ERGOGENIC AIDS

USE AS NEEDED TO SUPPLEMENT THE OTHER ASPECTS

This section represents the icing on the cake.  The items mentioned here account for either convenience  options or additional additions that represent at most a 5% improvement in metabolism or a slight decrease in the negative side effects seen with diet, most notably those related to quality of life.  

For both adherence and the simple fact that life should enjoyed, improving or maintaining hormone and neurotransmitter levels that affect mood and are negatively impacted by diet is a strategy that should not be overlooked.  Efforts to improve oneself should never come at the cost of a decreased day to day experience.  

Exercise, perspective and nutrition through food are still the big blocks here and will have the largest impact on the above mentioned problems as well. When these three categories have already been met, supplements can help to further reduce the burden associated with an increased caloric deficit.

Here are some items that have potential to help during the process. 

1. PROTEIN POWDER- Use post workout, as a snack or added to any meal to boost protein content, and ensure you are not only consuming protein at every meal but meeting your 115 gram a day minimum.
Essentially never stored as fat, this macronutrient will have perhaps the biggest positive impact on body composition.  It's importance is tremendous.  Functionally, it will play a role primarily in structural repair, both of tissues (maintaining lean body mass plays a huge role in both hormonal signaling and hunger associated with dieting) and of hormones themselves.  It will help to stabilize blood sugar and as such can regulate hunger swings.  Combined with resistance training it can play its own positive role in body composition. 

2. EPA/DHA (ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS or FISH OILS)- Take 1 capsule 3 times daily of the Super EPA (or equivalent product with goal of getting 2 grams of combined epa/dha each day)
Fish oil is one of those supplements found in the majority of recommendations regardless of the nutrition philosophy being followed.  It is found in far too little amounts in the modern diet with omega sixes often being found in far too great of amounts thus leading to a less than optimal balance of these essential fatty acids with in the body.  Improving this ratio has a host of benefits.
Fish oil can decrease inflammation, and improve immune system functions.  It has been shown to decrease anxiety and increase mental toughness with athletes. 
It has been linked to improved mood, especially those associated with disorder.
Albeit small, it can have an impact on both fat mobilization and limiting fat storage.
Long term supplementation of fish oil can improve leptin sensitivity within the brain.  Leptin is important to help regulate other hormones involved with appetite, and body weight (namely an increase in appetite, and a decrease in metabolism).  Leptin can be reduced during a diet and the luteal phase of a normal cycle can increase resistance to this hormone due to a decrease in estrogen circulating through the body.  Adding to this is the fact that carbohydrate intake should probably be decreased during this phase further pushing a decrease in this hormone. 

3. MEDIBOLIC - During Luteal Phase, take 1 scoop every morning mixed with water or low sugar milk of your choice.  Add a vegetable and blend for maximal benefit.  
This protein and meal replacement powder can be made into a shake and will function in much the same way as a protein shake with a few added benefits that can be especially leveraged at different times within the program.  
-Easily digestible fiber that avoids some of the water retention issues associated with a cortisol inducing diet, while providing satiety to hold you till your next meal
-Green Tea Phytosome has been shown to both increase energy expenditure and increase fat mobilization, specifically through the compound EGCG, which when found with the other co-factors available in green tea make this optimally absorbed
-Cinnamon may help to increase insulin sensitivity, making muscles more likely to absorb glucose and regulate blood sugar.  This is especially important during the luteal phase when insulin sensitivity may decrease.  
-Vitamins and minerals found in this supplement can also help to maintain healthy levels in the body during a time when decreased food intake alone could potentiate a deficiency in one of these compounds.

4. RELORA PLUS- At onset of calorie restricting aspect of diet (February 10) take 2 pills every morning.
There are a host of problems associated with a deficiency in B vitamins.  Not the least of which are problems associated with mood and stress.  This supplement can help to maintain healthy levels of these micronutrients and is combined with 2 other plant additives that all may show benefits in regulating both cortisol and DHEA levels that are necessary to prevent a feedback loop of increased stress.