat Taco Bell as I'm losing weight. But nope, it's the truth and it's very possible.

 

[Remobz]

Low fat mayo is in my daily diet when I am leaning up. You can eat good food when losing weight. When I lean up I eat pretty strict during the week (including the low fat mayo in chicken salad) and then on the weekends kind of eat whatever I want. I dont' go overboard but I will eat out every weekend including fast food and junk food. No way I could eat in a way that cuts out stuff I like, and eating strict during the week, knowing I can treat myself on the weekends, helps mentally.

People think I'm lying when I tell em I eat Taco Bell as I'm losing weight. But nope, it's the truth and it's very possible.

Is it wrong to crash diet to lose 20 to 25 pounds and once target weight reached then switch diets to long term sustainable one? Or just take it slow and LONG to lose 20 or so pounds?

The problem with me is that when I reach my target goal I tend to slowly eat more naughty foods over time. For example, one brownie turns into two per meal sitting. Then some ice cream comes into play and then it goes from one scoop to two scoops. But, many people here are right that crash diets are not sustainable long term.

As I get older my body just seems to gain weight easier

 

[purbeast0]

Is it wrong to crash diet to lose 20 to 25 pounds and once target weight reached then switch diets to long term sustainable one? Or just take it slow and LONG to lose 20 or so pounds?

The problem with me is that when I reach my target goal I tend to slowly eat more naughty foods over time. For example, one brownie turns into two per meal sitting. Then some ice cream comes into play and then it goes from one scoop to two scoops. But, many people here are right that crash diets are not sustainable long term.

As I get older my body just seems to gain weight easier

Nothing is"wrong" with it but as you stated it's not sustainable.

Eating those brownies and ice cream is fine too just do it every now and then. You are allowed to do that while losing weight you don't have to not eat stuff you like when losing weight. Just do it in moderation and treat yourself. If you are eating 2 brownies and ice per meal sitting, that isn't moderation and it should not be a surprise to you that you aren't hitting your goals if you are eating that way. You need some disicipline.

 

[deadlyapp]

Is it wrong to crash diet to lose 20 to 25 pounds and once target weight reached then switch diets to long term sustainable one? Or just take it slow and LONG to lose 20 or so pounds?

The problem with me is that when I reach my target goal I tend to slowly eat more naughty foods over time. For example, one brownie turns into two per meal sitting. Then some ice cream comes into play and then it goes from one scoop to two scoops. But, many people here are right that crash diets are not sustainable long term.

As I get older my body just seems to gain weight easier

20 lbs (Depending on how overweight you are) should be a 10-20 week long journey. Losing more than 1-2 lb per week is not sustainable or best for your body.

If you are trying to build muscle at the same time, you'll find it probably not possible, and if you have muscle now, you'll likely lose some of it during a cut this significant. If you speed it up, it will make your muscle loss worse.

You should really only hold cut periods of around 10-12 weeks at a time, interspersed with maintenance periods, but you may be able to get to your goal in the 12 weeks.

 

[amd6502]

Selenium (100%-250% rda depending on weight and number of times a week you exercise) and boron (2-3mg) before exercise. There was a very promising selenium study recently. It amps up the neurogenerative effects of exercise.

 

[amd6502]

I struggle with high blood pressure and weight issues. I am like 20 pounds overweight right now and borderline diabetes. I guess high risk for being a Covid fatality as well.

Pre diabetes can be reversed. There are some very powerful natural foods (eg cinnamon, bitter melon) that help with that. Herbals as well, Berberine is a no brainer for me.

Trace metals are very important for general health. You want to get the dosing right, so consult with a very good nutritionist that you trust. Chromium GTF has been found to be helpful in that department,. Vanadium too.

There are quite good supplements out there that give a pretty good dosing. I take one of these with my early coffee each day. It contains a good amount of most of the trace metals that are priority. Partial ingredients is

Biotin, Magnesium, Zinc, Manganese, Chromium, Banaba Leaf, Guggul, Bitter Melon, Licorice Root Extract, Cinnamon Bark Powder, Gymnema Sylvestre Leaf Powder, Yarrow Flowers Powder, Cayenne Pepper Powder, Juniper Berry Powder, White Mulberry Leaf Powder, Vanadium, Alpha Lipoic Acid and L-Taurine

Search those on Amazon or so, and see if you can find a formula which gives you a good dosing and value for the herbals in it. The cheaper brands will tend to have lower Guggul /Yarrow / Banaba dosing; they can still be a good value at the right price, just for the trace mineral servings.

Also, inflammation seems a risk in your case. I recommend you look into some Rutin supplements as well. And ECGC green tea extract, as well as a good B-50 complex and fish oil (Swansons purified with lemon flavor is my favorite for the fish oil).

Many common herbals are also anti-inflammatory. Rosemary is a common one. It's great added together into an egg breakfast or brunch, and on quite a few other dishes.

Liver health is also a pretty important common area of improvement. Look into introducing recipes heavy in Parsley into your diet. There are also some herbal formulas; milk thistle has some good effects. NAC is good too once you get past your prime, especially as we get older. It seems to have been pulled from shelves because it helps against coronavirus, both as preventative, and to recover from the health damages of a viral infection. And last but not least of course, vitamin D, not only does it get converted by your liver and kidneys it an immune boosting component of your immune system, but it (like boron) is crucial for production of hormones. It even (together with daylight) increases your levels of serotonin. Basically, it has a bazillion functions in your body and is pretty important to keep at optimal levels, wihch seems to be somewhere near 35-60 ng/ml (a native African tribe living in natural ways was measured to have a level just under 50 ng/ml).