Has anyone successfully used a natty supp to minimize fat gain in a surplus?

Darkhorse192

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I realize the answer is almost certainly no, except perhaps a solid GDA. I know some have claimed injectable L-Carnitine has proven to be effective, maybe Liposomal could be an option albeit fractionally as effective as injectable.?

Ive got a friend who is transitioning to an off season out a pretty hard cut where he got very lean. He is pretty wrapped around the axle on not gaining an ounce of unnecessary fat. This is not really my lane.

Any other suggestions?
 
sns8778

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Two part post (post of 1 of 2):

There are a lot of people, myself included, that use various supplements for this purpose.

I think that a key distinction here - and this is a compliment to you, I don't want it to come off wrong - is that because you are so diet oriented and super detailed (as are some of your friends/clients from what I've seen you post), that you overlook the value of how effective a lot of supplements can be for the average person in multiple scenarios because 99% of us aren't as strict about our regimens as you are.

In your and your friends/clients cases that are super detailed, you/they may not see the tremendous amount of impact that supplements can have on minimizing fat gain during a surplus but that's because your surplus is so controlled to begin with; so it can still help, but it may not be as dramatic as it would be for a normal person bc you/they are so much more controlled than a normal person. But with you/them, even small amounts could matter and be proportionate to big amounts for others.

I hope that makes sense up to this point.
 
sns8778

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For the rest of us that aren't as controlled with our diets in general, there are definitely a lot of supplements that are great for minimizing fat storage on a surplus; in fact, that's what a lot of us use supplements to try to help with on recomp or lean bulking cycles.

I could name a lot, but I'll name the examples that come to mind right off that I would use myself, that a lot of others here use, &/or ones that we get the most feedback on for this purpose.
  • Lean Edge
  • Thermo Scorch or LipoVantage (similar supps for this purpose)
  • GlycoPhase
  • GlucoVantage XT
  • Anabolic XT
  • Recomp20
  • Urolithin-B XT
  • Ursa-Gel
Lean Edge:
Lean Edge is a stimulant free fat burner that contains 15 ingredients including 6 licensed branded ingredients, all at or above their clinically efficacious dosages. The beauty of this product is that it targets fat loss from so many different angles and is a great fat loss product and also great for helping minimize fat storage while focusing on recomp or lean bulking.

This is one that is an absolute for me when trying to recomp or stay as lean as possible; and I know several other very well-respected posters on here that use it year round for the same purpose as ell.

There is a lot to the product and rather than go into depth on all the ingredients, here's a link for those that want to read about how it works and all the different ingredients:


Thermo Scorch or LipoVantage:
These two are similar but different products, but the heart of both is 1,000 mg. of MitoBurn, an ingredient that a lot of people use when trying to burn fat and keep fat loss to a minimum while focusing on recomp or lean bulking.

Here are links for people that want to read the full details:



GlycoPhase:
GlycoPhase is a GDA in the truest sense in that it is designed to be a true GDA, whereas a lot of products that call themselves GDA's now days are really just blood sugar control products - the difference being that true GDA's are designed to help the body harness the potential of insulin for fat loss and muscle gain.

This is a must for me and many others when lean bulking or focusing on recomp.


GlucoVantage XT:
GlucoVantage XT is considered a GDA but is more geared towards helping balance blood sugar, improve insulin sensitivity, and the fat loss aspects whereas the above GlycoPhase is more geared towards carbohydrate utilization.

Many people ask if GlycoPhase and GlucoVantage XT can be taken together and the answer is yes, definitely.


Anabolic XT:
There is way too much I could write about Anabolic XT to put here, but common feedback on Anabolic XT is increases in lean muscle, strength, improved body-composition, muscle fullness, endurance, and significant improvements in mood and motivation to train. But for the purposes of this thread - one of the common feedbacks that we have had on it is people reporting losing fat even without trying to, which makes it a great candidate for those focused on recomp and lean bulking.

Here is a link to the write up and also the discussion thread:



Recomp20:
This product is literally designed to help build muscle and lose fat and keep fat storage to a minimum and there is a ton of feedback on it for both recomp and lean bulking purposes. The most common feedback on it is building muscle and losing fat.

