Alrighty, it's me again.

I just recently cracked back down onto my "diet" that has been working at a steady pace for nearly a month, however, I have a trip to a water park coming up in March that I am shooting to hit a 50 lb weight loss mark before I go. I realize this is a hefty goal, and I want it to be, so I will try my hardest and possibly get near it, which would be awesome. I'm also not looking for a quick fix or some miracle pill.

Now, I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on a supplement that may speed up the process a little. I am weary of supplements, and have steered clear, but seeing as I am working out again, I thought I'd give it a shot. I am requesting my 3 priorities be involved:

1. That it is a safe supplement

2. That it is a safe supplement (love Fight Club)

3. That it is effective

Any suggestions would be appreciated, and I will follow up if I decide to go for one.

Thanks again.

Cory, it is great you have an aggressive goal. I think you will find most people on here don't "believe" in any supplements. I think most people like to reach their goals the old fashion way, sweat and tears.

Fred's right... stay off the crack...

The only supplements I take are a multivitamin and creatine immediately after my weight training workouts. I have started drinking green tea and find that I haven't had as many 'bonking out' moments. You know what I mean, those times in the day that you maybe missed a snack on your diet and you feel really run down. The 'good stuff' in green tea is also supposed to help inhibit fat gain and help fat loss. I mainly drink it because it has a very low caffine level that helps me get throught those hard moments. Other than that it's all natural for me.
Juan

hey i have 13 lbs to go to get to my gaol weight i work out six days a week my calorie intake is 1100 a day so i was wondering is there anything else or any great cardio you recommend to lose my pounds by feb 26 thanks and yeah i am 5 11 148lbs 3 kids

Cory C,

I haven't tried this, but I've heard good reviews from the bodybuilding community (on other message boards)

Hot Rox Extreme is the newest hot rox pill, supposedly pretty good, It's all hearsay becasue I've never touched it.

Theother thing is, most supplememnts are safe, granted that you follow the directions, and you don't mix more than one suplement that are suuposed to do the same thing (ex. two fat burners, two lipolysis pills, etc.)

So if you want to give it a try go for it. It won't hurt you in the long run. You are a relatively healthy young person, without medical conditions (right?), so even if it doeesn't help you, it won't hurt you either, worst thing that happens is nothing extra happens. You know what I mean?

I've done quite a bit short of steroids, including ephedra, pro-steroids, thermogens, creatine monohydrate serum, creatine powder, NO2/citrulline/pro-arginines, whey powder, protein bars, meal replacement shakes, etc.

The only supplement I can say is worth it is a multi-vitamin, though I'm still sticking with whey protein a while longer (and probably shifting over to soy, because of worsening lactose intolerance).

None of the fat burning stuff works.

Ephedra was remarkably effective, but dangerous. Also now illegal, but I got off it before the ban for my own reasons.

No conditions known. Thanks for our advice, and like I said, I wouldn't touch the stuff, but I'm really trying to hit that goal for the trip.

Gosh I loved that stuff. I was able to workout hours on a daily basis.

Ephedra was bad news for me. I tried Hydroxycut about 7 years ago, and I felt like my heart was going to pound out of chest.

I have to agree with Fred's original post for the most part. Take it from someone who has seriously tried EVERYTHING. There are three ways that work for me and have consistently worked.

1. Sweat
2. Tears
3. Even more sweat and tears (building on your original joke Cory)

Whatever you do decide, I wish you the best of luck...and please let us know how it goes.

I take the following:

Pre-Workout - Max Muscle's Full Blown Extreme (energy, AAKG (Nitric oxide booster), glutamine), M.M. Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA's), Creatine/Glutamine/Tyrosine blend, 17g Cytosport Complete Whey protein, mixed with skim milk

Post Workout - 40g whey protein, creatine/glutamine/tyrosine blend, BCAA's, 1/4 cups oats, mixed with skim milk
OR
8 egg whites, 2 slices whole wheat bread w/ natural peanut butter, glass skim milk

An Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) supplement, Linoleic Acid(LA),Alpha linoleic acid(ALA), Gamma Linoleic Acid(GLA), and conjugated linoleic acid(CLA).
Once pre workout and once in the afternoon before dinner.

I've tried Hydroxycut Hardcore, and it didn't do a thing. If i were to try something in the future it would be some more along the lines of a lipolytic enhancer or thyroid enhancer.

Sometimes these things work for some people.

*Note: I just started using the Full Blown extreme pre-workout, and holy crap did i power through my workout yesterday and today. I was squatting full range of motion without any pauses and at a heavier weight than normal. I'm not advocating for or against I'm just saying for the first two days, it has been noticeable. We'll see in two weeks if it is the same.

Some people are over sensitive to ephedra, and for most it was awesome, until some dumba** had to take triple the dose and ruin it for the est of us.

[joke] I guess we could all find a friend who is on Aderal and steal their meds [/joke]

This here is for Angela... 1100 calories is bad... and i mean bad... dropping below 1500 really puts a pinch on the body to get all the proper nutrition you need and going below 1200 is going to put your body in starvation mode where your metabolism is going to slow down big time...

