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I was in the vitamin store a few months ago looking for some sort of supplement to help me with weight loss and energy. I need to lose about 20 pounds. The salesperson recommended Lipo 6, which I bought for $40.
The bottle says you can take up to four pills a day. I have tried taking one about an hour before going to the gym. While it does seem to increase my endurance, I find that I'm still kind of wired at bedtime.
The good thing about the product is that when I take it, I feel like I NEED to work out (or at least do something), but the down side is the long side effect of not being able to sleep.
I've been hoping forever to find that natural high and natural energy lift that exercise is supposed to give you, but as a single working mom sometimes I'm just too drained.
Any advice?
I take some prepackaged multi-vitamins from GNC, the "Active Vitapak." One of the pills supposedly boosts energy and suppresses the appetite. It's never made me feel jittery or wired, and I sleep fine.
It's good that you are not relying on diet alone to lose weight. What kind of workout do you do at the gym? Is it something you really enjoy? I love dance and lots of bodily movement to music, and I do get a high from exercise like kickboxing, more so than weight lifting. If I don't like my routine and regard it as a necessary chore rather than something I look forward to, something that will make me push myself ... I will start making excuses not to do it or cut it short.
I can plug away on an elliptical to a good techno song for quite a while (especially if I can use my arms), but treadmills and stationary bikes tend to bore me (walking and actual cycling are okay). Are you doing something that bores you? Would different music or location help?
You should try GNC's Mega Woman vitamins. When I do take vitamins (which is usually only 4-6 months out of the year) I take the GNC Mega Man Sport.
To piggyback a bit on JustJulia's really good post above, it my be a big boost just to change the music you workout to. Im sure you have some iPod or MP3 player. Maybe you can setup some high energy "Workout Music" to help with your workouts. Have you adjusted your nutritional intake since you started working out? That may really be all you need instead of any "energy" pill.
Last edited by LaoTzuMindFu; 03-27-2010 at 08:16 AM..
Reason: Added second paragraph
Thanks for the response. I just joined our local Y about 6 weeks ago. Currently I do the elliptical for about an hour or I walk/jog on the indoor track. I'd like to try one of the classes, body sculpting or step aerobics maybe, but I'm finding myself very intimidated by the classes. I'm afraid that I'll start and won't be able to finish, or that everyone knows each other....silly stuff like that.
I can't say that I've changed my eating habits much, which is probably draining my energy as well. Guess I'm using the rationale that if I'm working out I can eat whatever I want. Doesn't work, does it?
I like the feeling that the energy pills give me when I'm working out. I look around at other people and try to decide who is taking an energy supplement. Maybe only me, but there's a huge section of these products at Vitamin Shoppe, so I know alot of people must be using them. I've tried protein drinks, but they really don't provide the same energy burst.
Personally I think taking vitamins for the sake of taking them is crap. You're just making your pee expensive. When you have a defecit of something however, it is a good idea to take calcium or vitamin D for example. What I often do if I need a preworkout kick is have an energy drink before hand and that usually gets me into the gym. The problem with these is that they usually have tons of sugars in them which for most people with a moderate to low metabolism is actually more harm than the workout can burn off. I also don't recommend sugar free anything. You could try the normal (small) size red bulls...they aren't too bad. I would also advise you try listening to some music that gets you moving before hand weather that be rock, techno, or whatever gets you moving. I prefer heavy metal. That stuff usually inspires me to create a riot.
Do you think that you really need the energy booster, wanderlost? Have you gone to the gym without it to see what that's like? I like what I take because I have adjusted to eating less in the late afternoon and evening ... I have a snack around 2 p.m., and then I only need a small dinner with little or no carbs. I really don't notice much of an "upper," which is good because they can make my heart race.
I was in the vitamin store a few months ago looking for some sort of supplement to help me with weight loss and energy. I need to lose about 20 pounds. The salesperson recommended Lipo 6, which I bought for $40.
The bottle says you can take up to four pills a day. I have tried taking one about an hour before going to the gym. While it does seem to increase my endurance, I find that I'm still kind of wired at bedtime.
The good thing about the product is that when I take it, I feel like I NEED to work out (or at least do something), but the down side is the long side effect of not being able to sleep.
I've been hoping forever to find that natural high and natural energy lift that exercise is supposed to give you, but as a single working mom sometimes I'm just too drained.
Any advice?
My gut instinct as a personal trainer is to tell you to steer clear of any weight loss or energy supplements at this early point in your new fitness regime. The main reason being: there are simply too damn many of them out there, and 80% of them are junk. And even as far as the 20% which might do you a bit of good: it's too early to tell right now what your body will respond to. You need to get at least a couple months into a fitness & exercise regime, which will enable you to get in better touch with your body and its needs, before you attempt to try and find a worthwhile supplement.
Also, as far as so-called "energy" supplements: please know that there is a big difference between true energy and artificial stimulation, like the kind that you get from caffeine.
