How much time would you generally give a diet or supplement to gauge its efficacy?
Before making any changes
Observing members:
0
Composing members:
0
55 Answers
Three to six months, depending on what the intended result is.
A vitamin or mineral supplement I would give until I was into normal range if I had been deficient.
If I’m taking it and wasn’t deficient (that I know of) I’d probably give it a month, but I rarely pop pills in any significant dose without knowing I’m deficient.
That stuff is all junk. So zero time.
It’s simple math if you eat more than you burn, you will gain weight and if you burn more than you eat, then you will lose weight. At the end of the day, that’s the physics of it. You can only eat blue foods, or yellow foods, of foods that start with the letter ‘G’, or eat them upside down or only while floating in a boat, but at the end of the day it’s calories in and calories out. All of that stuff is just window-dressing/marketing. A professor did a Twinkie-diet for 2 months just to prove a point that you can eat nothing but Twinkies and other junk food and still lose weight.
The caveat is that some people do have metabolic disorders and they should see a physician because there are medications/dietary restrictions that are very effective in helping those people lose weight.
@JLeslie – So, you would be re-tested after a month.
@gorillapaws – Lol! I am not asking for weight loss as I don’t need to lose or gain weight. Besides, results either way would show rather fast in my experience.
My thoughts are on eating more anti inflammatory foods than I already do. (or avoiding more)
@lucillelucillelucille Most doctors make people wait 2 months in my experience. If I can get the test in a month I’d prefer it. I like to know how fast I’m moving in the right direction. For instance, my vitamin D level is extremely low without supplements. If I take 2,000 IU a day (commonly prescribed by many doctors) my numbers barely move. I need 8,000–10,000 a day. If I wait 2 months to find out, then up my dose, then I’ve been deficient easily 3 months! That’s a long time.
The month I mentioned was when I am not aware of a deficiency.
@JLeslie – I started taking supplements when we ( hub &I ) suspected that I might have MS
I was in the habit of going for morning walks, usually two miles.
I took these supplements and within a few days, I regained my ability to walk the daily routine.
I have experimented with this and when I would stop the supplements, I got gimpy.
These supplements were all geared towards anti-inflammation and I have to say they really helped.
Since then (10 years later) my gait is not the same but on days I don’t take the supplements, things are decidedly worse.
Around the time I was diagnosed, I was tested for certain heavy metals, specifically copper oxide & copper carbonate, cobalt carbonate & chromium among a few others as I use them in my work.
Thankfully, that came out clear but I am pretty careful in my studio practices anyway.
All that being said, it still surprises me with how fast one can feel things.
The reason I am asking this is a conversation I was just having with an acquaintance who changed her diet/supplement regime to rid herself of candida.
When I asked how long did she expect before seeing any change.She told me three years.
Holy shit.
I admire her perseverance
^^I’m with you! When I take iron I feel it within a week. I tend to run low, and if I take a “high” dose daily I feel my strength come back, I feel stronger and more alert in every way.
I take B12 and I don’t really feel a difference that I can’t tell, but I run low normal, and low B12 can be so detrimental to health, that I haphazardly take B12 as a preventative, and maybe it is actually helping something I don’t perceive. I don’t take shots, just pills or liquid, and I test my level once or twice a year.
Same with food allergies and sensitivities, waiting months I think is bullshit. I tell people remove whatever it is from your diet for two weeks and then reintroduce it. Usually, it’s the reintroduction that makes you realize it makes you feel like crap if that food actually is a problem. It’s hard to tell if you are feeling better or not sometimes when you first remove the food, but my point is, it doesn’t take months to rid your body of the food.
@JLeslie – The reintroduction thing is how my husband realized it was indeed dairy/sugar that causes his pain.
He had been avoiding dairy for a month when he thought he’d experiment.
Lesson learned.. :)
I’ve been lucky in that most supplemental doses that I’ve tried that I could tell immediately IF it’s going to be helpful or not. The ones that I couldn’t tell, I keep taking until I can tell that my body is having NO positive reaction. I usually use 1 bottle & IF I’m not seeing anything positive by the end, I don’t buy a 2nd bottle. IF I’m feeling better & want to see IF I can continue to receive positive reactions, I purchase the 2nd bottle. After that I start changing my diet to be able to maintain the healthier lifestyle that I’ve created. It takes a lot of research time to be able to know what & when you should be seeing positive results, so it takes a lot of common sense & knowing your own body very well!!!
@LadyMarissa -All true. I have experimented for years. Some have paid off but there is always room for improvement.
