Carb Blockers – Do They Really Help?

Carb Blockers and a Little Carb Counting – A Winning
Combination in that Battle of the Bulge

Have you heard of these almost-too-good-to-be-true supplements
called “carb blockers” that supposedly block carbohydrates from
turning into refined sugars and entering the blood stream as
facilitators of higher blood sugar (which results in subsequent
weight gain)? If you have done any research at any time to lose
a few pounds and were perhaps looking for a weightloss
supplement to help you achieve that, you’ve probably run across
at least a few of these products.

I’m sure you wondered, could they work? Or are they just another
diet rip off, preying on the hopes and dreams of people who want
to lose weight so desperately they’ll try anything? The reason
there is so much skepticism about diet products such as this, is
that they usually are advertised as the “easy way to lose
weight”. This, to me, says I will not have to try as hard. I can
eat whatever I want and a magic pill will miraculously melt the
pounds off effortlessly.

The diet products that claim you won’t have to exercise are the
ones that really irk me. This is a dangerous message to send.
Exercise is essential to anyone’s overall health and well being.
Products that prey on people’s hopes of achieving weightloss
while eating anything they want should simply be avoided. Claims
such as this simply are not true. There will always be a level
of effort required by the person trying to lose the weight.

That’s not to say that carb blockers don’t work. On the
contrary, there is actually one on the market that has a
patented ingredient that has been proven to reduce the effects
of excessive carb intake, and this supplement has definitely
proven to be an asset to many who are trying to lose weight and
happen to over indulge once in a while.

While carb blockers should not be used as an excuse to
constantly pig out on unhealthy refined carbs like white breads,
pastas, and sweets, they certainly have been demonstrated (at
least one carb blocker has, in clinical studies) to help to
“absorb” the shock caused by excessive carb intake.

Here’s how a carb blocker works:

A good carb blocker is designed to help naturally block
carbohydrates from complete utilization and entry into the
bloodstream as glycemic sugars, control carb cravings, boost
energy levels and block the “bad” fats from complete absorption.

Carb blockers usually are taken at a given time before meals.
The idea behind the timing is to help stop the meal from
completely being utlized by your body as excess carbs, and to
help prevent that excess intake from being converted into fat,
or extra pounds. “Phase 2″ is the only clinically studied and
proven carb blocker today, so make sure you choose a carb
blocking supplement that contains this ingredient.

I do have to say, the best part about carb blockers is that they
do not contain stimulants such as ma huang, ephedra or other
stimulants.

What’s so Good About Carb Blockers Not Containing Any
Stimulants?

First of all, diet products loaded with stimulants only stave
off hunger for as long as you use them, then when you taper off,
you gain your appetite back – many times twofold – and many
times you also gain your weight back twofold.

Second, stimulants in diet supplements many times can make you
feel edgy, nervous and irritable. Sure, the over-stimulation may
make you temporarily forget about your appetite, but who cares
if you gain more weight back when you discontinue the product?

Third, the effects of many dietary stimulants still have not
been thoroughly studied and documented. They could have serious
health implications if taken for extended periods of time. This
is precisely the reason that one common diet stimulant, ephedra
was taken off the market.

The Bottom Line on Carb Blockers

If you want to successfully block carbs in your dieting and
weight control routine, a good carb blocker can be of great
benefit, especially for those times when you are inevitably
going to over-do it on the carbohydrate intake. Just be sure you
choose one that has been proven through clinical studies, not
just double blind placebo studies, which are often not as
accurate nor as thorough and documented as clinical studies.

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