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How To Use Supplement Reviews
Posted by: Tom
All too often, we start taking a new supplement, but also embark on a new diet and exercise routine at the same time. When we have outstanding results, we are very quick to attribute it to the supplement that we just started taking. You can't forget about the other life changes you made before you start spreading the word that the newest diet pill really works.
As the owner of a very popular supplement reviews website, I can attest that a pretty detailed account of your diet and exercise routines are required to create a worthwhile evaluation of the effectiveness. A worthy review might consist of a person's diet and exercise routines before, after and during the use of the product, along with a list of what other supplements they have tried.
Even if someone does list every change they made to their diet and exercise routine, it is virtually impossible to determine what contributed to the change in their body. The only real way to tell if a supplement works or not is to change nothing except for the use of that supplement. If you keep a consistent exercise routine and diet, and meticulously track your progress, you should easily be able to detect a statistical difference after adding a supplement to your diet.
Although it is difficult to determine whether a supplement is ultimately effective or not based on the accounts of an actual user, there is a lot of information that you can gather if you are trying to figure out whether or not to purchase and use the supplement. Here are just a few things that anyone using any supplement can tell you:
Palatability - This is usually how the supplement tastes, but can also help you identify a supplement that is just too hard to get down. For example, one amino acid supplement that I bought suggested that you take six pills at least three times a day. The only problem was that these pills were HUGE! Needless to say, I couldn't finish the bottle because I just couldn't get myself to choke down the giant pills. It would have helped to have known this prior to purchasing. Another supplement I used required me to drink this awful tasting sugary drink right before my workout. I eventually got so sick of the taste that I stopped using the supplement.
Immediate Feel - Sometimes a diet pill or an energy drink will give you a rush that you don't have to wait around for; you can usually comment on the feel right after you take the product. Some pre-workout products also claim that they will give you an extra boost at the gym. Anybody who frequents the gym can attest to whether they feel the extra boost or not. The only thing to watch out for some of these immediate feel comments are from the "power of suggestion". This means that some people will claim they feel something just based on the fact that they think they are supposed to be feeling something.
Tolerance - After the initial feel period, you might begin to notice that the effects are slowly wearing off and you will either need to up your dose or just cycle off the supplement altogether. It is easy to notice this happening, but again, watch out for the "power of suggestion". Read a bunch of reviews to see if the supplements you are interested in have a record of waning off in feel.
Side Effects - This is a big problem with a lot of the more advanced supplements. The one thing to keep in mind is that everyone's individual results may vary. My roommate once tried using a pre-workout supplement that really messed his stomach up. He gave the rest of the tub to me to try, and I absolutely loved it! This might be due to the fact that he has a really weak stomach (can't even drink coffee), and I have an iron stomach. Another example is the use of diet or energy pills. Some people can't take the full recommended dosage without getting jittery or crashing a few hours after taking the supplement. Others claim they feel nothing when taking the same product. Just be sure to pay attention to all the side effects mentioned so you know what to expect.
Price - After trying the supplement for themselves, a reviewer can help you decide whether or not it is worth to buy for the price. They also might be able to point you in the direction of a special or a sale.
Reading supplement reviews is a valuable resource, but you can't take everyone's advice or comments as hard facts. Remember that some people might have a bias and that everyone's experiences are different. There isn't much more research you can do in terms of comparing similar supplements produced by competing manufacturers. Be sure that you read the supplement labels to know what you are getting, research what the supplement does, and also read reviews from actual users of the product.
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