As for trial and error?
You’ve got that right! lol
@lucillelucillelucille When I have a specific problem, I keep my eyes open for others commenting on what ha been helpful for them & then I research that specific item to see IF I think it might work for me. Then I try t & use MY best judgment as to whether it’s working or not & throw in some common sense as to when to stop. I’m fortunate that we have a lab here that takes many of the same tests as the doctors take & you don’t have to take out a loan to get them. Every so often, I get a blood test to see where I’m deficient & I specifically work on that problem. A month or so later, I get another test to see IF anything has improved. IF yes, I know I’m on the right track. IF no, I consider giving in & going to a doctor. Most of the time I can regulate it myself!!!
@LadyMarissa -Yes. My husband and I have done a lot of research in regards to our health.
I haven’t really had any trouble asking for certain tests.
My husband and I figured out how to regulate my insulin dose without the help of a doctor. Some seem to want to keep patients in a certain place, you know?
I did get kidney function tested last year by an endocrinologist so there are some things I want to check.
I haven’t taken any medications usually prescribed for MS since a few months after diagnosis.
Some of the people I talk with want to jump on every new med for MS without looking into anything.
I am continually amazed by this but I understand wanting to get help.
I think it would depend on what vitamin or supplement you were taking. Not all vitamins or minerals are created equal when it comes to your body. As you put them in, your body will use them up or process them out. So you might want to consider that when determining how long to wait to look for changes in your body. Additionally, not all impacts are readily observable. For instance, you need Vitamin D to help your body absorb Calcium. But you really don’t see the increase in calcium absorption.
Well….my daughter lost almost 100 pounds on the Keto diet. Took about a year. She was also tested as pre-diabetic so she cut out sugar. That was a huge part of it too.
She is happy and I am so tickled for her. She’s battled with her weight since her late teens.
I take a battery of medications. I hate pills, and never took anything regularly until my current doctor dug in her heels and tried to address what has become of me.
Every single thing I take has different time lapses for showing results, as well as shelf life, time each dose remains active, etc.
It depends on the person.
Weight loss, has variations.
It’s not just diet, necessarily.
You need to exercise.
The basic formula, is eating less carbs, and excorcising….
Excorcising, can add muscle. Muscle, is more dense, than fat.
So. Inevitably, you can lose weight, but gain muscle, by working out. You’re losing fat, but gaining muscle.
That’s not a bad thing.
If you’re interested in just loosing weight. It’s simple. Expel less carbs/calories, than you intake…
In other words, eat less calories , than your body uses…
Diet, and exercise, should correlate. I would recommend that if you are trying to lose weight, you pay attention to your eating habits, and your caloric outtake.
Getting a nutritionist involved, will help tremendously. But. You have to be honest with them…
@lucillelucillelucille I may have asked you this before, so are you diagnosed with MS, or you just though you might have it, or maybe be on the road to it?
What vitamin D level do you try to stay at? I know I feel way better around 60, but I don’t like to take tons of supplements, so I am usually around 35 or 40. The only time I am at 60 is if I am also going in the sun a lot, which I almost never do.
I thought I might be developing MS or Parkinsons, but I didn’t quite fit all of the symptoms. The D was like a magic pill, Thank God. I’m not like I was when I was 16, but the difference between being D deficient and normal levels is drastic. However, I will say that if I was just sitting around all day barely doing anything I wouldn’t have noticed just how much my muscles were changing.
I usually give it a month or two. Coincidentally, I just got a copy of the South Beach Diet book.
@MrGrimm888 -I don’t wish to lose or gain weight.
I follow a healthy diet and have been exercising daily for close to 30 years. :D
I am interested specifically in addressing inflammatory issues through diet, which I do but am looking into tweaking my diet even more.
I suppose I could’ve been more clear with my question.
@JLeslie -I was diagnosed with MS about 10 years ago. My hub and I thought I might have it before being officially diagnosed.
I was initially put on a med called Copaxone. I had bad reactions to it , stopped and never looked back.
I have not had my level of D checked in quite awhile. MS people are usually deficient though.
I wonder what my levels were back then as I was outside on the boat all the time.
The “use it or lose it” thing is absolutely true.
@mazingerz88 – I have heard of but don’t know what that one entails.
@lucillelucillelucille You don’t chug a bunch of diet sodas, do you? I had a friend that used to drink a LOT of diet sodas and the aspertame ended up giving her symptoms very similar to MS. When she stopped drinking them, the symptoms went away.
