Supplement questions
 

I bought more of the supplements that Atkins recommends, including CoQ10 and L-Carnitine. The CoQ10 says to take it with a meal. The L-carnitine says to take it on an empty stomach and that it works best when taken with CoQ10. So does that mean taken at the same time? With or without food?

And how empty is my stomach supposed to be to take something on an empty stomach? I never seem to go very long without eating on this plan. :)

Does it make much difference if I just take all my supplements at once rather than spreading them out over the course of the day?

allison, I'm no expert on this but what I've read is that the carnatine (or glutamine if you take it) must be taken on an entirely empty stomach to work (won't hurt you if you eat with it, but your body won't "read" it as a special amino acid). Since you're paying a dollar or more a pill or so for the carnatine, seems crucial to do this. Two hour after a meal and at least an hour before the next is what I recall reading is ideal.

So I have two times I take supplements per day. My empty-stomach time, before I work out in the morning...and then my anytime supps, including that calcium magnesium horse pill that I swear one day will choke me to death...lol. Sometimes before I go to bed, I remember to take an extra evening primrose oil for a third dosing, sometimes not.

Thanks, Razzle. I think I can manage 3 hours without eating .. lol! I was envisioning waiting until my stomach was growling and then still not eating for a couple hours more. Phew.

And I hadn't thought of taking them at bedtime, great idea! I've decided to cut out my late night eating habit and this will help to enforce it -- those things are too expensive to waste.

Allison

when to take
 

I used to sell supplements. The general rule was to take the L-Carnitine and other "before" pills at least 30 minutes prior to eating, but no more than an hour before you eat.

Some pills, like fish oil, should be taken in the middle of a meal to prevent upset stomach. :(

For "after" or "on an empty stomach", you should wait 2 hours from the last thing you ate.

Hope this helps.