Supplement Review Thread

[lynnifer]

Womens One A Day multivitamin
Iron 300 mg Ferrous Gluconate
Zinc 25mg (about to increase this to 50mg)
herb - Horse Chestnut seed extract 250mg

Gold Standard 100% whey protein shakes - 24g protein per serving
(I don't take this every day as weight is an issue for me while I've been on bedrest).

[Doorman]

I'm not going to "brag" that I'm "supplement-free", though I am. I do take a single daily multi-vitamin and if I don't forget, an additional 500-1000mgs of vitamin C too. In my opinion, that's plenty. I eat a lousy diet and hardly drink any plain water... mainly sugary drinks with my mainstay being coffee with cream & sugar. Let me add, I don't do any extra exercises either, I'm just plain lazy. I don't recommend my diet or lifestyle to anyone... especially when ya add in 2-3 packs of cigarettes a day. Ouch. Oh, I'm 6' 1" (used to be!) and about 20 pounds overweight. I do need to quit the smokes and start pushing this chair around the block a few times a day. It's cool enough in FL now, so I have no excuse.

I was wondering if anyone knows how their SCI'd body compares to a normal body in terms of calories and nutrients used or burned on a daily basis? I'm a T-4 para and I figure (just a wild guess) that I use or burn about 1/5 of what an able-bodied person does, doing normal daily activities. And if you're a quad, you use or burn even less. Normal large leg muscles alone use about (??) 5 times the energy that arm muscles use. Not to mention the abdominal and back muscles etc. that are used in simple walking, standing motionless and even sitting motionless. Most of us are just arms, shoulders and heads that are supported by our wheelchair's sling and backrest or our mattress when laying in bed. I imagine that I'd need to do about 100- maybe 200- twenty pound weighted arm curls to equal an able-bodied person who just gets up from a seated position, takes 1 step and sits back down. I have no idea how to compare an able-bodied person's energy usage to a gimp like me.

I just looked up the Universal Animal Pak Sports Nutrition Supplement to see what it is. I figured it was an all-in-one super-dooper vitamin and supplement product with whatever other good stuff gym rats think they need... and it is. But a normal gym rat probably spends an hour or 2 or 3 each day in the gym burning lots of calories and nutrients and whatever, and dripping buckets of sweat. I see 'em doin' it on TV!

So a para or a quad would need to spend 5 to 10 more time, more hours, exercising... that could be up to 5-8-10-15-20 hours a damn day. Am I way off base here?

If this is true then a para or a quad would need like 1/5 to even 1/10 of the calories and nutrients, etc. of an average gym rat. Taking all of this supplemental stuff, if you don't need it or your body can't use it, is just creating expensive urine. Or even worse, it could be building up to perhaps toxic levels in your body.

I guess the question could boiled down to or be put like this. How many pounds of Universal Animal Pak Sports Nutrition Supplement does it take to put on a pound of muscle?

I'm not here to screw up your thread but when I looked up what's in the Animal-Pak product, it got me to thinking.

Oh, and ya wanna see Madison Avenue at it best... or worst? Puffery? Look at this list of descriptors that are in just 3 short paragraphs, describing what the Universal Animal-Pak Sports Nutrition Supplement product is all about. It's kinda funny.



The Food Supplement motto:

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease... it's intended to make money.

I'll shut up now.

Bob.

That is some funny fucking shit Bob.

[fuentejps]

great to see ppl taking care of themselves. imo the sci body needs more and is deficient in most areas, maybe not those who are sedintary but fotr sure the active wheeler.

vd, doesnt the mm have to much fat for you, thats why i steer clear of it.

[van damn]

vd, doesnt the mm have to much fat for you, thats why i steer clear of it.

Yep,I drink MM on the days I get my SPC changed.It's high in fat but I don't eat much after because I feel crappy.I find it balances every thing.Wouldn't recommend for every day use.Especially if your trying to stay lean.

[rybread]

For all you guys out there trying to lose weight, get your testosterone levels checked. They found mine really low at one .and said that was contributing to my weight gain. Now I rub testosterone gel on my shoulders everyday and it helps quite a bit with me keep in the way down.