I could write for quite awhile on this, but for space purposes, here's a link to the write up:


Urolithin-B XT:
One of the most common reported feedbacks that we get on this product is people gaining muscle and strength while losing fat, even if they aren't trying to; so that makes it a great candidate for recomp and lean bulking cycles.


Ursa-Gel:
Xtreme Performance Gels Ursa-Gel is a great product for people that are trying to build muscle while also losing fat or keeping fat loss to a minimum. That's the most common reported feedback on the product.

I hope all of this information helps. I was trying to be descriptive but as brief as possible in the explanations.
 
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LeanEngineer

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DCP really assisted me in this area.
I would agree on DCP. It's a pretty awesome product and non stim. More details at Strong Supplement Shop as well

 
sns8778

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Smont

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I was going to suggest a good GDA and a supplement with mito burn. Looks like you already got some good advice. I think a gda is very important in a mass gain phase assume your on a High protein, high carb, low fat diet.

If you're getting most of your energy calories from fat then a gda is probably not as useful
 
GreenMachineX

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DCP really assisted me in this area.
I was going to suggest a good GDA and a supplement with mito burn. Looks like you already got some good advice. I think a gda is very important in a mass gain phase assume your on a High protein, high carb, low fat diet.

If you're getting most of your energy calories from fat then a gda is probably not as useful
What gda do you like?
 

Resolve10

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I mean honestly I think that is one of the key benefits of these kinds of products, especially if natty. You are only going to gain so much lean body mass at a time and even the most effective products aren't going to jack that up to some super high levels. Using many of these products to help slow down fat accumulation and leaving you with less fat to strip off later is a big plus.

You've gotten some good recommendations in this thread already, but honestly choosing ones that help with other areas dependent on your goals should leave some solid options.
 
Darkhorse192

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DCP really assisted me in this area.

What gda do you like?
I usually have recommended Glucosatrol in the past and I do think it is still great, but I am starting to think kitchen sink approaches to things like a GDA may not be as good as just a few staple ingredients. I used to really like slintensity. I think Berberine is the workhorse, Na-R-ALA and Cinnamon are really great maybe ALCAR too. and was actually thinking of giving glucovantage a shot because of the purported better version of Berberine. I was one of the ones curious about mixing glucovantage with glycophase because of the two types of berberine, but he already answered that above. I might try it. I was also interested Mike Arnold's product, but ill be honest, I am not 100% sure I understand the science behind his, and I need to re-read the write-up.
 
Dustin07

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Layne Norton is 100% natural and I think most recently he put on 5 or 10lbs in a year by going back and forth between reverse diet and cut. the timeframes were short for both like 3-6 weeks. I don't remember all the details so I don't want to put words in his mouth but he's documented a lot on his FB and probably on his youtube as well

I actually followed the protocol very strict from sept-dec and put on around 6lbs of which I estimated maybe 1-2 were fat (reverse dieting) at that point I probably should have considered a month cut but instead upped my surplus further. but the first 4 months were an incredibly lean gain. only real fat cutting supps would have been CLA, carinitine (oral) and a thermo.
 
sns8778

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I usually have recommended Glucosatrol in the past and I do think it is still great, but I am starting to think kitchen sink approaches to things like a GDA may not be as good as just a few staple ingredients. I used to really like slintensity. I think Berberine is the workhorse, Na-R-ALA and Cinnamon are really great maybe ALCAR too. and was actually thinking of giving glucovantage a shot because of the purported better version of Berberine. I was one of the ones curious about mixing glucovantage with glycophase because of the two types of berberine, but he already answered that above. I might try it. I was also interested Mike Arnold's product, but ill be honest, I am not 100% sure I understand the science behind his, and I need to re-read the write-up.
The combination of GlycoPhase and GlucoVantage XT I think is incredibly effective in terms of optimizing carbohydrate utilization and also helping to keep blood sugar at a level to maximize fat loss/minimize fat gain. I think that you'd be very pleased with that combination.
 
Smont

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DCP really assisted me in this area.

What gda do you like?
Im not sure what dcp is, Berberine is my favorite gda. I like to combine Berberine with cinnamon and I like to dose it according to what I'm eating so I usually buy the ingredients separately but lately I'm starting to realize that I'm being to anal about it and am probably going to give one of Steve's products a try. Particularly the one that contains dehydroberberine which I believe is gluco vantage? @sns8778 is that the one?

