Reddit mentions: The best amino acid nutritional supplements

I've been mixing my own pre/post workout supplements for about three years now. I'm really into researching what I do when it comes to fitness and had found a good article by Jim Stoppani (which I can't find any longer). It detailed a formula for the ratios of supplements to help build/retain muscle growth and recovery. I basically buy the raw ingredients from Amazon and use powdered Gatorade for flavoring. It tastes terrible but for me it seems to be working.

I'm currently 49yo (turning 50 soon). I lift weights on a very regular basis. For 14 months I went 3x/week doing the Strong Lifts 5x5. I'm now doing Wendler's 5/3/1 with the Boring but Big accessory. I am not trying to be a power lifter, just strengthening my body. Also, studies have shown that regular exercise helps us older men keep up our natural levels of growth hormones & testosterone. This helps in recovery from injuries of which I've had a few from training over the years.

What I've found is that the BCAA seems to really help me recover. I have lots of energy as well. I do not suffer from soreness. I can tell I worked out afterwards, and am very "aware" of my muscles that I exercised but I've not been hurting. I keep track of what I eat and count my calories, pay attention to my nutrient intake as a "lean bulk" process. Do the BCAAs help me retain my muscle mass? I'm not sure but I have been slowly gaining size as far as muscle growth without having to overeat to get a calorie surplus. How do I know?

I am 6'-2" (1.88meters). When I began my fitness journey a few years ago I was around 260lbs (118kg) and very out of shape with lots of belly fat. My first year of hard exercise (mainly walking/running/yoga/ lite weight lifting & training in an MMA school) and using supplements I dropped to 192lbs (87kg). I then began to really work out in the weight room and am running around 220 - 225lbs (100 - 102kg) while keeping about the same body fat % (a variance of 4% or so). I believe BCAA have helped me retain my muscle while eating a lower amount of calories, in other words, a "lean bulk.".

I'm also very energetic these days. I can do a number of activities with out wearing out. My overall fitness level contributes to this sure, but I believe the BCAAs, along with some of the other supplements I take, really help out. For example, the other day I went to the gym and did 70 reps of Deadlifts. Nothing too crazy weight wise as I am just beginning this new program, and I am really not trying to just get BIG.. After that I went on a 2 mile speed walk with an old trainer friend of mine. I then spent time climbing around on the scaffolding around my house scrapping old paint. I also went biking carrying a backpack full of camera gear for a commercial shoot (I'm a photographer). Sure I went to bed tired but I didn't feel wiped out. I think the BCCAs helped.

So, anyway, do some research, figure out what works best for you. Everyone has specific needs/goals. Try to define those as best you can. Good luck!

I go camping all the time, so I've had a lot of opportunities to explore this conundrum. I would strongly recommend bringing a cooler, a cast iron pan, a bacon press, tongs and oven mitts. You tend to have a fair bit of "chill-out" time when camping, especially if you're going with sugar-eaters who will need to rest after basic activities. So you may as well eat tasty stuff.

And while a gas stove is nice, it's hardly necessary. Find a clearing without grass, gather some rocks, dig a shallow pit if you have the implements, and you've got a fine campfire. Use rocks to set your pan on. If wood is scarce, you can google some easy low-fuel types of pits. You can also make your cold-stored food last WAY longer if you can dig a hole in the ground for your cooler. This will roughly double the lifespan of your ice.

>3 days or less: Tasty and nutritious. Assuming you have a big cooler and coconut/olive oil, as well as cast iron pan, tongs and oven mitts. All of this stuff is easy-as-pie to make over an open fire or campfire stove.

• Bacon and eggs! Cook your bacon over open fire, take it out to drain, then drop your eggs into the bacon grease and scramble. Easy-peasy.
  
  
• Frozen/fresh spinach/kale. Get yo' macros on. Fry it up in your pan, goes with everything.
  
  
• Steaks. Little trickier to cook properly, you might need to improvise a little. Are you a grill master? If you didn't grunt cockily as a response, you may want to consider a different option.
  
  
• Turkey drumsticks. Wrap em in tin foil with some coconut oil, set em on the edge of the grill for 30-or-so.
  
  
• Fresh broccoli/cauliflower. If you want, use your pan with some olive oil to make cauliflower rice.
  
  > More than 3 days, especially in hot weather where cold-stored food will spoil, or if you can't get your hands on a cooler/cast iron pan.
  
  
• First, Ix-nay on the trail mix as others here have suggested. Like 75% of trail mix is too carby and will definitely knock you out of ketosis. Almonds are good... brazil nuts are alright... cashews and peanuts are okay in extreme moderation... everything else is too carby to sustain yourself on. Make your own trail mix using mostly almonds, a small amount of sesame/pumpkin seeds, and some brazil nuts. A few dried cranberries are alright, but it's always better to err on the side of caution. Use peanuts and cashews only if you have a 30-50g daily carb limit... if you rock the <20, avoid them.
  
  
• Second, reconsider beef jerky. Most of the stuff you buy in stores has way too much carbs from the sauces/sugar they use, so check the back. In my experience, the only ones that have an acceptable carb-level are the reduced-fat varieties, which kinda defeats the whole purpose. Jerky is also expensive as fuck to live on. If you can afford it, and you can find local-smoked kinds without carbs or with very few carbs, go for it. Otherwise, avoid.
  
  
• Pepperoni sticks are okay, if you can find a low-carb variety. Do your maths and only buy ones that hit close to 65-30-5.
  
  
• Hard cheeses are good. Aged cheddar has virtually no carbs, a good ratio of protein and fat, and keeps pretty well.
  
  
• Baking! Make yourself some almond-flour/butter muffins and biscuits. Use a little extra salt and/or double bake them if you're going longer than a week, so they'll stay preserved.
  
  
• Pork rinds. If you can stomach them, personally I find their texture gross.
  
  
• These are my keto-camping secret to success. MCT is key, key, key.
  
  
• It's fairly difficult to go even a week in the woods on keto, especially if you keep to under 20 carbs a day. But it's definitely possible! If you rock a campfire, dig a pit for your cooler, make sure you're fully prepared, and there's no reason for keto to have any negative impact on your camping experience whatsoever.
  
  > Booze. Most important of all!
  
  
• If you enjoy spirits neat or on the rocks, you're pretty much good to go. Scotch, bourbon, rum; all great camping drinks, well-accompanied by a cigar. Gin and soda is another good option if you don't like your drinks quite so strong.
  
  
• Music festival or drunk hiking? Get yourself a 3L camelbak, drop in a litre (or half if you're a little guy) of vodka, and fill it up with water and a carbless electrolyte mix (I recommend this one), and proceed to get hammered without depleting your potassium and magnesium.
  
  Don't be tempted to take the easy route and use carbs for energy. You'll crash, you'll more than likely feel sick, it's just gonna be a bad time. Keep calm, keto on, and you'll not only have an awesome camping experience -- you'll be able to take pride in overcoming a challenge. Good luck!

Ok, this might be a lengthy response so I apologize! In the "before picture" I had done P90X all the way through about 2-3 times. I was getting tired of doing the same thing and wanted to know more about how lifting worked and how it could change my body. I joined a gym and started going every day and working on my own routines. I've bumped around a lot in terms of weekly splits, rep/set numbers, etc. What I usually do now is this:

Week 1: This week I focus on working up until failure. I usually do a warm up set (something I can do 10 reps pretty easily with), then do 3-4 more sets adding more and more weight with each set. I go until failure for every one, and on the last set (as soon as I fail) I drop back down to my warm-up weight and go until failure again. I do this with pretty much every exercise for this week. I do the muscle groups highlighted below for this week, so usually one major group a day.

Week 2: I usually like to do a 3-Day split, so Chest/Back, Legs/Abs, Shoulders/Arms. I'll do these two times a week, with one day being a designated "heavy day", where I work up to a one rep max, and one designated "light day", where I usually do more reps (usually 10, 15, 15, and 20 if I'm doing four sets of something). I like to do more compound movements on heavy days, and more isolation/body weight movements on light days.

Week 3: This week I divide up into a Heavy/Medium/Light split with 3 muscle groups a day. So Heavy Chest/Medium Shoulder/Light Tricep or Heavy Back/Medium Bicep/Light Legs. I then just switch up the order of these and do them 2 more times that week, so for example it would be Monday- Heavy Chest/Medium Shoulder/Light Tricep but then on Wednesday it would be Heavy Tricep/Medium Chest/Light Shoulder, and so on. Does that make sense? Sorry if that's tricky to understand! Usually for "medium" things I do 8-12 reps, and "light" I do 15-20 in this week.

Week 4: This week I usually just mess around with supersets and drop sets! Not much order going on here, haha.

These are some of the exercises I do for my muscle groups!

Monday (Chest/Calves): Incline Bench, Flat Bench Dumbbell Chest Press (superset with a Dumbbell Fly - loooong holds), Decline Cable Fly, Flat Cable Crossover, Incline Cable Fly, Hammer Strength Chest Press, Chest Dips. For calves, my favorite exercise is to take a step-up platform (I think that's what they're called) and put it at the Smith Machine. I put some weight on the bar and stand so my heels/feet are hanging slightly off the back of the platform and then I raise up. I also like to do calf raises on the leg press, and seated calf raises too!

Tuesday (Back/Abs): Deadlifts, Sumo Deadlifts, Hyperextensions, Bent Over Rows (both underhand and overhand grip) usually superset with a One-Arm Dumbbell Row, Hammer Strength Rows, Wide Pull-Ups (I used to climb a lot and these helped a ton), Close Grip Pull-Ups, Cable Rows, Lat Pulldowns (I do regular as well as reverse grip on these, I also sometimes like to take the handles vs the bar and pulldown as well!) I'll write my ab routine on Sunday (below).

Wednesday (Legs/Calves): Squats, Box Squats, Hack Squats (usually lighter weight but a huge hold at the bottom), Leg Extensions (superset with lying Leg Curls), Leg Press (I usually finish with this, I don't like it as much as squats), Walking Lunges (I grab a pair of dumbbells and go to town on the track, usually doing 100-150 lunges).

Thursday (Shoulders/Abs): Military Press, Arnold Press, Dumbbell Front Raises, Dumbbell Lateral Raises, Cable Upright Rows, Cable Lateral Raises, Shrugs, Bent Over Lateral Raises.

Friday (Arms/Calves): Barbell Curls, Preacher Curls, Cable Forearm Curls, Side Hammer Curls, 21's (curl from the bottom to halfway 7 times, from halfway to the top 7 times, then the full ROM 7 times), Negative Curls (if you have a partner, this is a great one that gives a delicious pump! Have them push down as you are bringing the weight back down, and fight their push), Incline Skull Crushers, Rope Tricep Extensions, Dumbbell Tricep Kickbacks, Seated Overhead Tricep Press, Dips.

Saturday (The Big Three): Why, Squat/Bench/Deadlift, of course! I usually work up to 1 rep max on these and pyramid back down.

Sunday (Cardio/Abs): I usually swim for a half hour or so. I do slight cardio every day, usually about 10 minutes. For abs I really like to do weighted things, and then once I can't do any more I drop the weight and start doing just bodyweight. For abs my favorite things are Hanging Leg Raises, Decline Sit-Ups, V-Crunches, Windshield Wipers, Cable Crunches, Kayak Twist (I think that's what it's called), Oblique V-Ups, Dumbbell Decline Twists.

As far as my diet goes, I haven't quite figured out how to tailor calories/macros to fit my body yet, but plan to do that soon. I eat pretty healthy but once or twice a week I like to eat Dominoes cheesy bread or pecan pie or something. I usually just try to get about 2800-3000 calories in, and get about 250 or so grams of protein. Then the rest of the day I fill the rest with carbs/fats. My day is usually set up like this:

Breakfast: 2 Eggs, 4 whites, 1/2 cup oats, blueberries.

Mid-Day Snack: Almonds (Salt and Vinegar are awesome), protein shake

Lunch: Tuna or ground turkey with broccoli or spinach

Mid-Afternoon Snack: Quest Bar, Cottage Cheese with grapes or something

Dinner: Chicken or tilapia with vegetables and quinoa/rice

All in all, it's usually pretty clean but I'm not a guy who will shove clean eating down your throat. I do it because I like buying things kind of basic, I've never really liked chips/poptarts/etc. and I've always eaten this way. Not saying this is the "right way to do things", if you know how to track macros right, you can eat what you want and get great results. Just wanted to throw that out there just in case people might bash me!

As far as supplements go, keep it simple. No, and I repeat NO supplement is going to be some "miracle pill". Trust me, last year I spent 200$ on a month supply of Shredz like a sucker. Stuff like that's not worth your money. Spend it on food. Anywho, I take 5g of creatine a day (check this out, its what I use) and a scoop of whey protein after my workout (I use Gold Standard if anyone's interested). I also drink green tea every morning and take psyllium husk powder (for fiber) every day.

