3 Supplements That Actually Work

I am frequently asked about supplements, mostly because many of my clients are working primarily on fat loss. And if you have struggled with weight loss before, you know that it can put you in a very vulnerable position to be influenced by predatory advertising.

Women, in particular, are served heavy advertising for:

• Collagen peptides
• Fat burners
• Hormone balancers
• Sleep aids

The promises of these supplements are particularly appealing for women who are in perimenopause or who are post-menopause, who are dealing with unwanted weight gain, sleep issues, and possibly hot flashes and aging skin. Even younger women are attracted to herbal remedies that promise to balance hormones, reduce stress, or burn fat.

But something to keep in mind about supplements is that they are not regulated by the FDA. This means that the onus is on the supplement companies to do their own third-party testing to ensure safety, efficacy, accuracy, and purity. While I’m not anti-supplement, it’s crucial to remember that the accountability level is not high for supplements. You have to do your homework on each supplement company to make sure that you’re comfortable with the third-party testing.

In my opinion, many issues that people try to address with supplements could be better addressed with either a prescription medication or a change in lifestyle or behavior. For example, HRT will be far more effective for menopause symptoms than a “stress blend” you find online. Similarly, changes in habits and environment (like timing and temperature) often help to ameliorate sleep issues more than a supplement will. And although I enjoy dabbling in adaptogenic coffees and drinks, I can’t really wade into the pseudoscience of herbal remedies like ashwaganda or reishi at a prescriptive level when behavioral interventions like CBT are proven to be so effective.

So when it comes to recommendations for clients, there are only three supplements that I regularly endorse. I am comfortable encouraging clients to adopt these habits (on top of a multivitamin) because these supplements…

• are extensively researched
• are proven to be safe in the correct amounts (with lots of wiggle room for user error)
• clearly do what they are meant to do
• are directly related to sports performance, energy, and body composition

These are the 3 supplements that actually work, that I regularly recommend!

Supplement #1 – Protein

Protein has been comprehensively shown to have a multitude of benefits, and because some people struggle to get enough protein in their diets through food, I am very comfortable recommending the use of protein powders.

For many of my female clients, an ideal protein intake goal is around 100 grams per day. For taller and/or more active women, levels of 120 grams or even higher can be helpful. This goal helps to:

• manage blood sugar and cravings, which stabilizes mood
• support muscle gain and maintenance, as well as active exercise
• overall encourage healthy weight maintenance because of the above two points

On top of that, adequate protein helps with overall tissue health, including skin!

For some women, hitting about 100 grams per day without supplementation will be tough, especially if they don’t eat meat. However, the key word here is supplement – I don’t think that protein powder should make up the majority of someone’s diet. But it can be a very helpful boost to get an extra 20-30 grams per day that pulls protein intake over the finish line.

I’m not extremely picky about brand, but I do recommend Naked Nutrition, Garden of Life, Vega, Designer Whey, Optimum Nutrition, and more. The goal is at least 20 grams of protein per 100-130 calories.

But if you eat foods like meat, fish, eggs, and dairy regularly, you probably don’t need a protein powder (unless it makes life more convenient). And if you’re looking for more whole-foods based strategies to eat more protein without eating meat, check out this blog post of mine.

Supplement #2 – Creatine

I’ve written about creatine already in this blog post, but I will quickly summarize that, like protein, creatine is extensively studied and has been shown effective for supporting workouts and muscle gain.

Creatine primarily works by providing more energy for higher-performance, higher-intensity resistance training workouts. When you’re taking creatine consistently, your power, stamina, and recovery are all improved. Unfortunately, it has had a branding issue for decades, as it has been primarily positioned as a “masculine” supplement that will grow muscles on muscles on muscles. But women benefit enormously from creatine, especially over 35 (accelerating after menopause) when you begin to lose muscle mass as part of aging and take longer to recover between workouts. If you can give yourself a little “kick” that helps you perform better (and more frequently) at the gym, you will ultimately see superior body composition results because you can push yourself harder.

It’s important to note, however, that creatine does not give you energy like caffeine – it’s not an instant surge. You have to take creatine consistently like a vitamin (3-5 grams per day) to see an effect after about a month. It takes time for your body to fully “saturate” your muscles with creatine and have access to that faster energetic turnover and better recovery.

It’s also worth mentioning that some of the claims around creatine are overblown. There is not strong research to support promises that it improves cognition or bone density, for example. But used for exercise performance, which can indirectly improve cognition and bone density, it is extremely effective.

Brands I recommend include Naked Nutrition, Nutricost, and Thorne.

But speaking of caffeine…

Supplement #3: Caffeine

I’m not talking about randomly drinking coffee or Diet Coke throughout the day. Instead, I’m specifically recommending using caffeine as a pre-workout energy supplement. It doesn’t take a lot – you don’t need to buy a packaged “pre-workout” product. Instead, something like a coffee, espresso, or caffeinated tea right before a workout can give you a boost that – like creatine – helps you work out harder.

Because strength training is ultimately what drives muscle growth and maintenance, performing well in the gym is crucial to improving your body composition. If you don’t increase the intensity of your weight workouts somehow (either through load or through volume or both), you won’t give your body the stimulus it needs to create new muscle tissue. So if you struggle with low energy at the gym, a “dose” of caffeine immediately beforehand can work wonders for being able to push yourself to higher levels, and thus see better results from your workouts.

However, I never want clients to overuse and abuse caffeine for energy, since it can be so detrimental for sleep. Ultimately, good sleep is superior for fat loss and for exercise performance than caffeine can ever be. So even if you use caffeine as a supplement, be sure to stop drinking it at around lunchtime, and to avoid over-caffeinated beverages like energy drinks. If you work out later in the day, I wouldn’t recommend using caffeine as a pre-workout boost.

Final Thoughts on Supplements

Are there lots of other vitamins and supplements that are helpful, particularly if you happen to have a deficiency (like Vitamin D)? Absolutely. But for that kind of specificity, you would need to be working with a physician.

The supplements I’ve mentioned today do work for improving body composition and energy, but I have to repeat that they don’t replace:

• Hard training
• High activity levels
• A diet rich in whole-foods based protein, gut-healthy fiber, and unsaturated fat
• A diet low in alcohol, sugar, and overly processed foods
• Behavioral and mind-body habits that promote good sleep and low stress

Supplements are simply that – supplements. They are meant to give you a little boost in areas where the last 5-10% of optimization will make a big difference.

If you want to chat about bigger-picture optimizations for your lifestyle that will generate huge results, click here to set up a free consultation call.