What type of supplements do you recommend?

[melanieann]

I'm breakin' into this forum like a burglar!

There are so many different supplements out there now that I'm confused on what I should take and what is just hype. Right now I take a good multivitamin, joint support supplement and I add protein powder to my oatmeal in the morning. Should I be taking anything else? Do I not need to take something that I'm taking?

I exercise 6 days a week, with two a days being on Weds and Sat. I'm 5'2", 125 pounds. I'd like to actually lose about 7 pounds. I'm consuming about 1500 calories a day and right around 100 grams of protein in there. Anybody want to take a gander?

[kszspin]

PM Jennifer Sage about this (Funhog), she is now working with a company that customizes (through private testing) your vitamin and supplement needs. Your question is the exact reason why people are so confused. They take what they don't need and don't take what they do need. This company tests for your specific supplement needs. :)

[melanieann]

Oooooohhhhhhh...Thanks, dude.

[veespin]

This company tests for your specific supplement needs. :)

Well, actually ...it doesn't.

There really isn't any scientific consensus on what any individual "needs" that can be tested for.

Most of the "tests" available are little more than marketing gimmicks and gimcracks designed to part the consoomer from their hard earned $$$bucks.

Vivienne

[Legspeed]

I'd like to actually lose about 7 pounds. I'm consuming about 1500 calories a day
Rather than spending more money on supplements, spend less money on meals. Reduce your daily intake by 100 calories.

[Mark M]

Legspeed,

I love your "woofers." :lol:

[melanieann]

Legs: I have reduced the amount of calories needed for my body to maintain it's current weight by 500 calories already-I would need around 2000 for me to maintain my weight right now. What I need to do is help my body run more efficiently. For goodness sake, I'm not a lard @ss. I just feel I have a little extra on me that I could live without. I eat very clean and I drink plenty of water. The last thing I want to do is set my metabolism into a starvation spiral. I try to switch up the caloric intake everyday so I'm up around 1500 and some days under it so it doesn't get used to the amount of calories. I'm also very aware of my protein, fat and sugar intake.

I guess I'm just sensitive when it comes to eating and my weight. I don't eat like an elephant by any means.

Breakfast: 1/2 cup oatmeal with one scoop protein powder mixed in

Lunch: boneless, skinless ckn breast, fresh veggie, whole grain rice

Snack: yogurt, raw almonds

Dinner: fish or ckn, fresh veggie, salad

[Pink]

Legs: I have reduced the amount of calories needed for my body to maintain it's current weight by 500 calories already-I would need around 2000 for me to maintain my weight right now. What I need to do is help my body run more efficiently. For goodness sake, I'm not a lard @ss. I just feel I have a little extra on me that I could live without. I eat very clean and I drink plenty of water. The last thing I want to do is set my metabolism into a starvation spiral. I try to switch up the caloric intake everyday so I'm up around 1500 and some days under it so it doesn't get used to the amount of calories. I'm also very aware of my protein, fat and sugar intake.

I guess I'm just sensitive when it comes to eating and my weight. I don't eat like an elephant by any means.

Breakfast: 1/2 cup oatmeal with one scoop protein powder mixed in

Lunch: boneless, skinless ckn breast, fresh veggie, whole grain rice

Snack: yogurt, raw almonds

Dinner: fish or ckn, fresh veggie, salad

Melanieann, do you weight lift? Enough weight to build muscle (not just tone)? If not, this could be the missing part of the puzzle.

[melanieann]

Actually, Pink, I just started about 40 days ago using weights to build and not just tone. I've gone from 3 and 5# weights to 10 and 20# weights.

[Legspeed]

Sorry, I misinterpreted the specifications in your original post as being steady state.

If 2000 calories is truly your maintenance requirement, and your current daily intake is 1500 calories, my math suggests that those pesky 7 pounds should be gone in about 7 weeks. Color me confused.

[melanieann]

I know! That's exactly what I'm fretting over. 500 cals a day is 3500 over a week, right? That's 1 lb. The issue I'm having is I see the scale go doooowwwwn and then just before I hit that mark it goes back uuuuuppp. We're talking the same 5-7 pounds up and down. It's so confusing.

