Showing posts with label Supplements. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Supplements. Show all posts

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Weight Loss Supplements Buying Tips

American spends $50 billion every year on weight loss programs and diet pills. Unfortunately, 22% of this goes to fake weight loss products.

More and more people are facing the problem of obesity and a lot of them are resorting to weight loss supplements. While some people have benefited from these supplements, there are still a lot of people who are clueless on what type to buy. In the end, they are left frustrated without loosing a single pound.

Worry no more! Here are some proven tips to help out weight losers wannabes when buying diet pills in the market:

1. Before buying diet supplement, consult a doctor. There are weight loss supplements that are available only by prescription. Do not forget to tell the doctor about allergies to certain medication and health history.

2. For over the counter supplements, decide what kind to buy. There are numerous types available in the market today. Some are appetite suppressants while some help the body to absorb fat. Also, do not forget to check the ingredients and carefully read the labels to avoid serious side effects like high blood and heart valve lesions. Also, make sure it will not react negatively on any other medications that are currently being taken. It would also help to have it checked by the doctor before taking it.

3. Keep in mind that all weigh loss supplements, even those that are prescribed by doctors, carry risks. It is for this reason that all instructions must be followed carefully and religiously. Stop taking the supplements if unusual symptoms are being noticed.

4. Choose diet pills that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration agency of FDA. These products are monitored and carry minimum risks.

5. Beware of over the counter diet pills that contain Ma Huang. This is a strong stimulant that has been associated with death especially among professional athletes.

6. When purchasing online, make sure that all the weight loss supplements are sealed. Do not accept bottles that were tampered with.

7. Remember that dietary products that promise quick weight loss usually do not have the approval of FDA. Most of these products have severe side effects that lead to drastic weight loss.

8. Research the internet for diet pills that are proven to have side effects. For example, a Brazilian diet pill was recently sold in USA that contains drugs and chemicals like antidepressants, tranquilizers, and amphetamines. This pill was advertised as all natural but was proven dangerous to health.

9. Never buy Ephedra based supplements; they are deeply associated with strokes and death.

10. Look for supplements that contain essential nutrients like Omega fatty acids, B12, calcium, and liver oils which are very important especially to women.

11. Buy products that are endorsed or recommended by health professionals or body builders.

12. Do not depend on weight loss supplement alone. Eat healthy and exercise. Try working out in the gym for at least 3 times a week and get incredible results!

Weight loss supplements have been in the market for sometime now but their effects in the long run has not yet proven. People who are serious about losing weight must aid supplements with exercise and well balanced diet. This is the most effective way in shedding pounds the healthy way.

Friday, May 31, 2013

Nutrition Notes on Weight Loss Supplements and Diet Pills

Weight Loss Supplements

More and more spend hundred and even thousands of dollars yearly on weight loss supplements in the hope of speeding up their metabolism.  The main desire is to be attractive and accepted but it is becoming a more difficult goal to achieve.  The fitness industry is booming but still a lot of people are unable to cut those fat in spite of all the exercise and diet efforts.  In America, more than sixty per cent of adults are overweight and thirty per cent are considered obese.  This is because: one, a lot of weight loss products promises unrealistic goals; two, dietary supplement manufacturers rely on the overweight person’s failure to survive; and three, the information about the supplements in the market are just written by themselves just to make a sell.  

Although the Food and Drug Administration has successfully banned illegal marketers, some products are still available.  Consumers can be deceived of the labels which claims caffeine or ephedra fee not knowing that these supplements composes of other ingredients that may pose the same health risks.  These include heart and digestive problems, headaches, insomnia, and even psychological side effects.

Other supplement manufacturers say that their products contains EGCG which is a phytochemical ingredient found in green tea.  This so-called component claims to speed up metabolism but in reality poses to reduce the risk of cancer.  Some studies denote that it could slightly increase the potential to burn calories and now can be found in many weight loss supplements.  It has good points on the other hand since the body might conform to EGCG after a period of time.  Eve the weight loss benefit could sum up to 60 to 70 calories a day.  This helps prevent excessive weight gain.  

A few other significant effects of weight loss supplements is that it may contain ingredients that makers claim will prevent the absorption of carbohydrates.  One good example is Chitosan, which appears most promising, which in fact shows no positive result in fat absorption.  It could even take up to seven months for men to lose just a pound of body fat and for women, there is no fat loss at all.  Thyroid supplements act as thyroid replacements help regulate and optimize the thyroid at a higher level.  This they say makes the body feel like a couch potato and won’t perform the job it has to.


Diet Pills. According to manufacturers, diet pills use natural ingredients capable of prolonging life and containing alcohol used in medication or flavoring.  One thing’s for sure, never take diet pills as substitute for cutting calories without the doctor’s recommendation.  There are simple but important steps to be followed when taking diet pills:

1.Never crush diet pills to mix in drinks or soups.  Take it whole with a full glass of water.

2.Diet pills causes a person to urinate more frequently due to its diuretic effect.  This could lead to dehydration, thus, causing complications.  As a pre-caution, it is best to drink eight glasses of water everyday while on diet pills.

3.Take only the recommended dosage.  Taking more than required will not help you lose weight but increase the risk of side effects.

4.Heartbeat should be less than 86 beats per minute.  Stop taking the pills if it reaches 90 or higher that is why regular checking of pulse is a must.

5.Always follow the instructions set by the dietician and/or doctor and not only rely on what’s enclosed in the box.  Also diet pills will only work as expected if diet plan is being followed.

6.After three months, stop taking the diet pills.  Common diet phenylpropanolamine is safe to use only up to sixteen weeks.  Other studies show that it can cause health problems if taken under one month.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Exclusive 10 Steps to Fat Loss

10 Steps to Fat Loss

1) Calculate how many calories you body needs to consume to maintain your existing weight. This is called you maintenance calories.(Search Google with "calorie needs" and you will find a few different calculators to help you with this)

2) Initially deduct 10%(to a maximum of 500Kcal)off the total maintenance calories. Drastically reducing your calories will result in muscle and water loss - not fat loss.

3) Divide you calories over 5 or 6 meals rather then 2 or 3. You should aim to eat every 3-4 hours.

4) Cut out all simple carbohydrates (except straight after exercise, eat whole grain, high fibre foods.)

5) Exercise at least 3 times a week, doing 30 minutes of cardio to a reasonable level of intensity. This will help to create the calorie deficit and encourage your body to lose fat.

6)Make simple replacements in your diet, Sweetener in place of sugar, diet drinks in place of full sugar drinks, use leaner cuts of meat etc. At first these changes may be difficult but you will get used to them and make vital calorie savings every day.

7) Drink plenty of water - at least 2 litres of water every day - if you are dehydrated you body will be less efficient and will make fat loss more difficult.

8) Try to eat low carb(complex only!), low fat and moderate protein. From my experience the South Beach Diet is excellent.

9) Keep a food diary to monitor how many calories you are consuming - it is very easy to over eat.

10) Supplementing you diet can make fat loss easier. A diet high in protein can help preserve muscle (more muscle means an increase in metabolism). There are also some fat loss supplements available which help boost your metabolism, this is useful as your metabolism may slow during extended periods of dieting.

This article is written from my own experiences. I have lost 20lbs of fat and gained 20lbs of muscle. My body fat is 11%. Please consult a doctor for proper medical advice.