Nothing but food.........

[plmb1]

I've always kept a log of my training/eating/supps..etc...

I was going through some of my old log books today and I realized that I made some of my best gains when I did not take supps (none at all).

The one thing I noticed about those times (without supps) was that I ate alot more food then.....alot more. I feel that I have become to dependent on supps.

I know that its going to be a mental thing with no supps......but I'm going to try it again for six months and see how it goes.

I was just wondering if any of you have ever quit "all" supps for a long period of time and still get good results?

By the way, I usually spend around three to four hundred a month on supps. That 3 or 4 hundred will go along way in buying better and more quality foods.

[Marius_Ursus]

Originally Posted by plmb1

I've always kept a log of my training/eating/supps..etc...

I was going through some of my old log books today and I realized that I made some of my best gains when I did not take supps (none at all).

The one thing I noticed about those times (without supps) was that I ate alot more food then.....alot more. I feel that I have become to dependent on supps.

I know that its going to be a mental thing with no supps......but I'm going to try it again for six months and see how it goes.

I was just wondering if any of you have ever quit "all" supps for a long period of time and still get good results?

By the way, I usually spend around three to four hundred a month on supps. That 3 or 4 hundred will go along way in buying better and more quality foods.

All? No, but I've cut down to just taking lecithin, fish oil, and dessicated liver daily. The result has been a lot of fat loss.

[JOHN GARGANI]

By the way, I usually spend around three to four hundred a month on supps. That 3 or 4 hundred will go along way in buying better and more quality foods.

ridiculous, and you know it.....no way you need that, no way......listen to what your body told you.....

[thomasale]

Like alot of people on here I started out taking alot of supps. I soon discovered that MOST were a waste. I now take 1 PWO shake and a good multi and that is it. I am saving alot of money and concentrating on good nutrition and the results are much more satisfying!

[crupiea]

300-400 per month? Thats crazy.

Get a costco card and eat some steak.

You already have documented proof that it works for you so you would be foolish to not do it.. Get rid of those supps.

[dbx]

Originally Posted by plmb1

I was going through some of my old log books today and I realized that I made some of my best gains when I did not take supps (none at all).

Did you also realize that the same time period might have coincided with newbie gains? Something to consider. One of the most aggravating things about about what we do is not having any really meaningful empirical data to go back and compare to see what might have worked and what might not have.

Anyway, there sure is hell isn't anything wrong with eating quality foods .

[thruxton]

Originally Posted by plmb1

I know that its going to be a mental thing with no supps...

it's not uncommon for people to get hooked on the hype of products, rather than understanding what supplementation they are taking.

giving up your "supps" would only be mental if you were taking them to get psyched up for your workouts. in that case, i agree with setting them aside. but, in general, it sounds like you need to make a list of each product and go line by line as to what you are taking and why.

[baretta]

Just make sure you're getting plenay of protein...

I know some big guys that all they take is whey and multi vitamins.

[Joe Go]

Originally Posted by plmb1

I was just wondering if any of you have ever quit "all" supps for a long period of time and still get good results?

I quit supplements March 08. My progress pictures show good gains. I weighed in this year at the same weight I did in 08. BUT, I did a heck of a lot of reasearch on diet and posing for 2009 compared to 2008. I don't plan going down the supplement trail anymore. I gave them a shot from 16-30 years old. I like food better.

April 5th, 2008 (First Year Bodybuilding taking protien and creatine supplements)


May 16th, 2009 (Second Year Bodybuilding supplement free, no multi-vitiamins, whey, creatine, fat burners, etc)

[Oceanside]

Originally Posted by plmb1

By the way, I usually spend around three to four hundred a month on supps.

I'm speechless......

[plmb1]

Originally Posted by Marius_Ursus

All? No, but I've cut down to just taking lecithin, fish oil, and dessicated liver daily. The result has been a lot of fat loss.

fat loss is one of the reasons I'm trying this.........just started this morning.

thanks for the reply...

[plmb1]

Originally Posted by JOHN GARGANI

ridiculous, and you know it.....no way you need that, no way......listen to what your body told you.....

I know.......I know.........I have been very stupid for the last few years.

I never took the first supp (of any kind) for the first 12 years or so of training. I made awsome gains with no supps at all.......nothing but a "ton" of meat (around 3 lb of steak a day) and "ton" of green veggies with a few carbs at the right times and felt like a million bucks.

I started out taking one supp here and there but the next thing I knew........LOL........hell, I had more supps in my kitchen than food........thats it, I'm through with the hype....

You said it best.......just like I've always been told and have always told newbies..........LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.......

I'm going back to my own advice.......thanks.....

[plmb1]

Originally Posted by thomasale

Like alot of people on here I started out taking alot of supps. I soon discovered that MOST were a waste. I now take 1 PWO shake and a good multi and that is it. I am saving alot of money and concentrating on good nutrition and the results are much more satisfying!

It sounds like your doing good with your plan.......thanks for the reply.....

[plmb1]

Originally Posted by crupiea

300-400 per month? Thats crazy.

Get a costco card and eat some steak.