The only thing I can think of is the weight lifting issue. Maybe I'm just biulding muscle and that obviously weighs more.

Leg, Sorry if I bit your head off. I feel like I need to convince myself even at times that I'm not a hippo. :wink:

[kszspin]

The only thing I can think of is the weight lifting issue. Maybe I'm just biulding muscle and that obviously weighs more.



I'm assuming you did not have a body fat assessment prior, to now know where the shift is, so how do your clothes fit now? What change in composition do you see in the mirror when you're butt naked? :D
That's the where the rubber meets the road.

[melanieann]

Not a professional assessment. I used calipers to measure. I've gone from 20.9% bodyfat to 20.4% for sure. I may have dropped down more than that since Ihaven't checked for about 3 weeks.

It just doesn't seem like that big of a dip to me to cause such fluctuation. what do you think?

[veespin]

I know! That's exactly what I'm fretting over. 500 cals a day is 3500 over a week, right? That's 1 lb. The issue I'm having is I see the scale go doooowwwwn and then just before I hit that mark it goes back uuuuuppp. We're talking the same 5-7 pounds up and down. It's so confusing.

The only thing I can think of is the weight lifting issue. Maybe I'm just biulding muscle and that obviously weighs more.
:

The most likely answer is that you're not being as strict as you believe yourself to be with the energy balance. 1500 cals a day is quite a restrictive diet that very few can maintain for long. Everyone I know can lose weight really easily.....it's keeping it off by sticking to what took it off in the first place that's the problem.

It'd be a miracle if you could've gained 5 pounds of solid muscle in the short time you've been weight training.

Vivienne

[Julibird]

I know! That's exactly what I'm fretting over. 500 cals a day is 3500 over a week, right? That's 1 lb. The issue I'm having is I see the scale go doooowwwwn and then just before I hit that mark it goes back uuuuuppp. We're talking the same 5-7 pounds up and down. It's so confusing.

The only thing I can think of is the weight lifting issue. Maybe I'm just biulding muscle and that obviously weighs more.
:

The most likely answer is that you're not being as strict as you believe yourself to be with the energy balance. 1500 cals a day is quite a restrictive diet that very few can maintain for long. Everyone I know can lose weight really easily.....it's keeping it off by sticking to what took it off in the first place that's the problem.

It'd be a miracle if you could've gained 5 pounds of solid muscle in the short time you've been weight training.

Vivienne

Isn't fluid build-up/retention a side effect of a new weight training regimen? Is it possible that this is why the weight is fluctuating now?

[like2bike]

Legspeed,

I love your "woofers." :lol:

Sorry for the hijack but.... GOOD ONE MARK! Hijack O-VA....

[Moonsavvy]

Maybe you could love it off yourself. You know, like increase your sexual activity? That would burn a few extra calories and I'm sure you can find a partner (ie husband) that would be happy to assist. :wink:

[veespin]

Isn't fluid build-up/retention a side effect of a new weight training regimen? Is it possible that this is why the weight is fluctuating now?

Per the adage "A pint of pure water weighs a pound-and-a-quarter" try to imagine what 5 lbs of retained water might look like.

What do you think?

Vivienne

[Julibird]

Isn't fluid build-up/retention a side effect of a new weight training regimen? Is it possible that this is why the weight is fluctuating now?

Per the adage "A pint of pure water weighs a pound-and-a-quarter" try to imagine what 5 lbs of retained water might look like.

What do you think?

Vivienne

That would be uncomfortable and alarming. So, um, yeah. And - I like your Socratic method - it always helps see to reason.

[Escandalosa]

Everyone I know can lose weight really easily.....it's keeping it off by sticking to what took it off in the first place that's the problem.

Truer words have never been spoken. I lose weight so fast, I'm thin for a week and then gain it right back. Maintenance is the hardest part.

[melanieann]

I agree with maintenance being the hardest part. However, I am being strict with myself because I write everything that goes into my mouth down in my food journal. I'm kind of obsessive about that. I carry it in my purse so I can write everything down and if I don't have my purse and I eat something that was wrapped I keep the wrapper for nutritional info. Sick, I know. It gives me a sense of control though. Sick again. *sigh*

Anyhow, I agree with V that there is no way that this could be muscle weight in the short time I've been lifting. Perhaps too much sodium? Then again, like V said, there's no way I have that much fluid built up. I'm going to try to eat more times a day and smaller portions-6 mini meals instead of 3 larger ones and 1 snack. Maybe that's the trick.