Well, that's about it! Give yourselves time and keep going, push yourself every day, and never lose sight of your goals! :)

If you want to gain weight and put on muscle you are going to need some access to some weights at the very least. Bodyweight routines can get you far and definitely help in getting you conditioned but to truly see serious strength gains you're going to need access to a gym.

Gaining weight shouldn't be too hard (assuming you aren't a hard gainer). Make sure you are taking in plenty of protein (1.5 grams per lbs of body weight) and try supplementing with creatine. Creatine will help your muscles retain water and assist in muscle synthesis. It's not a magic bullet, but it is one of the most studied supplements in fitness. It's cheap, effective and easy to take. I use this brand.

A great lifting program to help you gain strength is the stronglifts 5x5 program. Like I said beore, in order to gain real muscle you are going to need access to a some basic weights (bar and plates) but it'll will pay dividends in the end over bodyweight exercises alone.

In terms of WODs you can do without equipment (or with minimal equipment) you can check out these travel WODS which are desinged for CFers who are on the go and can't make it to a box.

All the basics that help people stay regular. Eat a salad for lunch, the insoluble fiber will help with your constipation and as a benefit will keep your blood sugar stable and reduce your cravings for snacks in the afternoon.

You can try taking a probiotic, this is the one I'm using.

But you know what has seemed to really help eliminate my constipation problem, I mean totally eliminate it? Magnesium.

Not only are my poops no longer hard but they are many times actually soft. I recently decided I didn't like the direction my health was headed, got my blood work done and found I was pre-diabetic and had slight anemia. So I started hitting the gym nearly every day, eating way better, and supplementing. I did some research for supplements backed by science. The list I came up with was this:

Creatine Monohydrate

Magnesium (L-Threonate is supposedly better able to cross the blood-brain barrier)

Vitamin D3

Turmeric

Fish Oil

I've been taking all of this stuff for about two months now and between that, the better diet, and working out my energy levels are much higher, my strength is already improving a lot, and my poops are not hard anymore.

Right now I'm on a low dose of Suboxone, 2mg/day, so I'm sure that helps. After being on this drug for 11 years I'm a big believer in being on the lowest dose you can be comfortable on.

I don't want to get too off topic but this channel has been so helpful to me for to start improving my health that I'm going to link to the supplements video in case anyone else here finds it useful:

https://youtu.be/1U5W1pQjqmA

Good luck with your poop!

vegetarian just means it's harder to get good protein. one of the things a plant based diet can be low on is Branched Chain Amino Acids (bcaa). These are a few amino acids the body triggers muscle protein synthesis from. to make sure you get enough, have a bcaa drink once or twice a day

https://www.amazon.com/Scivation-Powder-Branched-Raspberry-Servings/dp/B00LALNIOI/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1523670122&sr=8-3&keywords=bcaa

i have a large tub of the watermelon flavored. to save money, you can mix half a serving of that, with plain BCAA

https://www.amazon.com/Branched-Chain-Essential-Powder-BulkSupplements/dp/B00E7GV6G0/ref=sr_1_7_s_it?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1523669902&sr=1-7&keywords=bcaa

the plain stuff is really gross tasting and doesn't mix well with water. but the drink mix flavor covers it up, and the ctiric acid + lecithin emulsifiers help it dissolve really quickly.

ya, nuts to the mass gainers, they're just going to be carb powder. you're better off eating more low glycemic veges or beans. beans are a great source of low glycemic carbs, and you can cook up a lot from dried, all day in a crock pot.

glute/quad/ab heavy physique is a good choice for women. due to the lower starting muscle mass, thanks to less testosterone, lower body workouts can show more desireable thanks to walking around and casual use promoting more slow twitch muscle development.

i've seen girls with more average looking bodies at the gym who told me they competed. i think the hardest part is those weeks of not many calories trying to get the body fat as low as possible. after that, bam, get almost naked and show yourself off to the world. i don't think any of us are going to win any body building awards. think of it more as "fuck ya, i did it".

for now, to help with more muscle growth, try to aim for 25-40 grams of protein every 4 hours. protein shake as soon as you wake up. normal lunch, protein shake for dinner, protein from food source before bed.

the protein shake right away in the morning is because you just got done with "a fast" by not eating while you sleep. the protein from real food close to bed time so it takes longer to digest and helps promote muscle growth during your sleeping fast. and bcaa drinks don't count as protein shakes :).

only around 10% of excess dietary carbs are used by the body to make additional bodyfat. so if you're going with a surplus of calories, add more low glycemic carbs.

for now, to pack on weight, try for 150g of carbs, 150g of protein and try to keep fats to no more than 50g. if you can't hit your carbs and protein goal, try to at least hit the protein goal.

you will add some body fat during a bulk, it's impossible not to. that's why you'd bulk for 3-4 months or so, then cut and try to lose weight for 1-2 months, and repeat. when you do a cut (trying to lose weight by eating less calories than your body needs) you will lose muscle and body fat. after a few weeks, 2-3, your body will be much more efficient about NOT losing muscle. so a minimum of a 4 week cut is recommended.

i like https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4gDYbCEIb69uvFmCX5Lyuw as a female body builder. she's smart and i think has a good physique you could aim for.

good luck, enjoy the only sport where you try to look good naked, and the sport where no one would give you funny looks if you stripped down to your underwear to talk about your physique (it's so funny what i've seen happen in the gym and no one thought anything odd about it).

So I had a chance to look at Re-Power, and it has a similar amino acid profile to beef. All the extracts are pretty much garbage:

Chemical | Weight | %DV
---|---|---
Chicory Root (as Cichorium intybus Extract) & Rocket Plant (as Eruca sativa Extract) Blend| 500.00 mg|
Chinese Skullcap Root Extract (Scutellaria baicalensis) Catch Tree Bark Extract (Acacia catechu)| 62.50 mg|
Olive Leaf Extract (Olea europaea L.)(as Maslinic Acid)| 200.00 mg|
Olive Fruit Extract (Olea europaea L.)(as Hydroxytyrosol)| 50.00 mg|

Some do have studies done them but most results are nothing more than unremarkable in terms of use for fitness. Chicory root is a coffee substitute good for removing internal parasites. Rocket Plant is just arugula, so you might as well just eat it. Didn't see much studies on the benefits. Chinese skull cap seems to be a traditional Chinese remedy for various ailments with some conclusive evidence for efficacy but mostly it is a nootropic (smart drug). Cool but wholly unnecessary for this application. You'd be better off with Creatine as it is both a nootropic AND performance enhancer. Also, really cheap. I cannot find any info on even what a "Catch Tree" is so no conclusive data for what the extract might do. Olive Leaf/Fruit Extract seem to be super expensive antioxidants with anti-HIV properties. If you don't have HIV just drink Black coffee or tea or eat olives.

So, the good stuff in here seems to be Beta Alanine an Betaine, but Beta Alanine is cheap and Betaine is in beets (super cheap) or is made in your body from Choline (from eggs).

If you have any more questions please let me know. If you can't return these things then I guess just take them until they are gone, but definitely don't buy them again.

Reading your responses, I just have to say - Wow... You've done WAY more research for your son than most new guys do before they post for themselves! Amazing job! It sounds like you've got a great base of knowledge and are anxious to learn.

To answer your question - The reason people don't recommend mass gainers is not only because they are expensive, but because the majority of the calories are from a very inexpensive simple carb (maltodextrin). When you are making your own, you have control over everything. You can add healthy fats like PB and olive oil. You can add healthy complex carbs like oats. You can add fruit (bananas, berries). You can add vegetables (spinach). You can add things like chia/hemp seeds. You can control the sweetness with honey. One scoop protein, or two? You decide! It's just so flexible, and gives you way more nutritional value than a mass gainer will.

My strategy has always been to track my meals for the day. By night time, I look at the remaining calories, carbs, fats, and protein, and I make a shake tailored for that day to fill in all the gaps.

As for creatine, 5g of Creatine Monohydrate daily is what is recommended. I like ON Micronized Creatine. $40 for 380 (THREE-EIGHTY!) servings.

Well, finally my time to contribute! I've dealt with cold sores since as young as I can remember but it's been over 3 years since I've had one. First off a few tips when you actually get a cold sore....

1. Pop it with a sterilized needle and gently press the contents out with a tissue.
   
2. Clean the surrounding area with alcohol to prevent it from spreading.
   
3. This sounds crazy, but put hand sanitizer on the cold sore! It dries the cold sore and continue to place sanitizer on it until it starts to form a "yellowish" scab. ( I put the sanitizer on a q tip and put it on the cold sore). Don't peel the scab and let it be and when you shower do not get the sore wet.
   
4. Clean your hands vigorously after getting anywhere near the cold sore.
   
   I've had amazing success with my method and hope it helps others!
   
   

• Abreva and all those ointments are garbage. They keep the sore moist and I've never had any luck. I've tried every "home remedy" under the sun from salt, to bleach, to green tea bags on the sore. The ointments may work for you, but from my experience the best method is hand sanitizer. I've done hundreds of hours of research on cold sores. Being ridiculed in middle school and high school forced me to do my research. The only way to really prevent cold sores is to minimize stress and use chapstick with spf. Cole sores are thought to be triggered by the the amino acid l-arginine, which are present in nuts and chocolate.
  
  Now for my prevention tips:
  

1. Get a prescription for Valtrex 1000 mg and split the pill in half and take 1/2 pill every night. (I did this to save on cost).
   
2. Buy a product called Super Lysine on Amazon. Lysine has been proven to decrease the growth of cold sores. (https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Super-Lysine-Tabs-Bottle/dp/B001CMZB4U?th=1).
   
3. Take one pill of Bee Propolis nightly, it's basically bee pollen which has natural antiviral properties. (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ANORXA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1).
   
4. Chapstick with SPF is extremely important!
   
5. Exercise to keep immune system healthy.
   
6. Stress is a big trigger, but that can be a hard thing to control

Hey man. I wasn't quite that skinny, I was M/20/5'9"/135lbs. But I decided I wanted to be heavier, so I started tracking calories, trying to eat about 3000 a day and making sure to get minimum of 120g protein. I used MyFitnessPal (Free smartphone/web app). This mass gainer and creatine helped me a TON. They say to use "2 scoops" for the mass gainer but that's absolutely stupid. Just use 16 ounces of 2%/whole milk and ONE scoop, and it still adds up to like 800 calories.

Use a TDEE calculator and aim to go about 500-750 calories above that. A faster bulk will mean more fat mixed in with the muscle, but if you wanna gain weight faster, it's just how you do it.

Best of luck skinnybro! I gained 15 lbs in 6 weeks just between eating more, using that mass gainer, and creatine. Did I gain some fat? Sure, but by the end of it, My dad saw me (after not seeing me for about 2 months) and said "I barely recognized you! You're so much bigger!". So it made a huge difference, and I looked more muscular too, not ripped, but muscular.

Its all good dude, for electrolytes I like to use capsule's like these. Makes it easy and you dont have to figure out ratios on your own. You can by them seperately as Magnesium citrate, Potassium Citrate, and you can Get Sodium from kosher or Pink himilayan sea salt. Sea salt is good because it contains other trace minerals as well. For Muscle recovery Glutamine and BCAA's are amazing.

I'm no excercise elitist either. We love doing bike rides to brewerys and back. I just save the recovery until i'm done drinking. I've found that to be pretty effective.

If you're not going to the gym every day and eat a lot of red meat, you shouldn't need any creatine. If you're going every day and lifting heavy it would be good to get about 5 extra grams of creatine a day.
http://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrition-Creatine-Unflavored-Servings/dp/B002DYIZEO/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1415508622&sr=1-1&keywords=creatine

Multi vitamins are the most unappreciated supplement in the world! Please get on a daily regimen, it'll do so much good for you.

Get some BCAA's combined with glutamine. It is good for recovery and helps build lean muscle. oldschoollabs.com makes a great BCAA with glutamine and creatine. I like it alot.
http://oldschoollabs.com/vintage-build/

As far as pre-workout, I cannot workout without it. Judging from you being 260 previously, you're not naturally motivated. Not to take away from your weight loss, which is still very incredible!
It will make your workouts much more efficient and make you want to do exercises.

My recommendations are C4 (Watermelon or Fruit Punch), it'll make you a little itchy at first but that's how you know its working.
http://www.amazon.com/Cellucor-Extreme-Fruit-Punch-grams/dp/B008LE8RE8/ref=sr_1_2?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1415508422&sr=1-2&keywords=c4

If your sensitive to creatine, there is a creatine free pre workout called volt that is pretty nice. It also happens to be the same parent company that makes the C4.
http://www.amazon.com/Neon-Sports-Pre-Workout-Watermelon-Servings/dp/B00E0NG44E/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1415508452&sr=1-1&keywords=volt

Good luck and keep at it!

You're welcome.

>Did you take any antivirals for your first outbreak? I'm really hoping the acyclovir will help and that this outbreak won't last that long. Fingers crossed!

