11 replies to this topic

[REBUILDER]

Ive failed to change my lifestyle in the past but would like to try again. am thinking of adopting this regimen based on Ray Kurzweils book "Transform", and would like advice on how to minimize the costs involved.

First, I've started following Rippetoe's Starting Strength routine plus some low intensity cardio followed by a stretching routine. I intend to follow Charles Poliquin's recommendation of taking one week off each month, though, to minimize time off due to injuries since I am prone to tendonitis. i am also replacing my desk with a treadmill-desk which i will use 2-4 hours a day at 1 mph.

I intend to adopt a Paleo/Primal pescatarian kind of diet with organic spinach,olive oil and self-caught fish as the heart of the diet, plus other vegetables and occasionally fruit on top of that.

I intend to keep my protein & collagen intake high, through the use of whey/collagen powder shakes flavored with cinnamon and dark chocolate powder.

I dont really like green tea but will try to break my soda addiction by combining green tea with other flavored teas and with stevia.

Supplements will be:
Vitamin D
daily Multivitamin
vinpocetine
vitamin c/proline/leucine
selenium
SAM-E
hawthorne berry
alcar
dhea
ashwaganda
Resveratrol use contributed to an achilles tendon tear, so I will avoid that.

edit:
I find that taking garlic & plant sterols/stanols keeps my blood pressure down even when I slip up on my diet so I always have bottles of those supplements with me in my car.
I would like to avoid large doses of vitamin E and don't take Ginkgo because Garlic already acts as a blood thinner

Edited by rebuilder, 20 November 2012 - 06:26 PM.

[REBUILDER]

FYI I managed to eliminate hypertension last year with garlic/sterols and a slightly better diet (no bread, no sauces or gravies, no added salt), but i keep getting injured and quit exercising for months when that happens, and then I gain back any weight that I may have lost while exercising. The most important thing is for me to lose weight and avoid injuries (tendonitis). I have found that Cissus doesn't help my tendonitis issues at all.

To be clear, I get tennis elbow from work and achilles tendonitis from pretty much anything. I am a posture/ergonomics nazi because my biomechanics are permanently suboptimal due to old pelvic fractures and spinal compression fractures. I also have old latissimus tears from martial arts training when I was young.

Edited by rebuilder, 20 November 2012 - 06:32 PM.

[REBUILDER]

This is my post from Reddit :
"I'm basing my stack on the recommendations from Ray Kurzweils book "Transcend: Nine Steps to Living Well Forever" as well as various subreddits and my own personal needs/experiences. I plan on subscribing to purchases of these supplements via Amazon and I'm willing to pay for that convenience but it looks like it actually may save me some money in the long run.

I'm following a Paleo diet + building it around whatever fish I catch and eggs I can get from my neighbors. Exercise is Starting Strength + a variety of daily cardio (gym/hiking/martial arts). I think I've got costs down to approximately cost of $100/month (!) Criticism and tweaks are welcome.
First off, I hate Green Tea but I think it's necessary, I've only managed to drink it in the past by basically dipping tea bags in very sugary lemonade which made it kind of pointless, health-wise. I'm going to give it another shot by flavoring it with Stevia instead and gradually decreasing the flavoring over time, so I can drink it plain. Kirkland Signature Ito En Matcha Blend (Green Tea) seems to be a great buy at $22/100 tea bags. I think that should last me a month.
Kirkland's Fish Oil is a Consumer Reports' recommendation. It seems decent enough. 400x 100mg softgels for about $10. 3 softgels/ day = about $2.25 per month.