Anyhow, losing weight isn't and never has been easy. I struggle to get it off and once I'm there I have had good success in keeping it off. Maybe I'm a rare one in that area. They say that the last 10 pounds or so is the hardest to get rid of. You guys are so helpful, I really appreciate this.

[melanieann]

Maybe you could love it off yourself. You know, like increase your sexual activity? That would burn a few extra calories and I'm sure you can find a partner (ie husband) that would be happy to assist. :wink:

Yes, I should test that theory out. I'll let you know. :lol:

[JFK]

Per the adage "A pint of pure water weighs a pound-and-a-quarter" try to imagine what 5 lbs of retained water might look like.

What do you think?

Vivienne

Wait, I thought it was "a pint's a pound the world around?" This is why I prefer metric!

[monical1]

I'm overweight, not horribly, but a bit overweight just the same. I like cooking and I enjoy eating. I might catch a truck load of s@#t for saying this, but I don't really mind it all that much. Sure, I look around and see very desirable bodies at the gym and think how nice it would be to have that but I'm a very passionate person and I just don't think I could be so regimented. My curves are what make me a woman and I know that there are people who don't exercize or eat right that would give their eye teeth to have my body. So that being said. Maybe you should just love your body, I'm sure there are alot of other people who already do. :wink:

Respectfully,
M

[melanieann]

Oh, Monica, how true are you?! I wish with all of my heart I could truly feel that way. I can fake it really good on the outside though! In all seriousness, you're right, I should be happy and thankful for what I've been given. How do you get to that place? The REAL place, not just the fake it on the outside and not believe it on the inside place?

Oh geez...I did NOT mean for this to become group therapy for my body image issues. Sorry! :wink:

[monical1]

May I ask how old you are? I've been unhappy with my figure for way more years than I've been happy with it. It' only recently that I've been able to let it go. I know that my husband has had a lot to do with my better attitude. A day doesn't go by that I'm not told in some way that he thinks I'm beautiful. I also have a major responsibility to my daughter who is seventeen and very impressionable. I never talk about weight with her, instead I talk about fitness. There's a difference. There are some pretty gorgeous supermodels that couldn't physically keep up with me if there lives depended on it. Christie Turlington was diagnosed with emphyzema (sp) when she was in her twenties. Great body but I wouldn't trade with her! Her lungs are shot from smoking to stay thin. Perspective is important, wouldn't you say? Love yourself, Dear. You're more than your body fat percentage and your soul doesn't weigh a thing! Oh, and by the way, this is the best place for therapy. :wink:

M

[Pink]

Preach it, Miss Monica!!!! I wish I had some pixie dust that could make people lose their obsession with weight. Yes, I know obesity is a big problem and a major health risk but that's different than the despair some people feel over 5 or 10 extra pounds. Somehow we've been sold a bill of goods that makes us believe our entire self-worth equals our dress size. Common sense tells us that is misguided, but we are slammed with that message at every turn. Makes me insane.

[kszspin]

And we are all in the industry with the worst offenders of body image!
To be honest (and I am including moi in this) we are collectively, the most screwed up bunch of folks around. I've been in this business for a number of years and we (instructors and trainers) probably have the biggest percentage of body image issues (bulimia, anorexia, body dysmorphia) compared to any other "group" of people in another industry.

Probably alot of our mental issues stem from our feeling that we come across as a more "credible" instructor and are taken more seriously by participants and clients if our body fat (and not our fitness) is super low and we look like someone out of Oxygen magazine.