No I did not. I saw a doctor and he did not suggest any. My doctor said, you have HSV and every once in a while when you're body is under stress a blister can show up. But you don't need medication.If this occurs frequently like every month then we could consider. So no antivirals for me. Apply an ointment if possible.

Basic Organics L-Lysine Lip Ointment, 0.875 oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GG0WOC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_4Qigzb5RM8030

I own this and it works for me. Usually open blisters fade in 2 days after applying. Another 2 days and you can only see a small spot left. One week and nothing is visible. Btw, I'm a dude.


>Just wondering, did you start on suppressive treatment after your initial outbreak? Additionally, how many further outbreaks do you usually get per year? Sorry for all these questions, but it really does feel reassuring to talk to someone who has been through it.

Don't worry about the questions. I'm glad you're looking at objectively. I hope my answers give you some assurance and help you manage this challenge.

To answer your question, No, I did not start suppressive therapy like until 2015. And honestlyI did not need to. But nothing wrong if you did it. I would say that is good management. Also, I self medicated my suppressive therapy and it has worked . So if you consulted your doctor with regards to this, Kudos you're doing better than a lot of people out there. I use this :
Quantum Super Lysine, 180 Tabs, 1 Bottle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001CMZB4U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fZigzbBQ6J4VF



>I actually have no idea how anyone has the ability to do that during an outbreak. The sores sting like a bitch.

I know it hurts. But usually restrain yourself a couple of days after a breakout . Otherwise it's food. Have a good day. Tc

I’m so sorry about the rosacea you beautiful ladies. I have some tips that may help:
I tried fractional laser for my broken capillaries, and it didn’t do anything except give me a scar from a blister I got.

1. l- lysine helps strengthen blood vessel walls.
   https://www.amazon.com/NOW-L-Lysine-Double-Strength-Tablets/dp/B000Z9361G
   
   
2. fungal acne safe routine:
   Check your skin care products on www.skincarisma.com and make sure they are fungal acne safe.
   
   
3. the Ordinary’s Alpha Arbutin:
   https://www.beautylish.com/s/the-ordinary-alpha-arbutin-2-ha
   It has a cooling effect on the skin (skin carisma says this is not fungal acne safe, but it doesn’t give me any issues.)
   
   
4. scrape your face: yeah I don’t know why this helps so much but it does. Gently scrape the gunk off your face with this thingy:
   https://www.amazon.com/exfolimate-Face-Body-Exfoliation-Exfolimate/dp/B00SVDLGHY
   Also good for KP.
   
   
5. Squaline oil: I use the one from the ordinary, but if you search reddit for squaline oil you will find other recommendations.
   https://www.skinstore.com/the-ordinary-100-plant-derived-squalane-30ml/11416764.html
   
   
6. eucerin healing cream on your worst patches.
   https://www.amazon.com/Eucerin-Original-Healing-Rich-Creme/dp/B001FB5IIC
   
   
7. sun screen: I like this one: https://www.ulta.com/clear-face-liquid-lotion-sunblock-spf-55?productId=xlsImpprod11281057
   
   Or this one: https://www.amazon.com/Biore-SARASARA-Perfect-SPF50-original/dp/B0727STS9G
   
   Subscribe to r/skincareaddiction and r/rosacea. There is a lot of help there too. Good luck!!

It's definitely optional but if you have the rest of your diet and training dialed in then it could be useful to add to your routine. As u/JrDot13 said, 5 grams is a good daily dose. It's probably best to put it in your pre-workout meal/shake/drink, but overall that's not a huge deal. For the best value, I would go with something like Bulk Supplements on Amazon.

So yesterday I tried this combo:

1 scoop Jarrow Creatine
30 mins before Jiu Jitsu.

Breakfast:
8 a.m:

1 slice of Ezekiel sourdoug toast with almond cream cheese.
Shake with Nutiva hemp protein, 1/2 banana, blueberries, water, almond milk, almond butter and a splash of flax seed oil.

Tea mix of whole foods yerba matte and spoonful of matcha.


11:30 a.m:

1 scoop BCAA in my water bottle for during class & open mat (1.5 hours)

2 p.m.:

1 scoop Glutamine
1/2 Scoop Nutiva Hemp Protein Powder

Grilled two veggie sausages with a tad of almond cheese melted on two whole wheat hot dog buns.

About 20-30 mins after eating I pretty much crashed and had to take a nap. Was tired the rest of the day. Took 1 B-complex vitamin before bed and slept in till about 8:15 am. Usually wake up before 7 and feel fine.

If it matters, for dinner I had a bowl of quinoa with grilled corn, vegetables and some seitan chorizo, a small glass of wine and after a beer.

Noticed that at Jiu Jitsu I was in beast mode but felt my mind was clear. I was worried the creatine would give me anxiety like a lot of other similar supplements often do. I felt great and had some amazing matches. Went harder with some of the tougher dudes but held my own and felt great.

I'm thinking maybe I need to work on my post workout food/routine. Maybe I need to bring a shake that's ready for right after with protein powder and glutamine or something. Any suggestions?

I recommend getting a pull up bar (it's great for pull-ups, chin ups, push ups) and doing 3 sets of this workout, with pull ups added in. Starting out, you won't be able to do all the reps recommended, but just find what your limit is and do that. As you get stronger then you can increase. This regimen got me into pretty good shape before I recently started going to a gym and doing Wendler 5/3/1. And as /u/requires_distraction said, read up on /r/bodyweightfitness.

Edit: Also, diet is just as important as exercise. Make sure you're getting about 1g of protein for each pound of body mass, and you can calculate your approximate caloric needs here. I don't know how much detail you want to go into in tracking your diet, but using myfitnesspal to track macronutrients and calories has done wonders for me. Lastly, consider supplementing with creatine. It's a very cheap supplement (4 month supply for $16 on amazon), and has been proven to provide more energy during workouts (resulting in more productive workouts) with practically no side effects, other than the need for increased water consumption during the first week of loading.

I think the memory improvement is from other stuff I am taking at night before I go to bed. The modafinil is strictly a caffeine replacement for me, which also helps me avoid sugar, in the energy drinks.

AM

• 100mg Modvigil Modafinil - modafinilcat - when I wake up, takes about 30 minutes for me to notice the effects
  These next two are for muscle health, taken in the morning with 32 ounces of water
  
• 750mg Creatine Monohydrate by NOW Link: http://amzn.com/B0018OADEA
  
  
• 750mg Beta-Alanine by NOW Link: http://amzn.com/B001AWSR34 ( I like the way this makes my skin tingle )
  
  
  PM
  
  
  
• 2000mg Now Foods Glycine 1000mg, Capsules, 100-Count by Now Foods Link: http://amzn.com/B00UNH0TO2 - helps me sleep and is supposed to help your body process stored fat cells, in other words it should help burn fat
  
  
• 200mg Now Foods L-Theanine Veg Capsules, 200 mg, 120 Count by Now Foods Link: http://amzn.com/B00GQV9YX6 - helps with sleep, and calm clear thoughts
  
  
• 100mg Douglas Laboratories ® - Chelated Magnesium - 100 Tabs by Douglas Labs Link: http://amzn.com/B0013FVLIQ - apparently according to my dr, and chiro the modafinil can deplete magnesium from your system and cause sore muscle or bone aches, I take this to counter that and dont have that issue anymore with the modafinil
  
  
• 1 Now Foods True Calm Amino Relaxer by NOW Link: http://amzn.com/B0006U6IMI
  
  
• 1 500mg NOW Foods Choline and Inositol, 100 Capsules / 500mg by Now Foods Link: http://amzn.com/B001F0R65Q
  
  
• 0.5 Rainbow Light Men's One Multivitamin by Rainbow Light Link: http://amzn.com/B0007YCC7S - I take a half at night otherwise I get an upset stomach and I feel like I am peeing it all out if I take the whole thing.
  
  
  
  If anyone could suggest changes or something I might add, I am welcome to suggestions. I mostly made this list for myself so I can see what I am taking each day.
  

Thank you for your responses, I appreciate your continued explanation.

I've endured a long and difficult relationship with psychoactives. I first took DXM 7 years ago, and I have since run the gamut. Drug combinations, dosing methods, kitchen extractions, you name it-- I've done it. In other words, learned the hard way. I think this may be why I have such reverence for your approach. I am humbled by your thoughtfulness.

Note: this post is very, very long.

My method:

Preparation begins several days in advance. Like you, I have obligations that necessitate some schedule-shuffling. In many ways, this makes the experience feel more like a vacation; it's a special occasion, so I treat it like a holiday.

I abstain from alcohol and other drugs for at least 72 hours before the trip. As you mention, hydration is key to basic health, and this is a component of the days leading up to the trip. If I haven't been hydrating well, this is my chance to catch up.

I clean my environment fully. I dust, vacuum, mop, and sanitize my bedroom. I clear rubbish and generally tidy any areas I might enter around the time of the trip, such as the bathroom, kitchen, and living room.

I make sure to eat plenty of fiber, protein, and nutrient-rich foods like nuts, leafy green vegetables, and fish. If I can't get fish, I make sure I take a good amount of high quality fish or cod liver oil. I practice a high-fat, adequate-protein diet; basically, it's a modified ketonic diet. I usually take in 1-2 tbsp of cold-pressed extra virgin coconut oil once or twice a day both for its health benefits and for increased absorption of other chemicals. However, I skip this on DXM day, which I'll explain later. I have a wide range of supplements I take as well. These include micronized creatine, HMB, a multivitamin, and a number of nootropics. My nootropic stack varies depending on whether I have to work or not, but usually includes piracetam, aniracetam, ashwagandha; sometimes I add phenibut and/or phenylpiracetam.

The day before the trip, I exercise-- hard. I push myself to my absolute limits with calisthenics, weightlifting, and cardio. If I have the time for it, I will go for 2-3 hours split up throughout the day. I find that this accomplishes two things: 1) I achieve a deeper state of rest the night before and 2) I have considerably less anxiety about the trip. At night, I take ZMA. This contains a form of magnesium, but I've never had any issues with interactions. I'm pretty certain that the peak levels of magnesium occur sometime during the night, but I would recommend caution when using magnesium supplements within 24 hours of DXM use. As I have said many times before, every body is different and every brain is different. Your mileage may vary.

Is using toys bad? Not at all, as long as you are creating an intimate experience together. As far as you not seeing improvement with pied I know a few tricks myself.

1)before you try Viagra get your diet and exercise in check which it sounds like you are doing. Drink lots of water, avoid sugar, and eat healthy fats (avocado, nuts, fish etc)

2)after your diet is worked out if you're still having issues try to relax, your mental state has a massive impact on sexual vitality. Whatever you do to relax do that, just make sure it is a healthy habit.

3) if all of that fails try supplements. Vitamin D and C are no brainers, it also helps to have a simple multi vitamin. You can also try ginseng, dark chocolate, or black raspberries for natural sexual boosts. I also have had great experience with supplementing citrulline malate, it naturally occurs in the rind of watermelons. It processes through the kidneys and causes your body to produce much more L-arginine which in turn is converted into nitric oxide. Nitric Oxide is THE chemical that makes erections happens, all ED pills affect NO levels through one mechanism or another. However These pills are expensive and arguably less effective.

https://www.amazon.com/BulkSupplements-Pure-L-Citrulline-DL-Malate-Powder/dp/B00EYDJTRE?th=1

Supplementing with 2 grams a day of this should produce desirable effects within a week, and is perfectly safe. Take more as desired daily but usually anything over 5 grams is overkill. It's perfectly safe, I was taking 10g a day for months before I begin to feel any negative effects from the high dose (nausea mostly). This is all my own personal research and I weigh 145 so take this with a grain of salt. Just make sure that you are careful because these steps will make you hornier which might make it difficult to stay away from porn, but you know you. Regardless stay strong!

http://www.bulksupplements.com
That company, but I generally just buy through their Amazon page as I have prime and get free shipping. 19$ for a kilo of creatine (on their Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E9M4XEE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_NM57ybC3W811G ) is hard to beat, and it's ultra fine, I barely even notice it mixed with water. Of the multiple brands of creatine I have tried, this is my favorite (and cheapest). As well, they will give you few samples for repeat purchases, I got 20 servings of 2:1 BCAAs (but you can choose from all like 200 of their items) for free after purchasing 3 kilos of creatine.

OK. You're going to think this reply is a bit weird but, this is relatable to me and something that works for it.

You're dead right. It's in your head. And it will be a lot for as long as you play. These other folks have it right. Get a routine. Make it habit. Make it muscle memory. Practice slowly and with purpose to burn it in.

There is more too it for me though. Anxiety. Anxiety like holy god dammit. If someone or more than one person is watching me? Guaranteed I am gonna duff it, shank it, top it. Something bad.

On like two occasions in life, someone has given me a Xanax. That shit is amazing. An overwhelming feeling that everything is going to be juuuuust fine. But alas, I don't have a prescription for Xanax, and I don't have the balls to ask for one. (I don't know how to ask for one)

There is an amino acid called L-Theanine. It has an anti anxiety effect that makes it easier for you not to give a shit about what other people think or whatever is effing up your shot, and let's you shoot in peace.