NOW Foods Vitamin D3 5000 Iu, 240 Softgels $13.50 = an 8 month supply for $1.70/month.
Heart Plus: Vitamin C, L-Lysine & L-Proline; 180 Tablets = $12/month. Jarrow Formulas QH-Absorb 200mg 60 caps (1/day) $40.50/2 months (or $20.25/month) Nature Made CholestOff 240 Caplets per $22 Bottle, which lasts 6 months if I take 2 daily, or $3.60/month. I have a strong family history of multiple cardiovascular issues so I think of the combination of these 3 supplements as a necessary insurance policy. I'm 40ish, slightly overweight, but I believe my my BP/lipid values are low-normal because I've been so strict with these supplements for several years (and I use garlic on at least one meal/day).
NAC 600 mg 100 Caps, I trust the Swanson brand name. $9.60/100 days = $2.88/month
Twinlab Acetyl L-Carnitine (ALCAR) $27 500mg x120 caps. at 2/day that's $13.50/month
NeoCell Super Collagen Powder, Collagen I & III, 7 oz - 2 Pack is $27. I get Tendonitis often, so I'm hoping this helps. I think two bottles will last a month.
Controlled Labs Orange Triad: Multivitamin, Joint, Digestion, And Immune, $25 for a 270-Count Bottle. 2 bottles should last 3 months. Cost = $8.33/month I posted a question about it earlier today. Seems to get the "thumbs up".

The total price is $111.81/month. Prices I listed are for single purchases, and are slightly higher than the subscription prices listed on Amazon. I think this works out to be close to $100/month and doesn't include the cost of whey protein which I have excluded because I like to try different brands of whey each time that I buy a bottle. I flavor my Whey with Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa Powder and though I know the research on that is arguable, I hope I'm getting some antioxidants from that.

And this is Herman_Gill's awesome response...

"If you hate green tea but think it's necessary, just buy some green tea extract from smartpowders. Half gram/day = $10/year.
Kirkland fish oil is good (just make sure to store it in the fridge or freezer to prevent peroxidation) but largely unnecessary on days you're eating fish or not training. Buy the wild pink salmon from Costco instead for days you don't get fresh catches.
The Heart plus pills are probably useless if you're getting enough Vitamin C from your paleo diet (eating enough fruits like berries, some rich in anthocyanidins which are great at recycling vitamin C) and enough protein (you probably aren't too far off).
To prevent hypercholesterolemia for cheaper (and likely more effective), and improving heart health:
Taurine @1.5g/day = full year for $8
ALCAR @0.5g/day for $5/year... although you'd have to put an anti-caking agent in there, maybe some anhydrous magnesium sulfate (just bake 25g of epsom salt in a toaster oven for 5 minutes or microwave for like a minute, throw it in there and mix it up)... Much cheaper than buying those pills
Vitamin D (also heart healthy) is much cheaper in drop form. You don't need 5000IU/d, go for 2500IU/d during the summers and 5000IU/d during the winters. This bottle will last you about 1.5 years that way, which is $5/year.
Vitamin E tocotrienol is one of the best things you can take for heart health, 1 pill/day = $5/month... Also start cooking with rice bran oil
Vitamin K @1 pill/day = $1/month
ALSO: Just throwing epsom salt into your baths, getting adequate dietary magnesium = hypotensive effects. If you use half a cup a couple of times a week in a bath, it won't be more than $10/month from your local pharmacy. Plus it's nice and relaxing
For Coenzyme Q10, which is one of your biggest expenditures, you have multiple options:
2 pills a day of this ($11/month) for the same dosage of Kaneka Q10
1 pill a day of this ($13/month) for 1.5x the dosage
1 pill a day of this ($7/month) for 1/4 the dosage but it's the reduced version of CoQ10 which is much better absorbed in older people (and younger people too, probably).
You could also optionally get 1 pill of 100mg CoQ10 and Ubiquinol/day ($13/month), which might be good? I'd personally recommend just doing either or (100mg of Coenzyme Q10, or 50mg Ubiquinol) but if you're really worried and have money to blow then both might be good.
The collagen is probably useless (conflicting results in studies, most showing no benefit), just keep on taking whey isolate instead for the money (also good for cholesterol profiles). The cocoa powder thing might very well be beneficial.
That much NAC consistently might actually be bad for your heart health. I'd consider just taking it out altogether. With all the other antioxidants you're taking, you won't have any problem reducing glutathione anyway.
This multi is better as a I already mentioned, at just 1pill/day.
For your joints: fish oil can't hurt (just make sure to refrigerate/freeze it), eating fish regularly is better
Turmeric (particularly curcumin), Bromelain, and Cissus have beneficial effects (Cissus potentially for regrowth, and Turmeric as a COX inhibitor for pain relief, Bromelain potentially for both). If you don't wanna taste them, 1 pill a day of this and 1 pill a day of this will run you about $9/month.
Or you could just eat more pineapple, and buy turmeric from your local indian store and cook with it (use it with your fish, for fish curry!). Pineapple fish curry, eh?"