[hardluckhitshome]

I pay the closest attention to my diet first, it's the foundation to add supplements to. Organic as possible, no fried, no red meat, variety, etc... I used to play in the mountains every week and could eat a pizza a day if I wanted to and stay in great shape. 1st thing I realized in this gdamn chair is that I had to redesign my diet.

That said, I am fairly good about taking the following on a daily (or so) basis:
- I drink an "emergen-c" pack first thing in the morning with a big glass of water (1000mg of Vit C and a bunch of other added stuff).

- B-12 inj, L-Carnatine, L-Glutamine
- Calcium/Magnesium really helps combat my tone
- R-lipoic acid - strong anti-oxidant
- Flax, Hemp or Fish oil (rotate)

Other than that, I have a drawer full of this or that I dip into on a non-regular basis.
I usually eat some brand of protein bar after my workouts. Just recently had my blood levels checked for deficiencies and everything was good or better. I try not to obsess about any of it though, if I miss a day or two it doesn't bother me because I am confident in my diet. My body looks about the same as it did before the injury 2+ years post.

I tried cutting meat out of my diet recently and it made me feel very sick. I had no energy and felt shaky/hungry a lot. It went away when I started eating meat again. I tend to think that the human body is designed for meat consumption.

Have you noticed increased immune function since taking a daily high dose of vitamin c?
Sean

[alpentalic]

I tried cutting meat out of my diet recently and it made me feel very sick. I had no energy and felt shaky/hungry a lot. It went away when I started eating meat again. I tend to think that the human body is designed for meat consumption.

Have you noticed increased immune function since taking a daily high dose of vitamin c?
Sean

Hey Sean - I only cut out red meat. Out here in the PNW, I try and supplement organic-raised chicken with wild salmon and other sea fish. I do go days without eating meat and then eat tofu, tempeh, seitan, garden burger, etc... because otherwise, I feel like you describe too. Despite how I'm making myself sound, I'm not a total hippy(!) and if push came to shove, I'd eat a burger (which, after not eating for so long, tend to make me sick).

Hard to say regarding the immune function. I've always been reasonably conscious about my health and been fortunate to reside in good health. Kind of running on a "not broke don't change it" mentality. There is plenty of evidence suggesting the benefits of Vitamin C and it's cheap and easy to take.

I notice an improvement in my skin with the oil I take, more supple, not as dry and an added protection against breakdown.Forgot to mention I add a "D" vitamin during our 10 month cloudy season here.

[antiquity]

I try to drink a boost or two everyday. Had to stop drinking coffee, it's too strong a diuretic and kept causing me to become hypokalemic which in turn triggered my tachycardia. My blood pressure actually seems more stable now.

[Chaz19]

Supplements --
calcium and vitamin D
vitamin C 500 milligrams twice a day
extract of cranberry
Garlique at bedtime for antibiotic properties and soften nightmare/dreams

overall, tried to eat organically raised meat and local produce. I'm not sure how the antibiotics given to livestock/fish during development interact with antibiotics we need to take for infections. I imagine if the food we injest has lesser amount of chemicals and antibiotics, the better chance our bodies will have to heal if we need to utilize those antibiotics for survival.

[hardluckhitshome]

Supplements --
calcium and vitamin D
vitamin C 500 milligrams twice a day
extract of cranberry
Garlique at bedtime for antibiotic properties and soften nightmare/dreams

overall, tried to eat organically raised meat and local produce. I'm not sure how the antibiotics given to livestock/fish during development interact with antibiotics we need to take for infections. I imagine if the food we injest has lesser amount of chemicals and antibiotics, the better chance our bodies will have to heal if we need to utilize those antibiotics for survival.

I will have to try the garlique for the nightmares. I had never heard of that being used for such a thing. When I was in Israel, I asked about taking a calcium supplement, but was told that as a guy, calcium is not something I should be taking supplements of at this age. The person that told me this is something that we would call a nurse in the US, so I'm not sure how accurate that information is.