We may only be three quarters of the way through 2016, but before you know it the New Year will be upon us, and we’ll no doubt be in quite a rush to get rid of the post-holiday weight we’ve gained through too much partying, too much junk food, and far too much alcohol. Even if you’re relatively happy with your weight, you may still need a little boost to help take your physique to the next level, which is where you may wish to consider using supplements. Losing weight is a process that makes people miserable a lot of the time, and it really takes its toll on a person, physically and mentally. There will be ups, but you can bet your butt that there will be downs as well, as unfortunately, most people tend to experience far more lows than they do highs. The problem with losing weight is the fact that most foods that we enjoy, are unfortunately loaded full of calories, sugars, unhealthy fats, and other ingredients that do weight loss no good at all. Sometimes you may find that, even with the strictest diet and exercise regime in the world, your weight loss may still be stalling, in which case supplements may be the only solution. If chosen correctly, there are a number of proven weight loss supplements out there, that not only help you to lose weight whilst feeling great, but more importantly, they help you to promote general health and well-being and are considered to be perfectly safe if used as instructed. To help you begin planning your weight loss stack for 2017, or to help you continue to get in shape for the remainder of this year, here’s a look at the top weight loss pills and supplements for 2017.
Chitosan
Ok, it’s confession time. Although the title of this article does indeed mention the fact that we’ll be looking at the top weight LOSS supplements for 2017, our first offering does not actually offer any proven weight loss benefits at all. Now, before you all fly off the handle, just hear us out. Although Chitosan does not offer any proven weight loss benefits, for people who are looking to manage and control their weight, it is still a very beneficial supplement, as studies have found that Chitosan can actually prevent the body from absorbing fats and certain types of cholesterols. This means that when you do consume meals/foods with a lot of fat in them, Chitosan can potentially block most of them from being absorbed by the body. Chitosan is actually a type of sugar which is primarily found within shell fish of all things, usually in the very outer layers from creatures such as shellfish, lobsters, and crabs. By supplementing with Chitosan, although you may not burn off any excess weight, studies have found that it can potentially prevent you from gaining excess weight in the form of body fat, making it a very useful supplement to have at your disposal.
CLA
CLA, or Conjugated Linoleic Acid, often pops up in articles looking at weight loss supplements and ingredients, and there is a very good reason for this. CLA is enriched with metabolic chemicals primarily found in a fatty acid that is known as linoleic acid, that have been proven to not only enhance the metabolism, but to also increase satiety and to keep you feeling full for longer, whilst simultaneously curbing your appetite in the process. Some research even points to the fact that it can help to promote lean muscle growth and repair, making it a popular supplement amongst bodybuilders.
Chromium Picolinate
Up next we have this natural mineral that is a proven winner in the weight loss world, and one which is going to be huge in 2017. Chromium Picolinate functions by actually boosting insulin production within the human body. Insulin helps to regulate blood sugar levels by basically converting foods into energy, and by shutting nutrients and sugars out of the bloodstream, and into the awaiting cells in our bodies. What you may not have known however, is that the body also requires insulin for storing the three macronutrients required by the body – fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Chromium supplements are so effective when it comes to weight loss because they help to reduce your appetite, they increase satiety and leave you feeling full for longer, they boost the metabolism and allow you to burn off more calories, and they also help to promote lean muscle mass. All of this combines makes for a very impressive weight loss supplement indeed. Just be wary of consuming too much however, as exceeding the recommended daily intake can result in insomnia, and with mood swings and trouble concentrating and focussing mentally.
Orlistat
Sometimes perhaps sold as Alli, Orlistat is a weight loss pill that is relatively new, yet is looking extremely promising indeed. Orlistat has been found to function as such a potent and powerful weight loss supplement, due largely to the fact that it helps to inhibit the amount of fat that the gut can absorb, in the form of calories. You see, once consumed, Orlistat gets to work on inhibiting fat breakdown within the stomach, preventing the body from breaking it down and absorbing the necessary energy from it, in the form of calories. This means that more of it is broken down and converted into waste, resulting in less calories being consumed and absorbed from fat. What’s more, it has also been found to reduce blood pressure and increase insulin sensitivity slightly, helping to prevent a series of health conditions and complications, including hypertension and type 2 diabetes.
Beta Glucan
Beta Glucan has been around for years upon years, yet it is only over the last 12 – 18 months, that people have finally woken up and realised just how beneficial this supplement can really be. Derived from algae, mushrooms, and yeasts, beta glucan is a soluble fiber that assists with weight loss in a variety of different ways, whilst simultaneously helping to stabilize blood glucose levels in the process. Once consumed, the soluble fiber within this supplement instantly mixes with water naturally present within the digestive tract, where it begins to break down and dissolve in with the water. It breaks down and forms a thick paste, similar in structure to wall paper paste. This is hugely beneficial for weight loss because this thick paste swells within the stomach and lines the gut walls, helping to keep you feeling full for longer. The fuller you feel, obviously the less you will consume because you won’t be hungry. It also helps to prevent the absorption of LDL cholesterols within the gut, so it basically helps to reduce LDL cholesterol, which is hugely beneficial for your cardiovascular system. The soluble fiber also sweeps the digestive tract and helps to rid the body of harmful toxins and free radicals, which could damage the digestive system and could even potentially lead to more serious health conditions such as cancer.