I'm hoping for more feedback on Collagen, an all-in-one Joint Supplement and a Multivitamin, and I'm now leaning towards a higher dose and "loading dose" of Ubiquinol (not Co-Q 10!), more in line with the cardiovascular research I read last night.

Edited by rebuilder, 05 December 2012 - 03:05 PM.

[nupi]

My current favorite is AOR Multi Basics 3 for the multi (probably 2 rather than 3 caps a day). Like most, it needs additional D3 and K (I would go for LEF Super K rather than the Source Natural product) though.

Not sure I would bother with Taurine to be honest. DHEA I would be careful with, other than that it seems like a solid stack (I never really investigated the joint part though, so limited knowledge there).

Edited by nupi, 07 December 2012 - 12:51 PM.

[1kgcoffee]

You're def on the right track, though I would recommend cutting down protein intake and not supplementing with powders.
I would drop vinpocetine, leucine(unless you meant lysine), dhea and the multi. Add in vitamin K and magnesium. What form of selenium are you taking? I would probably drop that too.

Another cheap supplement to reduce blood pressure - and also activate longevity genes - is apple cider vinegar.

[sthira]

I dont really like green tea but will try to break my soda addiction by ...

Do you best to avoid sugary drinks.

[nupi]

Put Xylitol in the Green Tea, makes it a lot more palatable without having all the nasty side effects of sugar (or aspartame)...

[REBUILDER]

...Another cheap supplement to reduce blood pressure - and also activate longevity genes - is apple cider vinegar.

Can't find any info on that. Please provide links or citations.

[Lewcifer]

Put Xylitol in the Green Tea, makes it a lot more palatable without having all the nasty side effects of sugar (or aspartame)...

My recommendation, based on medical evidence (peer-reviewed studies):

Do not use xylitol, sucralose, stevia, saccharin, cyclamate, aspartame or acesuame-K as a sweeteners, for the following reasons:

M. M. Andreatta, S. E. Mu~noz, M. J. Lantieri, A. R. Eynard, and A. Navarro. Articial sweetener consumption and urinary tract tumors in cordoba, argentina. Prev Med, 47(1):136-139, 2008.

D. J. Brusick. A critical review of the genetic toxicity of steviol and steviol glycosides. Food Chem. Toxicol., 46 - Suppl - 7-83, 2008.

C. R. Whitehouse, J. Boullata, and L. A. McCauley. The potential toxicity of articial sweeteners. AAOHN JOURNAL, 56(6):251, 2008.

Roberts HJ. Aspartame-induced thrombocytopenia. South Med J. 2007 May;100(5):543.

Roberts HJ. Overlooked aspartame-induced hypertension. South Med J. 2008 Sep;101(9):969.

Jacob SE, Stechschulte S. Formaldehyde, aspartame, and migraines: a possible connection. Dermatitis. 2008 May-Jun;19(3):E10-1.

Ciappuccini R, Ansemant T, Maillefert JF, Tavernier C, Ornetti P. Aspartame-induced fibromyalgia, an unusual but curable cause of chronic pain. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2010 Nov-Dec;28(6 Suppl 63):S131-3.

Halldorsson TI, Strøm M, Petersen SB, Olsen SF. Intake of artificially sweetened soft drinks and risk of preterm delivery: a prospective cohort study in 59,334 Danish pregnant women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Sep;92(3):626-33.

Roberts HJ. Perspective on aspartame-induced pseudotumor cerebri. South Med J. 2009 Aug;102(8):873.

Instead, use only erythritol (sold as ZERO at Whole Foods) which (as of this date) has no reported side-effects, does not promote tooth decay, and is potentially a potent antioxidant.

Arrigoni E, Brouns F, Amadò R. Human gut microbiota does not ferment erythritol. Br J Nutr. 2005 Nov;94(5):643-6.

If anyone has some peer-reviewed double-blind studies to refute this, please advise.

Lew Payne
"Just the facts, Ma'am!"

Edited by Lewcifer, 16 December 2012 - 08:35 PM.

[REBUILDER]

Thanks, but I think I solved my problem. I can stomach green tea flavored with pomegranate.

