So, I started my new nutritional plan today...
And I'm REALLY sick of people telling me that I'm wasting my time with supplements, or that protein powder is unhealthy. I'm especially sick of the fact that the ONLY people who EVER tell me this are people who are in far worse shape than me, as opposed to the ATHLETES who swear by the stuff (and no, I don't just mean the ones that sponsor them). Here's an idea, you get to my level of fitness, eating only whole foods and not taking any pills or powder, THEN tell me what's what.
Not to mention the fact that as it is I have to eat SO much friggin food. I just finished meal three: 1 very large, boneless chicken breast, 1 full-size serving of whole-grain spaghetti, and 1/4 cup of almonds. I still have three meals to go TODAY, and I'm stuffed. If I wasn't getting some of my nutritional requirements in via drink form (which digests easier), I don't think I'd ever be able to leave the couch.
In related news, after deliberating about it since almost the day I started lifting, I have decided to try the much-hyped "Muscletech Stack", consisting of Cell-Tech after a workout, Nitro-Tech 30 minutes later, and Nitro-Tech Night Time before bed. I have always been VERY curious about the stuff. I've heard some good things about Muscletech's products, but I was always weary of trying them for a few reasons:
1. Their Marketing: Their marketing tactics are absolutely deplorable. They put these 4-page adds in muscle mags that are designed to look like legitimate articles. They load them with evidence from their "scientific research", but don't provide the full texts of said research for peer review, and occasionally site unpublished findings as their source. All and all, it reeks of a big company trying to put one over on the little guy who's willing to pay any price for muscle.
2. They pixie-dust: For those of you unfamiliar with the term, "pixie-dusting" is a term used by people who follow the supplement industry to refer to companies that put a famous supplement as an ingredient in their product, but don't put enough in for it to actually DO anything. In Nitro-Tech Night Time, for example, there is a proprietary blend of ingredients ("proprietary" already being a red-flag) which, among other things, includes L-Glutamine. L-Glutamine is an anti-catabolic Amino Acid that is probably the third most popular supplement out there behind whey protein and Creatine. I've always added it to my pre-bed Protein shake, so seeing it in the list of ingredients should be a good thing, right? Well, here's the problem. The entire proprietary blend is only 2grams, which means there's probably only a few hundred milligrams of L-Glutamine, and it takes 5 WHOLE grams to be effective. The reason they put it there is so that it will grab the attention of people who are just far enough "in the know" to recognize "hey, I know what L-Glutamine is, that's great that it's in there!", but not quite quick enough to notice the rub. This practice pisses me off.
3. The Carb Factor: Anyone who reads my journal knows that I am STRONGLY against the "low-carb" movement. I believe in balanced nutrition. Not too much, but not too little, of all three macronutrients. However, Cell-Tech contains seventy-five grams of carbs, and that can be quite difficult to fit into a balanced nutrition plan.
4. The price: The stuff cost two or three times what they have any right to charge for it.
However, despite all this, I've still remained curious. And, one by one, the reasons have sort of given way. 1&2 I've HALF dismissed because I've heard a few stories from people who have tried it and say it works pretty well. This is enough for me to give something enough of a benefit of a doubt to try one cycle and see how it does, assuming there are no other problems. #3 is no longer relevant because I have started a whole new nutrition strategy, geared toward strength, and it's very carb-intensive, requiring 330 grams a day. With this new plan, I have no problem fitting Cell-Tech into my plan. And #4 was pushed aside a couple weeks ago, when I got an in with a supplement whole-seller, snagging the stuff at more than half of what it costs most other places.
So, I've got a 9-week supply of it. Enough to do one full cycle and record my results. If it works well, I think I'll stick with it. If not, at least I won't be curious anymore.
My first observation? Putting 200mg of Alpha-Lipoic-Acid into a beverage mix makes for a slight, but altogether unpleasant burning sensation when it goes down. I wonder if this is what it's like to drink strong alcohol, without the intoxication.