Exploring Weight Loss Supplements

Weight loss supplements have taken the fitness industry by storm over the past 20-years. Different variations of fat loss, appetite suppressants and thermogenics have evolved as companies have struggled to find common ground between what the consumers want and the guidelines implemented by the government.

The government can only restrict products that are classified as a drug. Ephedrine is classified as a drug as it is extracted from the root of the plant and the drug used for many allergy/asthma medications. Ephedra, on the other hand, is derived from the leaf of the plant and thus falls under the herbal category. The FDA has no jurisdiction on herbal products. As a result, the ephedra is safe from the long arm of the FDA…at least for now.

Not all weight loss supplements contain ephedra, and there are many without ephedra. Some of the herbal ingredients in weight loss supplements are seen in nearly all weight loss supplements. Among those ingredients are chromium and Hydroxycitric acid (HCA)

Chromium is a mineral that plays an essential role in the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats, as well as helping control insulin. Chromium picolinate is a type of chromium that has been studied for its potential role in altering body composition. Chromium has primarily been studied in body builders, with conflicting results. In one of these studies, lean body mass (muscle) lost during a weight-loss diet was restored by continuing to supplement chromium after the diet. It makes sense that weight loss supplements would want to include an ingredient to promote lean mass preservation. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so that alone would promote faster fat loss in consumers.

Hydroxycitric acid (HCA) is an ingredient that comes from the extract of the Garcinia cambogia fruit rind. It is similar in composition to citric acid (the primary acid in citrus fruits). Early studies suggested that HCA may be a useful weight-loss aid, in laboratory studies it’s shown to reduce the conversion of carbohydrates into stored fat by inhibiting certain enzyme processes. Animal research indicates that HCA suppresses appetite and induces weight loss. In one case report, an individual who ate 1 gram of the fruit containing HCA before each meal lost one pound per day. It is still unclear if the conversion from fruit to supplement is as effective.

There are some things you can do to promote weight loss without taking an explicit weight loss supplement. Adding capsaicin (the primary part of cayenne peppers) to your meal has can reduce your food intake by around 200 calories. The less you eat, the less fat you are apt to store and the less you are going to have to work off later.

Green tea is another ingredient in many weight loss supplements, but you can drink green tea by itself. Drinking or taking green tea offers a higher energy expenditure and faster fat oxidation than taking caffeine alone.

Don’t be confined to thinking that all weight loss supplements are bad or unnatural. Rather you are looking for a true to term weight loss supplement or something to supplement your actual diet to promote weight loss, the solutions are available. However, don’t kid yourself that all you have to do is pop a pill or add cayenne peppers to your meal. You have to watch what you eat, not just watch it go in to your mouth. You also will have to get moving. Exercising is a primal part of any successful weight loss program.

Herbal Dietary Supplement Sales: Recession Proof

Sales of herbal dietary supplements has increased by nearly five percent in 2009 topping out at an estimated figure of more than $5 billion, according to report in HerbalGram. Even more pronounced is the increase in mainstream markets; these venues such as drug stores and specialty shops and websites increased over 14 percent since 2008.

“This news is really remarkable,” said HerbalGram editor Mark Blumenthal. “In the most economically difficult market in over 70 years, when almost all consumer goods experienced a drop in sales, consumers voted strongly with scarcer dollars for herbal dietary supplements. The 14-percent growth spurt is the largest sales increase in the mainstream market in recent memory.”

SPINS, a company devoted to promoting and furthering the natural products industry, found in there study and research the 5 top-selling single herbal supplements of 2009 in the health and natural foods channel, were aloe vera, flaxseed oil, wheat grass and barley grass, açaí and turmeric.

More and more people are turning to herbal dietary supplements to enhance there health and life. The numbers show that even during economic crisis, people understand that their health is more important than money and that there are safe and natural dietary supplements.

Break down of top 5-selling single herbal supplements:

Aloe Vera contains over 75 different nutrients including vitamins, minerals, enzymes, sugars, anthraquinones or phenolic compounds, lignin, saponins, sterols, amino acids and salicylic acid. No other natural product contains so many elements beneficial to the body.

Flaxseed Oil contains omega-6 and omega-9 essential fatty acids, B vitamins, potassium, lecithin, magnesium, fiber, protein, and zinc and also provides approximately 50% more omega-3 oils than what you could get from taking fish oil, minus that horrible "fishy" after taste. Sounded good to me already! Some nutritionists, researchers, and scientists believe it could be the most important health-promoting supplement next to a multi-vitamin.

Wheat Grass and Barley Grass are close cousins to dark green leafy vegetables, but offer much higher levels of "nutrient density." A single ounce of these concentrated green foods contains much more of the beneficial phyto-nutrients (healthy components) found in an ounce of green vegetables.

