I have been using a new energy drink called Lift OFF from Herbalife. It is effervescent and just drops into my water bottle to make an 8 ounce whammy of vitamin c all the b complexes, guarana, ginko, and panax. No sugar, no calories. Has 74 mg of caffeine ( about like a cup of coffee ) You can buy from me at reduced price on shipping. 10 to a box - contact me at rickconger1@comcast.net if you want to try. Imagine a natural energy drink on the trail. Works for me...

Is Lift OFF marketed as an 'energy' drink? My understanding is that, by definition, zero calories equals zero energy.

On the other hand, if vitiamins and caffeine are considered energy sources than Lift OFF would be an energy drink.

I have wished for the return of effervescent tablets with no results that I know of. Fizzies came back for a very short time but they couldn't make a go at it in the market.

Split, Kook!

Sounds like ZipFizz.

Edited by Summit on 07/22/2006 09:34:18 MDT.

B vitamins are all about our food being metabolized more efficientely. Better metabolics = higher absorption of nutrients in the food we eat on the trail. Lift Off doesn't provide calories. However, it provides the very thing our calories need to be absorbed and transferred into energy - B complex. Ginko helps with my focus after a long day in the Smokies and lower Appalachians.

wow summit, pretty nasty post.you must have all the answers for all of us kooks??? we will pray to you old wise one.

Caffiene has been shown to be unhealthy if taken before/during exercise. Cardiac and pulmonary vasoconstriction are not the best thing to have going on when you are physically exerting yourself. Guarana is biochemically identical to caffiene (CNS stim, diuretic properties, vasoconstrictor, elevates HR), chemically identical as well!

As John stated, your "energy" drink does not appear to contain any actual energy.

"Split, kook" = joke from another forum (TGR) for when someone comes on with shameless self promotion. Your post is obviously just an advertisement for a product your are repping/distroing.

Edited by Summit on 07/22/2006 23:29:32 MDT.

is that the reason for all of the chocolate on the trail? all of the chocolate in enrgy bars? talk about caffiene. UCLA School of human nutrition would disagree with your sources

Sure... chocolate is in energy bars because of the minute amounts of caffiene... it has nothing to do with taste, other chemicals, and the high calorie/weight properties of chocolate... sugars and fats... that's just a bunch of hooey... take your No-Doze pills and hike forever ;-)

Edited by Summit on 07/22/2006 23:31:36 MDT.

Study details can be found here:
http://www.forschungsportal.ch/unizh/p2985.htm

Abstracts, sumamry, discussion of caffiene/exercise study:
Caffeine Blunts Bloodflow to Heart During Exercise
http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?n=65279-caffeine-exercise-heart
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-01/acoc-clb011306.php
http://health.dailynewscentral.com/content/view/0002055/63/

'Researcher Dr Philipp Kaufmann, of the University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland, said: "I now would not recommend that any athlete drink caffeine before sports. It may not be a physical stimulant, and may even adversely affect physical performance. It may not be as harmless as we thought before, particularly if you suffer from coronary artery disease or if you are in the mountains.' From the Staffnurse.com article on the study.

Guarana=Caffeine (just another name):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guarana

Sugar and calories? At last glance, sugar was an empty, non nutritional, bleached with *BEEP* product. Wow, good suggestion. Get up on the sugar, bonk, need more sugar. bonk and on and on and on.

Believe me, my post was about a real product, with real nutritional value and I certainly don't need to sell it on this forum. It can be found all over the web. It is also the ENERGY drink of choice on the AVP Volleyball tour. What is your concern with this product? Are you the resident forum medical expert? You seemed to jump on this on e pretty fast. Any baggage here?

By the way Summit...I haven't seen you take Ryan to task for selling the individual packets of coffee for the trail. Hmmmm...

"Sugar and calories? At last glance, sugar was an empty, non nutritional, bleached with *BEEP* product. Wow, good suggestion. Get up on the sugar, bonk, need more sugar. bonk and on and on and on."

Wait... so you are sayin Chocolate is bad or good? I am confused... make up your mind!

Chocolate has sugars and fat. That is why it is a high calorie food. You say sugars are bad for me? I'll try to remind my cells of that fact as they break down polysacharides and disacharides and convert to make glucose (which they break down into pyruvic acid etc etc etc) to make ATP so my body can SURVIVE.

I drink coffee and tea when I am backpacking. I try to do it when there will be at least a few hours before I'm pumping my heart hard. Nobody is selling coffee as a zero calorie energy drink. Even diet Red Bull has calories ;-) Calories represent energy.

But, I'll try to remember your product the next time I'm in a volleyball tourney ;-)

Now if you find fault with Dr. Kauffman's peer reviewed study, please, let's hear it!

Edited by Summit on 07/23/2006 00:09:40 MDT.

