Weight loss supplements by Rosi Sexton

Weight loss supplements

from Rosi’s Blog by Rosi Sexton

Someone asked me about this the other day.

“Do you know anyone who’s had good results from using weight loss supplements? I’m skeptical. They all say they need to be combined with exercise and healthy eating. I think it’s the exercise and healthy eating that give the result, not the supplement.”

Interesting question, worth exploring a bit further because I think it illustrates some common misconceptions about the role of supplements in general.

Weight loss is a complex area, and despite what some people tell you, it’s not as simple as counting calories in vs calories out. What you eat and when you eat it has a huge impact on your appetite, how your body functions and how much energy you have.

We all know there are no magic “weight loss” pills. If you’re eating burgers and pizza three times a day, no supplement in the world is going to help you lose weight. But let’s say you’re committed to a weight loss plan. You’ve already cleaned up your diet, and you’re doing plenty of exercise. Why might you think about using a supplement as well? For me, there are two kinds of supplement.

(1) Those that make it easy and convenient to get exactly the right nutrients at the right time.

(2) Those that have a physiological effect that assists with weight loss, such as increasing metabolism or decreasing appetite.

For me, the first category are by far the most important. If I have just finished a hard training session, I need something which is going to give me a 2:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein, and I want it within 10 minutes of stepping off the mat. In theory, I could manage this without using supplements, but it’s going to mean investing a lot of time in preparation,   and it’s going to be hard to get the nutritional values spot on. With supplements it’s easy.

I can easily add some extra protein to my porridge in the morning, or have a protein rich snack between meals. I can throw a bag of PhD Recovery 2:1 or Diet Whey in my bag and know that whatever happens, I’m not going to be stuck for something that fits my nutritional needs.

As far as the second category go, there are some substances which may assist with fat loss, when used alongside an appropriate diet and exercise program. This means that people using these products in addition to their regular program could expect to lose more fat than just by using the diet and exercise alone. Although in terms of scientific research the jury is still out on many of these “fat loss” aids, many people report that they find this kind of supplement very helpful – especially for overcoming those frustrating plateaux most of us hit from time to time. When I’m dropping weight for a fight, I always add PhD’s Lean Degree and CLA capsules to my program.

So yes, healthy eating and exercise are definitely the most important elements. But using the right nutritional supplements may just make the difference between a plan you can stick to and one that gets forgotten after a week because it’s too much work or leaves you with no energy to train.

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