Açaí is noted to contain between 10 to 30 times more antioxidants than grapes, pomegranates, or even blueberries. Because of the extensive vitamins, amino acids, minerals, Omega acids, and other nutrient properties, the acai berry is one of the most nutritionally dense berries on the available.

Turmeric is known for its anti-inflammatory properties, but recent research has revealed that turmeric is a natural wonder. It has been shown to be beneficial in the treatment of many different health conditions from cancer all the way to Alzheimer's disease.

Do Bodybuilders Need More Vitamins?

There are some misconceptions that bodybuilders only need to take protein and workout supplements. Often the need for supplemental vitamins is over looked because the bodybuilding diet is so ‘clean.’ However, many times bodybuilders are in greater need of supplemental vitamins than their counterparts.

Some questions to ask are:

1. Is the vitamin directly involved in muscle action, protein synthesis or the integrity of muscle cells?
2. Does exercise result in an increased requirement of the nutrient?
3. Do athletes typically have lower intakes of the vitamins?
4. Does dietary supplementation with the vitamin improve performance and/or growth?

Bodybuilders are notorious for overlooking these key components. In order to optimize growth and performance, you have to have the right amount of vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Make sure you analyze your diet to ensure you're taking in enough of the right vitamins. You could have the best diet in the world in terms of calories, fat, etc, but if you're lacking adequate levels of these metabolic spark plugs, you're shooting yourself in the foot.

Probably the most commonly supplemented vitamin in bodybuilders diets are the B vitamins. They are widely revered for their role in the function of the protein metabolism, muscle growth, and energy. They are vital in any bodybuilding supplement regime.

While B vitamins have the largest following in the bodybuilding world, vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is the most important vitamin. Most athletes don't realize how important vitamin C status is to success. As the most widely studied vitamin in sports nutrition, Ascorbic acid has proven itself to be valuable to bodybuilders in many ways.

     

Vitamin C is an antioxidant, protecting muscle cells from free radical damage, thus enhancing recovery and growth. It is involved with amino acid metabolism, particularly the formation of Collagen. Collagen is the primary component of connective tissue (holds your bones and muscles where they need to be). This may not seem important, but as you lift heavier weights, the stress you put on your body becomes tremendous. If your connective tissue is not as healthy and strong as it should be (a problem often seen in steroid users), risk of injury dramatically increases.

Vitamin C helps the absorption of Iron. Iron is necessary for Oxygen to bind to hemoglobin in blood. Without enough oxygen transportation in blood, muscles are robbed of oxygen and performance is greatly reduced. In addition, Ascorbic Acid assists in the development and release of natural anabolic hormones (like HGH and testosterone).

Finally, vitamin C is perhaps the most water soluble vitamin there is. In other words, it breaks up quickly in water. Since muscle cells are made up mostly of water, the more muscular an athlete becomes, the more vitamin C breaks down and as a result it is less abundant. Because of this, vitamin C is generally needed at higher supplemental rations in bodybuilders.

As your program and diet dials in, you won’t want to waste hard earned efforts because your body doesn’t have the right amount of vitamins. Once you have evaluated how much you are training and the approximate amount you are getting from foods and existing supplements, you can better determine your additional needs.
 

Train hard, but focus just as much on your nutritional needs!

Bodybuilding Supplements

Popular Bodybuilding Stacks Recommended by Product Specialists:

Build Mass: BolaSterol, HaloStane, and Arimiplex

Cutting: H-Drol, Pink Magic, Novadex XT,

Bodybuilding is a discipline like no other. It requires absolute attention to aspects of daily life that no other sport examines. Diet, cardio, sleep, training, conditioning and supplementation are all down to a science. When other sports end when you leave the field, bodybuilding carries on long after the gym. Every minute is make or break.

Meals are planned down the half ounce. Supplements are timed down to the minute. Your life revolves around one goal: to be the biggest and baddest you can.

It doesn’t matter what type of bodybuilder you are, rather you compete or just like to build symmetrical, dense muscles, there is some type of supplementation required. Even if it is just protein.

The supplementation for bodybuilding can be daunting. You have to think about which product is the right product, and is it a quality company? You have to think about when to take it, how to stack it, how to track its progress…so many products work better in conjunction with other products, but some products can inhibit the absorption and effectiveness.

Because every need is different, WorldClassNutrition.com has brought in experts to help you put together a product recommendation for your specific needs, and the consultations are free. With so many different companies claiming to have the latest and greatest, having an expert on your side will save you time, money and maybe even your health. It is not only frustrating to work hard and not get the results you want, but it can also have negative effects on your health. Why risk it?

1.M.R. My Training Partner

The weights are stacked, my iPod loaded, water jug filled and 1.M.R. downed. It is the best part of the day. The part that is the reason I go to bed early and plan out every meal. It is time to train.