You already have documented proof that it works for you so you would be foolish to not do it.. Get rid of those supps.

done deal..........

[plmb1]

Originally Posted by dbx

Did you also realize that the same time period might have coincided with newbie gains? Something to consider. One of the most aggravating things about about what we do is not having any really meaningful empirical data to go back and compare to see what might have worked and what might not have.

Anyway, there sure is hell isn't anything wrong with eating quality foods .

Yep.......you are correct on the newbie gains.

I know to most it does not sound like much but in the first three years of training (without supps) I gained 16 lbs of lbm. After that it slowed down alot but I was still able to gain around 3 lbs of lbm every year without them....

In the last 3 years or so (while taking tons of supps and not counting on quality food alone) I have not done near as well as before. Going back to my old ways may not bring back the old results but I'm gonna give it a go anyway.

It's like you said............."there sure is hell isn't anything wrong with eating quality foods"........

as always.......thanks for your reply......

[plmb1]

Originally Posted by thruxton

it's not uncommon for people to get hooked on the hype of products, rather than understanding what supplementation they are taking.

giving up your "supps" would only be mental if you were taking them to get psyched up for your workouts. in that case, i agree with setting them aside. but, in general, it sounds like you need to make a list of each product and go line by line as to what you are taking and why.

Yep.....I did just that before I made my mind up.....thanks....

[plmb1]

Originally Posted by baretta

Just make sure you're getting plenay of protein...

I know some big guys that all they take is whey and multi vitamins.

Same here.......there are not many folks that take nothing at all but I'm gonna be one of them for six months or so and see what happens.......

as far as the protein.....lol........no problem there........I'll be eating 3 lbs of steak a day spread out over six meals a day......

[plmb1]

Originally Posted by Joe Go

I quit supplements March 08. My progress pictures show good gains. I weighed in this year at the same weight I did in 08. BUT, I did a heck of a lot of reasearch on diet and posing for 2009 compared to 2008. I don't plan going down the supplement trail anymore. I gave them a shot from 16-30 years old. I like food better.

April 5th, 2008 (First Year Bodybuilding taking protien and creatine supplements)


May 16th, 2009 (Second Year Bodybuilding supplement free, no multi-vitiamins, whey, creatine, fat burners, etc)

Like a few more on here (we all know who they are) you are doing great.........thanks for the info.......keep up the good work....good luck in future shows

[mavrick77]

Originally Posted by plmb1

I've always kept a log of my training/eating/supps..etc...

I was going through some of my old log books today and I realized that I made some of my best gains when I did not take supps (none at all).

The one thing I noticed about those times (without supps) was that I ate alot more food then.....alot more. I feel that I have become to dependent on supps.

I know that its going to be a mental thing with no supps......but I'm going to try it again for six months and see how it goes.

I was just wondering if any of you have ever quit "all" supps for a long period of time and still get good results?

By the way, I usually spend around three to four hundred a month on supps. That 3 or 4 hundred will go along way in buying better and more quality foods.

yes grasshopper you are learning.....there are very few worthwhile supplements on the market....

in my opinion here is the order of importance...

1)multivitamin with extra B and C
2)protein powder
3) glutamine
4)arginine (aka any NO supplement)--helps me when I dieting to get pumps, besides that worthless


and thats about it, LOL

FOOD FOOD FOOD, the best supplement god ever made!

[plmb1]

Originally Posted by mavrick77

yes grasshopper you are learning.....there are very few worthwhile supplements on the market....

in my opinion here is the order of importance...

1)multivitamin with extra B and C
2)protein powder
3) glutamine
4)arginine (aka any NO supplement)--helps me when I dieting to get pumps, besides that worthless


and thats about it, LOL

FOOD FOOD FOOD, the best supplement god ever made!

I agree as I think most (that have been in bb.ing very long) do. Sometimes like me.....some people either don't know any better or fall prey to the hype of all the crap while looking for something to give them a boost in what ever area they are needing it.

I'm in the second catagory...........I've always known better..lol....it's like I had a 3 year brain fart or something. Oh well.....we live and learn.

As always.....thanks for your input.

[Iron Barbarian]

I have to have my protein drinks. I ingest about 450 to 500 grams of Protein a day and it helps to mix it up. I eat steaks etc. to the point of wanting to puke when I see them and get burned out on eating all that meat everyday and need to change it up every once and a while to give the body a break.

[KyleAaron]

I think that supps make only a few percent difference to your performance at most. I think this because when you look at people's performance from one training session to another, it varies by up to 10%. Whether they had a good or bad sleep the night before, whether they had a big lunch and then tried to workout on that full stomach, their mood, the temperature in the gym, all these things mean that the person who can do 5x 100kg today might only manage 4x 100kg or 5x 90kg tomorrow. And these people, some take supps, some don't. So whatever the difference supps make must be smaller than those other factors - only a few percent.

From talking to people in health food stores, most supps are sold to people new to training. Basically they want something that'll give them quick and impressive results.

People new to training get quick and impressive results if they work hard and eat well, and don't if they don't. If they took supps they'll often attribute their success or lack of it to the supps.

