So, you’re embarking on a new health and fitness journey, good for you! You’re wondering about supplements for weight loss, aren’t you? But, let me guess, you’re still intimidated by the supplement section of the health food store. Am I right?
Those hard-to-pronounce names, that funky herbaceous smell, the myriad of capsules, tablets, tinctures, powders, etc. It’s a lot for anybody to take on. Do you even need weight loss supplements and digestive enzyme supplements in order to be successful? Let me be your guide.
First off, let’s be clear, supplements for weight loss are intended to be exactly what their name suggests — supplemental. As in, they cannot take the place of good ol’ wholesome food.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020 recommends that people meet their nutritional requirements through nutrient-dense healthy eating patterns, not popping-pills patterns.
According to the Dietary Supplemental Health and Education Act (DSHEA) a dietary supplement:
- Is intended to supplement the diet.
- Contains one or more dietary ingredients (including vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, and certain other substances) or their constituents.
- Is intended to be taken by mouth, in forms such as a tablet, capsule, powder, softgel, gelcap, or liquid.
- Is labeled as a dietary supplement.
Common Dietary Supplements
There is a mind-boggling amount of available supplements for weight loss. For me to even summarize this topic is overwhelming. So, I’ve narrowed the following list of health and weight loss supplements down to the basics.
Vitamins & Minerals
Whether they were in capsule, gummy, or Flintstone form, I presume you’ve had some experience with supplemental vitamins and minerals.
Our bodies need vitamins and minerals to develop and perform basic functions. They’re essential! Known vitamins include A, C, D, E, and K, and the B vitamins, plus niacin and folate to name a few. (Learn more about vitamins here.) Some of the essential minerals include calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, and many more.
Wanna know something really cool? LadyBossⓇ LEAN, our ultra-premium, all-in-one nutritional meal shake that’s scientifically-formulated for women is pretty much a daily multivitamin! It’s so much more thana protein powder. It’s got an entire nutritional profile including 20 essential vitamins and minerals!
Herbs & Botanicals
This supplement category immediately whisks my thoughts away to a Hogwarts Herbology or Potions class. While, sadly, Harry Potter is a magical fantasy, many actual plants have real medicinal properties.
Botanicals are plant parts or extracts that provide medicinal or therapeutic benefits. Examples include aloe, garlic, ginseng, and St. John’s Wort.
You may be thinking, “But wait, I eat garlic. And it’s not a supplement, right?” True. Plants become supplements when they’re taken in a tablet, capsule, or another form for a medicinal or therapeutic reason. For instance, there is some evidence that garlic may help to lower blood pressure and even reduce the risk of some cancers.
LadyBossⓇ REST is an herbal and dietary supplement powered by science. It includes botanicals such as valerian root, passionflower, and chamomile to promote calmness and prepare you for some much-needed sleep.
Amino Acids
We’re largely made of proteins and proteins are composed of tiny things called amino acids. According to Healthline, there are 20 amino acids used by the body, nine of which are considered essential. This means that our body cannot synthesize these essential amino acids and we have to consume them.
LadyBossⓇ RECOVER highlights three essential amino acids, the Branch-Chained Amino Acids (BCAAs) leucine, isoleucine, and valine. This formula of BCAAs and other supplemental ingredients aid in replenishing the muscles for greater strength gains and quicker recovery after your workouts.
Prebiotics & Probiotics
Bacteria are often relegated to the bad guy category. But, in the case of your gut health, you’ve got billions of good guy or healthy bacteria. Probiotics are foods or supplements that contain this beneficial microflora.
According to the National Institute of Health, these living microorganisms help to digest your food, destroy harmful pathogens, and even produce some vitamins.
The Mayo Clinic describes probiotics as foods (typically high-fiber foods) that provide good bacteria. Prebiotics work like fertilizer for good bacteria and are beneficial for the balance of your entire gut microcosm.
Digestive Enzymes
Let’s imagine you’ve just enjoyed a slice of pepperoni pizza. (Did you know that you get one treat meal a week in the LadyBossⓇ Lifestyle?)