I take two of these and it helps me. I hope it helps you too. I hope you learn to enjoy the game more and more.

I think that a simple search of "BCAA" will give you an idea, though for every article that says they are great, there's one that says that they aren't necessary. Here is one that's pretty balanced. Like you, I sweat like a pig and typically take a 32oz water bottle (along with a pretty big towel). Each serving of this is good for 16oz so it's two scoops in the water bottle using the included scoop. If you look at the nutrition label, you'll notice that its sodium content is off the charts--ie just like having a sports drink. That said, I keep very well hydrated throughout the day and will generally eat a protein bar like RX or one of these from Costco (and get them at Costco if you're a member--much cheaper than Amazon) an hour before I my OTF class starts.

In addition, I almost always start on the floor if a 2G and rower if it's a 3G so that I empty the tank on the treads and not on the floor.

Hey akharon - thanks for the reply. FWIW it isn't expensive; maybe a quarter per workout with this stuff.

As you pointed out; it may not even be effective to administer BCAA like this.
My understanding is that BCAA+carbs will help anabolism and limit catabolism, but most studies have tested this as a post-workout.

To be completely honest, my rational for the BCAA supplementation is weak. I don't have the paper titles/authors in front of me right now, but I read two meta summaries that both said that we don't really know when the ideal time to supplement either BCAA or protein is. The papers both suggested that best guess was to make BCAA/Protein available shortly after a workout; and since I do a whey shake after my workout I figured I'd throw the BCAA into my pre.

So, the real reason I throw BCAA into my pre is because it seems unlikely to inhibit my progress, but has plausible chance of improving it.

I'll try to remember to bump this thread with references.

Cheaper to buy in bulk.

Instead of getting 150g of creatine monohydrate from ON for $8.96 (17g creatine/dollar) he can get 2,000g of creatine monohydrate from ON for $37.79 (53g creatine/dollar).

Source: Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GIQS34/

Plus you save on shipping if you don't have a website that offers free shipping like Amazon (Amazon gives free standard shipping on certain products and free 2 day shipping on certain products if you have a prime account, which you can get for a 30 day trial free).

At 6'2 145, you aren't, and likely have never, been eating enough. Download MyFitnessPal, and track your calories. Don't estimate stuff, put it in a measuring cup or on a food scale. If I were you I would aim for 3000 calories a day to get started at least. It'll probably be tough for you to get there. If you're not gaining weight over the next couple weeks doing that every day, you're counting the calories wrong (fast and slow metabolisms are a lie).

A lot of people are saying there's no need for protein or creatine when you're just starting lifting. The first and most important thing is to eat more. If you don't eat more you won't get bigger. Once you start eating enough though, I would add protein and creatine on top of that. When you couple them with the newbie gains, in my experience, it's pretty noticeable.

You didn't mention lifting in your post, but my response is assuming that you are going to lift. If you don't, you'll only gain fat. Pick a good routine from the r/Fitness wiki, I really enjoy the PPL on there.

To sum things up:

1. most importantly, eat way more every day and lift consistently.
   
2. once #1 is happening, start taking one scoop of whey protein after workouts, and one teaspoon of micronized creatine monohydrate once a day every day (even on days you aren't working out)
   
   The protein I use is MyProtein Impact whey
   https://m.us.myprotein.com/sports-nutrition/impact-whey-protein/10852500.html?_ga=2.11746045.855534342.1496496945-717054701.1457580580
   
   The creatine i use:
   Optimum Nutrition Creatine Powder, Unflavored, 600g https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002DYIZEO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_pURmzbBXDWFRS
   
   Feel free to ask if you have any questions

What brand/site/anything do you recommend for Creatine? Looking particularly for the best pricepoint (bigger bulk). I'm in Canada, so shipping is also a consideration. I've looked on bodybuilding.com and amazon. This is the best I've found so far, got anything better? :)

I think it really depends on how long you've been working out. When I was new to working out I said to myself that I would never try creatine (I still don't know why but ignorant people always seem to think it's not "natural"). However, I did a lot of reading on it and figured I'd finally give it a try last March since I kind of hit a plateau.

I started taking 5g a day (forget the "loading phase" there are no studies that actually support it) and about a week in I went from benching 200lbs x 8 to 220 x 8. I had an increase of about 10% on pretty much all my lifts! I gained 6 pounds in the first 3 weeks. I was also eating about 3500kcal a day at the time so I don't know how much of that was the creatine.

Didn't have any negative side effects apart from having to take a piss about 5 times a day due to drinking 5l of water.

Should you choose to try it be sure to buy quality creatine. Read the reviews or better yet, buy "creapure" creatine. It's manufactured in Germany and therefore strictly regulated. Most other products are from Asia/ eastern Europe and can cause all kinds of nasty side effects. It's well worth paying an extra 20% just to be sure. Creatine is still the cheapest supplement you'll find!

EDIT: I use Optimum Nutrition Creatine which is made from Creapure. At 5g/day it costs me 5$/month. Generic cheap creatine might be a dollar cheaper a month but it's not worth the risk.

So if you're trying to add mass/strength, your biggest concern with going vegetarian is probably going to be getting enough protein. I try to take in like ~200g/day. You can calculate what you need here.

I personally get most of my protein from protein shakes. I use pea protein exclusively, this brand. Unfortunately, it comes from China but I can't pass on the price point. I also add peanut flour, cocoa powder, bananas, flax seed meal (good source of omega-3's), psyllium husk fiber (helps to slow down digestion of protein), BCAA's, creatine, and beta-alanine all in almond milk. The reason for some of those supplements can be found here.

Thanks to the fiber and the flax seed, it gets super thick almost like pudding if you let it sit. Usually, I'll mix in cold brewed coffee to get the consistency I want. It's really good. I drink like ~48 ounces a day, every day. Still have yet to get tired of it.

As far as recipes go, I try to eat high protein meals usually with beans/legumes and quinoa. I use tofu or tempeh as meat substitutes quite a bit too. I eat a lot of chili and curries. My instant pot (pressure cooker) is always getting used.

I also supplement with this multivitamin.

In response to the anti-protein focus comment, I guess I would say that I eat at a calorie deficit so it's hard to hit my protein targets unless I supplement. However, you should still count your macros at least at first to make sure you're getting in the range of where you should be.

Creatine will effect women the same way it does men. It is one of the most researched supplements so you can show her research and let her know she already gets a natural source of creatine from meat.

Water retention is held in muscles and might make you weigh more but it's not going to make you "bloated" in the sense you get from like your period or eating a ton of salt.

I recommend pure creatine monohydrate for anyone interested in it. You can mix it in with any drink mix if you don't want to drink it straight because it has a slightly bitter taste and a weird texture. I like this brand because it's milled pretty fine, really cheap, and I can buy it in large quantities.

Sure here's a story, i was in a FWB relationship with a girl who asked me to come over. I told her i had to go to my nephews birthday party. she texted me back that she would just have one of the other guys she was seeing come over and fuck her.

Not a very nice thing to do. I couldn't keep my dick up around her for about a week.

I bought some viagra, even though i knew it was a mental block. Took it once or twice and never had another problem.

I would suggest buying some l-carnatine or l-arganine. they are both supplements that release nitric-oxide into the blood that will increase blood flow. Its a simple physiological response.

I am an avid weightlifter and take them for the strenght effects (#gainz) but do have noticibly harder erections and better orgasms as well. *penis pills work for women too honestly could try viagra if you are able to get your hands on it.

Just do this to "get over the hump" i'm sure your orgasms will come back, but after trying these supplements, you might never want to go back!!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EYDJTRE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0019LWV74/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

A few key facts:
1.)Creatine has been proven to work. Source:http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/873.html

2.) 5 Grams a day is usually advised on the SIDE of your creatine container. 5 Grams is around a teaspoon. Source:http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=Mass+of+one+teaspoon+of+Creatine+monohydrate

3.) Cycling creatine is key. Source: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/phano85.htm

4.) Creatine is cheap. 14$ a serving. Source: http://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrition-Creatine-Powder-600g/dp/B002DYIZEO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292895221&sr=8-1

A few comments on what ever people have posted. You should already be drinking a gallon of water a day. If you are don't worry about that. Creatine is usually grainy. It tastes like nothing. Throw it in a Protein shake. Do not expect to become god after taking it. Your mileage may vary. Penultimately, qho cares if you gain water weight? Odds are, you're not Arnold yet or anywhere close. Five extra pounds of water isn't going to break you. Finally, watch out for Grade A Bro science and stick to the good sources. Trust the NIH.

edit: minor spelling.

No link on these since I came up with them myself. I can probably make an album this weekend though if there is interest. I'll link the products I use below. As far as how I make them, I just use a blender. I put the liquids (milk and oil) in first, then the frozen berries followed by all the powders, and finally the spinach. I blend it until everything is homogeneous then I add in the oats and pulse a few times just to combine them without pulverizing them. This is not a smooth shake like you might get from a smoothy place. There are bits of of spinach (although quite tiny) and the seeds from the berries. The oats are mostly whole still. I prefer it like that and feel that it helps prevent any possible stomach issues since there is some whole food for your stomach to work on instead of pure liquid. You could always blend it longer to get a smoother texture, but it will start to warm up since there is no ice.

• Protien Powder (I get the vanilla)
  
  
• Spinach
  
  
• Frozen Berries
  
  
• Flax Seed Oil
  
  
• Super Greens phyto nutrient blend
  
  
• Oats
  
  
• 2% Milk
  
  I also add the following for my exercise supplements
  
  
• Creatine
  
  
• BCAA blend
  
  
• Arginine
  
  
  I will also sometimes put in a scoop of fiber if I think about it (I LOVE MYOFiber, but any fiber is good). You can also sub out peanut butter for the flax oil. It's still healthy fats, but you miss out on a lot of the benefits of high lignan flax, particularly the Omegas. You can also tailor it a bit to your needs. If you want a carb heavy version, swap the milk for OJ. Want less calories? Swap the milk for water and cut the oil in half. Prefer chocolate? Change the whey flavor and use a banana instead of the berries. etc. etc.

Yes, that is what BCAA is.

You can buy it at GNC or order online.

Here is what I recently ordered (make sure you get flavored).

I put two scoops in 16 oz of water (each scoop is approx. 7g BCAA). I drink half before my workout and half after I'm done. I then have a low-carb protein shake an hour later and then my first meal an hour after that (two hours past the end of my workout). Since I've started doing this I've felt sooooooooooo much better during and after workouts, and just more energized in general. I'm also cutting so I was struggling with energy.

I also started taking 5g of Creatine Monohydrate each night as well -- a suggestion from darthluiggi -- and that may be a reason for my improvement as well.

I feel like this is my 2nd time asking this but people keep telling me on different approaches about when and how much creatine to take.

My stats M/20/5'2" and 132 lbs

I'm just bought some a few Optimum Nutrition's creatine and they've yet to arrive. I'm currently planning on loading at 15g every other day half before and half after my workout for the first week. After the first week, I will be taking 5g again split before and after my workout.

My questions are:

1. Is the amount that I am planning on taking correct?
   
   
2. Does it really make a difference if I take half before/after workout? Or would it be the same if I just took it all at once? If it's the same, should I take it before or after working out?
   
   
3. I drink whey protein after every workout and from what I've read, creatine doesn't mix well with protein shakes. If I mixed it in with my shake, will it affect how much of the creatine I absorb?
   
   Thanks for reading. Please feel free to give additional suggestions :)

Creatine + puberty is a pretty powerful combination, I remember friends in high school who started it and would gain like 20# over a summer. Not sure how much of that could be attributed to the creatine instead of the puberty, but the stuff seemed to work like magic for 15 & 16-year old meatheads.

Personally, I don't notice any effect from the stuff. No noticeable change in performance, bodyweight, or recovery, and zero side effects either (gas, bloating, diarrhea, etc). About the only thing it does to me is make thirstier in the morning.

Honestly, creatine is so cheap per serving that there's no reason not to experiment with it. Don't spring for anything fancy, get something like this and see where it takes you after 2 weeks. If you like it, keep taking it, if you don't, stop.

I use ON Creatine just because its not too expensive and I get my protein from ON as well. 10g certainly wont hurt either way, but I would try taking less and see if it still gives you the desired effects. You could always try mixing it with food if the texture is too apparent in liquid.

Most of what I feel in the preworkout is the caffeine, I take about 3/4 of a serving and thats over 300mg of caffeine which is a ton for me so I usually only take it if I'm really feeling sluggish beforehand. It also gives me a really good pump, I'm not sure if it helps with any lifts but I certainly enjoy it.

I can't say from experience in regards to MusclePharm Z-Core PM; however based on the supplement facts on their website it doesn't contain any BCAAs. Not to mention this isn't really a pre-workout supplement, more for before you sleep (unless you workout before you go to bed). *Note that it has melatonin.