Way I see it, supps are like psychology. Why is it that world records in sports are set at world competitions, and not at other times? They had the same body last week, why didn't they set a record then? Psychology.

Think of the four minute mile, long held to be impossible. Then a guy did it, and within a year a dozen other guys had done it, too. Same for the 1,000lb bench press. Did everyone's bodies change wildly after the news of the record broken? Did they learn a brilliant new technique? No, it was psychology.

One guy runs the 100m in 9.81sec, the other in 9.85sec. Is the 0.04sec difference really their bodies or technique? I doubt it. It's the mind. When Flo-Jo set her sprint world record she was asked how she felt, she replied, "I would have run faster if I'd been racing Carl Lewis."

So psychology gives an edge to the people already on the top, making a difference of a percent or two in performance. I think it's likely supplements are the same.

For me, an untrained runner doing 100m in (say) 13.55 seconds, psychology and supplements, making only a few percent difference - proper runners will still leave me in their dust. But for the highly-trained guys doing it in 10.60 seconds, psych and supps could make the difference between reaching the final or not.

So I think it's all about where you're at in your training.

[plmb1]

Originally Posted by Iron Barbarian

I have to have my protein drinks. I ingest about 450 to 500 grams of Protein a day and it helps to mix it up. I eat steaks etc. to the point of wanting to puke when I see them and get burned out on eating all that meat everyday and need to change it up every once and a while to give the body a break.

I can see where someone that needs that much protein would have to have protein powder. I understand that for sure. I can eat up to 300 grams or so a day (its gets tough on me after 240 grams) through meat but thats about it. For me at my weight I don't think I will ever need more than I can eat in one day. But, then again......I don't need as much as you do...........

[plmb1]

Originally Posted by KyleAaron

I think that supps make only a few percent difference to your performance at most. I think this because when you look at people's performance from one training session to another, it varies by up to 10%. Whether they had a good or bad sleep the night before, whether they had a big lunch and then tried to workout on that full stomach, their mood, the temperature in the gym, all these things mean that the person who can do 5x 100kg today might only manage 4x 100kg or 5x 90kg tomorrow. And these people, some take supps, some don't. So whatever the difference supps make must be smaller than those other factors - only a few percent.

From talking to people in health food stores, most supps are sold to people new to training. Basically they want something that'll give them quick and impressive results.

People new to training get quick and impressive results if they work hard and eat well, and don't if they don't. If they took supps they'll often attribute their success or lack of it to the supps.

Way I see it, supps are like psychology. Why is it that world records in sports are set at world competitions, and not at other times? They had the same body last week, why didn't they set a record then? Psychology.

Think of the four minute mile, long held to be impossible. Then a guy did it, and within a year a dozen other guys had done it, too. Same for the 1,000lb bench press. Did everyone's bodies change wildly after the news of the record broken? Did they learn a brilliant new technique? No, it was psychology.

One guy runs the 100m in 9.81sec, the other in 9.85sec. Is the 0.04sec difference really their bodies or technique? I doubt it. It's the mind. When Flo-Jo set her sprint world record she was asked how she felt, she replied, "I would have run faster if I'd been racing Carl Lewis."

So psychology gives an edge to the people already on the top, making a difference of a percent or two in performance. I think it's likely supplements are the same.

For me, an untrained runner doing 100m in (say) 13.55 seconds, psychology and supplements, making only a few percent difference - proper runners will still leave me in their dust. But for the highly-trained guys doing it in 10.60 seconds, psych and supps could make the difference between reaching the final or not.

So I think it's all about where you're at in your training.

I agree.......But as I don't intend on stepping on stage again I'm not really worried about the very small "edge" that "some" (very few) legal supps can give.....

thanks for the reply......

[Marius_Ursus]

Originally Posted by plmb1

fat loss is one of the reasons I'm trying this.........just started this morning.

thanks for the reply...

Best of luck with it. I really think one of the "tricks" that helped me lose the fat was eating a small handful of sunflower seeds and a small handful of mixed tree nuts (no peanuts) before or after working out. (I go by how I feel, not a set schedule.)

I also learned to regard hunger pangs as hormonal responses to fat loss more than a need to stuff my face, so I stopped eating so much so often.

[JOHN GARGANI]

Originally Posted by Joe Go

I quit supplements March 08. My progress pictures show good gains. I weighed in this year at the same weight I did in 08. BUT, I did a heck of a lot of reasearch on diet and posing for 2009 compared to 2008. I don't plan going down the supplement trail anymore. I gave them a shot from 16-30 years old. I like food better.

April 5th, 2008 (First Year Bodybuilding taking protien and creatine supplements)


May 16th, 2009 (Second Year Bodybuilding supplement free, no multi-vitiamins, whey, creatine, fat burners, etc)

startling improvement in one year's time....and again, as he said, without any supps......

[Joe Go]

Originally Posted by plmb1

Like a few more on here (we all know who they are) you are doing great.........thanks for the info.......keep up the good work....good luck in future shows

Originally Posted by JOHN GARGANI

startling improvement in one year's time....and again, as he said, without any supps......

Thanks guys, it's time to eat!