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Supplements to help with weight loss - Healthy Life Essex

protein shakes can be a supplement choice for weight loss

May 18, 2023

Can Supplements Help With Weight Loss?

When it comes to using supplements, people will often have a very clear opinion of them. Some people believe they are a necessary part of our daily lifestyles as we can no longer get all the nutrition we need from our food. Others believe they’re the prerogative of bodybuilders, while others believe that there is no place for them if they are not recommended by your GP.

However, when it comes to weight loss, supplements can be a very powerful tool, provided you use them right. Not only will they contain ingredients that you are unlikely to find in your diet, but they will also allow you to push yourself beyond your normal limits and achieve far greater results.

The problem is, with so many different types of supplements available, how can you know what the best ones for you to use are? Well, in the following guide, we will show you the very best types of supplements to help with weight loss and explain exactly how each one works.

The Best Supplements To Help With Weight Loss

Fat Burners

Fat burners are the most obvious choice to help with weight loss, as that is their primary function. They will usually achieve their goal in one of three ways.

The first and most popular way in which they can promote weight loss is by boosting fat loss directly, which is done by either lipolysis or thermogenesis.

Lipolysis is the process that your body uses to promote fat oxidation and turn stored fat into free fatty acids, which can be used for energy (1). Thermogenesis, on the other hand, is when you raise your internal body temperature to promote stored body fat metabolism (2).

By taking fat burners that either initiate or enhance these processes, you will accelerate your rate of fat loss with little to no effort on your part.

The second type of fat burner you will find is an appetite suppressant (3).

Appetite suppressants work by either mentally or physically making you feel full. This will prevent you from overeating and keep hunger cravings at bay, to ensure that you don’t consume more calories than you need and allow your body to use its fat stores as its primary source of energy.

The final type of fat burner you will find is one designed to boost your energy levels. This will allow you to train harder and stay focused in workouts, giving you the power to burn fat on your own. These will, however, often be combined with one of the other two types of fat burners.

Whether you pick a fat burner that serves one of these functions or all of them, this is comfortably the top category of supplements for people looking to lose weight. Center TRT did a great job rounding up the best ones here.

Pre-Workout Supplements

Pre-workout supplements work in much the same way as the final type of fat burner that we looked at. That is, they significantly boost your energy levels, giving you the power to train harder and for longer, to keep your body in fat-burning mode for as long as possible (4).

The primary difference between the two is that pre-workouts will usually offer a much more potent energy boost, making them the best choice for people who want to do most of the work themselves but just need a little support.

Most pre-workouts will also contain caffeine, which stimulates thermogenesis, meaning they can offer a small amount of direct fat-burning as well (5).

Meal Replacement Shakes

Meal replacement shakes are a product designed to provide all the nutrients and goodness you would get from a proper meal in a convenient shake. In many countries, they’re actually prescribed for weight loss.

Not only will they help people to fill in nutrient gaps in their diet and ensure they stay healthy, but they can also help you stick to a diet and fill you up while you’re busy or on the go. This will prevent you from getting hunger cravings that lead to snacking on things like junk food and fast food.

As a result, you will avoid any unwanted weight gain, so you can concentrate on losing weight that you already have (6).

Protein Shakes

Protein shakes appear quite similar to meal replacement shakes on the surface. However, rather than trying to fill in all the nutrient gaps in your diet, they focus on packing in as much protein as possible to help you build muscle.

As having more muscle mass will boost your metabolism, it makes using protein shakes in your diet a great way to aid a weight loss program (7).

By building more muscle, you will continue burning more fat and calories around the clock, rather than just during workouts, which will supercharge your weight loss results.

Testosterone Boosters

Much like protein shakes, testosterone boosters are usually linked to those trying to build muscle, and they can benefit people losing weight in the same way.

By boosting your testosterone levels, you will be able to build muscle more quickly, boost your metabolism, and accelerate body fat and calorie burning, leading to efficient weight loss (8).

However, testosterone boosters also aid weight management as they keep your testosterone levels up and your estrogen levels down.

As estrogen can cause increased fat storage, keeping these sex hormones balanced will prevent weight gain and allow you to focus on losing the weight you already have (9).

Sleep Supplements

Sleep supplements are unlike most of the dietary supplements we have looked at so far, as they are designed to offer benefits like making it easier to fall asleep, improving your sleep quality, and enhancing your sleep-wake cycle, so you wake up feeling refreshed each morning.

However, having a poor sleep schedule can also both prevent fat loss and lead to weight gain.

When you don’t get enough sleep, your metabolism will drop, your hormone levels will get out of balance, you will have less energy to work out, you will struggle to build or repair muscles, and you will be more prone to snacking, all of which are counterproductive on your weight loss journey (10).

By taking sleep supplements, you can ensure you get enough sleep each night to keep you energetic and your body functioning correctly, to allow you to focus on losing weight without any obstacles.

Greens Powders

Greens powders have a similar purpose to meal replacement shakes, in that they are made to fill in nutrient gaps in your diet. However, a greens powder will usually be made from fruit, veg, and leafy greens and focus on micronutrients like antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, vitamins, and minerals.

Taking a greens supplement on a regular basis will help to keep your body in optimal health, ensuring you can fight off any illnesses and never have to miss workouts, both of which are essential when losing weight (11).

Many greens supplements will even feature ingredients like green tea extract, which can help to promote fat burning directly as well (12).

Final Thoughts On How Supplements Help With Weight Loss

Supplements can absolutely help with weight loss, provided you use them correctly. You certainly don’t want to rely solely on them instead of an effective diet and exercise plan, as they should be used to supplement your routine, as their name suggests.

However, if you work them in sensibly, you can supercharge your weight loss journey and achieve results that you never even dreamt of. This guide will hopefully have given you all of the information you require to pick the perfect supplements for you and do just that.