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

[shawnee]

I am going to try something out that has been floating around in my head as an idea for a week or so. The sucess of this depends on participation from you guys: The people who read & use this forum so come on guys help me out here.

Vita-Nutrients are an important & huge subject area, even bigger & more complex than the diet aspect of Atkins. We have around 20 forums w/more than that many mods concentrating on the various aspects of this diet but only this forum for Vita-Nutrients. The subject is just so large we need to find some new & effective ways to cover it.

So today I'll start a discussion about a featured VitaNutrient.
Anybody reading this who is using L-Carnitine or knows anything interesting about it please post something here. Hopefully we can get a good long informative thread going, prices & good sourcese for quality brands are also good info to post. Every week we can concentrate on a different supplement. If anybody wants to start or run a post on a featured Vita-Nutrient please PM either Book or myself & we can set that up for the following week. This is a huge area & if you know a lot about any one vita-nutrient please share w/us & run a featured thread one week. If these threads turn out to be good we can save them into a Vita-Nutrient archive that all of us can turn to when we need info, almost like the recipe section.

OK so here goes, next post is where I start w/a Vita-Nutrient a lot of people doing Atkins use. L-Carnitine.

Please don't lurk, if you take it please post your experiences, if you think one formula is better than others please tell us why. If you can add ANYTHING to the thread please do. This won't work unless you participate. Also do you believe any one supplement really helped you out? Please share that with us, if you have suggestion or idea for the next featured supplement please PM myself or Book.

OK over the L-Carnitine thread:

[shawnee]

L-Carnitine is known in ‘Vita-Nutrient’ circles as the ‘fat buster’ This amino acid enables your body to burn more fats as fuel &converts them into fuel for your body & especially heart to burn,. Carnitine also elevates levels of certain enzymes in your body needed to metabolize starches, sugars & other carbohydrates. For regular exercisers L-carnitine taken optimally about one hour prior to exercise will give an energy boost & also the carnitine reduces the accumulation of lactic acid, a by product of heavy exercise, that’s responsible for the burn & soreness of muscles after heavy exercise, because of this some muscle-heads call L-Carnitine the '
Gain without Pain; supplement.

It is also well known an the most effective nutrient for overcoming metabolic resistance to weight loss. Atkins recommends 500-1000Mg a day as a supplement & double hat amount for those doing Atkins properly but experiencing ‘stalls’

Atkins himself was a big believer in L-Carnitine, saying repeatedly that 'he always took his Carnitine daily'

I have been taking 2800 milligrams a day for quite a while now. I take it 30 minutes to one hour before I exercise (1400Mgs twice a day)

Hard to say how it affects me as I take so many supplements & exercise & dieting all together. I can only say since I started this WOL 10 monthes ago I have not ever been sick; not even 1 day. I am 54 years old & can now run 4&1/2 Miles & swim 1&1/2 miles on the same day w/o any problem. Whether L-Carnitine is partly responsible for that I really coudn't say.

[pammie]

well, I did take it for 3 months. I took 1500mg a day, 500 with each meal. I didn't find it had any effect whatsoever, so I didn't think it worth the money and stopped taking it.

[canuck]

I started it too when stalled, no effect whatsoever so quit as $32 a bottle and need three so lasts 10 days,used it about four months, if saw a diff would have kept on it, have read we dont need it on Atkins as he says we get it from meat and eat alot of meat, I too have not got ill but dont think it is l cartinine as stopped it two months ago and lots of virusses around me and still not ill.
Good idea skank for this discussion.

[Janice]

I also took L-Carnitine for 60 days and saw no difference whatsoever -- either in my weight loss or how I felt. I quit taking it due to the cost versus no benefit.

Possibly I didn't give it long enough. ???

[Betty]

I have never taken this particular supplement. I might have tried it early on when I wasn't losing pounds, and might have gotten discouraged if I hadn't been losing inches. Also might have taken it when I was in my stall last summer as I got closer to my goal. I did not know about L-Carnitine at that time.

[Happyme]

I started taking it last week. I have been stalled for several weeks and this is why I added it. I lost a pound so I will continue with it even though it is expensive.

Happyme

[bizzlekitty]

I started taking L-Carnitine (along with Chromium Piconalate and CoQ10) last week. Dosage 1500mg. I seemed to have been in a long stall all last week (I know, I should stop weighing every day, I am working on that) but this past weekend, I had a major whoosh and lost 3 lbs total. (was 328 on Friday morning, 325 this morning).

I had been taking the Chromium already, so the CoQ10 and L-Carnitine were new.

Previously, I had only been losing about 1 lb a week. However, I am not sure if this is just a one time happening or due to the supplements. Only time will tell.

I am likely metabolically resistant since I do have hypo-thyroidism (under active) in addition to fibromyalgia.

[Happyme]

FYI, I have lost 3 pound in the last week and a half since taking L Carnitine!! Yippie :icondance I have not lost pounds like that since I was in the induction phase in January....I would say that it definitely has helped me.

Happyme

[Slim74]

I have been taking it, but I now see that I have not been taking enough!! I also take Chromium, and have not noticed any reults with either of these. I will up my dosage and let you know.

[Miss Buffy]

Skank great topic and great idea! I really need info on this like as in yesterday LOL

I really want to try this but maybe all you experts could help me out. If you are to take 1500mg and it is BEFORE you work out how the heck would I do this since I only do Curves.

Would I divide it up three times a day? But from what I have read (could be wrong) I am to take it before I work out? HELP please I really don't understand all the conflicting things I read on how to take it.

Thanks so much for any help I stood there today like a fool at GNC and walked out more confused if I should buy it :help :help :help

Buffy

[Happyme]

I take all 3 pills in the morning with most of my other Supplements. If it needs to be taken another way please advise..

Happyme

[weiner]

Hi, I take L-Carnitine 500mg 3x daily with my meals. L-Carnitine combined with Q 10 has helped me lose more weight per week. I started this WOE on Jan. 12, 2004 and have lost 21 pounds. I was losing about 1 pound a week but since starting these supplements I have been losing from 3-5 pounds per week. I know I feel better when I'm taking them so I will continue with them forever. I also take the Atkins essential oils, calcium-magnesium-zinc, and a multi-vit..

[Miss Buffy]

The more I am reading up on L-Carnitine it says to take before working out soooooooo anyone know the bottom line? I sure as heck am not hitting the gym three times a day. :help :help :help

Buffy

[catlady4520]

L-carnitine

I started taking acetyl l-carnitine with vitamin B6. I've been taking 2 capsules daily at 500mg each. I was having a terrible time getting off those vacation lbs and so far this week, I've lost 2lbs and only started on Monday evening. I saw in DADR that he recommended acetyl L-carnitine so thought I'd give it a try. Also take Accel 3x daily and Basic 3 2x daily. Will let you know if it really works. ensive