Walking through those doors, the Earth seems to take a new spin. No more do worries from the day linger in my head. No longer is there doubt or wonder. When I walk through those doors there is only one question: How much can I lift today?

I love this part of my day. I love the internal contest that endless tries to pin down my ability. The battle between my alter egos: the lifter and the competitor. It doesn't matter how much I can lift at a show. It matters what I look like, and sometimes lifting heavy doesn't help my physique, but it just feels so good.

I don't train alone; I have my 1.M.R. to push me. This supplement has helped me out more than once. I call it my training partner. Training solo, it is easy to skimp on sets/reps, but with 1.M.R. you really do push out one more rep. One more rep is one closer to the next goal. It is the difference between staying for cardio and going home so 'I don't miss The Bachelorette' cause it's better in real time?!

Finding motivation is hard a lot of days. Work is long and life is demanding, but I have found a supplement that offers me pick up without over stimulating me or leaving me out to dry. It isn't often I write about a particular supplement, but it isn't often I find one that helps me so much!

Tips For Better Wieght Loss Results

Do you ever find when you want to lose weight, you immediately start craving bad foods and are always hungry? Even the use of diet pills leaves you staring in the cupboards for something, anything. You are not alone. It is kind of like when someone says “don’t look now, but…” do you really have any choice but to look immediately? It takes a strong person to bypass the desire to do an activity they are all of a sudden “not allowed” to do.

You can go your whole life without wanting a brownie. That is until you are “not allowed” to have one. I am not a “sweets” person, but when I am getting ready for a fitness competition and no longer able to dabble in temptations, I suddenly want candy bars and ice cream. After the show, when I can indulge, I’d rather have chicken and a salad…just isn’t right.

There are some tricks that you can use to help your cravings as you pursue your goals in weight management. It takes more than a great diet pill, it takes thought and planning.

American Dietetic Association spokesperson Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, recommends:

• Eat plenty of low-calorie vegetables to help you feel full.
• Drink plenty of water so you don't confuse hunger with thirst.
• Clear the house of tempting foods.
• Stay busy to prevent eating out of boredom.
• Eat only from a plate (not from the container), while seated at a table.
• Always eat three meals and one snack daily -- no skipping meals.

Weighing yourself daily and tracking your food intake can also help you stay on track focused. The conscious act of writing down your progress, or lack there of, can help you avoid temptation through out the day and force yourself to choose momentary satisfaction or restraint that will reinforce the big picture. 

"Even if you write it down on a napkin and end up throwing it away, the act of writing it down is about being accountable to yourself and is a very effective tool for weight loss," says Bonnie Taub Dix, MA, RD, a food and nutrition blogger for USA Today.

These simple tricks will help you to reach your goals better than using a diet pill alone. You can expect a little pill to be able to make up for your neglect. Diet pill are not a pass to eat what ever you want. If they were, we wouldn’t have such an epidemic.

Bulk Nutrition: Saving Money on the Products You Use

Bulk Nutrition isn’t just about size, it is about value.

Find Bulk Nutrition at Discount Prices at WorldClassNutrition.com

There is nothing cheap about obtaining that perfect physique you have been dreaming of...regardless of the dream. If you are on a budget, you have probably had to make the hard choice between this product and that product. Sacrificing some the speed in which you could have reached your goals and wasting time and energy.

There is a reason stores like Costco and Sam’s Club are so popular (anyone who knows me, knows my undying love for Costco!): shopping in bulk. Buying a surplus of the stuff you use anyway to save money, lots of it.

Mass by American Sports Nutrition 25lbs ($89.99): An Elite Weight Gain Formula to achieve Maximum Mass through Muscle growth. American Mass by American Sports Nutrition is an elite weight gain formula. Maximum Mass through muscle growth is available when you supplement your diet and workout program with American Mass.

You have to spend a little more than you are used to on the front end to achieve the savings, but the amount of time that goes in between purchases is worth it and the reduced cost per serving is a reward in its self. For example, the 5 pound Mass by American Sports Nutrition is $21.99. It would take 5 of these to equal the amount in the 25 pound container. Five would cost you $109.95 so, it is like buying four and getting one for free.

Steel Bar American Body Building 24 per box ($21.99): Steel Bars Are Back! These boxes contain 24 bars that are all crammed with 16 grams protein and 19 vitamins and minerals, not to mention their crunchy texture and satisfying taste! All for less than a dollar a bar! I repeat, "All this for less than a dollar a bar."

If you went and bought these bars one at a time you could spend up to $4.50 per bar! STOP throwing money down the drain! Keeping bars on hand (in your drawer at work or gym bag) will help you from stopping for fast food or making a run to the vending machine, saving you money and high calorie, diet sabotaging foods.

You can find these deals and so many more at WorldClassNurtition.com