“Out with the old; in with the new”
As the holiday festivities have come to an end, we tone down the excitement and decide that it’s now time to pull up our socks and get down to serious business. Items on our wish lists have been ticked off and with the New Year in full swing we have an opportunity to get a fresh start – a clean slate to begin anew. It is now time for the list of things we want to do, goals we want to achieve: all in an effort to become “a better you”; therefore what better place to start, than with yourself?
“I want to lose 50 pounds”; “I just want to lose 10”; “I seriously need to drop the weight I gained over the holidays”; “I want to get back to my pre-baby weight” or “I just want to be fit and healthy”: whatever the goal, most of us have a fitness or weight loss goal on our New Year’s resolution list. But it was on your To Do list last year as well, however, after the first two weeks of dieting and going to the gym, it just did not fit into your schedule after that. As fast as it went on the to do list, it just as quickly ended up on the forgotten list or neighboured with those things you decided were less of a priority. The good news is that determination is key; additionally, with the increased interest in health issues over the last few years, technology has developed ‘an easy way out’ for those coveting the runway-model body.
Dietary and weight loss supplements! What are they? Do they actually work? Are they harmful? Do they have any side effects? According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), “A dietary supplement is a product intended for ingestion that contains a ‘dietary ingredient’ such as a vitamin, mineral, herb or other botanical, amino acid, higher caloric substance, a concentrate, metabolite, constituent or extract; which is intended to add further nutritional value to supplement the diet.” With that said they are to be used in conjunction with a regular diet and not to replace meals. Supplements are used to make up for nutritional value we are unable to obtain from our food to sufficiently meet daily requirements. In that sense a weight loss supplement should be used as part of a tailored weight loss routine rather than replacing healthy eating to regulate weight and exercise – it should never stand alone.
Outside of hormonal imbalances or genetic or other disorders, we did not gain the excess weight we currently carry, overnight. Why then do you seek a magic pill or solution that will quickly reduce the weight it took you many months or years to gain? Any dietary substance that makes quick weight loss claims is false, unsafe, unhealthy or all of the foregoing.
Weight loss supplements fall under one or more of these categories: appetite control (suppressants), fat burner or fat absorption inhibitor.
Appetite suppressants work by releasing chemicals such as seratonin or catecholmine which affect mood and appetite. Over an extended period of time these slow-release capsules prevent hunger spikes and reduce the likelihood of the binge eating which causes weight gain in many individuals. Pharmacologist Channtal Golding disclosed that most of these appetite suppressants which claim to magically or herbally control the appetite, mainly contain fibre. Dietary fibre causes a feeling of fullness, slowing the movement of food through the body. The consumption of a lot of fluids when using supplements is often recommended as they may cause constipation; when combined with fluids they can be very effective in facilitating frequent bowel movements which many individuals link to weight loss.
Fat burners, Golding explains, are mostly packed with substances such as caffeine which increases energy and ultimately the metabolism. Metabolic rate increases in turn cause weight loss. However, persons who have high blood pressure and other medical problems are advised to avoid this type of supplement as it may cause heart palpitations or other more serious health conditions.
Fat absorption inhibitors claim to work by preventing the body from breaking down or absorbing fats. Alli is currently the most popular drug of this type; it is available over the counter. In fact, such drugs do not prevent total absorption – they block a maximum of 30% of the dietary fat consumed.
It is professionally advised that people avoid these supplements – as with other foreign substances introduced into the body, they are a potential hazard. On the other hand, starving yourself is never recommended as it may result in the accumulation of body fat as a reserve.
Whenever possible eat foods which are naturally-occurring fat regulators that do work – supplements only mimic them. Oats are naturally filled with fibre and therefore can be good appetite controllers. Have a bowl of oats raw or cooked, with fruits for breakfast. Have some coffee, it helps to boost our energy levels and metabolism. Eat your recommended servings of fruits and vegetables and portions from each of the six food groups daily; include 30 – 45 minutes of exercise for at least 5 days each week and you’ll be surprised at the results: weight lost under discipline and consistency is that much easier to keep off.
Weight loss supplements were invented to assist individuals who have great trouble losing weight. They were designed (and it says so on the packaging; “when combined with diet and exercise are effective in noticeable weight loss”) to be used under the guidance of health care professionals such as doctors, nutritionists and gym instructors which will make your health routine that much more effective.