HCA
HCA, or Hydroxycitric Acid, is a natural salt that does not come from the sea or from rocks, but rather from the rind of certain dried fruits. Garcina Cambogia, which we’ll be looking at by itself a little later on and Brindal Berries, are naturally rich sources of HCA, which is one of the reasons why their extracts are also considered to be so beneficial for weight loss purposes. In terms of weight loss, HCA is so beneficial because it has been found to significantly help to increase fat metabolism, whilst reducing hunger, and reducing fat absorption in the process. So, not only can HCA prevent you from absorbing as much fat from foods and drinks as you normally would, but it also helps to convince the body to burn off stored body fat as a primary source of energy, as opposed to glucose. This results in more energy being generated, and more fat being burnt off. Oh, and there is also the fact that HCA has appetite suppressing qualities, so that means that it keeps you feeling full for longer, so the longer you feel full, the less food you will consume, and the less calories you will consume as a result.
Garcinia Cambogia Extract
We said we’d be looking at Garcina Cambogia in more detail, and that is exactly what we are now going to be doing. Garcinia Cambogia is a natural weight loss ingredient as it is actually a very small fruit that is green in colour and looks very similar to a much smaller pumpkin. It is the fact that it is rich in HCA that has experts so especially excited in terms of weight loss, due largely to the fact that HCA, as mentioned above, has been found to not only suppress the appetite and slow down the absorption of fat within the body, but it also helps to convince the body to burn off body fat as a primary source of energy. In terms of Garcinia Cambogia’s health benefits however, it benefits a person looking to lose weight because it has been found to inhibit the production of enzymes responsible for producing fatty acids within the body, basically meaning that less fat is produced. It also has a positive effect on our hormone levels, especially serotonin levels, which means that it can boost your mental health and well-being, and put you in a much better mood. This can potentially reduce cravings for unhealthy junk food, because as you are probably aware, when we’re upset, tired, and generally in a bad mood, we tend to comfort eat and crave unhealthy foods. The happier you feel, the less likely you will be to crave junk food in the first place, and even if you do, as you are going to be thinking clearer, you will probably be able to resist your urges anyways.
Whey protein
Whey protein is not the most popular supplement in the world for no reason, it is hugely popular because it is hugely beneficial. If you thought that huge bodybuilders were the only ones that could potentially benefit from whey protein supplements then prepare to be pleasantly surprised. Whey protein is a supplement that is extremely beneficial for weight loss, for a number of reasons. To begin with, we’ll look at the most obvious reason, in that whey protein is essential for muscle growth and repair, because it is of course, enriched with proteins and amino acids. This is beneficial because as you build more lean muscle mass, your metabolism will gradually increase because protein requires more calories for maintenance than body fat. The more muscle you have, the more your metabolism will increase, so the more calories you will be burning, even in a rested state. What’s more, protein is also thermogenic, which means that it boosts the metabolism even further. This is because protein is much harder to digest and break down than fats and carbohydrates, so when you consume protein, your body is forced to work harder, meaning that it requires more energy. It gets this energy by ramping up the metabolism and burning off more calories. This means that by simply digesting protein, your body is burning more calories and will therefore be generating more energy and losing more weight. The increase in energy is also beneficial because with the extra energy you now have at your disposal you can take part in more physical activity and can burn off even more calories. If you thought that whey protein was simply about bulking up and building muscle, hopefully we have now opened up your eyes to the potential weight loss benefits associated with it. Oh, and as if that wasn’t enough, if you were to consume a whey protein shake in place of a meal or snack, by having the shake with water, you would have a low calorie meal that keeps you feeling full for hours.
Caffeine
Caffeine is not just a supplement designed to be consumed on days when you can’t find the physical or mental energy required to exercise, but as it turns out, caffeine is also a supplement designed to be taken when you want to get your body fat percentages down as well. Found naturally in foods and drinks such as chocolate, tea, and coffee beans, caffeine functions as a very powerful stimulant that provides a temporary increase in physical and mental energy levels. It is renowned for its metabolism-boosting abilities, which is one of the main reasons why it is the primary ingredient found in many weight loss pills and supplements. As it turns out however, even being consumed on its own, can provide a user with a wealth of weight loss benefits as it increases the metabolism by as much as 11%. Not only does it increase the metabolism, but it also can enhance fat burning abilities within the body, by just under 30%, making your body around 30% more efficient at burning fat when compared with times when it does not have any caffeine inside of it. There are however, a number of risks associated with caffeine, especially if you have underlying health issues, or if you exceed the recommended daily intake. What’s more, as it is a stimulant, taking caffeine too late at night can disrupt your sleep and can lead to insomnia, which will make you feel awful the next day, as tiredness and weight loss generally do not mix all that well together.
Green coffee bean extract
Sticking with the caffeine theme of things, we’ll now take a look at green coffee bean extract supplements, which are also renowned for their fat-burning capabilities. Green coffee beans are basically raw coffee beans that have not been roasted. When you see coffee beans in shops, they are usually a smooth and stunning dark brown glossy colour, which is not their natural colour. Coffee beans are ordinarily green when raw, and they take on that brown colour when they have been roasted. In terms of weight loss, it is the caffeine they contain, and their chlorogenic acid contents that make them so useful for people looking to shed those pounds. You see, the caffeine helps to promote weight loss in all of the ways we looked at previously, whereas the chlorogenic acid promotes weight loss by inhibiting the breakdown of carbohydrates found within the stomach. If carbohydrates are broken down too quickly, some of the glucose they are converted into is used as energy, whereas the remaining glucose, rather than simply being wasted by the body, is instead converted into fat where it is stored within the body, basically as an emergency source of energy. Because of the coffee bean’s metabolism-boosting capabilities, and the fact that it slows down the breakdown of carbohydrates, not only can the supplement assist with weight loss, but it can also regulate blood sugar levels and can potentially help you to avoid conditions such as type 2 diabetes.