So how does your body actually take that crust, sauce, cheese, and meat and get something usable out of it? Digestive enzymes are the answer! Your body has got to break down those protein, fat, and carbohydrate molecules before your blood can transport their constituents throughout your body to be used for energy, tissue repair, and other essential functions.
There are many, many digestive enzymes. But the best digestive enzymes for purchase will contain at least these basic three:
- Proteases – break proteins down into small peptides and amino acids.
- Amylases – break down carbohydrates such as starch and sugars into simple sugars.
- Lipases – break down fats and oils into fatty acids and glycerols.
You may remember that I mentioned LadyBossⓇ LEAN works like a multivitamin. This seemingly magic nutritional shake mix also contains patented Prohydrolase®, the best digestive enzymes that support proper digestion. That helps eliminate symptoms of IBS, like bloating, gassiness, and abdominal discomfort.!
Supplemental Protein
Since I can’t stop talking about LadyBossⓇ LEAN, let’s just dive right into the topic of supplemental protein.
With everybody talking about keto-this and keto-that, you might be wondering if consuming more protein really does make a difference.
Dr. Michelle Hauser, a clinical fellow in medicine at Harvard Medical School and a certified chef and nutrition educator, spoke to Harvard Health Publishing about protein:
“Protein takes more energy for you to digest than refined carbohydrates, and also gives your body a feeling of satiety.”
Said in a simpler fashion, protein holds off yourhunger longer.
So you want to supplement your diet with protein? You’ve got tons of options! The following are the seven best protein powders as suggested by Healthline: whey, casein, egg, pea, hemp, brown rice, and mixed-plant.
If you’re a gal like me, you want a protein powder that you can actually enjoy as opposed to holding your nose and choking it down. Again, let me present LadyBossⓇ LEAN. LEAN is a whey, premium-protein, all-in-one nutritional shake, scientifically-formulated for women that literally tastes like vanilla cake.
Fat-burning Supplements
Fat-burning supplements are ubiquitous. You can buy them at just about any grocery store or gas station, let alone the brand-name supplement store chains. How can you know if these weight loss supplements are any good? Let’s look at the ingredients best backed-up with scientific study. The following descriptions come directly from the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements:
- Caffeine – a stimulant that can make you more alert, give you a boost of energy, burn calories, and increase fat breakdown.
- Green Tea – a common beverage all over the world. Green tea and green tea extract in some weight-loss supplements are claimed to reduce body weight by increasing the calories your body burns, breaking down fat cells, and decreasing both fat absorption and the amount of new fat your body makes.
- Glucomannan – a soluble dietary fiber from the root of the konjac plant. It’s claimed to absorb water in the gut to help you feel full.
Both LadyBossⓇ BURN, a fat-loss support capsule, and LadyBossⓇ FUEL, a pre-workout powder drink, contain caffeine and other ingredients for that boost of energy and extra calorie burn you crave.
How to Use Dietary Supplements
The National Institute of Health asks that you keep the following in mind:
- Always consult with your healthcare provider instead of trying to treat your self-diagnosed health condition with dietary supplements.
- Always seek your healthcare provider’s approval before taking supplements in place of or in addition to your medications. Your healthcare provider also needs to know about any supplements you take to prevent potential interactions with your medications.
- Make sure that your healthcare provider is aware of any supplements that you are taking if you are scheduled to have any surgery.
- “Natural” doesn’t always equal safe. Remember that arsenic, poison ivy, and botulism are natural. The safety of a supplement can vary according to its chemical makeup, how it works in your unique body, how it’s prepared, and the amount that you use.
- Ask yourself these questions before you decide to take a dietary supplement:
- What are its potential health benefits?
- What are the potential benefits for me personally?
- Are there any safety risks from taking this dietary supplement?
- What is the appropriate and safe amount to take?
- How, when, and for how long should I take it?
Consider The Benefits
If you feel like you could benefit from some dietary supplements for weight loss, definitely take some time to check out the LadyBossⓇ TOTAL TRANSFORMATION SYSTEM. Each of the LadyBossⓇ Supplements products was scientifically-formulated for women just like you.
