anyone decide to just stop taking supplements?

[MetalMommy]

in the beginning i was gung ho about supps and pills etc etc.
but anymore ive decided to save the cash and use it for more healthy food in the house. i still own a container of whey protein....maybe once a week if that, if im in a rush ill grab that but i really dont use it much anymore....i still have xtend too but ive used that once in 3 weeks, i do plan to drink some saturday before my dance solo only because it gives me a little perk.

so i guess i cant say i am completely 100% off of them but i just do not really feel a huge need for them. and im doing fine withotu them. i am consistently losing at least 1lb a week if not more, i feel healthy , my size has shrunk. (i was pushing a size 18 fatass and im down to a size 12 now)

i guess in the beginning i thought omg i need all the help i can get. but more and more ive realized you do not NEED the supps.......i suppose if i was going to do a competition i might but right now my focus is elsewhere with my college, being a mommy and dancing so i dont see competition anytime soon. and honestly i DO NOT miss the fat burners, they always made me feel jittery or had a bad crash...i still have half a bottle of hydroxycut hardcore...it will probably sit in the shelf for a long time lol.

[freebirdmac]

I don't use them. Because of my food issues I couldn't, except some soy protein. And that made me bloat up. It's certainly doable with food. Better for you as well

[Amanda76]

Aside from vitamins to assure I'm getting enough of everything and sipping BCAA's on leg and back day, I don't use supplements on a regular basis either...not even whey (although that is something I always have available, just in case I need "emergency food").

The body will acclimate to stimulants so it is best to make those a rarity in your program so they'll be as beneficial as they can be when you do use them. Creatine is another supplement that most people cycle with the idea that your body, wanting to maintain homeostasis, will eventually shut down receptors for it/stop producing as much of it's own trying to get back to previous "normal" levels.

In general, I think most people waste tons of money on supplements they don't need. I did the same thing you did when I first started lifting...went supplement crazy! There's no telling what was actually benefitting and what was not because I had no baseline of simply eating healthy to compare it to and instead of adding supplements one at a time, started taking everything I could get my hands on. LOL

[iKoniConSciencE]

Ut oh, here comes the devil's advocate (Not quite...)

I do creatine, glutamine, L-Carnitine, Hot Rox, and CLA... with proper diet and training, of course, it has worked very well for me. Supplements are exactly that: supplements. They are used to enhance one's performance and progress, not create it. If you are not planning to compete, I would agree there may not be a use for them, as you CAN find what many supplements offer through food alone. From my experiences, they usually won't help you lose weight and the assistance they give you while competing is to a minute degree, BUT when you're competing, you DO need all the help you can get.

Back when I worked out just for fun/to stay in shape, I tried every supplement I possibly could. Some of them helped, some made me feel like crap but served no other purpose, some gave me side effects to the OPPOSITE of their intended purposes (sort of like anti-depressants that have "suicidal thoughts" on the cautionary list!), and yes, many were useless. They often perform best when stacked, so if you're going to try supps, have a key purpose in mind and a good knowledge of what the chemicals will do for you.

[MetalMommy]

ive just come to learn i tend to be sensitive with supplements or so it seemed....and i feel better without them.

[imperfectly_lou]

Forgive me for putting it like this but I don't know how else to put it - at your high body weight, there is no need to look at things like fat burners, creatine etc. Simply challenging your body through a solid training regime and a healthy diet with a small calorie deficit will be more than adequate to bring you results. It's a lot easier to lose the first 10lbs than the last 10lbs, same as its easier to go from 35% BF to 30% BF than from 20 to 15%.

[etali]

I take creatine, and I'm experimenting with some different non-whey proteins, trying to find one that works for me, but that's all I do. I take multivitamins when I'm travelling (which I do a lot as part of my job), but at home I try to just "eat well".

I only take the protein because I've decided I'd like to compete in a powerlifting meet at the end of the year, and as a vegetarian, I simply don't get enough protein in my diet. Seriously - back when I was just eating what I ENJOYED, I was getting 15-20G of protein a day! I increased that a little bit by forcing myself to eat high protein stuff, but I find it easier to just eat stuff I like and tack a couple of shakes on.

I do think supplements have their place, but I think it's easy to turn to a supplement to try to solve a problem when all you really need to do is mix up your training programme a little, or take a closer look at your diet.

Maybe I'll change my tune when I get a LOT stronger, but for now I'm at the stage where gains come easily just from "right nutrients, hard work". It's comforting to see others not taking the full catalogue at any one time though

[dvsness]

I would never take something that made me feel jittery or crash to begin with. Supplements are not supposed to make you feel uncomfortable. Why anyone would put themselves through that is beyond me.

As someone who is an obvious supplement user (I'm even sponsored by a supplement company) I think many people look to supps as a magic potion. If you have your diet and training in order, the right supplement plan can help you reach your goal (whatever that may be) in a shorter time from, but they are certainly not necessary.

[swindled]

Beyond my glucosamine chondrotine for my knees, and my occasional protein shake I really stay away from supplements. This has to do with the fact that I was a national level athlete from the age of 15 and got drug tested at least once a year, I couldnt risk my sport for a supplement (although most are fine for you, you never want to get caught with a banned substance in your system...and the lists are looooong).

I think too, because I am insulin resistant I stay away from supplements because they do have a tendancy to have sugars in them, and are often highly refined which will cause a blood sugar spike in me. I guess I classify supplements in the same position as any highly refined food... They just arent for me, and I have never had a problem building muscle without them, so I stick to my (mostly ) natural ways.

[IronFigure]

I use supplements almost year round but I also maintain a lower bf% year round too, never going above 15-16%. My staples are glutamine, creatine, BCAA, whey, N.O., and l-carnitine. I don't use fat burners anymore (haven't for 2 years), I got to my lowest bf% ever without them so I don't feel I have a need for them. After my contests, I take a break from supps and the gym for about 2 weeks. If I need energy during cutting/contest prep coffee does the trick most of the time. I agree with imperfectly_lou...for you now there isn't much of a need for any supplements. And, I agree with DVSNESS about supps helping an individual reach their goals faster when the training and diet are already on point.

[FireChick]

When I started my bodybuilding journey 2 years ago my first trainer had me on every supplement known to mankind... Didn't loose much weight, trained 6 days a week, cardio 7 days a week an hour to two hours a day. Just got bulkier...Granted they had me on a 2000 cal diet.

Since I switched trainers, I don't use supplements other than a generic multivitamin. I have dropped 110 pounds and eat anywhere from 800, 1200,1500-1600 cal depending on where I am in contest prep. I am not quite where I want to be but I have one more contest to see what happens... Still train 6x week for weights and 7x week for cardio

So supplements aren't the cats meow... good proteins, clean eating and watching my sodium/sugar intake.

I look pretty good now