So what do you think of weight loss supplements? And remember to share the article below
Share this post:
“Out with the old; in with the new”
As the holiday festivities have come to an end, we tone down the excitement and decide that it’s now time to pull up our socks and get down to serious business. Items on our wish lists have been ticked off and with the New Year in full swing we have an opportunity to get a fresh start – a clean slate to begin anew. It is now time for the list of things we want to do, goals we want to achieve: all in an effort to become “a better you”; therefore what better place to start, than with yourself?
“I want to lose 50 pounds”; “I just want to lose 10”; “I seriously need to drop the weight I gained over the holidays”; “I want to get back to my pre-baby weight” or “I just want to be fit and healthy”: whatever the goal, most of us have a fitness or weight loss goal on our New Year’s resolution list. But it was on your To Do list last year as well, however, after the first two weeks of dieting and going to the gym, it just did not fit into your schedule after that. As fast as it went on the to do list, it just as quickly ended up on the forgotten list or neighboured with those things you decided were less of a priority. The good news is that determination is key; additionally, with the increased interest in health issues over the last few years, technology has developed ‘an easy way out’ for those coveting the runway-model body.
Dietary and weight loss supplements! What are they? Do they actually work? Are they harmful? Do they have any side effects? According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), “A dietary supplement is a product intended for ingestion that contains a ‘dietary ingredient’ such as a vitamin, mineral, herb or other botanical, amino acid, higher caloric substance, a concentrate, metabolite, constituent or extract; which is intended to add further nutritional value to supplement the diet.” With that said they are to be used in conjunction with a regular diet and not to replace meals. Supplements are used to make up for nutritional value we are unable to obtain from our food to sufficiently meet daily requirements. In that sense a weight loss supplement should be used as part of a tailored weight loss routine rather than replacing healthy eating to regulate weight and exercise – it should never stand alone.
Outside of hormonal imbalances or genetic or other disorders, we did not gain the excess weight we currently carry, overnight. Why then do you seek a magic pill or solution that will quickly reduce the weight it took you many months or years to gain? Any dietary substance that makes quick weight loss claims is false, unsafe, unhealthy or all of the foregoing.
Weight loss supplements fall under one or more of these categories: appetite control (suppressants), fat burner or fat absorption inhibitor.
Appetite suppressants work by releasing chemicals such as seratonin or catecholmine which affect mood and appetite. Over an extended period of time these slow-release capsules prevent hunger spikes and reduce the likelihood of the binge eating which causes weight gain in many individuals. Pharmacologist Channtal Golding disclosed that most of these appetite suppressants which claim to magically or herbally control the appetite, mainly contain fibre. Dietary fibre causes a feeling of fullness, slowing the movement of food through the body. The consumption of a lot of fluids when using supplements is often recommended as they may cause constipation; when combined with fluids they can be very effective in facilitating frequent bowel movements which many individuals link to weight loss.
Fat burners, Golding explains, are mostly packed with substances such as caffeine which increases energy and ultimately the metabolism. Metabolic rate increases in turn cause weight loss. However, persons who have high blood pressure and other medical problems are advised to avoid this type of supplement as it may cause heart palpitations or other more serious health conditions.
Fat absorption inhibitors claim to work by preventing the body from breaking down or absorbing fats. Alli is currently the most popular drug of this type; it is available over the counter. In fact, such drugs do not prevent total absorption – they block a maximum of 30% of the dietary fat consumed.
It is professionally advised that people avoid these supplements – as with other foreign substances introduced into the body, they are a potential hazard. On the other hand, starving yourself is never recommended as it may result in the accumulation of body fat as a reserve.
Whenever possible eat foods which are naturally-occurring fat regulators that do work – supplements only mimic them. Oats are naturally filled with fibre and therefore can be good appetite controllers. Have a bowl of oats raw or cooked, with fruits for breakfast. Have some coffee, it helps to boost our energy levels and metabolism. Eat your recommended servings of fruits and vegetables and portions from each of the six food groups daily; include 30 – 45 minutes of exercise for at least 5 days each week and you’ll be surprised at the results: weight lost under discipline and consistency is that much easier to keep off.
Weight loss supplements were invented to assist individuals who have great trouble losing weight. They were designed (and it says so on the packaging; “when combined with diet and exercise are effective in noticeable weight loss”) to be used under the guidance of health care professionals such as doctors, nutritionists and gym instructors which will make your health routine that much more effective.
So what do you think of weight loss supplements? And remember to share the article below
Share this post: