With all the talk about the GLP-1 inhibitors, I thought it might be handy to look at the easier to access, older school weight loss supplements.
Some of these supplements make some really bold claims!
But regardless of the marketing, the simple basic truth is that we will only lose weight if we use more energy than we eat. Our body then makes up the difference between energy need and energy consumption with stored energy – which we hope is fat.
And if we’re eating too much energy, it has to go somewhere – perhaps into heating your body, producing energy for activity, creating muscle mass, or of course, into storage as body fat.
Weight loss supplements work to increase your calorie burn, or to reduce your appetite.
They do this by providing a stimulant. It works in the same way as a cup of coffee takes away your hunger. They also make you feel energetic and jittery and like you want to move around (and increase your calorie burn!).
Something which suppresses your appetite might be the most successful option for the short term – but it is also pretty ineffective for sustainable results because you’ll usually get a big appetite rebound when you stop taking it. And of course, taking these supplements longer term is probably not going to be helpful for either your metabolism or your adrenal glands – not to mention the fact that your body will adapt to the supplement pretty quickly.
Now of course some people DO find a short term benefit from taking these supplements, and it might be as simple as the discipline of actually taking a pill having a placebo effect – or helping you gain control over times you’d usually eat a lot of food.
But my advice is this: there are much more effective and sustainable ways to increase your calorie burn and manage your appetite!
If you feel drawn to taking weight loss supplements, perhaps you’d consider that making some simple changes to your diet might provide a more pleasant and sustainable route – I’d love to chat to you about how a better way is a better thing!