[Unstoppable pre-workout?] (http://www.bodyenfitshop.nl/workouts/pre-workout/dedicated-nutrition/unstoppable/#ingredienten) based on this, since it doesn't have any BCAAs either, yes you will need extra BCAAs (preferably post workout).

ON Amino Energy has all the essential BCAAs, so you're good with that.



Frankly, you would benefit the most from the creatine (make sure it's monohydrate) and from ON Amino Energy. However, it would be more cost effective if you just bought straight up BCAAs like [these] (http://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrition-BCAA-Capsules-400-Count/dp/B000SOXALE/) and instead of using that Unstoppable pre-workout, go for some coffee or caffeine pills.

To answer your direct question, a study found no accelerated loss in strength or muscle mass 12 weeks after stopping creatine supplementation and moving to reduced-volume training. I'm not aware of any studies that go beyond 12 weeks. The participants were also older men (age 77), so the impact may or may not be the same for someone younger, or for someone who maintains the same level of intensity in their workouts. See study here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15263100

The indirect question raised by your post is creatine cost. Simply put, creatine is one of the cheapest and best value supplements in existence, particularly given that is so heavily supported by well-designed research. A 380-serving tub of Optimum Nutrition unflavored creatine monohydrate powder is currently $39.69 on Amazon, with free shipping. That's more than a year's worth of creatine at less than 10-cents per day. That's about $2.90 per month, assuming an average of 30 days in a month.

There are probably even better deals to be found from other bulk suppliers, but I generally like ON products and have Amazon Prime so I went with something easy. Find it here: http://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrition-Micronized-Creatine-Unflavored/dp/B000GIQS34/

I think there are products that are both cheaper and better than the ones you're looking at. I always aim for the cheapest price per unit (bulk powder in large quantities) while still making sure it's a high quality product. For protein, I would suggest unflavored Now Foods Whey Isolate. For oats, if you're planning to use a lot, stock up here. For creatine, creatine monohydrate from BulkSupplements. I don't have a recommendation for ZMA, but Optimum Nutrition is probably a safe bet, or just buy zinc and magnesium separately from Now Foods. Don't worry about supplementing glutamine. It will not do anything for recovery or growth.

I make my own pre-workout using beta alanine, citrulline, and sometimes some caffeine. For extra energy throughout the day, I would suggest vitamin D, Rhodiola, Tyrosine, and maybe some ALCAR, assuming you're already taking fish oil as mentioned.

Personally I love "Optimum Nutrition" and "NOW Foods"... I like them because they're relatively cheap, easy to access all over the world, and they put ONLY the supplement you're buying in their products (usually)... some companies will sneak in weird ingredients that don't really need to be in the supplement. Oftentimes preservatives... If you buy supplements from the grocery store, that's often what you'll find.

I use Optimum Nutrition (ON) for BCAAs... for me, I like just taking BCAAs in pill form. You can buy a powder and put it in a shake if you'd like but the pills are easier for me... I take them at least 3-4 times per day. From what I've heard, the more the better when it comes to BCAAs.

NOW Foods is where I get all my vitamins and mineral or herbal type supplements. Also, I live in Germany and I can find lots of cheap and quality products at the supermarket... in the States, it was much more difficult. Fortunately, Europe is a bit ahead of the power curve.

https://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrition-Capsules-1000mg-Count/dp/B000SOXALE/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1487775411&sr=1-1&keywords=ON%2BBCAA&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrition-Capsules-1000mg-Count/dp/B000SOXALE/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1487775411&sr=1-1&keywords=ON%2BBCAA&th=1

Personally, I don't like Whey protein. It upsets my stomach too much. I use Hemp protein whenever I want a protein shake. Of course, it's much easier to get here in Germany so I understand if you go with Whey... honestly though, you can get the same effect from BCAAs (others might tell you differently... just my opinion).

EDIT: Whenever possible, DO NOT buy from GNC or some random store... Amazon is almost always cheaper.

>all I want is a little boost on my gains

Sadly there is no supplement for this, unless you count protein powder...

Honestly all you need is some plain creatine monohydrate, and solid whey protein.

If you are under 40 you don't need a pre-workout, you should have natural energy and you can just eat a piece of fruit before hitting the gym, all you are paying for in most supplements is caffeine. Granted I would say caffeine is a welcomed boost after a low sleep night.

In summary

• Protein Powder
  
  
• Creatine
  
  
• Caffeine (If you need a boost once in a while)

What are people's views on supplements? I've researched a bit but have seen very mixed opinions. I'm looking to buy: (Money not an issue, but do care about effectiveness)

Creatine Pills

BCAA Caps

Glutamine Caps

Currently only using whey protein, all feedback appreciated. Thanks in advance

BCAA and water right after, banana or other light snack after drive home. Super hot then super cold shower. Read/watch show for a little bit. Zinc/Magnesium/B6 supplement 15 minutes before sleep time. Bedroom is super quiet and I installed blackout curtains which make a huge difference.
https://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrition-Capsules-1000mg-Count/dp/B000SOXALE/ref=zg_bs_6939949011_1?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=VNZ5NETWXJVAWQSQY74C&th=1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GIQS02/ref=sr_ph_1_s_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1487811737&sr=sr-1&keywords=zma&th=1
IF all that isn't working, slap on the headphones and listen to this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SmAqaCrCpU&list=PLp5q1GrVm5zUJyx-5kSQKIhjhCN3AoLsQ&index=2

I have been taking L-theanine for about 3 years now. Usually do about 400 mg a day and feel great but then again I consume about 200 mg of black coffee a day too. Cant say I have ever experienced brain fog, I just usually feel like I can zone in on my work and time just passes me by for those couple of hours. The focus boost is great and I feel a less stressed about life in general nowadays. I've been using the pill version from NOW and get them from amazon.

• https://www.amazon.com/NOW-L-Theanine-200-120-Capsules/dp/B00GQV9YX6

Hey. I started lifting weights about a year ago. Feeling like I've plateaued lately and am thinking of adding supplements. Right now all I take is Whey Protein after each workout. Was looking into other supplements and was thinking of adding Creatine and possibly BCAA for preworkout. And Casein Protein for before bed. Would this be a good regimen for gaining muscle? Are there anythings I should worry about when it comes to these supplements? The research I have done makes it seem that these are all pretty safe. Any and all advice is welcomed. Thanks.

Cold sore is an open wound and all it needs is contact with skin to transmit. If you're getting a BJ from someone that has an open cold sore there will be herpes laced saliva all over the damn place. A condom only covers your penis, not the area around it. Some of the virus will make contact with your skin around the base of your penis. Good news is that your skin is pretty resilient to bacteria and virus infections but there's still a good chance it will transmit.

Also, to the OP. Tell your g/f to take a Lysine supplement. Something like this and it should shorten the longevity or get rid of the outbreaks all together. This works very well for canker sores and genital herpes as well.

Firstly, one day is better than nothing but also bodyweight is great any time you can't make it to the gym.

If you're sore, do a warmup and then see how you feel. Usually I start to feel better. Also the purpose of the A and B days is that they work different muscle groups, so you can continue even if sore.

BCAAs or extra protein can help you with soreness if it's a big issue.
This brand is good bang for buck (more links available upon request to back that up) https://www.amazon.com/Branched-Essential-Powder-BulkSupplements-kilogram/dp/B00E7GV6GA

I get straight soy protein from Winco. It has a very mild flavor that I like, and can be bought for $5.5-$6.5 / lb. Note that your caloric intake is a bigger factor than your protein intake. Since you're really skinny, you'll have to eat significantly more than you're used to in order to gain muscle.

I'd also recommend creatine, which is a pretty standard supplement. It's around $20 for 200 servings

I use Amino Enery, and I really like it. I mix mine a little less than the recommended 2 scoops/16oz, as I find it a bit too sweet for my liking. Has 100mg of caffeine too, which is nice for energy and appetite suppression.

Edit: fixed link

Honestly I'd just make your own. It's what I do. It's cheaper, contains less junk, and more effective (more of the good stuff rather than just mostly caffeine).

Here's what you need...

1. Caffeine: one 200 mg pill
   
   
2. Beta Alanine: 2 g (1/2 tsp)
   
   
3. Citrulline Malate: 7 g (1 tbsp)
   
   
4. BCAAs: 5 g (1 tbsp), this is optional but most effective if your diet is low-Calorie, low-protein, or you are working out in a fasted state such as immediately in the morning
   
   
5. Gatorade Powder: to taste
   
   Sometime later in the day, with a meal or in an after-workout/evening shake, just make sure you have another 2 g of beta alanine. If not, then increase the beta alanine to 4 g (1 tsp) for your preworkout, but be warned you will get a strong (but harmless) skin prickling sensation at that dosage.
   
   And then of course 5 g creatine at some point during the day, but it doesn't have to be in preworkout.

I stopped using pre made mixes to save money. I used to use Optimum Nutrition's Amino Energy. The grape flavor is amazing, and it didn't make me feel super jittery like others I tried. This is what I use now:

• Cup of coffee with coconut oil
  
• 2.5 g of Beta Alanine
  
• 5 g of Citrulline Malate
  
• 5 g of Creatine

Most supplements are vegan. Make sure it's micronized for better mixing with your drink of choice. One of the top rated creatines that I usually buy is this one. I find my stomach agrees better with creatine in general in an acidic juice like OJ.

This. I've been doing this for about 6 months now. Not only is it cheaper, but you know exactly what's going into your body. I highly recommend the 200mg of caffeine, and sticking towards the top end of his BA/CM dosages.


If you're into that "focus"/"mind muscle connection" aspect of many preworkouts, you can toss in 1-2g of ALCAR as well.


Creatine can be taken any time during the day and the impact is unchanged, but you can just make it more convenient for yourself by pre-mixing little baggies with all of your supps.


Also it's important to note this is WAY CHEAPER!


Beta Alanine, 125 Servings for $24

Citrulline Malate, 25 Servings for $16

Creatine, 200 Servings for $19

ALCAR, ~500 Servings for $18

*Caffeine, 100 Servings for $5

Yup. As someone else pointed out, Optimum Nutrition uses Creapure and is micronized ($14.50 for 600g w/ amazon prime shipping), and this is the stuff I got most recently. It claims to be "ultra-micronized" or something and is even more fine than the ON stuff. It is almost like powdered sugar fine. I don't believe it is "Creapure", but at $15 for 800 grams and free shipping, I'm pleased so far.

NOW L-Theanine 200 mg,120 Veg Capsules https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GQV9YX6/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apap_FFW2DAW36Ugtz

When my anxiety is bad, I wake up and immediately pop one of these ltheanine pills. Empty stomach. Then I try to go about my day at my pace, doing things I want to do (whenever possible).

Daily 30min - 1hr walks help a lot. I started with 10min walks 3 times a week, and now I'm up to an hour a day and a good podcast. I prefer a funny podcast (Last Podcast on the Left for me) but anything that interests you is good.

This is a gradual change. Be as kind and forgiving to yourself as possible.

I’ve always taken ON’s BCAAs but I ran across ON’s Superior Aminos and I’m so confused. Is one better than the other? Should I take both?! HELP MEEEEEEE!

BulkSupplements Creatine Monohydrate 1kg - $0.09 per 5g serving

BulkSupplements Beta Alanine 500g - $0.15 per 4g serving

BulkSupplements Citrulline Malate 1kg - $0.27 per 8g serving.

Total in bulk - $0.51 per serving
Total with pre-made - $0.83 per serving

I'd say overall it's not bad, but it'll certainly be cheaper per serving to buy in bulk. And while it's refreshing to see more supplement companies not using proprietary blends and using effective doses I find it odd they decided to include creatine and beta alanine in a product marketed as a pre-workout, given these supplements are not timing dependent.

Also, unless you're doing a large volume of high rep work (15+ rep sets) you might not be getting much benefit from beta-alanine.

Agreeing, lysine works wonders. This one works great,
Quantum Super Lysine Plus

I will definitely look for that. Have you ever heard of cq10? Is it okay to take on keto? It's just antioxidants.

cq10:

Doctor's Best High Absorption Coq10 (100 mg), Softgel Capsules, 30-Count
http://amzn.com/B0007RDQJS

Also I found the creatine on Amazon for a decent price:

Optimum Nutrition Creatine Powder, Unflavored, 600g
http://amzn.com/B002DYIZEO

• OPTIMUM NUTRITION Gold Standard Double Rich Chocolate
  
  
• Flat shoes for lifts. If you have the money you can do something like adidas powerlift 2.0 shoes for 90 dollars or so and use them for squats and such. Grab some barefoot shoes or just deadlift barfoot.
  
  
• Grip chalk. You likely won't need it now but getting a brick
  
  
• calipers. You don't really need this unless you just want to track it and to ensure not gaining too much fat.
  
  
• Maybe some vitamins
  
  
• Creatine
  
  
• blender bottles. Grab a couple.
  
