By the way, if money is an issue you're much better off spending your cash on good, high-quality foods (lean meats, fresh produce, raw nuts, etc.) and an effective, easy-to-follow fat loss plan than on any diet supplement! One of the best -- and most affordable -- guides to losing belly fat in a fast, healthy manner is the Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle program.
The Top 3 Belly Fat Loss Supplements
All of the following supplements can speed up the fat loss process, help you get fit faster, and improve your health. However, not a single one is a "magic bullet" for losing belly fat. And, even though they are powerful all by themselves, you won't experience many visible weight loss results unless you're also eating a proper diet and exercising on a regular basis. Anyway, these are my top 3 supplement picks for reducing abdominal fat...
Whey Protein
It would take an entire article (which I may write later) just to list all the health and fitness benefits of whey protein powder. For now, just know this: whey protein has been proven to be one of the most powerful and effective health-boosting substances you can eat. Besides being one of the world's best sources of muscle-building protein, there is evidence that whey can boost the immune system and help keep you healthy even when dieting, cutting calories, and working out frequently. Due to the wide array of powerful bioactive compounds contained in whey protein, eating it frequently can help you burn more calories, boost your protein intake without boosting fat intake, stabilize blood sugar and insulin levels, and control hunger and food cravings. As you may already know, all of these things are ultra-important when trying to lose belly fat.
As an added bonus, recent research has shown that the amino acid leucine (which is found in abundance in whey protein) helps to improve body composition... which means that it helps you keep your lean muscle tissue while burning more body fat at the same time. The bottom line is that whey protein is a very effective, widely available, relatively inexpensive, good tasting food supplement that you can use to improve your health, get rid of abdominal fat, and keep or increase muscle tissue... all of which adds up to a leaner, better-looking body in less time!
Essential Fatty Acids
Essential fatty acids -- EFA's for short -- are vitally important fats that the human body needs to function properly. They're especially important for healthy weight loss and weight maintenance. But, despite their obvious significance, many people don't consume nearly enough of them on a regular basis. Some experts now believe that this common dietary deficiency is a major reason why obesity rates are increasing throughout the world (not to mention cancer, heart disease, and other serious health problems). Cold water fish contain lots of healthy EFA's -- especially the highly important omega-3 fats -- but most types of fish and seafood also contain significant levels of mercury and other dangerous toxins. For this reason it may be a good idea to take a quality EFA supplement on a daily basis and limit your fish/seafood intake to once or twice per week.
There is evidence that consuming essential fatty acids -- including both omega-3 and omega-6 fats -- can significantly speed up the weight loss process, especially when combined with healthy dieting and regular exercise. Recent research has shown that omega 3 fats in particular have a powerful effect on metabolism, blood sugar levels, as well as insulin production and sensitivity. Controlling how much insulin your body produces (and how it responds to the insulin it does produce) is extremely important when attempting to reduce body fat levels. Omega 3 fats can also help to control inflammation in the body, which may make it easier to lose weight.
Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) is a type of omega 6 fat found in evening primrose oil and borage seed oil. There is some evidence that GLA stimulates a type of body fat that controls fat metabolism. By taking a GLA supplement, or an EFA supplement that contains GLA, you may be able to burn calories and body fat at a faster rate.
The bottom line is that supplementing with a good EFA and/or omega 3 supplement is a good idea for most people... especially for those people interested in losing belly fat in a fast but healthy way. Supplements made with fish oil seem to be the best, but there are also products made with omega 3-rich flaxseed oil and/or walnut oil.
Hoodia
Hoodia gordonii is a weight loss supplement with a lot of promise... but also a lot of problems. There's tons of marketing "BS" surrounding hoodia products and it can definitely be difficult to separate the fact from the fiction. The good news is that real hoodia does seem to be a powerful appetite suppressant and therefore a useful tool in the fight against belly fat. After all, the better you can control your appetite and food cravings, the easier it's going to be to eat well and lose fat. Some people also claim to experience a boost in mood and energy after taking hoodia, but without the negative side-effects of stimulants like caffeine.
The bad news is that it's getting harder and harder to find products that actually contain real hoodia. In fact, some reports claim that around two-thirds of the hoodia products on the market actually contain little or no hoodia! This is mainly due to the fact that there is a very limited supply of mature hoodia gordonii plants in their native Africa. Some dishonest companies use fillers made from plants that look similar to hoodia but that have none of hoodia's appetite suppressing qualities.
If you want to try a hoodia supplement to see if it works for you, your best bet is to go with one of the more popular products on the market, as these have often been tested by third-party organizations to make sure that they contain what they say the do.
Special Note on the ECA Stack
The best "true" fat burner in the world is probably the Ephedrine/Caffeine/Aspirin -- or "ECA" -- stimulant stack. But, since ephedrine ("ephedra" in its herbal form) has been banned for sale in many countries, including the US, I didn't list it above. Although I personally don't agree that ephedrine is any more dangerous than many of other weight loss drugs and supplements on the market, it certainly is an incredibly powerful chemical that has the potential to be overused and/or abused by some people. Even if you are able to buy ephedrine/ephedra supplements where you live you would do well to save it as a "last resort" and only use it after you've tried a good diet/exercise/supplementation program for a few months.
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9 comments:
I really enjoyed reading your article!
Your article was very informative. I have used GLA for sometime for PMS bloating and water retention. A noticeable side effect was a reduced waistline shown with weight loss recipes and daily exercise.
I use to take pills with Ephedra, I remember ou could buy a 3 pack in conv. stores. I actually started taking them in Jan of 2006, by July 2006 I had lost 80 pounds. They gave me so much energy I could easily workout for 3 hours a day, sometimes more.
How about L-carnitine?
I think all pills are a scam, and it is all in the mind.When you take it while you are gymming, you gym harder and then you think it is the pills but it is the workout
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Not only is belly fat not attractive, it is not healthy. A balanced diet following good nutrition guidelines and regular exercise are the way to achieve weight loss and that ugly belly fat.
I am in my 50s and have always struggled with losing weight, I lose very slowly, lately since hitting my 50s not much at all - maybe a lb a month at the most and that was over 6 mos with rigorous exercise - softball 3 times a week and swimming 3-4 times a wk - 8-10 hrs a week or more.
On the Lady Soma Detox I have lost 3.5 lbs in 3 days - 2 lbs the first day, 1 lb the second and a half lb the 3rd day! It's too early to tell the long term, but I'm amazed. This was with 20-30 min of walking 2 out of 3 days, none on one day. My diet was moderate, I ate probably more than I should have in bread the first day due to my schedule. Second and third days I did better - cereal, fruit & 2% milk for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, meat, veg for dinner, 2-3 pcs of fruit, handful of nuts for snacks & sugar free hot cocoa. I tend to do weight watchers somewhat losely - their original program and/or points - so many milks, protein, fruits, veggies, fats etc. It's great for losing weight and for learning how to eat right.
So far with the Lady Soma Detox I am not hungry, have noticed a decrease in my appetite and have almost no craving for sugar which is my weakness. THIS STUFF REALLY WORKS!
I actually don't depend on weight loss products or supplements because there are supplements that really doesn't work.
How Do I Lose Belly Fat
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