We can do something about this though, we can promote to our clients and classes that fitness comes in different shapes and sizes.
This article written by Amanda Vogel, in Fitness Management is a great eye-opener for us all.
http://www.fitnessmanagement.com/FM/tmpl/genPage.asp?p=/information/articles/library/bodyimage/female0599.html

[Moonsavvy]

Meli, I totally understand how you are feeling since I have been there before. To tell you the truth that is what I've been working on with my "self love" mantra. I use to measure my self worth with how I looked on the outside, I felt great about myself when I was a certain size and terrible about myself if I looked any different. To love yourself regardless of what you look on the outside requires hard work on your part. You are of value and are worth loving regardless of what size you are, what weight you are or anything else. I'm not trying to sound like a know it all, but as you may know some of the most "attractive" people have the lowest self-esteems. What is it about this 7 pounds that will make you feel better? My guess would be that you will continue to be dissatisfied with what you look like until you truely find yourself and love yourself. Kinda heavy, but you asked! :D

[Escandalosa]

And we are all in the industry with the worst offenders of body image!
To be honest (and I am including moi in this) we are collectively, the most screwed up bunch of folks around. I've been in this business for a number of years and we (instructors and trainers) probably have the biggest percentage of body image issues (bulimia, anorexia, body dysmorphia) compared to any other "group" of people in another industry.

I would agree with this if you include nutritionists. Before I became a group fitness instructor I went back to school for a short time to get a degree in nutrition. People who decide to make their entire career about food clearly have food issues. There was even a portion of Introduction To Nutrition that dealt with that very issue.

[kszspin]

Well that kind of plays hand in hand with it, at least the reason I think why both fitness professionals and nutritionists have body image or food issues is because of the nature of the job. The obvious preoccupation with the subject. Can't help it I guess. :?

[melanieann]

Wow! I never expected to get so much concern from all of you. You really are tops.

Let's see, to answer the question about my age: I'm 29. I have 3 kids, 2 of which are my stepchildren; 14, 11, 4. They are with us most of the time so I am especially careful about the things I say around my stepdaughter about weight and diet and such. I would hate for her to be negatively impacted by my issues. I've been married to my husband for 6 years. I never was overly concerned with my weight or anything until I got married and my weight started to fluctuate all over the place. His family is centered around food, lots of it and not the good stuff. My family was never like that. Anyhow, I went back and forth with every diet and exercise regimen you can think of until I ended up wher I am now which by far, has been the healthiest I've ever been.

To answer Moon about why the 7 pounds is my focus-I can't tell you why. I have a number in my head that I want to see on the scale and if I don't reach that number I don't feel good. Girl, you're right about not being satisfied once I get there. It's like I reach a goal and then I look for another challenge.

I truly hope I don't sound self-centered. This is just one issue that is a constant struggle for me. Thanks for all the honest support and concern. If ya'll don't mind I want to print this thread out and put it in my journal to reflect on.

[JFK]

Kill your scale!! Seriously, a scale is a dumb instrument, it will never know how much of you is fluid, how much is muscle, how much is bone...etc. Even the Tanita scales can at best approximate.

Go by how your clothes fit. Clothing is one of the best body fat indicators out there (and it's free!)

We women (and some men) waste so much time and energy hating ourselves (I also speak from experience....and former disordered eating) (sheesh, I'm a statistic :roll:) We don't compare our intellect to Einstein's and berate ourselves for coming up short, so why should we compare our looks to some genetically-blessed freaks ?


Aim to come to eating as fuel for your body, and not some sort of enemy process, then you can step back and do what you need to do (and there's still room for treats. Life is short). You may or may not lose those 7 pounds, but in the grand scheme of things, is that really so horrible? :)

[like2bike]

Aim to come to eating as fuel for your body, and not some sort of enemy process, then you can step back and do what you need to do (and there's still room for treats. Life is short). You may or may not lose those 7 pounds, but in the grand scheme of things, is that really so horrible? :)

And there it is.

[melanieann]

We women (and some men) waste so much time and energy hating ourselves (I also speak from experience....and former disordered eating) (sheesh, I'm a statistic :roll:) We don't compare our intellect to Einstein's and berate ourselves for coming up short, so why should we compare our looks to some genetically-blessed freaks ?


I love this. It makes so much sense to me when it's put that way. Although this isn't an instant fix to my love/hate relationship with food. It is a learning experience. In theory, self love seems so simple but it's putting words into actions that I tend to fall short on. Some days I feel like a million dollars and then others-like the days I've been having lately-I feel like I need to butter my hips up to get through a doorway, which is not healthy. Again, you guys are great!

