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Stopping my recovery supplements

Stopping my recovery supplements

Hawk_Given
Hawk_Given g Hawk Given
170 Post(s)
170 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: November 11, 2013
Posted

I know supplements are a huge topic and the more I read the more I get confused, frustrated and discouraged. Use creatine/don't use creatine. Use BCAAs/don't use BCAAs. The list goes on and on. I am not here to bellittle anyone and everyone has their own beliefs. I personally feel if you maintain the proper diet and your macros are proportioned correctly you should do just fine. I have used creatine and BCAAs supplements religiously for 3-months. I have made good gains in my opinion.

 

I will discontinue using creatine and BCAAs for 3-months and reameasure then. I still will continue supplementing with whey proten since it is an animal derivative and in order for me to have an intake of 1.5g protein/1lb BW I will be hard for me to injest that much with just whole foods. I will continue taking my multivitamin and fish oil. I wonder if I should even be taking fish oil since I eat a lot of tuna and oily fish.

 

Again, this is not to devalue anyones opinions but more so to see what works best for me. I truly believe we are a supplement crazed country and companies are making tons of money off maybe so-called good scientific studies. My experiment is crude in nature but I want to see how my gains/losses go over the next 3-months. I will try to keep other variables consistent.

 

Thoughts and opinions?

MS Athlete BS, Medical Technology (ASCP) BS, Organizational Leadership and Supervision I Give God all the glory! That is where I find true strength!
jmboiardi
jmboiardi p John M Boiardi
2.6K Post(s)
2.6K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: October 10, 2013
Posted
Posted By: Hawk_Given

I know supplements are a huge topic and the more I read the more I get confused, frustrated and discouraged. Use creatine/don't use creatine. Use BCAAs/don't use BCAAs. The list goes on and on. I am not here to bellittle anyone and everyone has their own beliefs. I personally feel if you maintain the proper diet and your macros are proportioned correctly you should do just fine. I have used creatine and BCAAs supplements religiously for 3-months. I have made good gains in my opinion.

 

I will discontinue using creatine and BCAAs for 3-months and reameasure then. I still will continue supplementing with whey proten since it is an animal derivative and in order for me to have an intake of 1.5g protein/1lb BW I will be hard for me to injest that much with just whole foods. I will continue taking my multivitamin and fish oil. I wonder if I should even be taking fish oil since I eat a lot of tuna and oily fish.

 

Again, this is not to devalue anyones opinions but more so to see what works best for me. I truly believe we are a supplement crazed country and companies are making tons of money off maybe so-called good scientific studies. My experiment is crude in nature but I want to see how my gains/losses go over the next 3-months. I will try to keep other variables consistent.

 

Thoughts and opinions?

Hawk,

 

I agree. Supplements are just that - supplements. They are not meant to replace a meal plan or "fix" a bad meal plan. I use protein supplements to help me get my required total protein as there is only so much food I can eat in one day. I don't use creatine but I do take BCAA caps. I like them as they need no digestion and go directly into your bloodstream for quick assimilation. Outside of some vitamins and minerals, that is all I use. I make sure my nutrition is top notch and clean 24/7/365.

 

John

34 years of lifting and nutritional experience and resident "old man" :-) MS Athlete and past Super Hermanite since 2013.
Mcmike
Mcmike g Michael Benedict Ramos
458 Post(s)
458 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: December 12, 2013
Posted
Posted By: Hawk_Given

I know supplements are a huge topic and the more I read the more I get confused, frustrated and discouraged. Use creatine/don't use creatine. Use BCAAs/don't use BCAAs. The list goes on and on. I am not here to bellittle anyone and everyone has their own beliefs. I personally feel if you maintain the proper diet and your macros are proportioned correctly you should do just fine. I have used creatine and BCAAs supplements religiously for 3-months. I have made good gains in my opinion.

 

I will discontinue using creatine and BCAAs for 3-months and reameasure then. I still will continue supplementing with whey proten since it is an animal derivative and in order for me to have an intake of 1.5g protein/1lb BW I will be hard for me to injest that much with just whole foods. I will continue taking my multivitamin and fish oil. I wonder if I should even be taking fish oil since I eat a lot of tuna and oily fish.

 

Again, this is not to devalue anyones opinions but more so to see what works best for me. I truly believe we are a supplement crazed country and companies are making tons of money off maybe so-called good scientific studies. My experiment is crude in nature but I want to see how my gains/losses go over the next 3-months. I will try to keep other variables consistent.

