Starting the Day with Supplements
For many people, starting the day means taking an over-the-counter (OTC) multivitamin, or vitamins, and various other supplements. After all this, it’s time to go to the gym to get in a early workout session or some jogging time. Well, what should a person really be taking in the morning?
First we have to see how training affects one’s body. If cardio is done early in the morning, I would advise a whey protein shake upon waking up with any fat burners to take, as well as multivitamin. Stressing highly on not eating, but rather drinking the whey shake to contrast the effects of catabolism during sleep (where body is repairing itself, but no nutritional calories available, body makes use of existing tissues). The body will stay semi-anabolic, or at least not destroying muscle, and expending stored calories.
Now let’s break this down.
First thing is first, and that’s to get some protein in your body. You’ve got muscle and you WANT to keep it! A whey protein shake like ON 100% Whey, along with dozens of other brands, is a good start.
Second is a multivitamin. The drug store may carry a good vitamin, but it’s not the best. If you’re a hardcore gym enthusiast or amateur athlete, then you cannot starve your body of anything less than Animal-Pak. Read the info, it’s a PACKET of vitamins and not just a horse pill. Optimum Opti-Men or Opti-Women are good, cheap multivitamins. Good thing about these is they are 3 pills to a serving for men, which means you can take one before early workout and then the other 2 with breakfast as normally.
Third is the rest of your supplement arsenal you want to use to obliterate fat, while I feel this is completely achievable without, and with, the use of supplements. Products like Green Tea Extract, Melting Point, Venom Hyperdrive 3.0, and complete supplement systems target this problem. Remember, supplements make up for a LACK OF. If you haven’t put forth 100%, how do you know what you’re lacking in?
Combining these things, and finding how they work for you will lead to a dramatic increase in overall fat loss. Working out on an empty stomach is brutally effective at destroying fat, and if possible to do within a half hour of waking up. It’s good to workout then, because cardio tends to be long and boring and I’m still half-asleep I don’t realize I’m walking until it’s over!
Even when I was in weight loss mode (like I am now), I would always eat something before bed; low to no fat with protein (gota love whey!) so during the night I would have that protein on my stomach to help with the recovery.
Taking all sugar out of my diet has been a HUGE help in my fat loss this time around. It’s hard, especially with the holidays in full force now, but I’m seeing the results 🙂
Not the best idea, whey breaks down quickly – which is why it’s effective post-workout, and when you wake up.
Cottage cheese, or dairy products – or specifically, casein protein, is what you want to eat before bed.
I think it’s time for me to buy some casein protein. How soon before bed should I take that?
I’d say about 15-30 minutes before going to bed/sleeping. Because I drink about 0.3Liter water with the protein shake, after I wash my teeth and then do some more things. Then last thing I do is go to pee, because with 0.3L water right before bed, you’re sure to be woken up sooner or later to go to the toilets 🙂
Okay, thanks, I was thinking an hour before bed. But I will try your advice and go from there.
Anybody tried Lipodrene before ? It seems it has a pretty good reviews especially Lipodrene with Ephedra.
Never tried it, will look into it though.
Before bed I don’t take whey, I take the cheaper protein shake, because it is assimilated slower by the body. The goal is to have protein during the night. With whey, the body takes it in half an hour, and then what?
It’s like the difference between fast carbs and slow carbs, the use is not the same.
A protein shake and glutamine shake before bed is a good idea.
Good point, all depending on what your workout goals are. I wouldn’t suggest for overweight clients.
Iron guru
I’m glad to see that there is some good information out there for people starting out and wanting to do the right thing for their bodies and fitness. Way to go!!!
Stefan
I think the best way to get some protein before an early morning workout is…
to eat breakfast!
Your body doesn’t react the same to synthetic proteins as it does from good ol’ food. As far as getting enough protein per day, most of us get plenty in the diet and don’t really need to supplement, even if you’re working out regularly. All the extra protein you don’t use is converted to fat. The key is to get enough carbs so that you can make it strongly through a workout.
In fact, it’s probably true that most of us should actually cut back on our protein intake, even if we’re working out every day.
I don’t really believe in the protein shake before sleeping either – it’s just too much! If anything, the protein is either metabolized for energy or converted into fat (which is more likely). The best thing is to make sure you’re getting enough carbs so that your body doesn’t get into the catabolic state. I’d say you should eat a snack a few hours before sleeping…that’s all you need! As further incentive, high protein diets over the long term might light to kidney problems later in life (because much of the excess protein is excreted and can get held up in kidney tubules).
Hope this helps someone!
You are wrong in some of your assessments. The protein won’t hurt you, your body just gets rid of it. As long as you drink plenty water you are fine. The protein isn’t converted to fat in the way that you make it appear. You are right that most folks get a decent amount of protein in there diet, assuming they eat a balanced healthy diet.
Diet supplements should be unnecessary if you eat a balanced diet.
Of the hundreds if not thousands of diet pills, supplements and potions available most contain extracts of the very foods we should be eating regularly.
But then I guess a diet pill is an easy and lazy alternative.
good point.
This is very interesting. Thanks for that. We need more sites like this. I commend you on your great content and excellent topic choices. I’m spreading the good word about this site to all my friends. It’s been enjoyable and educational.
I always have a protein/creatine/glucose shake before and after training. The glucose in the shake acts like a transporter and helps move the nutrition faster to your muscles, when you need it the most.
I am not biased here but I always feel like throwing up after I drink protein shake.. It gives me yucky feeling.