Also six days a week workout is going to be REALLY tuff on the body if you aren't at that level already... 3-4 is realistic... you need to rest.. Things like Mon/Tue/Thu/Friday are good but on Thursday/Friday you'll probably be feeling it...

Quick Fixes aside its Balanced meals & small healthy snacks combined with going out and doing something healthy. I got 2 kids (both under 2.5 years) and I work out when their asleep in the afternoon. I eat fruits and vegetables and trail mix for snacks.

I honestly believe that if you worked out and ate 1500 of good food/nutrition that you could drop 2-3lbs a week. Much more than this would be a big push and really an unrealistic goal IMHO (but again thats worth about 2 cents). You'd loose 6-9 pounds realistically by the end of the month which is HUGE in the long run if you stick to your guns.

I am however not a big fan of rapid weight loss plans. Focus on a pound or two a week, and over the long haul. It builds a more realistic lifestyle and one that you'll enjoy more and be able to keep up for the long term.

Be safe! Keep yourself healthly for those 3 kids!

I just upped my caloric intake. I plateaued so i thought I would really switch it up and switch my workout and switch my diet. I'm going for a lean mass gain right now, not crazy bulk, just gain.

I upped my calories to about 3500 (I know I checked 'em). I changed my lifting to a more of a "bulk" plan, and I've lost 3 lbs. Go figure. I know NOW, that I was eating too little and not enough carbohydrates (energy, metabolism boosters).

We'll see what happens, really I would like to put on 15 lbs of muscles and drop the BF% to about 10-12%, ideally. Thought I would throw that out there.

DON'T eat too little. It may help initially, and give you some lbs lost (to stroke the ego), but you'll plateau.

I wish I had a good link to show you, but when Dr. Weil and bodybuilders started saying take fish oil, I started taking fish oil. If you google it, you will be pretty amazed at the research out there.

What's your point David? Give us the reports. Good, Bad, or Ugly?

Does anyone take CLA? I've read some articles about it, but am unsure of what it actually does and if it works....

Here is a description.

It is a fatty acid that helps you...just read the article

Thanks!

I tried Designer Protein for a while and hated the taste, but recently have discovered something a lot easier. Foster Farms Grilled Chicken strips (Frozen) from the grocery store have 19 grams of protein for 3 ounces, and with a collection of low calorie sauces like buffalo wing sauce(my favorite), soy, teriyaki, its pretty easy to eat a 6 ounce serving whenever I feel like it (3 minutes in the microwave).

I've also used Myoplex (powder - bleh!), Muscle milk, and myoplex ready-to-drink(my favorite of the bunch, though expensive). I'll probably keep trying protein drink options, but give the chicken thing a try. Its my favorite protein source so far.

I just started taking Bioplex 100% Pure WPI in Very Berry, and I live and die by it already. It is SO filling, and tastes great mixed with some skim milk, just like strawberry Nestle Quick. I look forward to my workouts because it means I get to take my protein. My recovery time after lifting has already improved, so I'm sold on whey protein isolate.

I keep hearing more and more great things about BSN's NO-Xplode, which is a pre-workout suppliment meant to boost performance. I don't think I've seen a negative review on it yet, published or word of mouth. But, it's so expensive! I do think I'll pick some up though if I ever hit a plateu in my workouts.

As for fat burners, well, I don't think one that works really exists. The closest you come are things that will help you put more into, and thus get more out of, your workouts.

be VERY careful, Unless you are super-morbidly obese, most health professionals will tell you losing anything beyond 2-3 lbs a week is unhealthy and will probably leave you with loose skin.

If a product did exist like this, that was safe and effective, and capable of such dramatic effects, I think traineo would soon be out of business

People have died from diet suppliments and those body-building things.
Young, apparently healthy people.

Healthy eating, a good balance of carbs/protein and the right kind of fat... personally, I'd replace the fish oil with hemp oil, cuz I'm vegan, but you want nuthin' but extra virgin olive oil, your fish/hemp oil, and maybe a touch of natural veggie fats, like in avocados and nuts, but be stingy with them.

The latest research I've seen on green tea is 4 cups a day is ideal. I can personally only do two cups a day, but that's me. If I drink more, I can't quite get enough water in....

.... which leads into the most important suppliment you could ever use, and that's WATER. Pure, unadulterated, water. It's cheap. It's essential. And, without water, your liver cannot metabolize the fat out of your system. (read that somewhere, it stuck with me, even if the source hasn't)

Good luck.

Soy protein supplements aren't too bad. If you take four scoops a day to boost your protein intake by 100g, then a 2lb can will last you a week.

If you take this as a price yardstick, then you can get away with $10 to $15 a can (assuming you use Optimum Nutrition or NOW). That's $1-$2 a day.

It's pricier than buying a chunk of meat, but you can probably break even if you give up soda, junk food, and the like.

Whey protein comes out the same -- take a 5lb tub of Bioplex for example.

Whey mixes much better than soy and tastes less gooey, but I couldn't fight lactose intolerance forever.