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Do Fat-Burning Supplements Really Help?

by Ben Pate

We hear this question a lot: quick weight loss supplements, do they really work, or what? The fact is that they SHOULD work, but that not all of them do. Now, not to name names, but some supplements are little more than a placebo, something to make you think that you're burning fat when, in fact, they're not doing much for you.

So if you want to know which ones eill get you fat loss, just look out for the following ingredients on the bottle.

Fiber

Fiber is really only there to do two things: Keep you feeling full and keeping you regular. Doesn't sound like much, right? Well, this is actually incredibly important to losing weight. How are you going to stop over eating if you're always hungry? How will you actually know that you're losing weight when you have a bunch of digested food stuck in your lower intestine? By eating more fiber, you can run farther and weigh less, simple as that.

Electrolytes And Water

Electrolytes really do help you to stay hydrated, and when you stay hydrated, you stay energized. This is why there isn't a gym in the civilized world where you won't find a regular drinker of sports drinks. Electrolytes are basically there to keep you from feeling too worn out once you get winded. Drink some electrolytes or take some in pill form and you'll find that you're able to run farther and hit the gym longer. Of course, as we all know, there is no greater sports drink in the world than pure water, but electrolytes can help.

B Vitamins

Good old vitamin B is probably the very best source of extra energy. Many people don't even bother with coffee or energy drinks, they just take a vitamin B and call it a day. Give it a try and see how you feel. The more vitamin B you take, the more energy you'll have, simple as that. And it doesn't weigh you down or make you burpy like most energy supplements.

Protein And Body Builder Supplements

Our advice is actually to stay away from these muscle building supplements until you've already lost all the extra weight you want to lose. It's not that you don't want muscle, you do, in fact. Especially after losing a lot of weight, as you'll need some new body mass to fill in the skin. But, creatine and protein and so forth are really there to help you add muscle mass, not lose fat, so know that it can throw your numbers off when you stand on the scale.

The truth about supplements comes down to this: They work, but they don't work FOR you, they work WITH you. They don't do the work for you. If you want to lose weight, they only help you. If you're looking for a magic treatment, if you want a quick fix, look elsewhere. Supplements help, they don't do the whole job alone, so don't think that you can drink a health smoothie in the morning and just sit on your butt watching TV and seeing pounds fall off one after another. Work out, hit the gym hard, eat healthy, and drink plenty of water, and supplements will help you see results.

Not to say that they aren't a big help when working toward fat loss, because in fact, they are, but they're not what you're looking for if all you want are miracle weight loss tips that allow you to maintain an unhealthy lifestyle with a healthy body.

Published August 4th, 2010

Filed in Health