hey guys! I am considering NoXplode with creatine…I need the energy! Been reading the reviews and people have been saying it as been throwing their liver enzyme and creatine levels way off and they have been forced to stop taking the supplement. What do you guys think? Any similar issues? We are already compromised, is it worth the trouble?
Saleem,
No, it is not worth the trouble! I’m a long time Type 1 diabetic (41 years) and also a fitness trainer. I don’t take any of these kinds of supplements, nor do I recommend them to any of my clients (diabetic or not). You would be much better off to get your energy from the foods that you eat. That’s easy enough, no matter what type of exercise you do.
Doretta
When I looked closely at the nutritional supplements, the only supplements that left me feeling good were creatine and protein. There is substantial evidence that creatine can help you gain muscle. I am not aware of it being helpful in losing fat. I have not seen credible evidence that creatine represents any risk to the liver or kidney of any healthy person. You are healthy, right? That being said, you would be better served by saving your money and buying creatine monohydrate powder. Simply take a teaspoon (5g) /day and mix it in your protein shake. I am disinclined to give my money to some supplement company for some proprietary blend of who knows what, even if it is sugar free.
Becoming leaner is likely to be more of factor of what you are eating and how you are training. Have you tried low carbing? Have you tried Intermittent Fasting. Do some reading and give it some thought. How are you training? Are you doing extended cardio? Stop that stuff. Lift heavy weights and do interval training. Read up on HIIT.
Just my opinions. Look at my face, what would I know anyway.
From just a quick read on Wikipedia (yeah, I know it is not THE source for info), I would say you should stay away from it.
Fair Winds,
Mike
I’ve tried creatine a few times but for some strange reason it gave me cramps… weird cramps, like in my hands. The only supplements I currently use are a multi-vitamin and whey protein-- that’s it. My advice for you is to really focus on your weigh-training and stick to a healthy diet. Watch your carbs and your insulin levels while you’re working out. Don’t be discouraged… give it enough time and dedication and you’ll achieve your goals.
This question raises my red flag. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt for now. Should you just be some non-diabetic looking to find advice on how to be the next Arnold, I have to caution you that abusing insulin for bodybuilding purposes is just dangerous.
That being said, you can and should manage your insulin for exercise and the best guidance would be to use a profile of insulin to best take advantage of your nutrition. I found the book “Nutrition Timing” by Ivy quite helpful. Post workout nutrition is critical and I would recommend that you follow the advice in that book (it is actually a book for non-diabetics) and use your insulin to appropriately cover (and take up) the carbs and protein recommended in that nutritional advice. Insulin is the hormone that enables your body to take up both glucose and protein. Properly managing your nutrition and the insulin that needs to accompany that food will lead to your best gains. You will find no advantage (except perhaps weight gain and some probably inconvenient hypos) from just increasing your total daily dose for no reason.
I took a lot of creatine my senior year of high school, just plain creatine in white milk, with a bolus for the milk. I did’nt really have any problems with highs, or lows. As there should only a couple carbs in plain creatine. You know your body, you know how to bolus, the supplements you take and how you ‘correct’ for them is all up to you bro.
But if you are talking about using insulin to gain weight. . We gain weight as insulin is active in our bodies because it metabolizes whatever we ingested. No insulin means our bodies arent fully absorbing whatever we put into them. So eat a ton and bolus correctly and keep doing what youre doing! It is important to take be able to take a bolus with your creatine! And stay hydrated while taking creatine!! Goodluck!
That is great news. I don’t know what the 43% muscle means, but the 15% bodyfat is great. Did you get a DEXA scan or something? The availability of circulating protein from the casein shake may mean that you are less inclined to go high or low during fasting. Do tell us the workout and nutrition regime that you used. Did you lift heavy weights? Did you modify your pre and post workout nutrition? Do tell.
Saleem, I have some experience with what you are going through as I went to college originally on a football scholarship at 200 IBS and now do triathlons at 150IBS. FIrst of all, even the thought of using insulin to gain or loose is ridiculous. A pretty body wont be so pretty when you have a leg amputated. Next, you need to increase your cardio to get leaner. Weight training will def. help to put on mass and lean muscle but to get rid of the extra fat, you have to do cardio. Try bumping up to 35 min non stop before lifting. Or break up your weight training and running so you can exercise twice in one day, thats what I do. Finally, DO NOT FAST, our bodies store fat if they think we are starving. Instead, athletic trainers and nutritionist I work with tell me to eat six meals a day. 3 of them are 900 calories and the other three are about 400. Balance well between your proteins, carbs and fat because your body needs all three. 65% should be carbs, 15%should be protein, and around 20 fat. If you increase your cardio, and organize your eating habits you will see gains, but it will take a few weeks at least.
Remember that calories are good, Vital in fact. My best advice is go talk to a nutritionist. However, be careful on protein, especially protein supplements. Proteins are readily excreeted from the body through urine, no access is STORED, so all that extra is just more urine. Eat appropriate amounts of each, nuts and peanutbutter are great for fillers because of their fat and protein content. Eat them, but cut your serving in half and add yogurt or carrots. Things like that will help. Don’t get to caught up in how your body LOOKS, focus on how it WORKS. What is the point of 6 pack abs if all you use them for is ego, and you cannot even run down the road, instead find something to use them for like running or cycling or skiing or activities like that. That will give you motivation as you improve your performance. This is just my personal experience
I don’t really agree with this. If you want to be muscular and lean, eat a high protein low carb diet, lift weights and do intervals. Don’t do endurance cardio. Do your intervals on your off-lifting days or after your lifting. Save your most intense efforts for lifting. Excess protein is only excreted in your urine if your kidneys have failed, that is called 'blowing" a urine test. Excess protein will be converted to blood sugar by your liver. But you are going to lift heavy weights, so you are going to need extra protein to build large muscles. Don’t overeat carbs, it will just defeat your efforts to get lean.
Take a look at the follow photo. Who do you want to look like?
BSC, way to show two extremes. I am not saying to go out and become an ultra marathon runner ie… the picture… I am saying that to have lean muscle you must get a descent amount of cardio, it could be pure endurance or do intervals. But a descent amount IS VITAL for lean muscle. Lifting weights will only add bulk without proper cardio. FACT: your body has a recommended protein intake, anything extra will be excreted. FACT: Nuts and peanutbutter are high in protein already… IT is likely that Saleem is already taking in more protein then he requires and adding things like protein shakes will just be a waste of money. Also, typically, kidney failure will lead to problems excreting fluids, not over excretion. Just my take on things. Like I said, best bet is to see a nutrition.
Spenser, sorry to snap at you. Saleem is bodybuilding. I think he wants to add muscle and become lean. I don’t agree with your nutrition advice, I think the standard advice concerning protein is ill informed and naive. Extra protein is helpful and not harmful. I agree that all Saleem probably needs is creatine and a good whey protein powder, but if wants to use all those added supplements, that is his choice. In my case, I’ve not had good experience with nutritionists, perhaps you will fare better.
ok guys good call i guess
have your creatinine levels checked just to be sure when you take creatine, i was taking creatine monohydrate and had mine checked and it was 2.1, quit taking it a month later it was down to 1.1 i think. but when it was checked was after i went in diabetic shock and i read somewhere that could be what caused it. as for no xplode, super pump etc they wont effect your health unless you have high blood pressure they could raise it more