This Week In Focus: L-Carnitine: New Section Check It Out

[moonwish]

When I take L-Carnitine before walking I can walk longer and faster. I only take it when I exercise though. Should I be taking it all the time?

That's exactly how I feel - it gives me strength to work out harder/faster/better.
I've been recommended to take it 1h before cardio exercising and again right after exercising to keep fat burning. And then not take it any other time. It's got nothing to do with meal-times etc (except the fact they also recommend to do cardio before breakfast and workout at least for 40 minutes - 30 isn't enough!).
Still I don't know how about weight-training - I haven't focused on that.
As much as I understand, the whole idea of the supplement is to help you burn fat during cardio workout. It does nothing if you don't exercise.

My info comes from our local forum (for bodybuilders and fitness competitors, although I'm none, not even close... LOL). I don't give you the link, it's in Estonian anyway! LOL

[Simone]

started, stopped, stalled

Hello everyone.

Thanks for this forum. I think I just had a revelation. I have been on Atkins since Feb 26 and am down 31.5lbs. I started at 310lbs. I absolutely should have dropped more weight than this. I am disciplined. I started working out at the gym an hour a day in zone doing cardio and 3 days a week doing weights. EVERYDAY without fail. Still my weight is not reducing and my size is not reducing significantly. I cut out the weights about a month ago and went to cardio only an hour or more daily. I work up a sweat like a faucet running. I work hard. Still no weight loss. I think that I stopped taking LCarnitine and CQ10 and my other supplements about 3 weeks ago. At least then I was losing 1lb maybe 2 a week. Perhaps that is why I have stalled. I am going to go back on them immediately with the same regimen and see what happens.

I have contacted a personal trainer hoping they could see something I do not. They mentioned that I may have a cortisol defficiency. Tell me what you think of that assessment and if you know of any supplements that I can take to increase cortisol levels in my body. I will let you know how my result pan out this next coming week.

Simone
310/2-26-04/279

[mattkins]

It's probably.... TOO MANY CALORIES. Wipe your mind clear of everything you've been told about Atkins and just think about this logically for a second.

Atkins does two main things:
* It stops your blood sugar spikes and therefore stops you from being constantly hungry

* It gets your body to burn fat.

This does NOT necessarily mean you will loose weight! You've switched your body to a fat burning machine. You eat virtually no carbs. But what happens if you eat the exact same calories of fat that you burn in a day? NOTHING! You won't loose weight. You'll be a nice efficent fat burning machine, that consumes 2000 calories in fat and burns 2000 calories in fat. In order to loose weight on Atkins you have to consume LESS fat calories then you burn. PERIOD. Now for most people reason number one (blood sugar in check, not hungry all the time) automatically takes care of this and they don't have to worry about calories because they aren't hungry so they loose weight. But if you're stalled I'm telling you 99% of the time it's too many calories. Personally I MUST watch my calories. If I just eat until I'm satisfied, not stuffed just satisfied - even at only 20 carbs a day, I will NOT loose weight. I must cut back on my calories a bit. Nothing drastic, just cut back a bit.

[Simone]

RE: It's probably calories

Thanks for the response. And I love the Hemingway quote.

Let me say though, I do watch calories. I burn about 500-700 every day when I go to the gym. I have about 1200-1500 calories a day religiously. Sometime much less than that. A typical day will be an egg or two and some cheese for breakfast. Spinach, deli turkey and a little salad dressing in a wrap for lunch. Chicken/Fish/Pork/Beef and brocolli for dinner. Snacks in between are rare, but I will have a hand full of pecans or almonds, a spoon full of cool whip during that time of the month or just a diet drink.

Don't think it is calories at all, but will revisit this as well.

Thanks,
Simone
310/279/167

[mattkins]

ensive

I don't know then. That does sound low. There are other reasons for a stall, but I just see tons of people overlook the obvious, blaming it on caffine, or aspertame, or cheese and I'm like "You're eating 3000 calories a day! Address that first." But if you're not eating that much to begin with then the problem lies elsewhere. I know that I loose the most weight BY FAR when I do my cardio in the AM before breakfast. Just water, no food until after my cardio is done. Works like a champ.

How tall are you? If you're a smaller woman maybe even 1500 calories will be too much too loose?? You're not at a dead stop anyway are you? I thought it was just slower then you would have liked. If it's any consolation I'm c-r-a-w-l-i-n-g.... Maybe a pound every 2 weeks. But I'm within 5 pounds of goal. That's just the way it is when you get close. That means I have 10 weeks of being ultra-strict and doing lots of cardio. But think about how long it takes to put ON weight. So 10 weeks ain't bad.

[mattkins]

Sorry to get off the original thread there. I think you guys are on to something in regards to taking Carnitine before working out. Everyone who posted, including myself, and said they didn't notice a difference, was taking it with meals, not prior to exercise. I recently started biking in to work. It takes me about an hour and 20 minutes. Right around the hour mark I'm spent. I struggle the last 20 minutes. And I get pretty sore. It'd be interesting to see if I start taking it, if indeed more fat is mobilized and I do have more energy and less soreness. I'll have to pick some up and try it.

[mattkins]

OK, last post promise! I'm not affiliated with these guys in any way. But this seems pretty cheap doesn't it?

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/vitanet/l250mg30caso.html

[2big4mysize]

if you are defiecient in it then taking the supplements will have a huge impact on you. If you are not defient because your food choices then it will not have much impact on your body. You can produce your own in your body from various amino acids, vits and mineral or aquire it from foods. Similarly you can deplete your supply by consuming compounds which interfer with the liver and kidneys ability to make it.

