Supplements: The Top 10

• Multivitamins
• Meal Replacements
• Sports Nutrition Supplements
• Calcium
• B Vitamins
• Vitamin C
• Glucosamine & Chondroiton
• Homeopathic Medicines
• Vitamin D
• Weight Loss Pills

With all the supplements out there, these rank among the top 10.  I can honestly say I've taken most of them at one time or another in my life. It's important to remember that dietary supplements are designed to supplement your diet, not to replace nutritious foods.  My rule of thumb is to thoroughly research a supplement before I take it.

What do I take?  Well, here's my daily cocktail....
Spironolactone, an androgen blocker prescribed to me by my OB/GYN.
Norethindrone, another one prescribed to me by my OB/GYN for endometriosis.
Glucosamine Chondroiton, for knee pain .  I take it sporadically when I feel I need to and when I'm doing workouts or activities that are hard on my knees.  I used to take it daily when Royce and I lived in Colorado and we snow skied A LOT!
Multivitamin, Women's One A Day.
Acid Reducer for heart burn as needed.
Raspberry Ketone for fat loss.
Shakeology as a meal replacement and overall nutritional supplement.
Whey Protein to enhance results and recovery of muscles after strenuous workouts.

I meet 5 of the top 10 plus my daily other drugs.  Do they work?  Mostly from what I can tell.  Raspberry Ketone alone or Shakeology alone aren't miracles for weight loss.  Paired and combined with a nice exercise program and good nutrition they are wonderful and I see great results.  6 weeks in, I have less cravings, increased weight loss, AMAZING fat loss and I can't pinpoint one factor or another.  It's a daily cocktail of drugs, exercise and nutrition that's leading to success.  I've tried one without the others with little results.  But, combined I can't believe how effortless it seems.

I got some Raspberry Ketones before I started Shakeology and my BeachBody workouts.  They didn't do much.  However, my recent study of Shakeology with Raspberry Ketones along with 3-4 workouts a week was more effective than any one or combination of 2 out of 3 together.  Combined, it's a trifecta of fat blasting!

ViSalus vs. Shakeology

So, I've been asked a few times about Vi vs Shakeology.  Lets take a look:

 Nutrition:

	Body by Vi	% DV	Shakeology	% DV
Calories	90		140
Calories from fat	10	10	3
Total fat	1	2	.05 g	0
Saturated fat	0	0	0	0
Trans fat	0	0	0	0
Cholesterol	15 mg	5	10 mg	3
Sodium	75 mg	3	95	4
Potassium	125 mg	4	?*
Total carbs	7 g	2	19 g	6
Dietary fiber	5	22	3 g	13
Sugars	1 g		11 g
Protein	12 g	24	15 g	30

I, myself, have been wondering a little about Potassium in the Shakeology, so I took a deeper look.  Here's what BeachBody has to say about Potassium in Shakeology:

"The potassium levels are almost in the exact ratios they should be with sodium being about 190mg of K and 95mg of Na. This creates regulatory and proper exchange of active transport system of these too elements."

Shakeology has probiotics, prebiotics, antioxidants, phytonutirnts and digestive enzymes.  I can't say so much for Vi.



Cost: Lets take a look.  What's really cheaper?

Shakeology	Vi Shape
$119 per month	$49 per month (Vi Shape only)
$1428 per year	$588 per year (Vi Shape only)

So, when you just look at the shake, Vi is cheaper, but the suggested supplements you additionally have to take (if you so choose so) would make it WAY more expensive than Shakeology, which already has the good stuff you'd be supplementing with Vi.

Other types of popular meal replacements:

• SlimFast: drink 2 shakes and eat a sensible dinner
• Special K diet: eat 2 bowls of cereal and eat a sensible meal
• Right Size: replace 2 meals with two shakes
  

They all work in their own way.  It's not about what you do, it's about simply doing it.  Finding what's right for your exercise and nutrition regimen is up to you (or your personal trainer if you're lucky enough to have one).  Don't get discouraged.  If you do get discouraged, talk to someone about it.  Utilize your resources with trainers, coaches, dietitians and nutritionists.  It's a puzzle you have to make fit you.