The 8 Supplements I Took to Lose 20 lbs
Disclaimer: Please consult a physician before beginning on a new supplement. I am not licensed to prescribe or diagnose.
I’ve been getting a lot of questions recently about my supplement routine, so I thought I would share what I started taking when I lost weight, and why I take it.
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When I finally lost weight at the age of 45 (you can read my weight loss story here), I began taking supplements. Before that, I was mostly just enjoying an occasional gummy multi-vitamin, and sometimes a caramel calcium chew. I actually still love both of those, but during weight loss, I try to be mindful of how many of the candy vitamins I’m taking, because in full disclosure, I’m capable of eating more than the recommended daily allowance, if you know what I mean!
Most of these supplements I started because my first bikini coach recommended them on his list of supplements to take while I was getting lean. Obviously, reducing my calories and lifting weights were the biggest lever’s I pulled to finally lose weight, but I’m superstitious enough to wonder if the supplements helped, so, I haven’t dared pull them from my routine yet! haha.
So, here they are, in order of importance and consistency for me. (Here’s an Amazon affiliate link to the full list)
- Creatine– I started taking creatine when I first began weight lifting. According to experts, creatine is the most widely studied, effective, muscle growing supplement on the market. There are very little downsides to creatine, and a lot of potential benefits beyond muscle growth. We know it can help improve muscle mass, performance, and recovery, but it is also being shown beneficial in studies involving neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., muscular dystrophy, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s disease), diabetes, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, aging, brain and heart ischemia, adolescent depression, and pregnancy. (source). The great thing about creatine is the brand really doesn’t matter. As long as it’s pure creatine monohydrate without added fillers, it’s all the same. Here’s the one I get, mostly because it’s so inexpensive. I mix it into flavored BCAA’s every morning.
- BCAA’s – Although I’ve been drinking a flavored BCAA drink for the last 5 years, I’m embarrassed to admit, the research doesn’t support this one that it’s helping. However, I still drink it because I tell myself that, while in a calorie deficit, any extra amino acids should help a teeny, tiny, bit. Plus, I like the way it tastes! I get fruit punch flavored XTend (mostly because I can buy it locally in most grocery stores). But, this is the same one on Amazon.
- Magnesium– This is a common one, but I’ve been taking magnesium every night to “stay regular” for at least a decade! A secondary bonus is that it supports bone health, and I was diagnosed with osteopenia when I was around 30 years old, and I’ve effectively reversed that altogether! At 50 years old, my bones currently are stronger than they’ve ever been, confirmed with a bone scan! The biggest factor there is weight lifting, but magnesium might be helpful as well. (source)
- Potassium– This is one of those supplements I’m only taking out of superstition. My first bikini coach had potassium on his list of supplements I was supposed to take while I lost weight for the first show, and I’ve been too afraid to remove it from my diet since! haha. I likely don’t need this one at all, considering I eat a banana almost every day, but yet, it hasn’t left my routine in 5 years. One benefit mentioned in the Cleveland Clinic is that potassium supplementation helps balance fluids. So, maybe that’s why?
- L-Glutamine– L-glutamine is another one I only started with my first bikini coach. It’s supposed to help with muscle recovery, and I put a scoop of unflavored L-Glutamine in my BCAA’s every morning. It’s very inexpensive and it’s just a habit for me now. This is the one I get.
- Yohimbine– This might be the most speculative supplement I take, because it directly claims to assist with fat loss. But the truth was, I did lose weight. So, did it give me a slight edge? Hard to know! It claims it can assist with athletic performance as well as increase libido. Well, I’m good in both area’s, so I keep taking it. 🙂 I’ve had a few different brands. Some I’ve found locally, and some online. The last one I bought from Amazon was this brand, but they all seem very similar!
- Ashwagandha – This supplement is promoted as something for “stress reduction”. I don’t have much in the way of mental stress in my life, but I do probably have a certain amount of physical stress on my body through my workouts. I’m hoping it lowers the cortisol after a workout and can help me recover better. Recently, I’ve been purchasing one you can buy at Costco. This is the brand.
- DIM I started taking DIM for “hormone support”, recommended again by my first bikini coach. I don’t like talking about hormones, considering I’m not licensed to do so. However, I have had my hormones tested many times (without a prescription here), and my progesterone and estrogen have always been in normal ranges. You could argue I don’t need to take it, but yet here we are.
Other honorable mentions that I use now and then, but not consistently
- DHEA– I Just started this one as an experiment. My physician actually recommended it because it’s a precursor to testosterone. Without a testosterone cream, my testosterone was 7-9pg/ml. A good number is above 12 I believe. So, she recommended trying DHEA to improve my levels first, without the testosterone supplement.
- Testosterone– For about 1 1/2 years I was trying a testosterone cream. Only for the muscle building benefits, and not for libido (cause like I said, that is not a problem!) But, I stopped about 9 months ago, because I got it in my head that it was making me eat more food. I don’t know if it was correlated, but it sure felt like it was. It was VERY effective. My testosterone went from 7 to 30pg/ml within 3 weeks, from the cream alone. I wanted to retest it because I was skeptical of a cream being effective, but it definitely was. I haven’t resumed the cream while I try the DHEA.
- Melatonin– Muscle building happens while you sleep. I’m great at sleeping, but I started on Melatonin for that extra edge.
- Calcium chews– I LOVE THESE THINGS! Also, I’m a petite Caucasian, predisposed for osteoporosis. So, calcium comes and goes in my life.
- Multi-vitamin– I’ll straight up admit, I only take a multi if I have a gummy version, and then, I only take it because they taste like candy. I truly believe I have all my minerals and micronutrients through food, so I don’t find this completely necessary.
- Fish oil- I HATE taking fish oil. I know the benefits, and there are MANY. But, I find it hard to be consistent with this. Even though it doesn’t happen, I always think I’m going to taste these, so I rarely take them.
And that’s my supplement stack for supporting weight loss! What are you taking?
RESOURCES:
- The supplement essentials list on Amazon
- Hormone testing without a prescription– This actually ended up costing less than when I went through my physician to do hormone testing. Because I hadn’t’ hit my deductible, my lab cost was $900! eNational Testing, it’s under $200!
