Have you been watching, listening, or reading the ads, stories, and TV talk shows about how this miracle pill or that miracle pill will make you lose your weight so you can be the weight you want? Hogwash!!! There is no supplement nor pill that will MAKE you lose weight, unless it is an addictive drug of some sort – probably illegal and definitely unhealthy.
A supplement is exactly what it says – it supplements, or helps, you on your weight loss journey. It does not lose the weight for you, it simply helps you to lose it by causing your body to burn more calories for a short time, or helping you to feel full without eating as many calories. If you don’t DIET – that is have a meal plan or eating plan AND keep your calories down, but not below 1200 calories a day – you will not lose weight, at least not very much.
So what use are supplements? One type of supplement is vitamins and minerals. In todays culture, we do not get the proper amount of vitamins and minerals we need. Two such examples are Zinc and Chromium. Zinc has to be taken with the proper amount of copper, and chromium should be taken as Chromium picolinate for the body to absorb the chromium. These are not weight loss supplements per say, but they are minerals our body needs to work the way it is meant too and have been found to affect the body’s ability to shed unneeded pounds.
Even with vitamins and minerals, and even with some herbs, we will not lose and be the weight we want simply by taking a pill. Besides the eating plan mentioned above and in many of my other posts, we also need to exercise. It takes exercise over and above our normal daily activity to burn the extra calories and thus lose weight and lose it quicker.
About FAST – if it took you years to put the weight on, how can you expect to lose it in a couple months? Most women take more than that to return to their pre-pregnancy weight after having a baby. Dieting and exercise are the only way to lose weight unless you have surgery to take the fat out, liposuction, or staple your stomach, or put a band around your stomach (all operations). Even with the surgeries, you have to change your lifestyle of eating and of exercise to succeed in losing and keeping the weight off.
Another type of weight loss supplement helps with HUNGER by giving you a full feeling. Our mothers and grandmothers used water, celery, and carrots to do the same thing. Water fills the stomach, making it feel fuller while also providing the daily intake of water you need, and not adding any calories to your daily intake. Celery and carrots provide chewing, fiber, and vitamins needed adding very few calories to you daily intake. This is assuming the hunger is caused physically, and not emotionally.
There are some types of plants and herbs which help ’suppress’ your appetite – helping you to avoid binges mostly. How well they work depends on the individual. I was reading last month about a cactus Caralluma fimbriata, a succulent cactus from India, which is available as an appetite suppressant. Caralluma Burn is similar to Hoodra, but it is in a pill form and easier to take. It has a free trial and a 90 day money back guarantee. Also, when you sign up for the free trial, you get access to a great site with personalized eating plans and exercise plans. I did sign up for the free trial offer. It has lived up to all its claims and frankly for me it works better than Hoodra. I have been able to let go of my evening snacking, which is my biggest obstacle. Also, I have more energy to get up and exercise. That alone will give a boost to my weight loss journey.
To wrap up, supplements can help you on your weight loss program – the key word being help. You still have to change your eating and activity habits along with your mindset to succeed in your journey to the weight you want and stay there.
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