I am sure you have seen the ads about weight loss supplements. However, despite what the ads say, many of these weight loss supplements are worthless.

Some can be dangerous, and even those that do work, will usually have you putting whatever weight you may have lost, back on soon after you stop taking them.

The bottom line is that most of these weight loss products sell you a bill of goods that simply does not exist — a method of losing weight and getting healthy without changing your lifestyle or eating habits.

Problems with Weight Loss Supplements

There are many problems with weight loss supplements. One of the biggest problems is that there are little or no regulations regarding their manufacture, and even less regarding the claims they can make about their effectiveness. This makes for a dangerous combination of supplements that can be useless at best and harmful at worst.

You never really know what is in a given formula, as there is no requirement for the manufacturer to list every ingredient on the label. This can be a serious problem, and not only if you have food allergies or sensitivities. There have been many reports of supplements that have contained prescription drugs, and other toxic or harmful ingredients.

Furthermore, even if a given supplement does as it claims, and does not have “harmful ingredients,” that does not mean it is safe, or smart to use. Artificially suppressing your appetite, or mucking around with your metabolism, or your body’s ability to store or burn fat — can wreak havoc on your hormonal balances and other biological processes!

Remember, even well-regulated prescription diet pills or supplements have many known side effects.

There really is no secret formula to losing weight and keeping it off. You need to lower your caloric intake while still maintaining the right balance of:

• Proteins
• Complex carbs
• Healthy fats
• Minerals
• And vitamins

These need to be right for your body. Combine that with exercising at least three to five times a week, for at least 20 minutes to a half hour each time — and Voila! — a healthier you!

I know it would be nice if all of that came in a pill. Maybe sometime in the future it might, but for now, it does not!

Health vs. Weight Loss Supplements

All of this is not to say that weight loss supplements have no value whatsoever. They can be a part of an overall lifestyle “re-boot.”

What you need to understand is that there are no magic pills or powders out there, and there really are no “short cuts” to healthy and sustainable weight loss. But, that doesn’t mean that it has to be hard!

The goal of a lifestyle and nutrition coach is to help you develop healthy habits so that “dieting” and “exercising” are not things you need “to do,” but are just fun parts of your everyday life.

Dietary supplements can fit into that lifestyle, only when they are used as the name suggests — to supplement your diet, and even then, only with your coach’s supervision.

You should never consider any kind of “supplement,” even a multivitamin, let alone a weight loss product, as a replacement for good, healthy eating!

And if you find you need help along the way to a better you, try a Lifestyle and Nutrition coach to help guide you into making healthier lifestyle choices.

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