Anyone taking on a new fitness regemin should start feeling more energized and alert simply from the vast amount of good the exercise--along with a healthy diet of course--is doing them. And if its your Lipo 6 that's really keeping you up at night (I have my doubts about this) than it is actually robbing you of another of the great benefits that comes with exercise: better sleep!
Bottom line: ditch the Lipo 6; make sure you don't exercise within 3-4 hours of bedtime--the endorphins that are created during exercise can keep you up.
Drink lots of water.
If you really, really want to try a mood-enhancing & energy-creating (maybe) supplement, try some Acai Berry extract capsules or pills. The vast amount of research and wildly positive testimony stemming from the Acai craze's pre-cursor, the Mona Vie drink, is hard to refute, even by the most hardened skeptic. (like me! lol).
Thank you guys, it's good advice. I think I'll ditch the Lipo 6.
Drummer Boy, you make some good points, especially about the caffeine being artificial stimulation and not true energy. And feeling sleep deprived certainly doesn't make you feel healthy. I might look at the Acai Berry, but for now I'll just go for a protein shake.
I have a question for you DB since you're a personal trainer. After six weeks at the gym, going 3-4 times a week and getting a pretty good work out (all cardio), I haven't lost a single pound. Granted, I'm probably still eating too many calories, but since I wasn't exercising before, shouldn't I have lost at least a couple pounds just from the exercise without dieting?
Thank you guys, it's good advice. I think I'll ditch the Lipo 6.
Drummer Boy, you make some good points, especially about the caffeine being artificial stimulation and not true energy. And feeling sleep deprived certainly doesn't make you feel healthy. I might look at the Acai Berry, but for now I'll just go for a protein shake.
I have a question for you DB since you're a personal trainer. After six weeks at the gym, going 3-4 times a week and getting a pretty good work out (all cardio), I haven't lost a single pound. Granted, I'm probably still eating too many calories, but since I wasn't exercising before, shouldn't I have lost at least a couple pounds just from the exercise without dieting?
Yeah, if you're doing "pretty good cardio" 3-4 times a week, but have yet to lose any weight at all the problem lies within two areas: either diet or the phenomenon we call "plateauing."
First--your diet: make sure you're drinking plenty of water; stay hydrated. I'm not saying to overdo it with the fluids like so many people do, but make sure you avoid soft drinks and too much caffeince since it acts as a diuretic. Try to drink at least 5-6 8 oz. glasses of water a day. Also, avoid refined sugar like the plague. Try to limit yourself to no more than, say, 25-30 grams of sugar. (Did you know that sugar will put fat on you--or make your body retain current fat--moreso than ingesting fat will? Make sure your carbo intake is in the form of complex and not simple carbohydrates, i.e. whole grain bread & pasta, instead of simple carbos like the ones you get in salty snacks and candy and white rice.
Don't skip breakfast! Alot of people trying to lose weight make this strategical error! When you skip breakfast and don't eat until lunch or mid-morning, what has happened by then is that your body has gone into "survivial mode" since it's been about 12-14 hours since last ate. So what it does is, it latches on to and stores every calorie it can, thinking that it needs to do that since it might be awhile before it gets fuel again.
And, like Mom said: Eat your fruits and veggies. Oh yeah: avoid carbos at night. Rule of thumb is: carbos and fats druing the day, then protein and maybe a little bit of complex carbos at night. Try to eat 4-5 small meals a day, maybe a snack every 3 hours or so. This prevents the previously-mentioned "survival mode" from kicking in.
OK: plateauing: after a few weeks of exercise, if you keep doing the same routine, your body knows what to expect so it becomes more efficient at doing it, thus burning less calories. So you need to mix your routine up a bit. Do what we like to call "muscle confusion." Instead of a long, easy cardio routine, do some intervals. That is, mix in some sprints (or "speedwork") with your normal pace. You can do this on the bike or the treadmill or the Elliptical. Like, on the treadmill: jog for about three minutes and then sprint for 30 seconds. Repeat this 6-8 times. Many studies has shown that this type of interval training actually burns fat faster than a long, drawn-out cardio session. Even if the duration of the interval training is shorter!
This all might sound a bit daunting and confusing, but no worries. You're on the right track and you'll be fine. You don't have to follow all this advice verbatim, or to the "t." Just keep some of my main points in mind and keep plugging away. You should see results within a couple weeks!
Hope this helps--Good Luck. And remember: First Rule: Have Fun!!
DrummerBoy...thank you again. That's alot of good advice. While I wouldn't say the cardio is easy, I do find that I require less effort for the same workout. I do need to mix it up. I like the idea of mixing in sprints with walking or jogging.
I know diet for me is a big problem, and needs much work. Definitely I end up eating carbs in the evening. I need big time self-discipline. I'm going to work on your suggestions....and thanks again.
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