[Lewcifer]

Thanks, but I think I solved my problem. I can stomach green tea flavored with pomegranate.

Be advised that, assuming you're drinking green tea for the flavanoids, there are alternatives.

I personally drink several cups of hibiscus tea, with a cinnamon stick, throughout the day. The hibiscus has been shown to have more antioxidant activity, as measured by the ORAC standard. In fact, depending on the type of green tea you're drinking, hibiscus has (prox) 37% more ORAC activity than macha (powdered green tea - where you're also eating the leaves) tea. You can purchase hibiscus tea under the "Celestial Red Zinger" brand, in varying flavours. Or, you can go to practically any Mexican market and purchase (from the bulk bin) Jamaica... which is dried hibiscus leaves ($3.00 worth lasts about a month). Strain the tea yourself (search tea infusors or visit Starbucks), and add a cinnamon stick for added oxalates.

Similarly, if tea isn't your thing, you can boil the Jamaica in a gallon of water for five minutes, then add eight tablespoons of erythritol and place in the refrigerator. Served cool, a cup of this stuff will provide you with the equivalent ORAC of several cups of green tea.

Carlsen MH, Halvorsen BL, Holte K, Bøhn SK, Dragland S, Sampson L, Willey C, Senoo H, Umezono Y, Sanada C, Barikmo I, Berhe N, Willett WC, Phillips KM, Jacobs DR Jr, Blomhoff R. The total antioxidant content of more than 3100 foods, beverages, spices, herbs and supplements used worldwide. Nutr J. 2010 Jan 22;9:3.

Draženka Komes, , Dunja Horžić, Ana Belščak, Karin Kovačević Ganić, Ivana Vulić.. Green tea preparation and its influence on the content of bioactive compounds. Food Research International Volume 43, Issue 1, January 2010, Pages 167–176

V. Olvera-Garca, E. Casta~no-Tostado, R. I. Rezendiz-Lopez, R. Reynoso-Camacho, E. G. de Meja, G. Elizondo, and G. Loarca-Pi~na. Hibiscus sabdariffa l. extracts inhibit the mutagenicity in micro-suspension assay and the proliferation of hela cells. J. Food Sci., 73(5)-75, 2008.

Y.K. Lee, W.S. Lee, J.T. Hwang, D.Y. Kwon, Y.J. Surh, & O.J. Park. Curcumin exerts antidifferentiation effect through AMPKalpha-PPAR-gamma in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and antiproliferatory effect through AMPKalpha-COX-2 in cancer cells. J Agric Food Chem, 57(1):305-310, 2009.

S. Yodkeeree, W. Chaiwangyen, S. Garbis, & P. Limtrakul. Curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin differentially inhibit cancer cell invasion through the down-regulation of MMPs and uPA. J Nutr Biochem, 20(2):87-95, 2009.

M. Labbozzetta, M. Notarbartolo, P. Poma, A. Maurici, L. Inguglia, P. Marchetti, M. Rizzi, R. Baruchello, D. Simoni, & N. D’Alessandro. Curcumin as a possible lead compound against hormone-independent, multidrug-resistant breast cancer. Ann N Y Acad Sci, 1155:278-283, 2009.

M. Tang, D.E. Larson-Meyer, & M. Liebman. Effect of cinnamon and turmeric on urinary oxalate excretion, plasma lipids, and plasma glucose in healthy subjects. Am J Clin Nutr, 87(5):1262-1267, 2008.

If anyone has peer-reviewed double-blind studies that contradict my findings, please post them.

"Just the facts, Ma'am!"
Lew

Edited by Lewcifer, 16 December 2012 - 10:40 PM.

[REBUILDER]

I really veered away from Kurzweil's routine and went with something much more individualized, focusing on anti-inflammatory effects as well as my joints and cardiovascular system. The only anti-aging nutrient is an undeclared amount of Astralagus in the Chinese herbal complex. In addition to this, I will continue putting Hershey's Unsweetened Dark Cocoa in my protein drinks for the high ORAC rating, using Sterols/Stenols daily, and have moved to a daily Garlic pill. I am using Swanson because of their Price-Matching policy (and convenience):

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Edited by rebuilder, 21 December 2012 - 05:52 PM.