Brief Answer:
Are they safe, Yes. Are they neccesary is another question.

Detailed Answer:
Hello XXXXXXX Thanks for coming to HealthCareMagic. I have a bit of experience with these supplements so I thought I would try and help here.

From what I have understood, you wish to lose weight and gain muscle mass. From the history you have given me, I assume that the weight loss is of higher priority at this time. Though if you tell me what your height and weight are, I can help guide you there more effectively.

When trying to lose weight, basic physics is just as important as medicine. You have to burn MORE calories than you take in. It's that simple.

Now, in practice, lets look at the INPUT SIDE of the calorie burning equation.

To maintain your basic life processes (breathing, heart beat, etc).. your body generally needs a minimum number of calories to burn in the day. We call this the Resting Metabolic Rate, RMR

This can be calculated by multiplying your weight in KG's (X) by the number 11.

So if you weigh 70Kgs, you need 11 * 70(X) = 770 calories. Thats all you need to stay alive. But you do more than just stay alive. You walk around, you work, you excercise, you BURN calories every day. So you obviously need more than 770.

On average, an office bound person will burn about 1400 calories extra in their day to day activities.. walking, eating, household chores, exercise, etc.

So you need about 2300 calories a day to stay calorie neutral, ie, to maintain your weight.

Try and aim your calorie intake at around this number every day. That should keep your intake steady while you INCREASE your burn rate of calories through the gym and muscle building exercises (OUTPUT SIDE).

Whenever you are trying to BUILD MUSCLE... a high protein diet is always more efficient. The way your body builds muscle is by repairing the tiny cellular tears and injuries that have occurred due to weight lifting.

To build muscle, you need alot of Nitrogen, which can be used to build Amino Acids and eventually the tissues needed to build new muscle. So if you have relatively high levels of protein in your diet, you theoretically should gain muscle faster than if you were just eating normally and exercising.

The increased muscle mass is more metabolically active than the fat that was used as the carbon building blocks of the muscle.

So when you are using protein to build muscle.. you are also converting fat to muscle and INCREASING your RMR to above the 770 number. This would tip your system into a net LOSS of calories and spur you to burn fat JUST TO MAKE UP THE LOSS.

So by doing the exercises along with a sensible high protein diet.. you will boost fat loss by 2 meathods.

1) By conversion to muscle
2) By fat absorption and conversion to energy.

The normal adult in this country has a dietary intake that breaks down roughly to

60% Carbohydrate
20% Protein
20% Fat, So for every 100 calories intake.. it is usually that 60 calories are from Sugars (carbs) and 20 each from protein and fat.

If want this effect, you need to convert to a higher protein diet.. Say try and eat less carbs and more protein rich foods, the ideal goal would be for the breakup to look like this.

45% Carbohydrate
35% Protein
20% Fat

The important thing though is to count your calories religiously.. You should not be eating more protein.. at the expense of going much over the 2300 calorie limit.

So TYPE of food is just as important as QUANTITY of food.

As a vegetarian, you still have many high protein options to supplement into your diet.

Paneer, Chole (Chick Peas), Rajma beans (Red Kidney Beans) are just a small sampling of high protein foods you can add into your diet, without resorting to a whey protein supplement.

If you feel you must use a why supplement to supplement your protein intake, the best times to take it are:
1) In the morning, after you wake up, after a cup of water.
2) Within 30 minutes of completing your workout.

These are the times when your muscles are most active in their repair processes. So, the nitrogen content of the proteins will be used to build instead of converted to fat.

But also be aware of how many calories you are eating and plan to keep the rest of your meals smaller as a response. .

As for the issue of Multivitamins.. A healthy, well balanced diet is ALWAYS a superior way of getting vitamins, rather than through a pill.

There is a good reason why.. your stomach and intestinal lining are much better at absorning vitamins and minerals out of organic matter rather than out of the inorganic matrix of a pill.

Basically, the pills are only minimally effective and are no substitute for a healthy well balanced diet with plenty of Green Leafy vegetables.

If you still fell you need to take a supplement (they can boost energy levels a bit and make you feel better, especially if you are already vitamin deficient), then compare the contents of this GNC brand supplement with a generic supplement you can get at the pharmacy.

When you look at them both, side to side.. The generic brands are cheaper and have almost the same composition, so If I wanted to save a bit of money, I would try those first before buying these branded ones.

I hope this has enlightened you, so you are armed to make better decisions about what you eat, how you exercise and what you buy.

I look forward to your reply,

Vinay

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