Sunday 16 June 2013

Diet Supplements and Weight Loss

Too often dieters place their hopes for success on diet supplements. They seek out pills in hopes that they will work the magic that diet plans have failed to produce. The diet supplement industry is a billion dollar industry. Who doesn't want a pill, bar, or shake they can take to melt the fat off. The problem is that people use supplements as the end-all for their diet needs.
Supplements by definition are not meant to replace food, but to enhance it. Merriam-Webster Online defines a supplement as "something that completes or makes an addition." This shows that a supplement is meant to be added to, not replace something. A supplement to a book does not replace the book. If you read the supplement, but skip the book, you will have an incomplete story, and not a very good read.
When dealing with nutritional supplements, failing to eat nutritious foods while taking supplements may cause an imbalance in nutrients. There are two main cases where this occurs. The first is when a dieter uses a diet pill or other supplement to facilitate weight loss, but does not change their unhealthy eating habits. This dieter will have a hard time maintaining the weight loss after they stop the supplement. If the dieter is eating empty, sugary calories and foods without vitamins and minerals then the body will be lacking key nutrients. These are nutrients that the body needs to function properly, including proper metabolic functioning.
The second case involves the dieter who relies solely on supplemental shakes or diet bars. This is unhealthy because the body was not designed to live off synthetic foods alone. This also makes maintenance of any weight loss difficult because the supplement diet cannot be maintained for life. The cost of supplements and the eventual cravings will cause most dieters to abandon the supplements in favor of real foods.
A quality diet plan that focuses on using whole foods to cause the body to lose weight will result in healthier, and sustainable, weight loss. To aid a dieter in their weight loss goals, a supplement may help. Some supplements may help speed up the metabolism to keep it from being affected by lowering calories. Some supplements will provide the vitamins or minerals that might be lacking in the diet.
An important thing to remember with diet supplements is that they are not all created equal. Some are very safe and provide pretty good results. Some are safe for most people, but not for people with particular health conditions. Then there are some that really are not safe and the possible benefits do not outweigh the risks. These should be avoided or, at very least, taken with extreme caution. It is important to research any supplement before starting it to make sure it is safe for you.
Dieting is tough, no one would argue that, but a supplement only diet is not the answer. A supplement is designed to add to or enhance food in a diet, not replace it. Nothing can take the place of nutritious, whole foods when looking for a diet to achieve healthy, long-term weight loss success.

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