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Have I Been Wasting My Time Taking Supplements For Weight Loss?

by Ben Pate

People looking to lose weight are always looking for a helping hand, and for honest weight loss tips. This only stands to reason, it makes sense, because losing weight is, let's be honest, hard work. So people often turn to fat burning supplements. People often want to know how well these really work, and if they really work in the first place. The answer is, it depends. Some work great, others don't. Others are really meant for things other than losing weight and so on.

If you want to find some effective supplements for fat loss, they should USUALLY contain one of the following ingredients.

Dietary Fiber

Dietary fiber actually does nothing for you, and that's the point. It contains no real nutrients or anything, so it helps you feel full without having to eat as much. This means that you feel like you have more energy, so you can hit the gym longer and harder than before. Plus, it helps to keep you regular, it keeps you "clean" more or less, so you have less unnecessary weight when you hit the scale.

Electrolytes

Electrolytes help keep you hydrated and energized. Most sports drinks contain enough electrolytes to go around, so using one of those should help you out. They're best used as a supplement to help you recover after a serious workout, so keep some handy after a long run, walk or bike ride so that you don't feel too worn out, and so that you can go again when you need to without passing out from dehydration. You should know, however, that water is still the best sports drink available, even if the added electrolytes do you help you out a bit.

B

B Vitamins are what it's all about if you want energy. In fact, if you switch from coffee or energy drinks to pure vitamin B, you may well find yourself a little less grumpy in the morning. If you start taking vitamin B, the level of energy you experience will greatly improve. This is really your best friend if you find yourself getting tired easily.

Creatine And Protein And So Forth

Protein and creatine based supplements are great for building muscle, but if your primary goal is to lose weight, you may want to hold off on these until you're ready to start hitting the weights. Still, if you want a full fitness program, this muscle building stuff can be incredibly helpful. Just remember that if you use these and you weight train, that it will offset your progress in losing weight, as muscle weighs much more than fat.

The truth about supplements comes down to this: They work, but they don't work FOR you, they work WITH you. They don't do the work for you. If you want to lose weight, they only help you. If you're looking for a magic treatment, if you want a quick fix, look elsewhere. Supplements help, they don't do the whole job alone, so don't think that you can drink a health smoothie in the morning and just sit on your butt watching TV and seeing pounds fall off one after another. Work out, hit the gym hard, eat healthy, and drink plenty of water, and supplements will help you see results.

Not to say that they aren't a big help when working toward fat burning, because in fact, they are, but they're not what you're looking for if all you want are miracle weight loss tips that allow you to maintain an unhealthy lifestyle with a healthy body.

Published August 4th, 2010

Filed in Health