[Pink]

I look at all the images that surround us, telling us how we should look. First off, the models don't even look like the models. They've been nipped & tucked, airbrushed and photoshopped into unattainable figureheads. And if you look closely, they are always trying to sell us something to help attain the impossible. Always dangling the carrot just out of reach...but if we spend a little more, buying this or that, we may inch closer. I get so angry over it all.

As JFK said, forget about a number on the scale. How do you feel -- physically? 98% of the time, do you make healthful choices? Can you comfortably dress as you'd like? Are you strong? Are you energetic? If so, what does 5 lbs matter?

Right now I am 5 lbs. heavier than I've been in years. If it comes off, so be it. If it doesn't, it's because I've made the decision not to do what I need to do to get it off. Maybe at 52 I'm realizing that life is too short to be obsessive about 5 extra pounds. I feel just as fit & energetic. I look OK. Now, if it were 15 pounds, I wouldn't feel as well and I'd need to reassess things.

Life is too darn short.

[Pink]

OK, here's an interesting story from my past. I was working in an office and the fax machine was located by my desk. The owner's daughter was getting married and getting her wedding gown from some hot shot designer in NYC. This gal is a little bit of a prima donna. The wedding consultant had messured her and she was a size 10. The bride was furious, all bent out of shape because she insisted she was an 8.

I saw the commotion that ensued via faxes back and forth between the designer & the wedding consultant. The bride refused to order a 10. One day a fax came through for the consultant from the designer. They had decided to ship a size 10, but indicate it as a size 8. The bride was none the wiser. She was now thrilled & calm because she "knew she was an 8." A number is a number is a number.

[like2bike]

This gal is a little bit of a prima donna.

Understatement of the year.

[melanieann]

Yes, the size thing can be a stressor for a lot of people. Surprisingly, this doesn't bother me at all. I know that different designers and stores clothes are made big or run small or whatever. So if I go to Gap to get pants I can wear a size 4 but if I go to Target and get Mossimo brand jeans I have to buy a 9 or 10. The only way that I use true sizing is when I buy/order suits for work.

Pink: To answer your questions. I eat right 95% of the time, and most of the time I feel strong and healthy. Lately, I've been feeling extra strong with the addition of weight training. I've never lifted weights before and I realize now what I was missing. What a rush to see your arms actually have muscles in them. I was moving a table the other day and one of my coworkers said "I never noticed how muscular your arms were." Now, I'm no Arnold, but thank you very much. Yes, the super model thing-especially with the fitness magazines I read all add to my insecurity. Self magazine is the first that pops to mind. They have great tear out exercises that I will never use because the person used to demonstrate has an impossibly small frame and flat stomach-it makes me focus on her frame and think "What's the point? I'll never in a million years look like her." Thing is, SHE doesn't even look like that in real life. Besides if she did I could drop kick her into the next room because she has no muscle on her at all...LOL

[RaffCycles]

OK, here's an interesting story from my past. I was working in an office and the fax machine was located by my desk. The owner's daughter was getting married and getting her wedding gown from some hot shot designer in NYC. This gal is a little bit of a prima donna. The wedding consultant had messured her and she was a size 10. The bride was furious, all bent out of shape because she insisted she was an 8.

I saw the commotion that ensued via faxes back and forth between the designer & the wedding consultant. The bride refused to order a 10. One day a fax came through for the consultant from the designer. They had decided to ship a size 10, but indicate it as a size 8. The bride was none the wiser. She was now thrilled & calm because she "knew she was an 8." A number is a number is a number.

And I always thought women wanted to be tens.

[Pink]

OK, here's an interesting story from my past. I was working in an office and the fax machine was located by my desk. The owner's daughter was getting married and getting her wedding gown from some hot shot designer in NYC. This gal is a little bit of a prima donna. The wedding consultant had messured her and she was a size 10. The bride was furious, all bent out of shape because she insisted she was an 8.

I saw the commotion that ensued via faxes back and forth between the designer & the wedding consultant. The bride refused to order a 10. One day a fax came through for the consultant from the designer. They had decided to ship a size 10, but indicate it as a size 8. The bride was none the wiser. She was now thrilled & calm because she "knew she was an 8." A number is a number is a number.

And I always thought women wanted to be tens.


LOL! Boy, you're ON today, Raff!

[Moonsavvy]

Obvioulsy your diet is not the problem, your activity level is not your problem, it's your darn head getting in the way of letting you be happy. :wink:

I agree with Jen, throw that damn scale away!!

[melanieann]

I know, I know...

[Moonsavvy]

Love ya Mel :wink:

[melanieann]

You know I love you too!

[Moonsavvy]

Mel you've got to get this month's Elle, it has an article about this very topic!!

[Funhog]

This company tests for your specific supplement needs. :)

Well, actually ...it doesn't.

There really isn't any scientific consensus on what any individual "needs" that can be tested for.

Most of the "tests" available are little more than marketing gimmicks and gimcracks designed to part the consoomer from their hard earned $$$bucks.

Vivienne

wow, I go away on vacation and come back to this.... sorry if I bring this thread back to the original question (despite it going off on an excellent direction, which we can get back to).

In regards to Vivienne's post:
Well, actually ...it does, but I won't get into a big discussion of the process here (PM me for info). This came up on Pedal-on not long ago, and actually became a little unfriendly. I get so confused as to why people will argue against something without reading the science or finding out the whole story. Some people still think chiropractors and naturopaths and even acupuncturists are gimcracks, so I guess there will always be naysayers no matter what. I had major back surgery 30 years ago for scoliosis because my dogmatic mother absolutely refused to let me go see a chiropractor as friends suggested - I remember her saying, "Hell No!! I'm not ever going to take my daughter to a QUACK!!" and hung up the phone on our well-meaning, kindly neighbor. So instead, I have had a 14" metal rod in my back and a fusion from T2 - L3 for the past 30 years. Now, I'm not saying that going to a chiropractor back then would have prevented the surgery, but her intransigence made it an absolute certainty that nothing else could have helped or even could have been looked into. Later in life, she pooh-poohed my efforts to seek natural healing methods for other issues. I've learned to always get a second opinion, and to seek non-invasive, non-medical means whenever possible. My mother lived her life to the end (last year) on medications but never got any healthier, and I have managed to avoid medications for many things I take natural products for. Thanks to chiropractors, acupuncture, and a natural joint product I take (from this company), I can manage even the almost-ever-present back pain like I've never been able to before. I've thrown away many drugs given to me for back pain - celebrex, neurontin, vicodin, flexeral, soma, and more. Only occasionally I take an advil when it gets bad.

Therefore, I guess I have a tough time when people categorically deny that something will work unless they try it out, or at least read the information behind it, or have talked directly to the scientists who create it, or the people who have personally benefitted from it.

Actually, no one wants to part the consumer with his hard earned $$$ more than the pharmaceutical companies, which now have ads on TV and 4-page spreads in magazines making people BELIEVE they have a health problem that NEEDS this magic drug, and they now go trotting off to their doctor begging for a prescription. And most of those medications only mask symptoms and don't get to the root of the problem. Did you know drug sales will top $280 Billion this year? And many of these conditions are nutritionally related and preventable. I'm preaching to the choir here - you all know this. Of course, it goes without saying that you must first have a good diet (but this nation is kidding itself if it thinks even a small percentage has a good diet). In general, we cannot get the nutrition we need for optimal health from our diets anymore due to soil depletion, over planting, genetically modified fruits and vegetables, pesticides and fertilizers. And even if you ate ONLY organic, many of the nutrients you do take in are stripped from your body due to stress (a huge deterrent to nutritional uptake), medications, toxins, pollutants, etc.

So, if you're going to spend money on a supplement, don't you want it to be the highest quality, and have lots of science behind it? Otherwise, any amount you spend is wasted. And wouldn't it be better if it were customized? Becasue what you and I need, and what myhusband needs, or any two people need, are totally different. Just like everyone's response to and requirements for exercise are totally different. There's no one-size-fits-all program.