  
• Gym bag, lock
  
  
• Small tanktops to show off the gains

Optimum Nutrition is freaking great!! Overall good brand, and always priced pretty affordable - no frill good stuff

http://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrition-BCAA-Capsules-400-Count/dp/B000SOXALE

All sorts of sizes avaiable!

Creatine: Don't buy into any bullshit here. Whatever a supplement company is adding to their creatine probably isn't doing anything for you. If you want creatine, just get a huge stock of plain creatine monohydrate. This is personally what I take.

Protein: It's harder to make a decision here because just about every company is hawking some form of whey. Like others have said, some companies have been known to lie about their protein amounts. I would recommend just sticking to a trusted brand like Optimum Nutrition until you've had some time to look at reviews of some other brands you may have seen. Plus ON has the glutamine and BCAAs thrown into their blend, so why not. My only other recommendation would be not to buy into the "hydro-whey" hype. Unless you really have the extra money to throw around, it's probably not going to be worth it in any capacity.

• Looking to buy a pre-workout BCAA to take before I work out on an empty stomach. I am looking at Xtend. Is this good? Anything better? Any suggestions?
  
• I read somewhere that taking Calcium and Vitamin D supplements will assist in muscle growth / slow muscle loss if cutting, is there any truth to this?
  
• Follow up question, when people refer to Vitamin D, is that D3 or just plain ole Vitamin D?

Is something just like this all you recommend for L-Lysine? Also would you recommend zinc every other day? Or is it ok to take every day?

I like Align probiotics but I only have IBS-C. You could try that or Culturelle, which is for diarrhea. For the L-Glutamine make sure you get a powder because it gets absorbed better than pills/capsules. I use NOW Foods L-Glutamine pure powder. It's on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Foods-L-Glutamine-Pure-Powder-1-Pound/dp/B0013OXEKK?th=1

Widely used, tastes pretty good: http://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrition-Standard-Double-Chocolate/dp/B000QSNYGI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1398812111&sr=8-2&keywords=on+double+chocolate

Also, creatine isn't a substitute to protein - creatine is creatine, I generally buy the cheapest I can and take 5g of it a day. Something like this is fine: http://www.amazon.com/NOW-Foods-Creatine-Powder-Pounds/dp/B0013OXD38/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398812354&sr=8-1&keywords=now+foods+creatine

Do not buy from GNC, they are incredibly overpriced. I quickly perused some nutritional info and prices on their site and found that, for most of their products, you are paying about $1/day of use. Eg this, one of their top-selling creatines, costs 25 bucks, and contains 30 servings, with 10 grams per serving, much of which is sugar and other added crap.

This is turning into /r/fitness circlejerk, but this right here is what you want to buy. Currently on sale (act fast!) for 30 bucks, and it contains 225 servings with 5 grams per serving, none of which is sugar or other added crap. You don't have to be a math whiz to figure that out. It's either 25/month at GNC, or 30 for 9 months on Amazon

edit: ok, just found a different creatine sold by GNC which is 17 bucks for 100 servings of 5 grams creatine. Much more acceptable, but you can still get a better deal elsewhere

Personally, I really like this product. It's a combo of a few of the supplements you mention. I've always had a shitty immune system - like 6+ colds (very few didn't turn sinus infection, bronchitis, strep)... annually.

When I read that Lysine was an amino acid that helped boost your immune system in general and could possibly help herpes (not proven), I figured why not? I have been on it for 16 months now and I've had only ONE cold since then. I added a zinc supplement 3-4 months ago for other purposes.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001CMZB4U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_WihTDbJQF77PK

Yea, it's much cheaper if you buy it in big quantities. This is the caffeine I get, and this is the creatine I get. You can get them in varying sizes, and the bigger quantity you buy, the cheaper it gets. But regardless of the quantity, it's massively cheaper than pre-packaged pre-workouts, and if you mix it with a powder that has a good amount of simple carbs (Gatorade, Lemonade, Tang, etc) you get a good performance boost from the added glycogen in your system during a workout, which is something that seems to have been lost somewhere along the line with pre-workouts (probably for companies to have a bigger profit margin=/)

I actually like optimum nutrition, it's what I use recommend. I've got good news for you to, compared to most supplements, creatine is cheap.

If you want the powder, go with this stuff
http://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrition-Creatine-Powder-Unflavored/dp/B002DYIZEO/ref=as_li_tf_mfw?&linkCode=wey&tag=fuel0d3-20

and if you want capsules (they're 2.5 g a piece) go with these http://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrition-Creatine-2500mg-Capsules/dp/B000GIQS0W/ref=as_li_tf_mfw?&linkCode=wey&tag=fuel0d3-20

OP. Just eat right and remove all forms of sugars like cane and beet sugar. In America its mostly cane sugar so remove that. No more fast food, cook everything at home and eat 3-5 times a day, eat foods with lots of fiber at least 50 grams of fiber a day to slow down the absorption rate of carbs. Get more fresh air so walk, run outside for an hour at least. Wake up in the morning and go out for an hour even if its cold and miserable outside. Drink lots of water with creatine. I buy this for 20 USD 2.2 pounds http://www.amazon.com/NOW-Foods-Creatine-Powder-Pounds/dp/B0013OXD38/ref=sr_1_3?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1413683487&sr=1-3&keywords=creatine and drink it 3 times a day with glutamine. And drop those energy drinks. Do this for 2 weeks at least and you will not need coffee or energy drinks and your energy levels will skyrocket and most importantly, you will feel good mentally and physically as well.

I eat my breakfast before working out. Eggs, bacon, pork, a little salsa. That usually gives me a little kick. Helps me wake up too knowing there's some good food waiting for me (I make the food in advance so I don't have to cook so early.)

Afterwards I have a whey protein shake I got in bulk on Amazon. You could actually do the protien shake with a little [creatine powder]
(https://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrition-Creatine-Powder-Unflavored/dp/B002DYIZEO/ref=zg_bs_3773431_1?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=TFWW9YVQXZW3HAMASQ19&th=1) mixed in before working out. That's worked well for me too.

I'm not a fitness expert so take that with a grain of salt, but it's worked well for me and it's reasonably easy.

No, I usually buy my creatine through Smart Powders or on Amazon from Bulk Supplements. Plain old creatine monohydrate is going to be the same from any brand, so I go with what gives me the best deal. I currently am working my way through this right here. It is $20 for 2.2lbs of it, as opposed to $15 for ON's 1.3lbs of it. Just remember whatever brand you get, look for micronized!

Edit: Micronized creatine monohydrate has the consistency of powdered sugar, which is why it dissolves way better than the normal granules it usually comes in.

> BCAA

Creatine yes, BCAAs are really only valuable if you're taking them immediately before a workout after fasting for a significant length of time (great for IF dieters).

Amazon. Get Creatine Monohydrate. I buy this.

38M here, you most likely don't need to supplement testosterone. In fact there is no testosterone "supplement", there is either full testosterone replacement or nothing. As you get more active and lift more, not only will the DOMs go away, but your testosterone will naturally rise to accommodate your activity level. Also, don't forget about ibuprofen. It's a wonder drug.

Creatine does help, though. I like this stuff.

Absolutely! The lysine I take includes vitamin C in it as well as other immune boosting ingredients. This is my 4th bottle and I've had 0 cold sores since taking them. Here is the link!

https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Health-Tablets-Support-Supplement/dp/B001CMZB4U?th=1

Just going to copy and paste a comment I saved a while ago from /u/Waja_Wabit. Many people recommend making your own pre-workout because almost all pre-workout blends have a lot of added shit that does nothing for you, and it costs more.

1. Caffeine: one 200 mg pill
   
   
2. Beta Alanine: 2 g (1/2 tsp)
   
   
3. Citrulline Malate: 7 g (1 tbsp)
   
   
4. BCAAs: 5 g (1 tbsp), this is optional but most effective if your diet is low-Calorie, low-protein, or you are working out in a fasted state such as immediately in the morning
   
   
5. Gatorade Powder: to taste
   
   Sometime later in the day, with a meal or in an after-workout/evening shake, just make sure you have another 2 g of beta alanine. If not, then increase the beta alanine to 4 g (1 tsp) for your preworkout, but be warned you will get a strong (but harmless) skin prickling sensation.

Here's what I'm thinking of putting together:

BCAAs (Edit: Just realized this is not vegan friendly)

L-Arginine a-Ketoglutarate


L-Citrulline DL-Malate


N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine


Beta Alanine


Creatine Monohydrate

Alpha Lipoic Acid

Maltodextrin


Waxy Maize

I'm currently using a mix very similar to the above listed ingredients and it works very well!

I would like to just take a pre-mixed powder, but it seems like they all have caffeine, which I'm not a fan of for working out in the evening.

I'm also somewhat interested in Agmatine Sulfate and Phenylethylamine. Anyone have any opinions on those two chemicals?

I buy Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey, as well as their unflavored Creatine Monohydrate.

ON's gold standard whey is widely accepted to be high quality, as well as one of the less expensive brands. I personally use the milk chocolate and double rich chocolate flavors. And creatine monohydrate is just creatine monohydrate, no matter how you slice it.

I suggest taking a carb free pre-workout. The 2 I have found successful are your basic flavored ammino acids mix and the Cannibal FEROX (Watermelon Warmachine)

Both have helped give me enough gas to really push through a workout.

Creatine is available (and usually way cheaper!) as a flavorless powder that dissolves into a glass of water, protein shake, or any other drink.

You can get fish oil in liquid form instead of capsules/chewables if that's easier.

Multivitamins are not even helpful for most people. Unless you're vegan, you almost certainly get plenty of glutamine from your diet and gain no benefit from supplementing. You should reexamine why you are taking these at all.

Myprotein.com. I purchase everything in 2.2 lb bags; you save on bulk.

Beta Alanine I had to get from here

I do use a scale, but one scoop (provided in the bags) gets me pretty close to 5g.

A standard gram scale for the kitchen works. I got mine at target, in the kitchen goods section.

Creatine Monohydrate Powder Micronized by BulkSupplements (1 kilogram) | 99.99% Pure High Performance Formula | Pre/Post Workout Bodybuilding/Crossfit Supplement https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E9M4XEE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Zae0AbHZWJY8C

I bought this brand. It's like 2 cents a gram when you buy a kilo of it, so honestly cheap enough and definitely safe to take for more than 3 months.

I just bought a bottle on Amazon for like $5 for 60 capsules. Figured for $5, it's worth a shot.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SOXALE

Hope that's a good link and I dumped the referral part properly. Change the quantity and it's currently $5.88.

I do Optimum Nutrition Amino Energy. This is what i usually get, though all the flavors are pretty good, really.

Anytime. FYI, this Pygeum supplement seems to have a good concentration of the tree bark without any additives, so you don't have to worry about high doses. You can take 2-3 of them per day with no worries.

This Arginine supplement doesn't have B vitamins in it either.

The rest should be pretty easy to find in a supermarket without additives.

> Additionally, what about important nutrients which are difficult to obtain from a vegan diet

Creatine. It exclusively comes from animal sources unless you take synthetic supplements. It's marketed towards bodybuilders but is also important to vegans/vegetarians. There are hundreds of studies confirming its safety and effectiveness. Cheap on Amazon. 5 g/day in a glass of water is all you need.

If you're willing to make small exceptions to your vegan diet for the sake of your health, you should take fish oil for omega-3. Vegan supplements claim to contain omega-3, but they contain ALA, which your body cannot process efficiently. The optimal source of omega-3 is EPA and DHA, which only come from fish.

Really?

http://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrition-Creatine-Powder-Unflavored/dp/B002DYIZEO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367540393&sr=8-1&keywords=ON+creatine

This is pretty cheap. $16.50 for 120 servings. Pretty cheap. What monohydrates are cheaper?

O.o OK first off, I thought I was thin when I was younger. Freshman Year of High-School I was 5'3-4, weighing in at 90 lbs appx. 4 years later and I am 5'11, weighing in at 165 (also due to the help eating properly/pushing myself during workouts/bodybuilding.

Unfortunately if you want to put on some bulk, you will need to eat more now then ever. And if you think you are eating enough at this moment, you are wrong.

Food that you will need to incorporate are:

• Chicken, Pork, Beef, Turkey
  
• Eggs/Egg Whites
  
• Steel Cut Oats (Not Oatmeal as that has no nutritional value in it)
  
• Veggies...
  
• Some fruits, not all since most contain a decent amount of sugar, but with your frame/weight I doubt a little bit of sugar would hurt
  
• If you can afford it, protein shakes (Optimal is ON or Cytosport 100% Whey Protein Powder at Costco if nearby)
  
• Creatine Monohydrate
  
• Pre-workout (Not neccesary but can be provided useful)
  
  Edit:
  
  
• Recommended Creatine: Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine Powder (2000g) from Amazon.
  
  
• Recommended Pre-Workout: C4 60 Serving of Pineapple and Pink Lemonade (My favorite flavors) from Amazon.
  
