Proper supplements are essential for anyone who thinking about losing weight and excess body fat. If done right, supplementation can play a pivotal role in losing that final pounds or kilograms. On top of that, taking the right supplements could help your body recover faster from previous days’ trainings, boosts your energy level, and thus making you more productive in the gym. This will make you reach your fat loss goals a lot faster!
Multivitamin (with iron)
A multivitamin is a must-have supplement if you’re on a fat loss mission. While you’re cutting down calories, chances are you might cut down consumption of vital nutrients (particularly micronutrients) that are essential to your overall health, and that’s not good news.
You can’t imagine the effects of having not enough nutrients in your body. For example, lack of vitamin B prevents optimum synthesis of food into energy, leaving you with lower energy levels to work with in the gym. The lack of iron and vitamin C in your diet will also slow down your body recovery after a menstrual period because our body needs iron to produce blood, and vitamin C improves absorption of iron.
A good quality multivitamin would make up for the lost nutrients. Try to look for one that has a good amount of irons in it for reasons mentioned above. I’d recommend Rainbow Light’s Women One as this brand of multivitamin has some of the best blend of micronutrients that you need daily, all in one tablet. Taking a tab a day after your breakfast is the way to go to supercharge your day.
Whey Protein
There are two types of proteins that really matters – whey and casein. In a glass of milk, 20% of the proteins are whey, while 80% of them are casein, and they both serve different purposes in supporting your weight loss mission.
Proteins are generally used for recovery. Our muscle tissues break down after an intense workout, and in order to get our body ready for the next workout, fast recovery is needed. Whey protein is a fast-digesting protein that is broken down quickly by our body and channeled directly to our muscle tissues for fastest recovery.
Therefore, whey protein is the best consumed in the first meal of the morning when your body wakes up after long hours of starvation, as well as within an hour after your workout.
You can consume whey protein in your breakfast together with raw instant oatmeal (mix both with cold water), topped with some berries for extra flavor and their antioxidant properties. As a post workout shake, mix whey with a ripe banana (a fast-digesting carbohydrate) to promote faster recovery.
It doesn’t matter which whey protein brand you choose because all whey proteins are the same. However, remember to use only whey protein isolates (without any additives and sugar), as you wouldn’t want those unnecessary calories to be present in your protein shake.
Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)
These fats are essential because your body needs them, but can’t produce them. You’ll need these fats for hormone production, promotes healthy joints, improve brain function, and sustain a healthy cardiovascular system.
EFAs are usually supplemented in the form of fish oils, and I’d strongly suggest that you go for this form of supplementation. Fish oils are packed with the healthy fats that your body needs – Omega-3 (further subcategorized as EPA and DHA).
Make sure you’re getting a combination of at least 2-3 mg of EPA and DHA each day. Unlike multivitamins, fish oils do not have a serving per day formula. Instead, you should take several servings throughout the day (preferably after meals) for optimum intake of the EFAs.
I’d personally suggest NOW Ultra Omega-3 Fish Oil, as it is the least expensive one to go for, and contains a decent amount of EPA and DHA per serving. Three servings per day would put you within the optimum intake of 2-3 mg of combined EPA and DHA a day.
Fat Burner
This supplement is not a necessity, but it’s highly recommended for those who has some extra budgets to spare. Now, don’t get me wrong. Fat burners do not “automagically” shred those fats away from you without needing you to do anything at all. They don’t work that way.
Fat burners contain stimulants that increase your energy level and focus, blessing you with the extra strength to go for more reps in the gym. They also curb appetite so you won’t overeat. They do, in a way, contribute to your fat loss success, but if you are not a fan of stimulants (even the natural ones), you can safely ignore it.
If you need some extra strength in the gym, try sipping a cup of non-sugar, hot Americano approximately 30 minutes before hitting the gym.
If you do, however, decide to invest in a fat burner, I’d recommend you go for Man: Scorch. It is one of the best fat burners out there with caffeine, green tea extracts and Raspberry Ketones as its ingredients. The best time to consume fat burner is in the morning.
Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)
CLA is a natural fatty acid that is found mostly in grass-fed beef and dairy products. It helps our body to tap into stored fats in our body and burn them as fuel.
If you’re on a fat loss diet and worried about consuming too much of calories, CLA supplements give you just the good stuffs – CLA itself (minus the calories of consuming beef and dairy products).
I’ll highly recommend that you consume approximately 3000 – 4000 mg of CLA in your diet to maximize your fat loss results. I personally used Tone by Fit Miss when I was on a get lean program previously, but as long as you get your 3000 – 4000 mg in, any brands would do the job.
Casein Protein
Ah, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of casein. A completely opposite of whey, casein is a slow-digesting protein, which is ideal to be taken at night, right before you sleep.
Due to the slow-digesting nature of casein, it feeds your body slowly during the 7-8 hours of your sleep.
This will prevent your body from going into the starvation mode, a phenomenon which lowers your body metabolism. If it’s fat loss that you’re seeking, you’ll want to your body metabolize at its most optimum rate.
Again, it doesn’t matter which brand you’re using for casein, but the best tasting ones are probably those from Optimum Nutrition (chocolate flavor).
Green Coffee Extract
Green coffee extracts have become an increasingly popular weight loss option. It’s a natural extract that comes from the coffee bean and it may help you lose weight.
Green coffee extract is derived from the seeds of the coffee plant and includes ingredients that are also found in green tea. Because green coffee extract is made from seed, it contains a high concentration of chlorogenic acid, which is an active compound that may increase metabolism, improve fat-burning, and support the prevention of certain diseases.
Extract of green coffee is high in antioxidants and can reduce the amount of fat stored in the body. Green coffee supplements are also high in caffeine, which can give you jitters and make you feel more alert.
Green coffee extract has been consumed for centuries by people all over the world. Scientists are now discovering that it may help protect us against heart disease, diabetes, and other diseases.
Green Tea
Green tea is a drink that has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It has also been shown to help reduce the risk of heart disease. In fact, some scientists are saying that it may be even better for the heart than certain medications.
Green tea is one of the most popular and widely consumed beverage in the world. It is believed to have many health benefits, such as helping to reduce the risk of cancer and diabetes.
Green tea can help you lose weight and improve your mental health. Research has shown that drinking green tea can reduce the risk of obesity in men and women. It has also been shown to improve memory and help keep your mood in check.
Bitter Orange
Bitter orange is the fruit of the bitter orange tree, which is a part of the Rutaceae (orange) family. Scientists have found that bitter orange contains compounds that may help reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and other chronic health conditions such as cancer.
Bitter orange has a long history of use for weight loss and boosting metabolism.
Scientists have found that bitter orange is effective in helping you lose weight, reduce belly fat, increase energy, and improve your mood. Research has also shown that people who consume bitter orange supplements lose weight faster than those who don’t, even if they eat the same amount.
Summary
You don’t have to take all of the supplements above to get lean. For starters, I’d highly recommend that you get at least a multivitamin, fish oil (EFAs) and whey protein. You may want to get some calcium supplements as well if you don’t consume dairy products on a regular basis, as women are prone to osteoporosis later on in life.
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