Slimming down ... losing weight ... Dietary supplements are an essential aid

People gain weight for a variety of reasons and there is unfortunately no miraculous way to quickly lose the extra inches that accumulate on the hips, thighs or stomach over many years.

First and foremost, rebalancing your diet is vital and no nutritional supplement can ever replace a varied, balanced diet both in quantity and quality, particularly in terms of lipids (fats) and carbohydrates (low or medium GI carbs). In addition, taking regular exercise goes hand in hand with modifying your diet for long-term benefits.
But sometimes, despite our best efforts, making these changes simply isn’t enough. Nutritional supplements by themselves cannot produce a slimmer body, but they are a valuable aid and can help give a weight-loss diet an added boost. Supplementation can really make a difference because it acts via several complementary metabolic pathways:

Improving thermogenesis
Some nutrients can raise base metabolic rate and thus enable the body to burn more calories for no extra physical effort. To increase thermogenesis, ie, the body’s production of heat through acceleration of fat-burning reactions, the most effective substances are: methylxantines (caffeine, theobromine, fucoxanthin) as well as forskolin and raspberry ketones.

Regulating appetite
Even though eating the wrong food, rather than too much food, can lead to weight gain, in some cases, gaining weight is indeed the result of an uncontrollable appetite. Certain nutrients can help accelerate the sensation of fullness or reduce feelings of hunger. These are Hoodia gordonii, Crocus sativus, Amorphophallus kongjac, Caralluma fimbriata or 5-HTP extract of Griffonia simplicifolia.

Interfering with the absorption of certain nutrients
By interfering with the absorption of lipids during digestion, plants and nutrients can help those people who, for example, always eat out at lunchtime, or who like sugary, fatty foods. Green coffee extract, chitosan or CLA work in this way, limiting the impact of daily over-eating.

Attacking visceral fat
This ‘invisible’ intra-abdominal fat, which lies close to vital organs, increases the risk of heart attack, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and sleep apnoea. It is therefore essential to target this fat to prevent our waistlines from increasing with each passing year. Certain plant extracts are undoubtedly effective at doing this: Sphaerantus indicus, Garcinia mangostana, Melissa officinalis, Morus alba, Artemisia capillaries or even oil extract of liquorice root which reduces abdominal and visceral fat.

Eliminating excess water
Water retention, which affects women more than men, can add several kilos to bodyweight. There are, however, exclusive, patented blends of plant extracts which can be taken regularly to eliminate the excess fluid that accumulates in tissues. These ensure thorough toxin elimination and reduce infiltration and fatty deposits, thus safely restoring a more toned, slim figure.

Combining these various lines of attack
Certain speciality supplements are available that combine different nutrients and plant extracts that, by acting via different metabolic pathways, simultaneously increase base metabolism, burn excess calories, prevent carbohydrates being stored and track and burn visceral fat.