  
  You will need a routine, but you should workout Mon-Fri. My order starting from Mon is Back, then Chest, Legs, Bi/Tris and end with shoulders/traps. Starting Monday and cycling on and off, you should do Abs, Calves, Abs, Calves, Abs. Weekends are rest days.
  
  Repeat
  
  Last and just as important, proper sleep. I do not know if you are a early bird or a night owl, but if you are a night owl, BOOM, stop what you are doing and start going to bed early. If you don't rest at a proper time, and for a proper amount, it will severely restrict any kinda of Gains you get in the gym, as known hopefully by most, you don't gain muscle in the gym, you gain muscle when you rest.
  
  Hope this helps.
  
  Unfortunately, this is going to cost a decent amount of money/and/or communication with your parents about purchasing said meals and having a gym membership, as I doubt you have anyone nearby that has an at home gym like I do. It's not uber common.
  
  Always remember, Gains are consistent of Rest, Food, and Working Out. If one is out of balance, it screws with the entire order of how quickly you make progress in the gym.
  

Caffeine definitely exacerbates my miso. You can try pairing it with L-theanine. Works great for me:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GQV9YX6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_QU0xDbWKHAJA4

Here's the one Dom d'agostino recommends. It's very sweet but def quality.
https://www.amazon.com/Scivation-Xtend-BCAAs-Raspberry-Servings/dp/B00LALNIOI/ref=zg_bs_6939949011_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=Y7PYS7RAJAVT6XXNZNXC


Heres the collagen powder

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00XB2YFBE/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496427906&sr=8-1-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=Collagen&psc=1

I use them both. Good stuff.

To Clear up your complexion

1. Purchase Formula 10-0-6. You must buy it online. Amazon and Ulta.com have it for around $5.99. Click here for Amazon NOTE - Formula 10-0-6 is also known as SO Totally Clean Facial Astringent.
   
   a. Right before bed, get a good amount of the 10-0-6 on a jumbo cotton ball. Clean your face with it. (See NOTE below about what to do to the bottle of 10-0-6 when you open it for the first time.)
   
   b. Continue to use new cotton balls with 10-0-6 until the cotton ball comes back clean after using them on your face.
   
   c. Do not clean your face in the morning.
   
   
2. If you have pimples in your hairline or forehead……Shampoo with a product that doesn't have pimple causing ingredients. Here is one suggested from the article – Acure Organics shampoo
   
   
   
3. Take 1000mg daily of the supplement L-Lysine. Amazon has them for around $7.59.
   
   
4. Stay away from sugar. Eat healthy
   
   
5. Strive to drink at least 8 cups of water per day.
   
   
6. On the occasion you have a zit,
   
   a. Clean your face early in the evening with 10-0-6
   
   b. Then put a pea size amount of AcneFree Terminator 10 Acne Spot Treatment on the pimple.
   
   c. You will keep it on for at least eight hours (sleep in it). But be careful until it dries so as not to get it on any fabric. It will bleach fabric white.
   
   d. Continue to use the Acne Free Terminator nightly until you can push on the zit and it doesn't hurt. It usually takes 1-2 days to kill the zit, but get it as soon as you feel the pain of a pimple. The longer the zit lives, the harder it is to kill. Plus it will get an ugly whitehead if you let it live too long before putting the AcneFree Terminator on it.
   
   That is all you have to spend for a clearer complexion. $5.69 for the Formula 10-0-6; $7.53 for L-lysine; around $6.49 for the AcneFree Terminator; plus some jumbo cotton balls. And you only need to spend $9.40 for the Acure Mega Moisture Shampoo if you have pimples in the hairline or forehead.
   
   NOTE - Once you take the screw lid off the 10-0-6 for the first time, you will see this clear plastic top with a large pin size hole in it where the liquid is supposed to come out. I always pop that clear plastic top off by sticking one side of a pair of small scissors in the large pin hole and pulling it up. Here is an example. This trick makes it so the 10-0-6 goes on a cotton ball easier. Just put a jumbo cotton ball on the top of the bottle, tip it over to wet the cotton ball with the 10-0-6 and you are ready to use it on your face.
   
   .
   

>so I just went with the cheapest

Looks like you went with a relatively small container. Make sure you're getting a good price per gram. It's often significantly cheaper to take a bigger chunk of change up front and just spend it on a big tub. I use this one in a larger size, if it helps.

LiteSalt is a go-to for me. Find it in grocery store near regular salt. It has sodium and potassium. Add it to a drink of your choice.

I use OPTIMUM NUTRITION ESSENTIAL AMINO ENERGY https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006R76WQG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_K3RSBbS8FFHGG

There are tons of flavors, it doesn’t take much to flavor my big Yeti cup (32oz of water) and it covers up the salt taste very well. It’s not a crazy preworkout or anything but good for the morning and afternoons

>What I meant by high end are the more known names and more pricier products on the shelf at my gym like the optimum nutrition branded creatine. "ALR Industries Cyclo-Creation Creatine" 3g creatine per scoop. Ingredients are cyclo-creatine phosphate, creatine phosphate, cysteine, glycocyamine and taurine.


[How is this] (http://www.muscleandstrength.com/store/cyclo-creation.html) any cheaper than [ON] (http://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrition-Creatine-Unflavored-Servings/dp/B002DYIZEO/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418744838&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=alr+creatine)...especially when ALR is only giving you 3g's when you should be aiming for 5.

Creatine Mono is all you need

This is the one I get. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E9M4XEE/

You'll feel like fucking Scarface when you open the bag. Looks like a kilo of cocaine. Mix a rounded teaspoon a day into your protein, or a glass of water. Make sure you hydrate throughout the day.

Found this browsing /r/all.

I was in a similar boat to you: sex with someone new was a mix of excitement, slight fear stemming from performance anxiety, and simply nervousness. I'm sure you can relate to the feelings of emasculation when a man can't be a "man" - we all know it's embarrassing to say the least!

I take adderall, which gives me a permanent dopamine boost all day, followed by a seemingly permanent deficiency at the end of the day and beyond; in addition, I'm exist in a state of "fight or flight" because of how adderall interacts with your systems and pumps adrenaline, always. My libido was absolutely shot and I had similar problems to you. I was getting pretty desperate. I tried a lot of stuff, did a lot of research, tried more things, but ultimately, most, if not all, of it went no where.

I found some forums after entering [ +"adderall" +"libido loss"] into Google (without the [ ]) and found a wealth of information after sorting through the shit. I'd searched before, had varied success, but this time was different - I took the time to dig, research, find, and learn!

Often users of prescription meds like adderall, opiates, or anti-depressants find that libido destruction is a primary side effect, an exceedingly common one; the good news, however, is that loads of dudes are fed up having the same problems and have taken their issues into their own hands - they guinea pigged their bodies, desperate for resolution! These dudes are basically martyrs, so bless them for their diligence and hard work!

The solutions I found were interesting.

I learned that people often take some combination of the following pills; for me, however, I just bought them all and have experimented with doses, frequency, and combinations.

• DHEA
  
  
• L-Arginine
  
  
• Fish Oil
  
  
• L-Theanine
  
  Adderall also plays with my blood pressure and, with everything else, namely adrenaline, my extremities aren't getting the proper blood flow; since taking these supplements, I now wake up with erections again --something I didn't realize had stopped happening!-- and have erections hard enough to club a seal to death with.
  
  These have been an absolute god-send for me.
  
  If you don't happen to read this, then I hope this helps someone else.

Creatine Monohydrate is pretty ubiquitous, I would make sure of a couple things:

• Unsweetened (Creatine is flavorless normally anyway)
  
• Powdered, not capsules
  
• Monohydrate
  
  
  Other than that just avoid any gimmicky products, here's a good one for instance:
  
  http://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrition-Creatine-Powder-Unflavored/dp/B002DYIZEO/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1370555029&sr=1-1&keywords=creatine

This could be multiple things. The first thing that comes to mind is low blood sugar. Eating a preworkout meal may help you power through this. Also, I suggest Xtend for helping with endurance during your workout. It makes me feel more energized and able to push out an extra rep or two.

I've never been tested but a BCAA powder supplement (this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LALNIOI/ref=sr_ph_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1481044513&sr=sr-1&keywords=bcaas&th=1) helped me temporarily. I actually had energy and endurance and felt pretty good for about a month. I'm not sure why it stopped working or what it meant but I've tried it again with no effects. It was really nice while it lasted. :( Maybe you could give it a try.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E9M4XEE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_1tI2xbD7BD9EP bulk supplements creatine is pretty and cheap. Easy mixes in water

I hadn't seen that study on combined protein sources being more effective but coincidentally I have been having my post workout whey protein shakes with milk so works out haha.

Have you tried any good citrulline products? I tried BulkSupplement's Citrulline Malate last summer but didn't feel like I noticed a change at all. Annoying how most the big name companies are still using Arginine when the research shows Citrulline being so much better.

a) smarties!!!! we both have them on our lists!!!

now that im looking we have a lot in common on our lists same protein powder, sour patch kids. creatine. and now im going to add the bumper dumper


b) since we have a lot of the same items, im gonna try to pull things off my wishlist that you might like:

You seem to do a lot of outdoors type stuff, how about a waterproof iphone case. a recovery strap incase you ever get suck or need to pull someone out.

You must workout since you have protein powder and the like: i hear this is a great workout book.

and last but not least, a camping cot

Optimum Nutrition has gotten a lot of positive reviews and a lot of my Crossfit buddies recommended it. I'm on Day 3 of loading (shifted from 15g to 10g based on this thread) and it's fine.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002DYIZEO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Bulk Supplements is less than 10 cents per 5g serving of pure creatine. That is more than 6 months worth for under twenty bucks. Mix it with whatever you want or just take it straight.

That X3 stuff is a 35 cents per 33g scoop serving with only 8g of creatine in it. You're paying a lot for a scoop of sugar with some creatine in it..

Protein is necessary.

Protein supplements are not, IF you can get your protein needs from a standard diet. Protein powder is just easy food, so it is fine to take, but pointless if your diet is on point.

As for supplements, I'd suggest 5g of creatine mono daily. This is the best bang for your buck besides some powder sites

Roughly 10 cents a day I believe. PWO isn't necessary but ok, so long as you don't dive straight into the "fun" stuff. C4 is decent, NoXplode will make you shit your self, and optimum nutritions stuff put me to sleep.

So supplements are fine, just keep it simple, since the vast majority of legal options are snake oil.

I came across the same article. I'm weary about it as well and will monitor closely.

Is chamomile a good substitute for passion flower. It seems they both contain the same compound called Apigenins

I already take ON creatine monohydrate 5mg daily.

Hmm, I don't have any insight for you. That's a pretty good dosage of both for me.

This is what I've been taking, dunno how much difference there is between brands/formulations:

https://www.amazon.com/NOW-L-Theanine-200-120-Capsules/dp/B00GQV9YX6/

Amazon says it is half off, but according to camelcamelcamel the highest it has sold for in the past 3 years is $54.48. And it looks like it averages around $38. Not really a deal (unless amazon is showing you a different price than me - $36.94).

I buy this: http://www.amazon.com/BulkSupplements-Micronized-Creatine-Monohydrate-Kilogram/dp/B00E9M4XEE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1409336000&sr=8-2&keywords=creatine%
400 servings per 2.5 grams. I take 5 grams every day, this will last me over half a year for less than $20. Pretty good deal.

Amazon is a great source for well-priced supps.

Optimum Creatine

Glad to help!

I just want to be clear though - seitan is low in lysine and both hemp and brown rice proteins that I mentioned are also low in lysine. So those probably won't help you pick up the slack with your lysine intake.

I noticed that you said you can eat tofu. That's good because soy is a complete protein and should have adequate amounts of lysine. It's actually strange since you said you couldn't tolerate soy-based meat substitutes. I can't really think of a reason directly related to soy that tofu would be okay (basically just coagulated soy milk) but soy based milk substitutes wouldn't. The only thing that comes to mind is some of them like Butler soy curls use the whole soybean and would have stuff like fiber from the soy in them. Most of them use a more processed type of soy like soy protein isolate which should be less likely to cause problems even compared to tofu.

In the worst case it's possible to find a pure lysine supplement like this one from Solgar or Now.

They do have it in supplemental form! I love this stuff!

http://www.amazon.com/NOW-Foods-Creatine-Powder-Pounds/dp/B0013OXD38

>The money is probably better spent on higher quality diet. You’ll build more actual muscle rather than just surrounding your tissue with water. $30/mo buys you steak instead of ground beef, and that’s about what you’d be spending on quality creatine.

What, no... just... what are you talking about?

First of all, creatine increases the volume of water INSIDE your muscle cells.

