Monday, October 25, 2010

Vita, Veeta, Vega...

This is an edited version of a previous post. I thought it was an important part of the plan for losing weight, but it wasn't getting very many readers, so I thought I'd spruce it up a bit.

I would like to recognize the classic show "I Love Lucy" (ask your parents) as the inspiration for the new title title of this post.

No, this is not the point where I sell you vitamins and minerals. Just read about my experience with diet supplements and maybe you'll learn something.

Supplements:  Vitamins, minerals, protein powders, sports drinks. Since I was a kid I have been taking some sort of supplement. One a day multi-vitamins, protein powders and Amino Acids for bigger muscles, vitamin C to prevent colds, vitamin E to prevent heart attacks, Vitamin B to battle stress, beta keratin to prevent skin cancer, various kinds of sports drinks for endurance and recovery, Acai Berry, Pomegranate Juice and on and on. Do they work? All I can say is I never got the muscles I wanted and I still caught colds twice a year like "clock-work".

Up until about a year ago, I took varying amounts of supplements (more when I was younger, less recently). But because we are now pinching pennies and vitamins are expensive, I basically quit taking them. This is what I discovered. I don't feel any different, if anything I feel better. As I mentioned before, this is the easiest I've ever lost weight, and I'm almost 50 years old. I still feel strong while I'm working out and my endurance is improving as I add more and more "cardio" to my routines. The biggest thing I've noticed, is I don't get wild cravings anymore. My eating habits used to be very erratic, and it was hard to stay on a plan. You know how sometimes when you take vitamins and they don't sit well on your stomach and feel you have to eat something to feel better?  I don't have that anymore. And, I now suspect that taking vitamins contributed to my once erratic eating behaviors. I'm suspecting maybe some "sugar" fillers led to my cravings. I don't have fluctuations of tiredness during the day anymore either. So I'm not sure if it is my improved eating habits that have made the difference or the fact that I don't take the supplements. You can experiment for yourself. Stop taking the supplements altogether for a few weeks and see how you feel. If you still think you need them, then slowly add them back one at a time to see what ones actually make you feel better. Keep notes. However, I would suggest that you take supplements made from natural ingredients and not chemical ingredients. But again, that's just me. And by all means, if your health care professional has you taking supplements, please follow his/her orders.

My new theory is, if you are eating a balanced diet, you don't need supplements. When I no longer have to pinch pennies, I will not go back to taking supplements. Personally, I'm doing better without them. I don't even drink Gatorade (or anything like that)  when I'm working out. I just drink water (room temperature) and that works just fine.

Remember, this is just my experience and this works for me. If you are able to maintain a plan and lose weight and you feel good, then by all means carry on.

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