Can someone tell me if ALA has to be ingested by itself to get the benefits of helping one get back into ketosis quicker. I was trying flaxseed oil which is 1650mg ALA, 510mg LA, & 510mg OA because was much cheaper. Does it do the job this way or only the singular form of ALA which was quite a bit more expensive where I looked? Also, if you use the niacin too, as TrainerDan, I think suggested, do you get used to it and stop turning as red as a firetruck after a while?

ALA works better ingested as a seperate supplement. If you really want to get into it, try R-ALA.

And ... yes, your body does get used to the niacin after awhile. Although I don't remember saying to use it .... hmmm ...

Does ALA have a better effect than Vanadyl/Chromium? I believe all three together would be unnecessary, and not cost effecient, but if ALA packs a little better punch, I'd rather have that. I don't know because I have never tried it, and people who have used it seem to have a 50/50 stance (at least the people I have talked to anyway) where half of them say it works better and half say it doesn't. Any studies? Theories? Thoughts?

Sporto

Thanks TD, for the info. Got some R-ALA today. What kinda dosage we talkin and when should I take this. Since it looks like it does much more for ya than just get ya in ketosis quicker, should I take it all the time, or just mon. thru fri. (or between carb-ups)? As for that, I'm pretty sure I know what all to supplement with during the week, but what supplements are best used for the carb-up weekend? Sorry about saying you suggested niacin, although I did say "I think", but I did read it somewhere. Is it helpful to take the niacin with the ALA or just a waste of $? Thanks a million for all your, help. I'm really hopeing this CKD thing helps me over a plateau!

Just picked some up today myself. I usually just use Vanadyl as a glucose disposal agent. Im not all to sure about how much and when to use the ALA. Anyone????

Im on a TKD and use ALA when I take in my pre and post workout carbs. I take 300mg before and 300mg after with each shake...I also take in 5G of creatine with each shake and 5G of glutamine.

When I used to do a CKD I would spread the ALA throughout the carb load...Id do a search of this forum on ALA and there is some great information on dosage, Ive just found what works for me.

as of right now I am taking it spread out through my carb loading phase. Just 50 mg's 2x per day. Experiment. We'll see.

In my opinion that amount of ALA is not enough...usually they came in at least 200mg pills...

Like I said. Just an expirement. Ill up the dosage each time to see what happens. Ive always done well without it, so who knows if it will prove itself to do any good. Time will tell. Thanks for the input. R

Well, I've been taking the R-ALA which is a different and supposedly more "potent" and beneficial form of just plain ALA for some time now since I originally started this thread. I take it all the time, not just on carb-ups 'cause it is an EXCELLENT anti-oxidant that helps "recycle" vitamin c and e. I DO take these all along with my post workout shake (R-ALA, vit e & c, green tea extract, & CoQ10 ) of protein, 5mg glutamine, and 5mg creatine. The R-ALA also is supposed to help shuttle not only carbs, but also the creatine into the muscles, hence that's another reason I take it at that time. Just me, but I also add some dextrose, usually about 24grms to the post work-out drink for the same reason ( to help get the creatine into the muscle) and have had NO prob. getting/staying in ketosis as it's supposed to go straight into your muscle if you take it right after a workout while glycogen stores are depleted. I'm kinda low on funds right now, but when I can afford it, I take about 400 to 500mg of the R-ALA per day in 100mg caps spread throughout the day counting the one I take post-workout. This place here has it fairly cheap: http://www.1fast400.com/?products_id=457

This is just my experience and I'm not a pharmacist. I've read as much as I could about it and if I got any of it wrong, sorry. It works fairly well for me.

Great response Chip! Our post workout shake is almost identical except I take in 34g of dextrose...aside from that it sounds very similar. Reassuring to hear of someone else doing the same as me who is also getting great results!