2nd of all here's 200 days worth of quality creatine for less than $20
https://www.amazon.com/Monohydrate-Micronized-BulkSupplements-Performance-Bodybuilding/dp/B00E9M4XEE?th=1

https://www.amazon.com/L-Citrulline-DL-Malate-BulkSupplements-Workout-Recovery/dp/B00EYDJTRE?th=1 Citrulline malate. I mix it with beta alanine, creatine, some other stuff for "homemade: preworkout.

​

Expensive but I liked this one for premade https://www.amazon.com/Scivation-Xtend-Powder-Branched-Serving/dp/B075RGM6W9/ref=pd_bap_rp_68?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=2AVHFNKHH68RKT1FPJA3

It's fine to just stick to creatine monohydrate; it's cheap and readily available anywhere. Brand is irrelevant, although I personally get mine from Optimum Nutrition (600g for $20 on Amazon, which is about 4 month's worth). There are other forms of creatine, but they haven't been shown to be as reliable or effective for everyone, last time that I checked.

PlantFusion Complete Plant Based Protein Powder, Chocolate, 2 Lb Tub, 30 Servings, 1 Count, Gluten Free, Vegan, Non-GMO, Packaging May Vary https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0021FAITU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_dbsUBbF4N2DWP


Clean Machine Cell Block 80 Supplement, Natural Testosterone Booster, Estrogen Blocker, DHT Blocker, Cortisol Blocker, Non-GMNO - 56 Vegan Capsules https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EHVZHAG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_gcsUBbW7CQPSW


EFX Sports Kre-Alkalyn EFX, 240 Capsules https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00117ZRXQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ZcsUBb5A4BPZV

Scivation Xtend BCAA Powder, Branched Chain Amino Acids, BCAAs, Blue Raspberry, 30 Servings https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LALNIOI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_rdsUBbEZ2QN2T

Couldn't you take something like this to help maintain balance?

Those simple bear necessities

I really would love These Vitamins

I bought a different type of Creatine on Amazon. Mostly because it was cheap but I liked the packaging to boot.

Optimum Nutrition Creatine Powder, Unflavored, 600g, 114 Servings https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002DYIZEO/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_CYkCub1DYYPHF

Who actually buys the $100 tubs at GNC anyway?

BCAA Branched Chain Essential Amino Acids Powder by BulkSupplements (1 kilogram) | 100% Pure 2:1:1 Instantized Formula | Pre/Post Workout Bodybuilding Supplement | Boost Muscle Growth https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E7GV6GA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Bj4RzbJ4XJ6HJ

Mono powder has the most research backing it's effectiveness--not to mention it's super cheap and tasteless.

This is what I've been taking:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002DYIZEO/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=1278548962&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000M4CFT8&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=01RS5S8PHMSKX23N314H

As someone who gets cold sores, let me tell you that you need to stock up on L-Lysine tablets. In the future, when you feel that tell-tale tingle, bust out the Lysine and take 3 pills or so every couple of hours. You can't really overdose (use your head and don't eat them like candy though) and you'll just pee out what you don't need, but these will keep the cold sores at bay. If you take the pills and one starts to appear, it will actually enter the healing stage almost immediately and will never go through that nasty infectious/pus-filled stage. You'll be in the clear in a few days instead of your typical 2 weeks.

As far as the date goes, maybe just be candid with her. Just tell her, "Hey, I get cold sores on occasions and it just so happens that I have one now" . Maybe crack a joke about drinking from her straw or making out on the first date. Play it cool. A lot of people get cold sores and even though they are painful and gross and make you feel like a monster, you don't have to be ashamed to admit to her that you have them. If this were to turn into a long term deal she'd eventually see you with one anyways, so might as well just be like "Well, here it is - TA DAAAA" and act like its no big deal.

Have her take L-Lysine daily. It helps with lip and mouth health and I also hear it helps with acne. Anyhow, my old roommate used to take it and he swore it he never got cold sores while on it regularly.

Cheap, well reviewed. Mixes really nice.

http://www.amazon.com/BulkSupplements-Micronized-Creatine-Monohydrate-Kilogram/dp/B00E9M4XEE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1410396068&sr=8-2&keywords=creatine

https://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrition-Capsules-1000mg-Count/dp/B000SOXALE

Helps to slow muscle wasting. Remember the heart is a muscle.

I only take these when doing AM fasted cardio before breakfast.

Try Bulksupplements on amazon, they have pretty cheap Creatine.

18 Bucks for A Kilo

I use https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E9M4XEE/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_Rt3-ub1WGW7BR and it works great for me

I do protein and 5 grams of creatine daily. I think it has made a considerable difference in my energy level and I feel more active throughout the entire duration.

Where are you? EU? US? ...?
I have good experience with whey unflavored from Jarrow whey and Creatine from BulkSupplements which I think should be the cheapest available creatine
Both are available on amazon.com

I take these for oral herpes. Haven't had a single sore since I started. It also crushed the first sore that caused me to start these in about 4 days. They're the truth. My story is almost identical to yours, but from the male perspective. I can't recommend these enough.

Quantum Super Lysine, 180 Tabs, 1 Bottle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001CMZB4U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_TSEhybNAHSD6P

I read some of your comments, and if you had to choose only one extra supplement to add to your diet it would be creatine. BCAA's should come later down the line when you're either 1) more advanced, or 2) going on a cut, and you're eating so little food that you need to supplement with important amino acids to make up for your lacking diet. I hope this helps.

Nice price drop on some BCAAs, I really like this brand. I use it to flavor some unflavored NOWsports protein I buy in 10 lb bags.

https://camelcamelcamel.com/Scivation-Powder-Branched-Watermelon-Servings/product/B005CH0F10?active=price_amazon&context=home_alerts

Amazon, over the years my boyfriend and I have just gone to bulk micronized creatine. Careful if you like caffeine because it is easy to OD on micronized caffeine. My boyfriend used to be a fan of Jack'd, but since that got stripped of ingredients neither one of us partake in amino acids.

I am also going to be trying out VitaCost for my next shipment of protein.

> can someone explain how/why it would be worth it

examine. one of the most proven (and frugal) supplements you could take.

> which type I should get

any creatine monohydrate would work. people, myself included, tend to like the ON products.

> how it should be taken

5g/daily, forever and ever, amen.

I take l-theanine regularly and if you've never taken it before it could really mellow you out and it's very safe. I'd also recommend trying meditation at least once and give your mind a break from whatever you've been stressing about lately.

Here's 2.2 pounds of creatine for $20. This is just as effective as any other creatine.

1 kilo of Creatine - http://www.amazon.com/NOW-Foods-Creatine-Powder-Pounds/dp/B0013OXD38/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1346954568&sr=8-4&keywords=creatine - good for 200 days, is $20.

What chucks are you getting for $36.5?

Xtend is my favorite for IF because it doesn't have any carbs and is really tasty. I think the best BCAA powders should be listed 0 cals, but keep in mind it doesn't really matter because the protein breaks your fast anyways.

Found another brand (ON, the ones that make the Gold Standard whey which I've used and liked) http://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrition-Creatine-Powder-Unflavored/dp/B002DYIZEO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394662658&sr=8-1&keywords=creatine+monohydrate

Thoughts? Or if you know a better place to get it for cheap?

Just buy plain, micro-ionized, creatine monohydrate. It's pretty cheap and it's flavorless. Link

Edit: link

Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine Monohydrate Powder, Unflavored, Keto Friendly, 600 grams (Packaging May Vary) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002DYIZEO/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_d0xHDbSF8PHQN

You should definitely take creatine. The best and cheapest you can get is from BulkSuppliments, you can get it on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E9M4XEE

In regards to casein, whey, etc. you only need them to fill in the holes in your protein macro. If you're already getting enough protein from food, then you don't need them at all.

With the exception of creatine, no, supplements don't make a significant difference. Whey/casein is not considered by many to be a supplement, but a food source.

Your creatine is absurdly expensive. I use this creatine which is $19 for a kilo (200 servings, 9.5 cents / serving) and it's great.

Creatine is crazy cheap compared to ~every other supplement out there, I can't believe you managed to spend so much on yours!

Would that be this? As extensive googling has shown it tastes the least foul :)

Saying you're a college student implies you're looking to save money? Any creatine monohydrate will do. I like to get Creapure. I use ON creatine, which is about the same price as the bulk options. You don't need BCAAs as long as you get enough protein.

Personally I don't really care for beta alanine. I do like citrulline malate, but it isn't necessary. You can buy caffeine pills for really cheap or drink a cup of coffee or something as a pre-workout.

If you feel like throwing money away, it's fine.

That's 54cents a dose or ~$16.25/mo with the sale price.

https://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrition-Creatine-Powder-Unflavored/dp/B002DYIZEO is 12cents a dose or ~$3.80/mo

I got this from Amazon. 1KG for $18. Works fine for me, or roll with ON like everyone else is saying.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E9M4XEE?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00

$18.50 with free shipping

Your lunch looks weak. Eat a chicken breast for lunch and a 1/3 cup of brown rice or figure something out. I'd also throw in a snack between lunch and dinner as that could be a 6 hour stretch (you should be eating roughly every 3 hours).

For my snack I have 2 PB&J sandwiches with a banana and milk.

Dinner for me is the same as lunch, except 2 nights a week I make steak with a fatty sauce + rice. I'm also eating 1/4 cup of broccoli with lunch and dinner.

With dinner I have a rounded teaspoon of creatine. It's pretty cheap and I do see results!

This is all at my weight (158lb). You need more than me and it sounds like you're getting less.

well, depends where are you from. although i'm ~5,653 mi away from the us, i still buy supplements on amazon))
thus, Citrulline Malate 2:1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E7YL0UI/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2YD2H3KGK1F4L

Beta Alanine (Carnosyn) https://www.amazon.com/Foods-Beta-Alanine-Powder-500G/dp/B0017KU74Q/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1494529377&sr=8-1&keywords=beta+alanine+now

Creatine Monohydrate (Creapure) https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Nutrition-Creapure-Creatine-Monohydrate/dp/B0009V8MA0/ref=pd_sim_121_6?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0009V8MA0&pd_rd_r=RZRWN6CKFVHANF4HA18S&pd_rd_w=y3w33&pd_rd_wg=NHZri&psc=1&refRID=RZRWN6CKFVHANF4HA18S

Betaine TMG https://www.amazon.com/Nutricost-Betaine-Anhydrous-Trimethylglycine-Powder/dp/B01BCQ3RLE/ref=sr_1_4_s_it?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1494529481&sr=1-4&keywords=betaine+tmg

isn't this bigger and better? https://www.amazon.com/Branched-Essential-Powder-BulkSupplements-kilogram/dp/B00E7GV6GA?th=1

Do some research on it first. Pretty much it puts more ATP and water in your muscles, so it's important to drink extra water. Heres a link for 120 servings for ~14$.

That's really expensive. You can get the same for like 18 bucks on amazon

https://www.amazon.com/BulkSupplements-Micronized-Creatine-Monohydrate-Powder/dp/B00E9M4XEE

http://www.amazon.com/BulkSupplements-Micronized-Creatine-Monohydrate-Kilogram/dp/B00E9M4XEE

good luck finding it cheaper.

creatine is creatine, don't get fooled into buying the expensive shit.

This should answer most of your questions.

I've never heard of not doing the initial saturation or loading period. Just get straight creatine monohydrate. There should be instructions on the container. You don't have to take it with juice. You could buy just straight dextrose and mix the two with water. As for the caffeine, again read the Examine article.

Hi Joe,
I also suffer from herpes/cold sores, (wretched virus!) but found a vast improvement by taking lysine supplements.

I use these tablets and this powder. Note, the powder is often on offer and can be very economical.

I have also been trialling MSM, but haven't noticed it affecting my herpes (or skin for that matter...).
I did try an elimination/paleo diet previously which required a lot of bone broth and coconut based food which both contain a lot of arginine, this brought it out badly, so also consider your wider diet.
Have a google of lysine: Arginine ratio.

I hope this helps.
Let me know if you have any other questions.

That one will work. What you're lookin at is a micronized monohydrate creatine which from what I understand is just a finer powder so it is more soluble. It's supposed to be better for your intestinal tract.

Here's the one I bought which is similar to that ON one:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00E9M4XEE/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1394668346&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

I bought this last year.. Still going through it. Would that help?

Looks pretty good, but NOW Foods version is much cheaper for the same stuff. They both (supposedly) are pure Carnosyn brand beta-alanine.

Is this the right ratio? Is there a different one you recommend?

Not bad. I buy in bulk along with my other supplements. Make sure you stay hydrated. It could make you insanely thirsty.

http://www.amazon.com/BulkSupplements-Micronized-Creatine-Monohydrate-Kilogram/dp/B00E9M4XEE

Creatine is recommended for everyone: Creatine Monohydrate, 5 grams a day, every day. No loading phase (if you don't know what that is just ignore). Here is an example. It does not matter what time in the day you take it.

Like he said, Preworkout is just caffeine with a few other things thrown in. Coffee will likely be fine. I'd stick to coffee or caffeine tabs as a newb, but if you really want some go for it.