In my post a few days ago talking about my goals, I mentioned how I planned to take supplements from It Works. Well, in that short amount of time I’ve decided to take an about-face.
There are a couple reasons why I made the decision to not take the It Works products. First was the cost. For the three items I intended to take daily, it was going to cost me upwards of $100 a month. This was for two fat burning supplements and their greens. That’s a bit steep, even if I only planned to take the pills for three months. Second, both of the fat burning supplements are currently on backorder. So, even if I wanted to take them, who knows how long I would have to wait before I could start using them.
In their place, I will use products I can find at my local Natural Grocers supermarket, or purchase online through Amazon. The lineup is as follows: a men’s multivitamin, a metabolism increasing weight management supplement, and greens powder.
The Vitamins
First, let’s talk about the vitamins. I am taking the Garden of Life myKind Organics Men’s Gummy Vitamins. These are a complete multivitamin and should give me all the nutrients I need that I might not get from my food, particularly B-12. I appreciate that these vitamins are vegan and don’t require me to compromise on my food choice.
I take four gummies daily with breakfast. They have a natural sweet taste and are pleasant to eat. It’s like getting some candy in the morning, which satisfies my sweet tooth.
A multivitamin was not in the original plan, but I figured this was something good to have to make sure I keep my energy levels up, since I’ll be increasing my workouts as well. I don’t want my body to lack anything it needs nutritionally.
These vitamins aren’t terribly expensive, but they’re not cheap either. At Natural Grocers I can get them for $26.35 for a month’s supply, or I can save about $5 if I order from Amazon.
The Supplements
The main focus of my It Works plan was the fat burning pills. I scoured the Internet looking for alternatives, particularly ones that were vegan. I found a few that were acceptable, but many were quite expensive. In my research I found that results were mixed for just about any pill you could take, so I just had to make a decision one way or another.
I landed on the Now Super CitriMax pills. I chose these pills because, again, they are vegan friendly. But, it also has garcinia extract with 60% HCA. The benefit of this pill is that it will help boost and stabilize my metabolism, which will help with the weight loss. I take one pill three times daily, about 30 to 60 minutes before each meal.
The main advantage of this pill is that it should help minimize my body’s storage of fat. Plus, it has the added benefit of curbing my appetite during the day.
I do not plan to take this product longterm. Probably for 3 to 4 months, max. About the only thing to not like about these pills is their humongous size.
Of everything I’m taking, these are the cheapest item. They cost me $17.99 at Natural Grocers for a month’s supply of pills, and again saving about $5 if I purchase through Amazon.
The Greens
When it comes to the greens, I’m skipping It Works greens powder for Amazing Grass Green Superfood powder. When it comes to taste, I will say that It Works’ greens are the clear winner. But, taste is not everything. A comparison of the two products shows that Amazing Grass has more nutritional value than what you would get with It Works. So, there’s a lot more flavoring going on per scoop in the It Works product. I’ll gladly sacrifice taste for more nutrition. Plus, Amazing Grass is about $10 cheaper and I can pick it up at several stores in town.
Why take green powder? Well, simple, more nutrition and the added energy boost it brings. The plan it to take this with breakfast or sometime shortly after. And, in addition to the nutritional benefit, it, too, will help curb my appetite through the day. If you’re going to lose weight then you have to make sure you’re not taking in too many calories; so, anything to keep my appetite under control is helpful. Plus, I can take this twice a day if I really want, which is nice.
In terms of price, these cost me about $25 at Natural Grocers, but I have the option to get different flavors if I so choose. Amazon again would save me about $5 on a month’s supply.
What Do I Hope to Achieve?
In closing, what do I hope to achieve by taking these products? The bottom line is making sure I have optimal nutrition, particularly with the greens and vitamins. The Super CitriMax pills will hopefully boost my metabolism and help further kickstart my weight loss as I crank up my exercise.
None of this stuff is magic. I still have to work hard and watch what I eat. These will just make the process a little easier. And for $55-70 a month, it seems worth it to me.
I’ll continue to update my progress along the way.