 

Thoughts and opinions?

I agree with John,

 

 

Supplements are only use to reach the amount of MACROS you need daily. You can stop using it as long as you reach your nutrition need daily on the natural food you eat. You can get much recovery benefits in natural fresh food man!

( Beginner ) 1 Year Lifting Experience Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management Don't be afraid to make mistakes, face failure and fall, because most of the time, the greatest rewards come from doing the things that scare you the most. You'll get everything you wish for... just focus and work on it. And you'll get more than you could ever have imagined. Who knows where life will take you. The road is long, and in the end - - the journey is the destination.
William_Steinset
William_Steinset p William Steinset
1K Post(s)
1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: December 12, 1969
Posted
Posted By: Hawk_Given

I know supplements are a huge topic and the more I read the more I get confused, frustrated and discouraged. Use creatine/don't use creatine. Use BCAAs/don't use BCAAs. The list goes on and on. I am not here to bellittle anyone and everyone has their own beliefs. I personally feel if you maintain the proper diet and your macros are proportioned correctly you should do just fine. I have used creatine and BCAAs supplements religiously for 3-months. I have made good gains in my opinion.

 

I will discontinue using creatine and BCAAs for 3-months and reameasure then. I still will continue supplementing with whey proten since it is an animal derivative and in order for me to have an intake of 1.5g protein/1lb BW I will be hard for me to injest that much with just whole foods. I will continue taking my multivitamin and fish oil. I wonder if I should even be taking fish oil since I eat a lot of tuna and oily fish.

 

Again, this is not to devalue anyones opinions but more so to see what works best for me. I truly believe we are a supplement crazed country and companies are making tons of money off maybe so-called good scientific studies. My experiment is crude in nature but I want to see how my gains/losses go over the next 3-months. I will try to keep other variables consistent.

 

Thoughts and opinions?

I fully agree with your statement. As long as you eat normal food and enough food there should be no problem what so ever.

MS Athelete / Super Hermanite / SHF
Daniel_Meyer
Daniel_Meyer g Daniel Meyer
518 Post(s)
518 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: October 10, 2013
Posted
Posted By: Hawk_Given

I know supplements are a huge topic and the more I read the more I get confused, frustrated and discouraged. Use creatine/don't use creatine. Use BCAAs/don't use BCAAs. The list goes on and on. I am not here to bellittle anyone and everyone has their own beliefs. I personally feel if you maintain the proper diet and your macros are proportioned correctly you should do just fine. I have used creatine and BCAAs supplements religiously for 3-months. I have made good gains in my opinion.

 

I will discontinue using creatine and BCAAs for 3-months and reameasure then. I still will continue supplementing with whey proten since it is an animal derivative and in order for me to have an intake of 1.5g protein/1lb BW I will be hard for me to injest that much with just whole foods. I will continue taking my multivitamin and fish oil. I wonder if I should even be taking fish oil since I eat a lot of tuna and oily fish.

 

Again, this is not to devalue anyones opinions but more so to see what works best for me. I truly believe we are a supplement crazed country and companies are making tons of money off maybe so-called good scientific studies. My experiment is crude in nature but I want to see how my gains/losses go over the next 3-months. I will try to keep other variables consistent.

 

Thoughts and opinions?

Give it a go! I personally think I could get away with not having creatine but I love my intra-workout BCAAs. I will never stop taking them.

In my opinion supplements are a great tool. They give you that edge whether it is physiological or psychological who cares as long as I feel better for taking them!

Sport Rehabilitation BSc GSR Sport Rehabilitator and S&C coach at Boston United FC Super Hermanite Twitter: Daniel_Meyer99
Impulse
Impulse g
209 Post(s)
209 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: March 3, 2014
Posted

I'm an advocate of one thing at a time when it comes to diet or supplementation. When I would play with my macros and experiment with my diet I'd specifically track one nutrient or one aspect over the course of a month to see the impact it would have on my performance and physique.

If you drop all of it at once, how can you tell what's really making the difference for you? Just my $0.02.