My bad LLL. I know that there are certain foods, that can exacerbate inflammation. I just can’t think of any right now…
I would Google it….
If you are having joint pain, I recommend glucosamine and condroiten. (Pretty sure I spelled that wrong.) Or, acupuncture.
I don’t usually believe in these types of things. But. They work on animals.
@lucillelucillelucille Over 50% of the US population is D deficient, I’ve seen stats estimating ⅔rds. Over 70% of elderly (I guess that’s over 60?) are D deficient.
I think most doctors don’t check young adults so probably more people are deficient than and we realize. Geriatric doctors do seem to test for it more often, I don’t know why. Maybe the standard of care us different.
LLL. Maybe you should try a multivitamin… They can be pretty expensive. But. If you buy themin bulk, it’s cheaper. Take them as directed, for a few months. See, if that helps. It shouldn’t hurt…
I’m pretty sure that most people are deficient, in many nutritional ways. I guarantee that I am. I only eat, what’s on sale. I have terrible cramps, in my feet. Probably because I am potassium deficient…
I have global pains, because of the lifestyle I have led. I just never thought I’d live, to 39…
It dawns on me, I might live longer. I’m going to have to start looking into things that will ease my pain too…
I lost 60 lbs, from when I was a bouncer. My knees, and lower back, feel much better. I miss the strength I used to have. But. It was a decent trade off, for the lack of pain…It surely helps, that I’m not fighting several times a week too…
Lifestyle, makes a difference. For example. You say you exercise. If you are running. Replace that, with using an eliptical, or swimming. Those activities, are low impact….
@seawulf575 -No but I have heard that.
As for sweeteners, I use stevia in my coffee.Like all of them, it takes getting used to but it’s not bad.
@MrGrimm888 I’m curious why you suggested no or low impact exercises? Maybe Lucy mentioned impact exercises are difficult for her and I missed it?
@MrGrimm888 – I don’t have joint pain. That’d be my husband. His is shoulder pain caused from football injuries. Arthitis and bursitis.
He minimized it by avoiding dairy, sugar and gluten. He says dairy is especially bad.
What prompted my Q was a conversation I had with someone who changed her habits (diet) I wondered how long in general would she give it to see an effect. She said three years. I said Holy shit.lol
My exercise regimen is free weights, 6x week,upper one day lower body the next, abs 6x week,some form of aerobic exercise 6x week then on Sunday just aerobic. I can’t run any more but I use the treadmill or go outside to walk for that part.
I need to modify by bike as I might auger into the ground because of balance issues.lol
Swimming is usually recommended for MS for the low impact. I have to wait until the water isn’t solid anymore but I do get some in come summer.
@JLeslie – I didn’t but maybe he read about swimming in regard to MS. Not sure.
^^I just wondered if he had ever heard something specific maybe about impact exercises for MS patients, or maybe you had said something.
I had thought at one point I might be on the road to MS or Parkinson’s, and vitamin D is what “cured” me. It makes my muscles much better anyway.
I don’t find a difference between impact exercises or no impact exercise regarding my muscle troubles, so that’s part of why I was interested too. I don’t jump much, but I dance and zumba a lot, so there is some impact with that.
Do you get stabbing pains? Like nerve pain? Or, is it more just muscular problems like cramping or soreness? Is it constant?
@JLeslie – My main problem, I’d say is my gait/balance.Heat/humidity will get to me as well as my hair. lol
I have had sharp pains at times but not often, no soreness or cramping.
Before I was diagnosed though I was getting Lhermitte’s sign. That feels like being electrocuted. They gave me cortisone shots which calmed it down but that is not something I’d do again as I think it’s harmful.
I do know others with MS who experience the things you’ve listed. Everybody’s different though.
One thing I wish I didn’t give up was yoga. It really helps with balance. I found it relaxing but boring and I would fall asleep on my mat.
I need to get back to it but do not want to compromise my weight and walking routine, meaning dragging an exercise/yoga plan out where it’s hours a day.
@JLeslie . I mentioned impact, because it’s a real issue. Many cardiovascular activities, have an impact on your body. Jogging, can especially mess your knees, and ankles up. But. You can get the same cardiovascular benefits, from other types of fitness, without the down side…
^^No impact can have the down size of losing muscle mass though. Weight training can help with that. I agree other aerobic exercise can be very good cardiovascularly though. I was just wondering if I had missed something.
@lucillelucillelucille Does the balance have anything to do with vertigo? I drop things more now. Like my grip isn’t what it used to be. Thing is it can be something not especially heavy, so it’s not really strength. Sometimes I think it’s brain messaging. I don’t know. Recently, I was thinking of doing some weights to try to increase my strength, grip, and increase my blood flow (larger and new arteries and veins). Aerobics increase tributary growth of arteries too, which I feel will likely be what saves my life if I ever have a cardiac event like what runs in my family. Assuming I do live through it. I had stopped doing anything very strenuous with my muscles, because I paid so dearly with cramping and weakness for hours, sometimes days afterwards. I never went back to it.
Impact, equals wear and tear.
I’m not arguing that. I’m just saying impact increases bone density.
CBD, I knew the same day. Vitamin D, within a week. Collagen I gave it two months, and nothing.
Obviously it all depends on the stuff.
Impact does increase bone density. But, it’s bad for joints. Over time….
MS has a few similarities with SPS. We have frequent issues with falls. Gabapentin is used for everything from depression to hangnails, or so it seems. I am doing much better since taking it I have to take it a little different than prescribed, but still the same amount. I have to split doses and spread them out so they don’t put me right to sleep. It takes about a month to adjust and know how it will affect you. Anyway, maybe ask your doctor if it might work for you.
My doctor knows I don’t want to be dopey, so that was part of her consideration in choosing my meds.
@canidmajor -I tried CBD for sleep. I played around with dosages for a few months but it didn’t have much of an effect.
I might try it again at some point.
I just saw on a tv show the other night where a chef was saying he gives dietary changes about 3 months to see any difference, good or bad.
I realize everybody’s different and their response to things will not be the same but his response was easier to hear than my acquaintance who says 3 years for her changes to do any good.I have no patience XD
@Patty_Melt – They prescribe that for MS patients with pain & spasticity. I don’t have that problem, I think in part because of my diet/exercise habits.Or maybe I am just lucky.
@lucillelucillelucille, I use CBD for arthritis pain, not sleep. It really doesn’t help my sleep at all. I started it because it was recommended by my daughter’s SO. He found it to be quite helpful with his MS. Because he has worked in dispensaries, he has experience and knowledge that I found very helpful.
I also don’t have the patience for a three year trial! Even months will be too long for me.
@canidmajor – I know. I am wondering if she will last that long. I hope so but doubt it.
My hub has arthritis/bursitis in his shoulders. He swears that dairy gives him the most pain.
^If you understand that fire hurts when you touch it, don’t touch it…
@MrGrimm888 – Agreed. Some people need a lot more convincing.
^Yeah. Some people are actually sexual predators.
Some people think that they are being supportive. Others are clearly being deviant of the laws.
When I worked as an EMT, at an an Emergency Veterinary Hospital, there was a (male) doctor who would randomly scratch my back, and say comforting things to me…
I didn’t like it. He was a deeply religious man. And I think, he thought he was hustle comforting me, during stressful times. It made me uncomfortable. But. I genuinely think, he thought he was helping us through rough times….
I read people, pretty well. He wasn’t trying to be sexual. He was trying to help. To the best of his understanding of humans.
It just turned out creepy…
^That’s a possibility. Apologies.
@lucillelucillelucille When I first started with the CBD it worked wonders for makig me sleep. I was using the recommended .5 mL dose twice a day. Then I realized that the arthritis in my shoulder was no longer painful. After about 2 weeks I began noticing that I had stopped sleeping well & was actually waking up multiple times during the night. Still I awoke feeling refreshed like I had had a full night’s sleep. I backed the dose down to .5 mL only once a day. My sleeping regulated & my arthritis remained less painful. A couple weeks later I realized that I was staying awake ALL night long tossing & turning. I went to take my next dose & all I had left was .25 mL. I took it thinking that was better than nothing & I had a glorious night’s sleep. So, I’ve cut back my dosage to .25mL once a day & I’m sleeping much better with still NO arthritis pain. When I told my chiropractor what I was doing, she frowned & strongly suggested that I go back to the original dosage. I tried & NO sleep that night. So, now I do my .25mL dose & just don’t discuss it with my chiro. I don’t like the idea that IF a little bit helps, twice as much will help twice as much. For me, that is seldom true!!! While you were experimenting, did you try lowering the dose???
@LadyMarissa -Lowering. raising, you name it. I am done with them for now and I don’t want to switch to one with THC.
I do know some who benefit from CBDs but they are people who are dealing with pain.
If I had that problem, I’d experiment with diet first, then CBDs again.
Answer this question 
