Supplements

[mbschipelliti]

Hello,

Thank you for taking the time to read this post.

I am currently a sophomore at Suffolk University in Boston. I have already been in contact with an officer selection officer. I vaguely questioned him about the use of supplements in the Marine Corps.

At the beginning of this summer, I was 6 feet, 250 pounds. I was not huge, but had a ton of weight to lose. Over the summer, and into this school year, I dieted and exercised everyday. Early into this routine, weight started to shed quickly. After that, I have seemed to plateau. In total I have gone from 250 pounds to 220 pounds. All of my PFT scores have slightly gone up but I am not where I would like to be at this point in time.

I do not think I will physically be able to achieve the scores needed to apply to OCS for this coming summer. I am hoping to apply and be accepted for the summer of 2015.

My question is if experienced and fit men and women like yourselves have had any experiences, or insight, on the use of weight loss supplements. Currently I am looking into Super HD by Cellucor. From trusted family members and close friends, I have heard good reviews about the product. I was also told by my OSO that if it is legal, safe, and sold at GNC, then there should be no issue using it.

I have researched the product for a while now and it seems to be safe.

That being said, any ideas or comments are welcome. I'd just like to hear from a few more people before I waste time, money, or anything of that matter.

Thank you in advance.

PS. I searched for something of this topic in the forums for a while and never saw it. Sorry if something like it already exists.

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[josephd]

weight loss supplements are NOT good for you, yeah they may help you cut weight but that is because they raise your heart rate and make you burn calories when your sitting still.

Yes they are technically legal and won't make you pop on a pi$$ test or anything. Alot of guys in the fleet take that kind of stuff.

I am pretty old fashioned when it comes to fitness. Other than a good multivitamin , a pre-workout, and some protein I wouldn't suggest anything else. Your PFT score has nothing to do with your weight really(unless your obese/fat obviously), getting good scores on events like that are all about putting out 100% and not quitting when you get tired/sore. I know Marines that to look at them look disgusting but they run 300 PFTs and CFTs.

So again my advice is to stay away from that trash and do it the good old fashioned way of putting in the blood, sweat, and tears...if you want it bad enough you'll get there.

[Tennessee Top]

Read the similar threads beneath your question - sometimes they can help. Never used supplements so can't offer any advice. In my case, I found as long as I put the time and effort into serious PT (doing it religiously and with intensity every time), I could lose the weight and keep it off. You have to be smart about it however and not abuse your body to the point you injure yourself. At one time, I was running so much I developed an overuse injury (chronic compartment syndrome) in both legs which required surgery (bilateral faciotomies). Fortunately, I was able to rehab and return to full duty. You know your body best. If you can get away without using supplements that is obviously your best option. Good luck.

[chulaivet1966]

stay away from that trash and do it the good old fashioned way of putting in the blood, sweat, and tears...if you want it bad enough you'll get there.

IMO....
I've chimed in on many threads of this nature so I'll just say the above is my take on it....save your money and stay away from the snake oils and don't believe the lofty advertizing claims.
As far as vitamin supplements that's a preferential/judgment call on your part.
It's all just marketing hype to me and I think their a waste of money unless one has a genetic deficiency as determined by a doctor.

Along with the above by josephd if you need to lose weight it's simple math.
No magic pills.
One needs to burn more calories than one is consuming, stay away from the empty foods and other poisons (IE: soda, twinkies, processed foods) and know it's it's a marathon and not a sprint to reach your goals.

Good luck....carry on.

[Tookie22]

Do not take weightloss pills. I about had a heart attack because I was in my cutting stage in Afghanistan took a couple worked out and then went on a patrol. My heart truly felt as though it was about to explode. Those pills are a bunch of BS plus the caffeine which raises your heart rate to burn more calories. Drink espresso and water. It'll be cheaper too. The best result will come from a proper exercise and diet. Im talking about straight cutting. All you do is basically run a PFT every single day. Limit carbs to under 50 grams (2 slices of bread) Eat lots of lean meats grilled and lots of veggies. No excessive calories. You will shed weight quickly and raise your pullups to 20 in no time. This diet is not a permanent fix though, bodybuilders will drop from 15 to 7 % body fat in about 3 weeks BUT it will make you very tired since you are just about starving yourself.
Take in 1800 calories and burn over 2000 youll see results in a month or so. But it takes A LOT of will power because Beer is just too delicious

[mbschipelliti]

Thank you everyone for the thoughtful insight. I ended up trying them out to see if they worked and low and behold I have continued the lose weight. For the little while I have been on them,(2-3 Weeks) I have dropped more than 10 pounds.

Again, thanks for all of the support.

[thewookie]

I have dropped more than 10 pounds.

Considering your current weight, that is not that high of a percentage. I used to drop close to ten pounds a week to make weight for wrestling, no sweat. But good for you, sometimes starting is the hardest part. But the real challenge isn't starting to lose the weight, especially after the first few water pounds, the challenge is keeping it off. And not going back to the bad habits that got you that way in the first place. The key to weight loss, long term weight loss is to eat less than you take in, PT religiously, and keep moving. Good luck

[mbschipelliti]

I completely understand sir. It has definitely helped me over my plateau though. Overall I have dropped 40 pounds which seems like a relatively high percentage. It was 10 since my plateau. Since I started dropping the weight (well before this thread) I have not gained anything back. Learned how, what, and when to eat. Helped a lot.

[Rocky C]

Read this !!!

http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/sh...-Pro&highlight=

[ameriken]

So you want to know the suggestions of the Marines here and you go against their advice anyway. Why even bother if you're not going to even give their suggestions a try?

Weight loss plateaus are perfectly common and normal. Your body was carrying 40 pounds more and thus so you needed more calories in order to carry that weight, just like you would if you were carrying a 40 lb pack. Now that you've lost weight you're body is no longer burning those extra calories as your metabolism has slowed. If you're doing the same workout and eating the same as you did when you were 40 lbs heavier, you're not going to lose any more weight.

As has already been suggested, you need to either increase your activity, lower your calorie intake, or both.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/wei...lateau/MY01152

IMO as with the other Marines here, you're better off doing it naturally than to depend on some corporation trying to sell you their supposedly amazing products.

Afterall, one consequence of using supplements is you won't have them when you go through training and I'm guessing your body may respond negatively without them...when the supplement is out of your body you might find yourself gaining back some luggage just when you're trying to max your PFT's.

By losing it naturally, you're metabolism will adjust naturally.

But hey, don't listen to us, do what you want.

[Tennessee Top]

Some people just have to learn the hard way (like we all did). But, it's his body.

[thewookie]

I read up on that supplement, saw more good reviews than bad. Not all supplements are bad, the problem is most of them aren't great for you, either. And like other's have said, the natural way works just as fine. The year I was stationed in Greece I took creatine religiously and I can say that stuff is a difference maker before a workout. These days there is a new supplement a week, it seems. Just read the product reviews, take it according to instructions, and keep pushing forward. 40lbs is a good start...