Eric // Impulse Bachelor's Degree of Kinesiology Current Study in Human Nutritional Sciences ACSM Certified Personal Trainer NSCA-CSCS and CPT
Hawk_Given
Hawk_Given g Hawk Given
170 Post(s)
170 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: November 11, 2013
Posted
Posted By: jmboiardi

Hawk,

 

I agree. Supplements are just that - supplements. They are not meant to replace a meal plan or "fix" a bad meal plan. I use protein supplements to help me get my required total protein as there is only so much food I can eat in one day. I don't use creatine but I do take BCAA caps. I like them as they need no digestion and go directly into your bloodstream for quick assimilation. Outside of some vitamins and minerals, that is all I use. I make sure my nutrition is top notch and clean 24/7/365.

 

John

Hey John- Just curious and trying to understand. Do you use animal-based whey protein? If so, there are around 18 amino acids, at least in mine, in the whey protein. I would think in powder form it would quickly assimilate into the bloodstream. Therefore, would you think I would still need to supplement with BCAAs? Thanks.

MS Athlete BS, Medical Technology (ASCP) BS, Organizational Leadership and Supervision I Give God all the glory! That is where I find true strength!
jmboiardi
jmboiardi p John M Boiardi
2.6K Post(s)
2.6K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: October 10, 2013
Posted
Posted By: Hawk_Given

Hey John- Just curious and trying to understand. Do you use animal-based whey protein? If so, there are around 18 amino acids, at least in mine, in the whey protein. I would think in powder form it would quickly assimilate into the bloodstream. Therefore, would you think I would still need to supplement with BCAAs? Thanks.

Hawk,

 

BCAAs are 3 unique essential amino acids which are extra adept at causing anabolism and protecting muscles from being used as energy. All complete proteins have them. I like to take additional BCAAs right before and right after I train in addition to the protein supplements I use.

 

John

34 years of lifting and nutritional experience and resident "old man" :-) MS Athlete and past Super Hermanite since 2013.
Hawk_Given
Hawk_Given g Hawk Given
170 Post(s)
170 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: November 11, 2013
Posted
Posted By: Impulse

I'm an advocate of one thing at a time when it comes to diet or supplementation. When I would play with my macros and experiment with my diet I'd specifically track one nutrient or one aspect over the course of a month to see the impact it would have on my performance and physique.

If you drop all of it at once, how can you tell what's really making the difference for you? Just my $0.02.

I agree with you on not changing more than one variable at a time. I did not want to do this but I did not want to buy more creatine and BCAAs since I am runnign low. So, I thought I still would be get the BCAAs from whole foods and animal-base whey protein. Thanks for your 2-cents

MS Athlete BS, Medical Technology (ASCP) BS, Organizational Leadership and Supervision I Give God all the glory! That is where I find true strength!
Hawk_Given
Hawk_Given g Hawk Given
170 Post(s)
170 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: November 11, 2013
Posted
Posted By: Daniel_Meyer

Give it a go! I personally think I could get away with not having creatine but I love my intra-workout BCAAs. I will never stop taking them.

In my opinion supplements are a great tool. They give you that edge whether it is physiological or psychological who cares as long as I feel better for taking them!

Thanks for your input. I will incorporate back into my diet BCAAs first if I see that I am not making the gains I want. I guess for me I don't want the psychological edge to guide my decisions but the physiological edge. The supplements are not cheap plus I am even more cautious because I used a testosterone supplement not long ago and had blood drawn to get a baseline value and it was high- normal. After taking the supplement my numbers actually went down. Then out of curiosity, I took my levels again after a long weekend at a conference and being very stressed out at work and not enough sleep. So, I thought to have my testosterone drawn again and it was even a lot lower. I know it was a crude scientific study but convinced me enough that proper diet, sleep, and stress that my testosterone levels are very good. I spent $60.00 for a very popular brand and I could of used that money for my Platinum membership

MS Athlete BS, Medical Technology (ASCP) BS, Organizational Leadership and Supervision I Give God all the glory! That is where I find true strength!
Hawk_Given
Hawk_Given g Hawk Given
170 Post(s)
170 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: November 11, 2013
Posted
Posted By: jmboiardi

Hawk,

 

BCAAs are 3 unique essential amino acids which are extra adept at causing anabolism and protecting muscles from being used as energy. All complete proteins have them. I like to take additional BCAAs right before and right after I train in addition to the protein supplements I use.

 

John

Thanks! I will incorporate BCAAs back into my diet after my 3-month measurements if I don't like my progress.

MS Athlete BS, Medical Technology (ASCP) BS, Organizational Leadership and Supervision I Give God all the glory! That is where I find true strength!
muscular strength
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