The Purpose & Function of Fat Loss Supplements

     The goal of incorporating a supplement or drug into a weight loss program is to assist the participant in complying with the necessary eating and moving guidelines that lead to weight reduction. They should never be viewed as the answer but as a viable part of the overall solution. Long term success will always be determined by lifestyle.

There are two ways that nutritional supplements work in attempting to produce weight loss or fat loss:

1) Increase the caloric deficit by helping the body burn calories. What happens is that you don't have to keep trying harder and harder to lose weight. For example, to lose 1 pound per week you need to eat 500 fewer calories per day than you burn. Assume when you're not taking the supplement you burn 2000 calories per day, meaning you can consume 1500 per day to stay on track to your goal. Using a dietary supplement can help you to burn off as much as 2,250 calories per day for two reasons: the supplement has thermogenic (calorie burning) properties and also promotes physical activity. As long as you continue to consume 1500 calories per day, you will now lose 1.5 pounds per week.

2) The other thing that a dietary supplement can do for you is to reduce your appetite, which lessens the burden of sticking with a reduced calorie diet (e.g. 1500 calories of food per day in the example above). This allows you to make steady progress. The body prefers to gain weight, not lose it, and the number one reason people fall off diets is that their appetites increase in order to force them to recover the weight lost. Reducing the desire to eat and/or helping one to feel fuller sooner and longer as well as reducing unneeded calorie absorption can give the dieter satisfaction while significantly reducing the body's calorie intake. Now what happens when you stop taking a dietary supplement?

Most of us can use a little push towards our goals at times; this is when supplements come in handy - when you attain your weight loss goals or feel that you've gotten your appetites or lifestyle to the point where you can do without them, this is when you should cease using them. Fat loss supplements are not intended to be used for continuously or indefinitely to maintain weight loss.

Summary The primary goal of dietary supplements for fat loss is to assist you while you tackle the real problem, which is making adjustments to your lifestyle that will allow you to achieve and maintain fitness. Discontinuing the use of a supplement should not affect your results because maintaining means consuming as many calories as you burn, which means you get to eat more once you reach your goal. If you're burning off as many calories as listed above, this means that your diet can now include over 2,000 calories daily instead of 1,500, since you no longer need to lose more weight. The extra 500 calories is a lot of food and should satisfy your appetite, and your new physique should keep you motivated.

Copyright (c) 2009 Neal Spruce

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