SUCKERS FOR SUPPLEMENTS

Here's a scenario that I run into ever so often when I'm faced with someone interested in my diet and weightlifting:

[Wanna-be/Lazy Ass] Dude, do you go to the gym?

[Me] Yeah, I try to throw some weights around every now and then.

[Wanna-be/Lazy Ass] What kind of supplements are you taking?

[Me] I take very little supplements and focus mainly on my diet.

[Wanna-be/Lazy Ass] No way man, you don't take any [place product name here]?

[Me] No, I focus on eating whole foods like steak, chicken, fish, nuts and seeds, milk, yogurt, fruits and vegetables.

[Wanna-be/Lazy Ass] Oh.  (walks away in complete disbelief).

People are freaking lazy and easily duped into buying a ton of bullsh!t supplements to promote better health, wellness, and performance.  It's a ba-zillion dollar industry that thrives on the ill-informed and naive.  I was one of them -- a sucker for supplements!

I believe 90% of the products sold in the local health food store is pure crap!  There.  I said it.  Pure nasty, smells of decaying dog sh!t, crap!  Why do I make such a bold statement?  Because it's freaking true and I was one of the many that believed in these products.  I spent a sh!t-ton of money, wasted hours upon hours reading all the advertisements -- convincing myself that these products would increase my strength and slim my waistline, along with a host of other empty promises, which only made my wallet lighter.

The best way to increase your athletic performance, decrease body fat, and improve your general health is not through a pill, tablet, powder, or some other magical elixir -- NO, it's from consuming pure, unadulterated, natural food.  Think about it - every designer supplement is derived from food.  For example, whey protein -- it's the leftover byproduct from the processing of cottage cheese.  Afterwards, supplement manufacturers purchase the leftover whey, extract, dry, flavor, process and repackage it into an attractive container, place a famous bodybuilder and/or fitness model on said container and -- walla -- sell the leftover whey to you at a mind-boggling price.  It's freaking genius on their part, and freaking dumb on ours.  You could forgo paying the high prices of whey protein powder and just eat cottage cheese, but we wouldn't look cool downing a container of cottage cheese after a workout, nor would it taste very appetizing.

Could you imagine this:

"Hey, Joe what do you have in your gym bag that's oozing out white jizz from that container?"

"Oh, it's just my 16oz container of cottage cheese that I plan on eating after I get done working out today."

"Hey, dude, that's freaking gross!"

"Yeah, but it's saving me a ton of money by not having to buy whey protein powder."

"Yeah, you're an idiot!"

Is there a happy medium when it comes to food and supplements?  The answer - hells yeah!  The primary source of sustenance, calories, nourishment, and nutrients should come directly from food -- as far as I'm concerned, food is a drug!  Ideally, you should try to obtain free-range, wild-caught, and/or organic food items.  If you do, your food will be easily identifiable, because it hasn't been overly processed and packaged into a pill, tablet, powder, bottle or box.  Thus, you should obtain your protein from beef, chicken, pork, lamb, fish, eggs, milk, yogurt and cheese.  You should derive carbohydrates from fresh vegetables and fruits, along with some starches from potatoes and rice.  Your fat consumption should come from coconuts, olives, avocados, and various healthful oils (i.e. coconut oil, olive oil, almond oil, walnut oil, etc...).  It's that simple.  It's a shame that most people refuse to go this route -- using food as their drug of choice; instead, they'd rather drink, chew and swallow some Frankin-food.  They're too freaking lazy!

Brinner (Breakfast for Dinner) is the best!

Hey MA! MEATLOAF!
Nothing better than meatloaf, mashed potatoes
green beans and a fried egg!
Someone say "Loco Moco"!

Baked chicken breast with caramelized dates and flatbread.
Chow time!

Pulled pork, mashed potatoes, 6 bean salad, and coleslaw
all the necessary ingredients to create your own
"dutch oven" when you hit the rack!

If you can't subsist on a diet made of these natural ingredients, then learn how to cook -- for f@cks sake!  Buy a cookbook, watch the "food network", or YouTube some recipes, but eat food to grow and perform at your best!

Now, if you're cooking, eating, and still not getting enough micronutrients and/or macronutrients, then supplements become a viable option to make up any deficiencies in your diet.  This is exactly what I do with my diet.  (I bet you all thought I was going to say I live a life devoid of supplements and eat only what I grow in my backyard -- f@ck that noise.  I'd starve to death.)  Living in Kansas limits my diet when it comes to fish consumption; therefore, I supplement my diet with fish oil to ensure adequate  amounts of Omega 3 fatty acids in my diet.  See how that works?  Food first, supplements second; hence, the word "supplement" meaning something that completes or enhances something else when added to it.

Supplements should "supplement" your whole food diet
not the other way around!
(This stuff should always come last!)

Here is another point to consider.  Back in the early days of strongmen and weightlifting (the 50's, 60's and 70's) athletes didn't have access to the infinite amount of supplements that we do today.  Instead, these behemoths got strong - no, they got freaky-burl-ass-rip-your-face-off-strong by eating a mountain of food on a daily basis.  They didn't drink a gay-ass soy and pea protein smoothie with acai berries.  Hell no!  These monsters were busy training hard and eating even harder by consuming large amounts of beef, chicken, eggs, whole milk, etc...  You get the picture -- train big, eat big, grow big!  If it worked then, it sure as hell will work now.  So, the next time you think about buying a supplement, ask yourself if there is a more natural way to obtain the same nutrients from a whole food source, if so, then use it!  Hell, I'd rather eat a steak than drink a shake!  Don't be a sucker for supplements!  Enough said.  Now, go lift something REALLY HEAVY!