In my mind, if there's a chance that you can do something nutritionally to get you off medications, then I'd do it in a flash and want all my loved ones to do the same. I personally have seen quite a few amazing results with people I know who have taken the test and have a customized vitamin created for them based on the results of their test. A few examples: my friend's 78 year-old mother is off her arthritis medication (after 19 years of rheumatoid arthritis) and danced at her grand daughters wedding - a first in a dozen years; my spin instructor with fibromyalgia no longer has pain; my friend's nephew is off riddalin; another of her friends had Krone's disease, an insidious disease, and now has no more gut pain (something the expensive medications she took could not do); at a conference i went to recently I met two women who had amazing results while recovering from cancer - so much so that their doctors were confounded at how well they did and told them they have an obligation to spread the word to other cancer patients; another man I met has dropped his cholesterol and is off Lipitor with no other changes than getting on this nutritional program (he already had a decent diet with little change in cholesterol levels). All these people I've talked to or met, and more, have simply given their bodies the opportunity to heal themselves through customized nutrition. And many decided to rep the product because of their own personal amazing results, and the testimonials of their friends and family.

Notice I didn't say it "cured" them. It doesn't. Our bodies are remarkable, and we have an amazing immune system that when working properly, can heal ourselves of most things. But through stress, lifestyle, diet, medications, exposure, toxins, and a whole host of other things, we lose our ability to heal ourselves. Sometimes all it takes is to get a little bit back in balance metabolically....and amazing results happen.

And those of us without major health challenges who get on the product? Well, we see improved energy and better quality of sleep and quite a few other benefits (my nails grow in front of my eyes practiaclly)! My husband can make it through the day with a greatly improved mental clarity. He is far more sensitive to vitamins than me - he notices the diffrence if he misses them that morning. And he's been a vitamin taker forever but never saw results quite like these. Me, I've never had results in the past, and didn't think I needed vitamins, I tried for years to take vitamins and after a few weeks, always ended up hating them and filling up my cupboards with expensive useless bottles. This is the first time I've seen results like this, and also the first time I've had no side effects like gas or tasting the vitamin all day. So I have now become a full-on believer.

This company is based on science, and utilizes the very top nutritional testing lab in the country, Metametrix, which has been doing this type of testing for 20 years, mostly for olympic and professional athletes and wealthy people (because prior to recently, it was prohibitively expensive for the average person). It's only sold through health care practitioners, and now this company has an exculsive alliance with them. Metametrix has a team of 13 PhDs who do the research and analysis. And the formulary which makes the customized vitamins has been the top neutraceutical company for the past 50 years, Douglas Labs, which has unmatched quality and purity (their products are all pharmaceutical grade). I do have the science to back this up, and will send out a copy to those who request it via PM. This is my last post on this subject.

I actually just met a nutritionist who has been using the same testing lab for her clients for years. She does the lipid peroxide tests and liver detoxification test (sulfates) and prescribes certain vitamins to the tune of $90 to $160 a month. The company I work with creates a custom vitamin based on the results of your test, at a cost MUCH less than you would get from a doctor, naturopath, nutritionist, or from any of the other high quality highly absorbably but non-customized products (such as Usana, Melaleuca, Advocare, Shaklee, Pharmanex, etc. In fact, the latter claims to 'customize' it based on a test, but the test doesn't have the scientific support, it's not based on a urine sample, and it's not really customized - they sell you the same stuff regardless of how you come out in their "test"). All of these are only available through reps because the quality is much higher than you'll find at almost any store, since the cost would be prohibitive through standard distribution methods.

And finally, many of you know me, some for quite a few years, either through WSSC, ECA, or other conferences, through my responses on this or other forums for the past 10 years, or through orientations or CEd, and I hope you would trust me. I would never get involved in something without first researching it, and that I didn't believe in 100%. Because I have an exercise science background, and have been a personal trainer for over 15 years, and believe so heartedly in exercise testing and creating a custom exercise prescription based on the results of a test (whether it be a field test, or metabolic exercise test), this whole concept made so much sense to me. But I still had to dig deeply into the science and read everything they had on the product and the process. I am not a nutritionist, but I don't have to be to support or recomend this product. I simply know it works. If you're interested, please PM me. If not, that's perfectly fine, you are certainly welcome to your opinions, but please don't continue trashing something you don't understand. I'd prefer to send you the research and then we can talk!

This is my last post on this subject - I don't feel the need to defend it any more than this except to offer to send the research or info to those who are interested.

But i will post another response to Melanie's thread on caloric intake....

Thanks for reading!

[melanieann]

Calorie intake? Don't tell me I'm eating too much! Argh.