It is used to move long chain fatty acids to the power plants (mitochondria) in your muscle cells. The more you have the faster the fatty acids can be moved. If you are deficient then your body wil store those fats instead of burn them and have less energy.

Skank I'm not seeing any way it can carry lactic acid away from the muscle cells. Can you elaborate on that?

[shawnee]

The biblographic reference in support of that particular assertion is as follows:

Giamberardino, M.A., International Journal of Sports Medicine, 1996; 17;
320-324

Have not read the study in detail myself but did google the doctors name+ carnitine & came up with a long list , checked the 1st one & it was a study which supported the premise. There lots of other hits on that list but just moved on due to lack of time after that

[Mindykins]

I too take Acetyl L-Carnitine. The directions on the bottle tells you to take it between meals, not with meals. I think it is correct to take it about 1 hour before working out too. This, I think is to let the supplement have time to assimilate in your body, so it can do its job. Those of you who take it with a meal aren't getting the benefit and that is why it didn't work.

To work, L-Carnitine needs activity, like eating/digesting a meal and exercising.

[2big4mysize]

actually to work as an improvement in a persons body they need to have a defiency. we have a threshold level of acetyl L and once you surpass that your body moves it back to the L form which doesn't transport the fatty acids which is what weigh losers want. the L form does help brain function though which is why some folks mistakenly think think L-Carnitine is only for brains and Acetyl L-Carnitine is for weight loss. our bodies convert them into each other so you are getting each of them with either supplement unless you have an enzyme problem converting L to acetly

Shank's study is in an old german mag and Shank and I are having trouble getting it. If any of y'all have a copy I'd love to read it.

[Mindykins]

2big - are there any side effects from taking too much? I changed the time of day i take the supplements, and I notice i'm feeling achey. don't have a clue if there would be any connection......

[2big4mysize]

okay I got it :joy :joy :joy :joy :joy

and it wasn't lactic acid transported out. so everybody can understand this I'm not going to use the scientific names and isomers numbers.
it is the transportation of broken fatty acids out of the inner areas of the muscle cell power plants that free up the power plant to burn the good fatty acids it likes as fuel. This keeps those broken fatty acids from A clogging up the fuel lines and B being converted further into the acids that cause the burn in your muscles. The good fatty acids are broken and become the bad broken fatty acids in the first step of the energy process in the power plant.
This is the actual process in scientific terms.
Transport of long-chain fatty acids into the mitochondrial matrix

The transport of long-chain fatty acids by L-carnitine into the mitochondrial matrix where they can be metabolized to generate energy requires three enzymes located on the mitochondrial outer and inner membranes . On the outer mitochondrial membrane of skeletal and cardiac muscle cells, carnitine-palmitoyl transferase I (CPTI) catalyzes the formation of acylcarnitine (a fatty acid + L-carnitine) from acyl-CoA (a fatty acid + coenzyme A). A transporter protein called carnitine:acylcarnitine translocase (CT) transports acylcarnitine across the inner mitochondrial membrane. Carnitine-palmitoyl transferase II (CPTII) is associated with the inner mitochondrial membrane and catalyzes the formation of acyl-CoA within the mitochondrial matrix where it can be metabolized through a process called beta-oxidation, ultimately yielding propionyl-CoA and acetyl-CoA .

Regulation of energy metabolism through the modulation of acetyl CoA:CoA ratios

The enzyme, pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), catalyzes the conversion of pyruvate to acetyl CoA, a pivotal reaction in glucose metabolism. In the mitochondrial matrix, decreased free CoA, relative to acetyl CoA, inhibits the activity of PDH. Carnitine acetyl-transferase (CAT) catalyzes the transfer of the acetyl group from acetyl CoA to L-carnitine, freeing CoA to participate in the PDH reaction. Acetyl-L-carnitine can be exported from the mitochondria through the activity of CT

Removal of short- and medium-chain fatty acids from the mitochondria

Within the mitochondrial matrix, short- and medium-chain fatty acids can be transferred from CoA to L-carnitine, allowing short and medium-chain acyl-carnitines to be exported from the mitochondria. This process provides free CoA needed for energy metabolism, as well as a mechanism to export excess acetyl and acyl groups from the mitochondria.

[2big4mysize]

2big - are there any side effects from taking too much? I changed the time of day i take the supplements, and I notice i'm feeling achey. don't have a clue if there would be any connection......

the ache feeling could be from a build up of those medium chain fatty acids in your muscles.

the only reported problems with too much is in some folk they get hypoglycemic symptoms

as I said if your get too much Acetly from in your blood stream your body just stops converting the L form to it and further up the line your liver and kidney stop making the L form. Our bodies have wonderful feed back loops for most compounds it makes and ways to shunt the chemical once the maximum needed level is reached.

Y'all should look at all the wonderful Atkins legal foods you can eat to get it free already made and at the various foods you can eat on atkins to assist your bodies to create it from scratch. It would be great if there was a test we could take to see how much of it we have and know how much more if any we needed.

[Mindykins]

Interesting. I think I'm going to cut back to taking only before exercising
and see if the achiness subsides. I had bumped up to 3x per day to help slow weight loss and had been taking with meals instead of 1 hour before. I eat all legal foods/meats and probably get adequate amounts in my diet.

2-big you are a walking science journal!!!! I really value your research.
THANKS! :hug