Reddit reviews NOW Supplements, L-Theanine 200 mg with Inositol, Stress Management*, 120 Veg Capsules

I have been taking L-theanine for about 3 years now. Usually do about 400 mg a day and feel great but then again I consume about 200 mg of black coffee a day too. Cant say I have ever experienced brain fog, I just usually feel like I can zone in on my work and time just passes me by for those couple of hours. The focus boost is great and I feel a less stressed about life in general nowadays. I've been using the pill version from NOW and get them from amazon.

• https://www.amazon.com/NOW-L-Theanine-200-120-Capsules/dp/B00GQV9YX6

1. After lots of research, barring pre-existing medical conditions, I've never heard any arguments against it that don't fall along the lines of "You should eat, because I want to eat, and I don't want to feel like my way is wrong or for you to remind me how little self-discipline I have." LOL.
   
2. Fasting won't slow down your metabolism, but losing weight will! A smaller body burns fewer calories--you can't go back to eating your previous diet after losing a bunch of weight, regardless of how you lose it. Also, as /u/Eat_Like_A_Snake pointed out, extreme calorie restriction isn't the same as fasting--it can cause severe problems.
   
3. As you start weighing less, it takes less skeletal muscle to move your body around, and less heart muscle to pump blood around your smaller body, so unless you strength and aerobics-train, that muscle that you no longer need will disappear--this is true whether you're fasting or not! Your body does need some protein daily, but there are lots of non-muscle proteins--like that extra skin you don't need any more--for it to recycle! No, fasting is not a zombie. It will not eat your brain. Your body just spent years stocking away the perfect fuel for you (fat) to survive on in the absence of food--body fat even has fat-soluble vitamins in it! Why would it eat your brain instead?
   
4. As long as it takes? Angus Barbieri did it for 382 days--and coincidentally, the weight stayed off.
   
5. This article contains specifics on which nutrients you need to worry about during re-feeding, but in general, it goes like this: Keep the insulin index of your food down until your stomach has returned to a size that can hold enough calories to fuel your body. Low insulin-index foods are foods which are mostly made of fat, or which have barely any calories. That said, I broke my last 21-day fast with Thanksgiving dinner. LOL. As Dr. Fung mentions, re-feeding syndrome is something which was identified in severely malnourished concentration camp victims, and is probably not a concern for healthy people.
   
6. Your body needs protein, and that extra skin is a source of protein--so most of the time, fasting minimizes the loose skin, but occasionally, I'll read about someone who fasted and still ended up with loose skin, so maybe genetics is another factor, or maybe they're not fasting long enough to trigger autophagy.
   
7. Ehhh, most medical professionals are knee-jerk scared of anything unfamiliar just like normal humans, and fasting isn't mainstream... yet. So you're highly unlikely to find one that will be okay with this. Before-and-after hormone/endocrine/nutrient panels might be interesting, though!
   
8. I'm on Day 40, and here's my list of supplements: Garden of Life Multivitamin, Zhou Lyte Up (as needed), Now Bone Strength, Iodoral cut into quarters, and L-Theanine as-needed when the elevated adrenaline gets to be too much. All of these are fine on an empty stomach. Some cheaper alternatives I've tried are: Morton's Lite Salt is about half sodium chloride/half potassium Chloride; bulk Potassium Bicarbonate is super-cheap and flavorless; and you can take an Epsom Salt bath to get your magnesium. Like most other fasters, my fasting guru is Dr. Jason Fung. He has all sorts of YouTube videos, as well as the Intensive Dietary Management website, and a couple pretty famous books.
   
   More Notes:
   
   

• The maximum amount of calories you can convert from fat per day is kg of fat * 69.4692 or lbs of fat * 31.5053. It's possible for a person to not have enough body fat to meet their calorie needs, so they'd have to supplement dietary fat. Body fat supplies around 7,717 calories per kg or 3500 per lb. Using this math, if you lost more weight than the calories you burned according to your Fitbit or whatever, or more than your theoretical maximum, it's probably either glycogen (aka "water weight") or food in your digestive tract. I keep losing that extra weight until Day 12-ish.

NOW L-Theanine 200 mg,120 Veg Capsules https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GQV9YX6/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apap_FFW2DAW36Ugtz

When my anxiety is bad, I wake up and immediately pop one of these ltheanine pills. Empty stomach. Then I try to go about my day at my pace, doing things I want to do (whenever possible).

Daily 30min - 1hr walks help a lot. I started with 10min walks 3 times a week, and now I'm up to an hour a day and a good podcast. I prefer a funny podcast (Last Podcast on the Left for me) but anything that interests you is good.

This is a gradual change. Be as kind and forgiving to yourself as possible.

OK. You're going to think this reply is a bit weird but, this is relatable to me and something that works for it.

You're dead right. It's in your head. And it will be a lot for as long as you play. These other folks have it right. Get a routine. Make it habit. Make it muscle memory. Practice slowly and with purpose to burn it in.

There is more too it for me though. Anxiety. Anxiety like holy god dammit. If someone or more than one person is watching me? Guaranteed I am gonna duff it, shank it, top it. Something bad.

On like two occasions in life, someone has given me a Xanax. That shit is amazing. An overwhelming feeling that everything is going to be juuuuust fine. But alas, I don't have a prescription for Xanax, and I don't have the balls to ask for one. (I don't know how to ask for one)

There is an amino acid called L-Theanine. It has an anti anxiety effect that makes it easier for you not to give a shit about what other people think or whatever is effing up your shot, and let's you shoot in peace.

I take two of these and it helps me. I hope it helps you too. I hope you learn to enjoy the game more and more.

Caffeine definitely exacerbates my miso. You can try pairing it with L-theanine. Works great for me:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GQV9YX6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_QU0xDbWKHAJA4

I think the memory improvement is from other stuff I am taking at night before I go to bed. The modafinil is strictly a caffeine replacement for me, which also helps me avoid sugar, in the energy drinks.

AM

• 100mg Modvigil Modafinil - modafinilcat - when I wake up, takes about 30 minutes for me to notice the effects
  These next two are for muscle health, taken in the morning with 32 ounces of water
  
• 750mg Creatine Monohydrate by NOW Link: http://amzn.com/B0018OADEA
  
  
• 750mg Beta-Alanine by NOW Link: http://amzn.com/B001AWSR34 ( I like the way this makes my skin tingle )
  
  
  PM
  
  
  
• 2000mg Now Foods Glycine 1000mg, Capsules, 100-Count by Now Foods Link: http://amzn.com/B00UNH0TO2 - helps me sleep and is supposed to help your body process stored fat cells, in other words it should help burn fat
  
  
• 200mg Now Foods L-Theanine Veg Capsules, 200 mg, 120 Count by Now Foods Link: http://amzn.com/B00GQV9YX6 - helps with sleep, and calm clear thoughts
  
  
• 100mg Douglas Laboratories ® - Chelated Magnesium - 100 Tabs by Douglas Labs Link: http://amzn.com/B0013FVLIQ - apparently according to my dr, and chiro the modafinil can deplete magnesium from your system and cause sore muscle or bone aches, I take this to counter that and dont have that issue anymore with the modafinil
  
  
• 1 Now Foods True Calm Amino Relaxer by NOW Link: http://amzn.com/B0006U6IMI
  
  
• 1 500mg NOW Foods Choline and Inositol, 100 Capsules / 500mg by Now Foods Link: http://amzn.com/B001F0R65Q
  
  
• 0.5 Rainbow Light Men's One Multivitamin by Rainbow Light Link: http://amzn.com/B0007YCC7S - I take a half at night otherwise I get an upset stomach and I feel like I am peeing it all out if I take the whole thing.
  
  
  
  If anyone could suggest changes or something I might add, I am welcome to suggestions. I mostly made this list for myself so I can see what I am taking each day.
  

I take L-Theanine for stress, irritability, and anxiety. It is not as helpful as a benzo if you're already having a panic attack but helps keep my base anxiety levels down. My doctor (PCP) actually suggested it to me.

I take l-theanine regularly and if you've never taken it before it could really mellow you out and it's very safe. I'd also recommend trying meditation at least once and give your mind a break from whatever you've been stressing about lately.

Hmm, I don't have any insight for you. That's a pretty good dosage of both for me.

This is what I've been taking, dunno how much difference there is between brands/formulations:

https://www.amazon.com/NOW-L-Theanine-200-120-Capsules/dp/B00GQV9YX6/