Supplements on BMQ (merged)

[Drez]

Im getting ready to send off to boot within a month, and Ive been training for almost 2 years to be ready for all this, and I wanted to know if supplements are allowed by the CF.

By supplements, Im sure that the extra vitamins I take like Vit C and those types are ok, but what about Protein supplements?

I juss bought a proteinpack supplement of natural soya protein, and Id like to know if anybody has any idea if its authorised or not? Or maybe somebody has a website detailing things similar that are accepted and not by the CF?

Thanks for the input people!

 

[Zoomie]

They sell Whey Protein and Carotein (spelling??) at the CANEX at St-Jean. So, yeh... I think it is okay. Just make sure u drink lots of water, don‘t want your kidneys to fail on you.

 

[Michael OLeary]

DND has recently, however, promulgated a warning against the use of ephedrine based products for weight loss because of their potential health risks. (Note the many alternative names in the article.)
http://www.dnd.ca/menu/maple/vol_5/vol5_10/vol5_10p4-5.pdf

A related message was in the Personnel newsletter:
http://www.dnd.ca/hr/cfpn/engraph/06_02_warning_e.asp

 

[portcullisguy]

I‘m not sure you really NEED to supplement your diet, as the food they give you on course is actually not too bad, and everything is available to you -- protein, carbs, vitamins, minerals, etc. It may not be cordon bleu dining, but it does the trick. On my course (BMQ) seconds are usually available, and breakfast sees plates of fresh fruit and juices, along with cereal and breads all laid out, along with the hot food.

To compare, I spent 9 weeks at a government facility (Customs Recruit College) in Quebec. It was in-residence, and they fed us 3 squares a day for free, a lot like the army. In fact, the facility is used by the army every year for some sort of training activity. The meals on my BMQ course are comparable, for the most part, to the food at the college. Of course, our course has catered food, and so made-to-order is not available.

Anyway, my point is, unless you have some sort of medical problem, you are not likely to NEED a dietary supplement, strictly speaking.

Now, if you are on a weight-gain, physical fitness (muscle-building, etc.) or similar routine, you may want to supplement your meals. It is easiest to do this through snack bars and granola-type bars, kept in pockets, in my opinion.

 

[Drez]

Thanks for the fast reply guys.

Ya I wanna take this to build up size and stuff, I know size is not everything with muscles, its just for my own personnal need.

Thanks for the food info there, I only take supplements right now because my diet is not that great...but I dont eat much fatty stuff, I just lack vegetables and fruits right now.

I would think im pretty normal with 5 feet 10 and 175 lbs.

Thanks again and if you have anything to add please, im all ears from our resident experts

 

[Drez]

Oh I forgot, I should still prolly call up the CF tomorrow morning to make sure there is nothing wrong with the list of about 30 ingrediants in the proteinpack...my physical is on the 22nd and I dont want to mess up anything with one that is borderline or unacceptable...

...right?

 

[slaw]

How many people on here use protein supplements? When do you usuaully take them? after working out or before?

 

[Yllw_Ninja]

You should be eating lots of protein...i have read any wheres from 1 to 2 grams per pound you weigh...so if you weigh a 110 pounds...you should be eating between 110 to 220 grams of protein a day...you should eat it as soon as you get up...and no later than 90 minutes after your workout...i don‘t take supplements...but i eat stuff like Vector Bars...or lots of meat...Chocolate milk is good for protein also its a nice protein supply if you can‘t afford the powder mixes...essentially you should be eating 6 little meals a day...making sure you get at least 30 grams of protein in each meal...also increase your water intake...i‘ve read on a site where it recommended 8 litres of water a day...i tried to do that but i ended up going to the bathroom constantly...i‘d say around 4-5 litres of water a day would work *nods* hope this helps...

 

[Righty]

supplements are for fake people... you can be just as good without help from all that supplement crap... all you gotta do is work out hard!

 

[winchable]

I used to think that too righty, until I started taking them after I hit my second plateau.

 

[slaw]

Yllw_Ninja-thank you for the information. I just heard alot of people talking about protein supplements today at the gym and was just kinda wondering about them.

 

[Infanteer]

Righty is right.

If your body is so used to supplements, how is it going to handle having none in the field.

I remember one guy who took all that **** and was in the gym everyday. Throw a ruck on the guy or go for a run, and he would thunder in.

 

[winchable]

It depends on your dependance on them; Obviously if someone cannot function without them then they would be useless in the field.
If all you do is work in the gym and pop supplement pills your real world capability is going to be nill. If you can manage to take them and still keep your workout routine spread out around real world activity and "gym world" then you should be alright, I was.
The only reason people should ever take them anyways is if they hit a wall with their routines, their kind of useless if you just start working out and taking them, there isn‘t much of a diff in weight gain or strength.

Edit-As far as you‘re concerned, you shouldn‘t need supplements unless you‘re an athlete, I took them for boxing because I needed to move up a weight class and clobber someone bigger, that‘s probably not your case (although correct me if it is). A solid workout routine and a good diet, both of which are available on the internet or at the gym.

 

[gate_guard]

Supplements are just that, supplements, not replacements. I take protein shakes the odd time after a work out, not to completely replace my protein intake at meals, but to supplement them. Overdependence on anything, especially when it comes to supplements, will only work against you in the long run. As for 99% of us, a decent balanced diet is all that‘s needed. Che is right with regards to real world capability, at one point I found myself solely relying on gym work for fitness to the detriment of my running and rucking ability (although I‘ve always been a sh!tty runner). I know guys who could run me into the ground, but get em to do pull ups or push ups and they‘d fall apart. It‘s all about balance.

 

[Yllw_Ninja]

http://www.intense-workout.com/protein_diet.html

Heres a link to a high protein diet i found a while ago...just remembered i had it in my Favorites

 

[Dartser]

I was talking to a friend of mine who is joining the army, and he said for his test that he should not have protien traces in his test... I was wondering whyyou are not allowed to have protien if this is true?  Myself as a bodybuilder for me to achieve optimal growth I consume a gram of protien per pound of body weight as aminimum each day.

 

[Dartser]

I take it none of you army buffs know the answer to my question

 

[Kilted Mayhem]

I hope that this helps

This test is most often performed when kidney disease is suspected.

Normally, protein is not found in urine when a routine dipstick test is performed. This is because the kidney is supposed to keep large molecules, such as protein, in the blood and only filter out smaller impurities. Even if small amounts of protein do get through, they are normally re-absorbed by the body and used as a source of energy.

Some proteins will appear in the urine if the levels of protein in blood become high, even when the kidney is functioning properly.

If the kidney is diseased, protein will appear in the urine -- even if the blood levels are normal.

 

[Mr. Ted]

To further amplify on the above response:

What they are looking for specifically is a condition known as "Microalbuminuria" or "Proteinuria" - essentially large chunks of protein being excreted in the urine.

The presence of protein in this case would signify a deterioration in function of the kidney - essentially a breakdown of its filtering abilities.  This is a simple test as it is indicative of a greater problem.  The kidney is the most highly-vasculated organ in the body - if the kidney is deteriorating it is a future predictor of the rest of  the vasculature deteriorating, specifically the heart.  Type II diabetics, the obese, etc would be picked up in this urine test.  If the candidate is fairly young and in fairly good health and non-diabetic, the test should not be a problem.

So in this case a "high protein" diet is not the culprit, but instead of a condition of poor health and a pre-cursor to greater health problems.  Your friend should have nothing to worry about.

Mr. Ted
Former rifleman, current drug rep, he he he...

 

[Armymedic]

good post Mr Ted, couldn't have explained it better myself.