Myths And Facts About Supplements For Weight Loss

There are numerous supplements for weight loss available in the market. From drinking green tea or taking fat burners, how certain are you about these forms of dietary aid? Here are 10 weight loss supplements myths and facts you must know about.

Supplements for Weight Loss at a Glance

Popular misconceptions about weight loss supplements have been floating around for quite some time now. There are several myths and facts that you need to consider before switching to dietary supplements for weight loss. For example, it is popularly perceived that you do not need exercise or maintain a certain dietary intake while you are taking weight loss supplements. Supplements can include pills, capsules or tablets (sometimes even herbal tablets) and are supposed to increase your metabolic rate. Supplements alone cannot aid faster weight loss so here’s a list of myths and facts you should know about weight loss supplements.

Supplements for Weight Loss: Myths vs Facts

In order to understand how weight loss supplements work just think of this: it promises short term results but the exercise of losing weight is supposed to be long term. This, in turn, may not be a healthy alternative as anything that gives you short term benefits may have certain side effects. The best relationship, however, should exist between eating healthy and exercising because just using weight loss supplements to cover for added food intake will not give you the desired results. Here are some popular myths and facts that can guide you about weight loss supplements.

Top 10 Myths About Supplements for Weight Loss

Myth 1: You can do away with exercising and a balanced dietary lifestyle if you are taking weight loss supplements. 

Myth 2: You can try out bitter orange as a supplement instead of ephedra.

Myth 3: Green tea or Green tea extracts burn fat leading directly to weight loss.

Myth 4: To control your appetite, you can use the African herb Hoodia as it can mitigate hunger pangs. 

Myth 5: If you buy weight loss supplements that are available at general drug stores or are over the counter supplements then they are safe. 

Myth 6: The idea that natural weight loss supplements are devoid of side effects.

Myth 7: Never snack on foods while on weight loss supplementary diet.

Myth 8: All carbs are an absolute no-no while on weight loss supplementation.

Myth 9: Say goodbye to fast foods such as burgers with a side of fries, nachos etc.

Myth 10: You should take “certain” foods that will burn calories.

Now that we know that these are the popular myths about weight loss supplements, let’s do a fact check.

Top 10 Facts About Supplements for Weight Loss

Fact 1: No dietician will advise you to take weight loss supplements and forego a balanced dietary pattern and stop exercising. Even the packaging of best weight loss supplements has it printed on them that you should also aid weight loss with exercise and watch your calories intake.

Fact 2: Bitter orange (citrus aurantium) may be similar to the herb ephedra. However, using it for weight loss may not be a good idea. It may cause increased blood pressure as ephedra does and may cause health inconveniences. Although it has been said that ephedra or its substitute- the bitter orange can have certain side effects, their cons have been over-discussed than their pros. It is up to you to conduct a research about it as the best supplement for weight loss and consult your dietician first.

Fact 3: Green tea for sure helps promote weight loss as it has catechins. The EGCG catechin in Green Tea helps increase the body’s metabolic rate.  Green tea also contains antioxidants that help detoxify the body. This aids in reducing binge eating and thus keeps a check on untimely food cravings. All these factors aid in weight management or weight loss.

Fact 4: To control or suppress your appetite there is this conjecture that you can use the African herb Hoodia Gordonii that is categorised as weight loss supplements commonly. Hoodia has a component known as P57. Studies show animals that were treated with this compound were eating less. It is however still not a clear phenomenon, whether it really aids humans to skip a few meals. There is no such substantial evidence that hoodia helps to cover weight loss. This herb does not have serious side effects.

Fact 5: There is enough speculation about the weight loss supplements product(s) that are sold over the counter are FDA approved. It is best to go for trustworthy and recommended brands (if you at all want to use it) by your trainer or dietician.

Fact 6: There are certain weight loss supplements like thermogenic fat burners, they work best when taken before a workout. They will harm you causing headaches, nausea, sweating and other symptoms like palpitation, as they produce an excess of energy inside the body and when the released energy is not utilised in the body it might have some side effects. For all the supplements it is recommended to consult a professional, as sometimes with mild fat burners you can have some side effects if it doesn’t suit you.

Fact 7: If you want to save yourself from binge eating, snacking between meals is actually healthy. In order to lose weight, you do not have to starve as the popular notion tells us. If you throw in a healthy snack or two when you feel the hunger pangs (your stomach rumbles) then chances are you will remain full keeping your diet in balance.

Fact 8: You can try to avoid processed carbohydrates such as pasta, flour, sugar, refined rice, etc. Instead, you can try brown rice, fruits, and vegetables that give you a fibrous content.

Fact 9: We all love a good cheeseburger with an extra side of fries. The good news is you should not have to give up on fast foods entirely if you are watching your weight and/or are on weight loss supplements already. You can make some easy alterations such as, start with a salad, then choose grilled foods (chicken or veggies) over crispy-fried ones, try to scrape off the sauce or dressings in your food. You can actually ask to put in a little sauce for you and there you go.

Fact 10: You should seek options for foods that burn calories but in essence have a balanced diet. In case you plan to follow a low-carb or keto diet, seeking professional advice is a must.

Care for Weight Loss Supplements

Some important things to learn about weight loss supplements is that some of the side effects can include increased blood pressure which can result in dizziness and even strokes. You have to make sure you balance it out with your diet and take recommended and FDA approved weight loss supplements only. Identification of the best supplements for weight loss is essential. If ingredients such as ephedra or high caffeine doses appear then these symptoms can surface and can also include gastric problems. With your training regimen and consultation with your doctors, you can try out weight loss supplements. You must ensure to drink enough water and eat right.

Conclusion

If you decide to consume supplements for weight loss, keep in mind these myths as well as facts. Also ensure that you go through the product label for its nutritional value and ingredients in order to make an informed decision.