I think it has 100 dehydro berberine and 250 cinnamon bark.

I haven't actually tried dehydroberberine yet so I need to check it out anyways
 
sns8778

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Im not sure what dcp is, Berberine is my favorite gda. I like to combine Berberine with cinnamon and I like to dose it according to what I'm eating so I usually buy the ingredients separately but lately I'm starting to realize that I'm being to anal about it and am probably going to give one of Steve's products a try. Particularly the one that contains dehydroberberine which I believe is gluco vantage? @sns8778 is that the one?

I think it has 100 dehydro berberine and 250 cinnamon bark.

I haven't actually tried dehydroberberine yet so I need to check it out anyways
Yes, GlucoVantage XT is the one that had 100 mg. Dihydroberberine and 250 mg. Cinnamon Bark per capsule.

GlycoPhase has Berberine + a lot of other ingredients in there.

I think that you would be very pleased with GlucoVantage XT. I've been using it at 3 caps per day while trying to lose some fat, and I'm extremely happy with my overall results. I think it has great potential for fat loss, helping to stay lean during recomp/lean bulking, and also doubles as a good anti-aging & longevity supplement.

Here is the full GlucoVantage XT write up for anyone that wants to read it:


GlucoVantage-XT-RENDERING-FRONT.png
GlucoVantage-XT-print-90caps-SUPP-FACTS.png
 
Smont

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Yes, GlucoVantage XT is the one that had 100 mg. Dihydroberberine and 250 mg. Cinnamon Bark per capsule.

GlycoPhase has Berberine + a lot of other ingredients in there.

I think that you would be very pleased with GlucoVantage XT. I've been using it at 3 caps per day while trying to lose some fat, and I'm extremely happy with my overall results. I think it has great potential for fat loss, helping to stay lean during recomp/lean bulking, and also doubles as a good anti-aging & longevity supplement.

Here is the full GlucoVantage XT write up for anyone that wants to read it:


View attachment 230952View attachment 230953
It says 5x better absorbing then regular Berberine so I'm assuming 100 dehydro=500 Berberine
 
sns8778

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It says 5x better absorbing then regular Berberine so I'm assuming 100 dehydro=500 Berberine
Correct. 100 mg. would be the equivalent to 500 mg. regular Berberine.
 
sns8778

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I'm having Deja vu or I may have asked you this question like a month ago 😆
No worries at all. I'm always glad to answer and help.
 
baldwanus

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I'm having Deja vu or I may have asked you this question like a month ago 😆

:p
 
Smont

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:p
Damn you got a good memory, that was peak week for my bench competition 6 months ago. Time Flys
 
baldwanus

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Damn you got a good memory, that was peak week for my bench competition 6 months ago. Time Flys
There honestly might be another one or two of these kinds of posts lol... I've just glanced over that thread a couple times, remembered the discussion about comparing normal berberine with DHB.
 
Falco1098

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I usually have recommended Glucosatrol in the past and I do think it is still great, but I am starting to think kitchen sink approaches to things like a GDA may not be as good as just a few staple ingredients. I used to really like slintensity. I think Berberine is the workhorse, Na-R-ALA and Cinnamon are really great maybe ALCAR too. and was actually thinking of giving glucovantage a shot because of the purported better version of Berberine. I was one of the ones curious about mixing glucovantage with glycophase because of the two types of berberine, but he already answered that above. I might try it. I was also interested Mike Arnold's product, but ill be honest, I am not 100% sure I understand the science behind his, and I need to re-read the write-up.

Im gonna vote for MA Labs Insuligen. It was amazing and better than any GDA i have used during my winter bulk where i went up 25 lbs to 225. I kept a distinct bicep vein until the end whereas in the past when i got above 215 that vein was all but gone.
 
Aeter462

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I think Berberine is the workhorse, Na-R-ALA and Cinnamon are really great maybe ALCAR too.
Was gonna say this!

Other than that, keeping the muscles "primed" for nutrient uptake. This might mean doing a set or two of bodyweight exercises (pushups, squats, lunges, burpees, etc) several times throughout the day. Even just going for a short walk after a meal can make a big difference in overall nutrient partitioning.
 

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