Best Health And Wellness Info

 

To begin with, not all natural weight loss products are any safer than diet drugs. Any kind of stimulant, regardless of whether it’s a drug or it’s a natural supplement can be dangerous, and eventually counterproductive in that, over time, stimulants result in excess production of cortisol that in the long term leads to weight gain.

So, what supplements and products are there that can safely and effectively enhance natural weight loss? Well, first of all we need a reality check. Nutritional supplements and herbal weight loss products should be considered an aid for weight loss, not a weight loss program in and of themselves. Even the most useful of the natural weight loss supplements (and for that matter, even diet drugs) provide only very modest benefits when used alone, without also being on a good diet and exercise regimen.

To get the most from weight loss aids, you also need diet and exercise. No matter how convincing the hype may be for a weight loss supplement, there really is no “magic pill” that eliminates the need for diet and exercise. Let me repeat that - there really is no “magic pill” that eliminates the need for diet and exercise. I know that you want to believe that there is, but if you really want to lose weight and keep it off, diet and exercise are required.

That being said, there are some herbs and nutrients that do appear to enhance the weight loss effects of diet and exercise through either appetite suppression, increased metabolism, or the blocking of fat absorption from the digestive tract.. Here’s a rundown of things that may help:

Chitosan is a substance found in the shells of shrimp and other shellfish, so it should not be used by people with shellfish allergies. Chitosan assists in weight loss by binding fat in the digestive tract and keeps it from being absorbed. This in effect lowers the calories consumed in each meal. It should be noted though that chitosan can produce loose stools and occasionally a temporary loss of bowel control. There is also a potential for deficiencies of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K to develop with long-term use of chitosan. For these reasons, I do not recommend chitosan, but if you feel you must use it, a reasonably safe dosage is 1500 to 3000 mg per day split into doses taken with 8 ounces of water before meals.

Chromium nicotinate can be taken at a level of 200 to 400 mg per day, preferably split into two or more doses taken with meals. It should be noted that this recommendation is for chromium nicotinate, NOT picolinate. Although chromium picolinate is often promoted as a supplement for weight loss, and it may in fact be an effective weight loss aid, the research on the picolinate form of chromium for weight loss has been contradictory, but there has been consistent indication that the nicotinate form does enhance weight loss.

CLA, or conjugated linoleic acid can be taken in doses of 300 to 600 mg taken before each meal (no more than 1800 mg per day). CLA has been shown to promote fat burning and the development of lean body tissue in laboratory animals, but the effects in humans remain uncertain.

Green tea extract can be taken in total dosages of 100 to 400 mg per day, recommended to be split into two or more doses per day and taken between meals. Look for standardized extracts containing at least 90% total catechins for best results. Catechins from green tea appear to increase metabolism, and this occurs separately from the metabolic effects from the caffeine in the tea. Although the naturally-occurring caffeine in green tea tends to increase the effects of the catechins, because of the previously mentioned adverse long-term effects on weight loss from the use of stimulants, it is recommended that decaffeinated green tea extract be used.

In part 2 of this article, I’ll continue with more popular natural weight loss aids.

 For information on how to be successful on your quest to lose weight, visit my weight loss motivation site.  For other posts on the subject, see the “Weight Control” category on my natural remedies blog.