I recently received an email in which the writer asks a great question:
"Dear Charles, I have just read your article, "Blair's protein in context". Ironically, what struck me the most was the 500 supplement pills plus the protein "every day". I have to say WOW, that's a lot of pills. But it seemed to make sense and got me thinking. The average body is fairly large, and makes me wonder why, when it comes to fat burning, so many companies have you taking 6-12 pills a day. I was wondering are those numbers still relevant today. If so I wonder how anyone could afford to take so many. I am intrigued by your numbers, and was wondering if you would shed some light for this 58 year old body that wants to build muscle and lose fat. I am 6ft with current fat % at about 17%."
I am so pleased to see that someone is interested in this question of Rheo's supplements and the quantities he had his clients use when 1. they had the funds and 2. they were willing and able to swallow such huge quantities. Everyone wants to talk about his protein but it was not necessarily magic in and of itself. The supplements he used worked with the protein in building the body; the protein was not a solo act. You can be certain the bodybuilders he worked with were taking supplements by the handful. If one had the both the money and the will to swallow everything he wanted you to take, digestion could still be an issue. One of his favorite sayings was "it's not what you eat; it's what you assimilate." So he prescribed a LOT of digestive enzymes and HCl. This brings me to another point: most of his famous before and afters were younger people with the relatively good digestion of young age. I was 16 at the time and had no problem with taking 100 pills and capsules five times per day, every day. However he did some notable transformations with people of more advanced age and in those cases the number of supplements and the dietary regimen were carefully calibrated to the individual's digestive capacity. I know of a certain Blair client, a gentleman who was in his mid 60's and who Rheo had taking around 150 pills etc./day coupled to a diet of light protein and salads.
17% body fat is pretty impressive for a 58 year old. If it were me, I would concentrate less on body fat/muscle and more on healthy mineral balance for overall good health. If you are on Facebook, there are several mineral-specific groups you can join. These can be quite helpful. My favorite is the Magnesium Advocacy Group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/MagnesiumAdvocacy/
