Supplement Dangers

With the recent expose from Consumer Reports regarding dangerous supplements, there has been a lot of buzz about what's good, what's bad, etc. Marion Nestle recently blogged about this and provided a good summary of what Consumer Reports advises people to do: 

Beware of these categories.  Supplements for weight loss, sexual enhancement, and bodybuilding have been problematic, the FDA said, because some contain steroids and prescription drugs.

   Don’t assume more is better. It’s possible to overdose even on beneficial vitamins and minerals. Avoid any product that claims to contain “megadoses.”

   Report problems. Let your doctor know if you experience any symptoms after you start taking a supplement…do it yourself at www.fda.gov/medwatch or by calling 800-332-1088.

   Research in the right places. Be skeptical about claims made for supplements in ads, on TV and by sales staff. If a claim sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Here's an oldie (but a goodie) sample from my former Fat Loss Accelerator program talking about some of my recommended supplements:

Also check out my post on Whey Protein Isolate vs. Whey Protein Concentrate.

Fat Loss Diets Not Just for Fat Loss

A key factor to maintaining the fat you have lost is not to have 'dieting' vs. 'regular eating' mentality. If you are on a properly structured fat loss diet then you will be eating a lot of the same foods, in the same ways that you would if you weren't dieting. The main difference is just portion size. Martha Shulman at the NYT Health blog posted about this inadvertently while talking about how she likes cottage cheese.

Most days, I make a quick, no-nonsense lunch out of cottage cheese and vegetables — tomatoes and cucumbers in the summer, avocado and/or leftover cooked vegetables (roasted sweet potatoes are a favorite) when summer gives way to fall. Friends have accused me of eating “diet food,” but I take great pleasure in these lunches. Besides, I’m never on a diet.

This kind of mental shift is very liberating and essentially eliminate the yo-yo effect of dieting because you don't see yourself as on or off.  Check out my post on Stage 4 Surges for more on this topic (the Stage 4 Surge idea is more about tightening your dietary control rather than drastically changing your diet).