Here is more info:

http://www.herbalife.com/hl/templates/templatepreportal/herbalife/products/display.do?itemId=c_type_lift_off

"Herbalife produces weight-loss, weight-management, nutritional products"

"Lift OFF Key Benefits"
"* Helps you stay focused for improved concentration.*"
"Liftoff™ fights fatigue and improves mental performance.*"

"*=These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration."

He says he is offering a discount. Most places offer this herbal supplement at $15.95 although ebay has it at <$9. What is your price?

Edited by Summit on 07/23/2006 00:21:37 MDT.

nm

Edited by jshann on 07/24/2006 18:46:48 MDT.

Wow! What a spin. Trying to convince us that refined sugars that are put in our foods along with trans fats to make them solid are of nutritional benefit.

Not to mention the sodium. You would be better served to post somewhere rather than this forum. I thought this forum was about real nutrition and hydration. Not nuts, candies and coffee...

Lat post..someone needs to delete to the whole forum. What a joke.

"Wow! What a spin. Trying to convince us that refined sugars that are put in our foods along with trans fats to make them solid are of nutritional benefit."

Yet again, you speak without knowledge. Even a lowly Hershey bar has ZERO transfats. I still cannot figure out whether you like or dislike chocolate... you keep changing pace...

Nobody is saying we should stock up on Oreos for trail food.

So what sugar do you hate? What is a "processed" sugar? Why are they "bad"? Are you hating on all sucrose? Do you hate all corn derived fructose? Do you understand how these are utilized in a cell and turned into energy?

Or are you another "prophet of health" just regurgitating health "facts" you were fed by Herbalife/other without questioning it or taking time to understand the subject of nutrition? Honest question...

"I thought this forum was about real nutrition and hydration."

Me too! I thought the forum was about trail food and recipies, not health fad concentration supplements from a herbal weightloss company, "zero calorie energy," and shameless self promotion of the same.

"Not nuts, candies and coffee..."

Nuts are bad? They aren't real nutrition? Really? Uhoh... ;-) I'd better stick to zero calorie caffiene/vitamin supplement powder to be safe...

Coffee is bad but your caffiene/guarana packed herbal powder is good?

"Lat post..someone needs to delete to the whole forum. What a joke."

I think you just have a problem with someone daring to question your holy cow of an herbal supplement (which you are trying to sell) while you seem unable mount any real logical or scientific counterpoint to the questions raised.

As much fun as you are providing, I'd be happy to engage you in a real debate as well...

Edited by Summit on 07/23/2006 12:52:16 MDT.

As long as you are attacking "processed" sugars you might look at your own ingredient list for LiftOFF: CONTAINS SUCRALOSE.

What is sucralose? Why reprocessed "processed" sugar! It is an chlorinated artificial sweetener DERIVED FROM SUCROSE. It makes your powder sweet. Sucralose is better known under its brand name Splenda. I like Splenda, but you've been hoist on your own petard.

OTHER INGREDIENTS OF NOTE IN LIFTOFF:

Sodium Benzoate: Oh that "evil" sodium you were speaking of... this sodium salt is a preservative.

Corn Syrup Solids: Uhoh... processed corn products... ALARM! ;-)

Sodium Bicarbonate (the #2 ingredient in this powder): more "evil sodium" (this is used as a pH buffer in your blood and is a vital elocrolyte in proper quantities... see sodium isn't necessarily bad!)

"Use this forum to discuss the acquisition, packaging, and preparation of backcountry ingestibles. Post your favorite trail recipes too."

Is the stated purpose of the forum...
Perhaps you should try gear swap next time? I promise I won't question it there!

Edited by Summit on 07/23/2006 12:53:06 MDT.

I was persuaded to take gingko supplements briefly in the hope of improving concentration and mental performance, but then I read that the dose needed to bring such effects about was more than enough to cause rectal bleeding.

This thread seems to have triggered an epidemic of "rectal bleeding". Is it the Herbal Life elixir or an allergic reaction to the mere mention of it, albeit in a mildly commercial vein? C'mon, guys, lighten up a bit. You're disrupting the community "wa".

I'd rather eat real food than some "elixer" made in a lab. Anything with caffiene or genticially similar is not a good idea when doing strenous activities. A cup of joe or a chocolate bar isn't a bad chocie, but chugging pills and drinks that are "energy" items is never a good idea. It can really mess with your body. I know I cannot take anything like that! Lord, what it does to my blood pressure is bad. In fact, if you even have a hint of high blood pressure or even starter hypertension, you NEED to avoid stuff like this. It is VERY bad for you!!

Anyhoo, not sure why the OP thinks nuts are not real food. Nuts are a natural powerhouse of vitamins, fat and energy. But then again, they won't make one a ton of money ;-) But they will give you go power...and one that doesn't cause your heart to jackhammer for hours ;-) My Dr recomended that I consume 1/4 cup of unsalted nuts daily to help my circulation..and bingo, my varicose veins don't hurt anymore. I eat nuts on every trip I go on. Buy them at Trader Joe's on the cheap.