What are dietary supplements

If you are genuinely interested in losing those excess lbs, getting in shape and becoming more confident in your figure, then you'll have already probably considered the benefits of taking a dietary supplement.

Designed to help you to take control of your weight loss, suppress your appetite and reduce your meal portions, dietary supplements can come in both organic and synthetic forms.

However, before you consider incorporating dietary supplements into your week weight loss plan, it is essential that you consider what will be the long term benefits of taking these supplements and whether they are the right route for you.

What are your needs? Are you aiming to lose a total of 4-5lbs or a couple of stone? Exercise and healthy eating can easily help you to reach the 4-5lbs weight loss mark, but if you are hoping to lose more than a stone, dietary supplements could lend you the helping hand you need to get started and experience weight loss in a week.

Research, research, research... During your time on Weight Loss Week you'll have noticed from our dieters' reviews the importance of researching dietary supplements first. Prone to inducing many unpleasant side effects and un-backed by clinical trials, many dietary supplements can not provide you with the safe, rapid weight loss you are looking for.

For this reason make sure you thoroughly research the ins and outs of these supplements first, before you try them. It can make a serious difference to your successes.

With the right dietary supplements, you can attain your ambitions of weight loss in a week; however if you do choose to follow this course you need to be careful that these dietary supplements are not hindering your nutrient intake.

Despite common misconceptions, dietary supplements and food substitutes are not the same thing. Sure, each can help your body to receive essential nutrients, but whilst food substitutes give your body a nutrient boost, dietary supplements can often cause nutrient loss as they help you to lose weight.

If you are interested in trying dietary supplements, it is important that you first have a firm understanding of your eating habits before you try them. To experience the full effectiveness of dietary supplements you need to be prepared to make modifications to your diet that will ensure you are always receiving the right level of nutrients.

If you are, in general healthy and eat a varied diet of fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, fish, lean meats, etc, then you are not a person who needs dietary supplements. If on the other hand your diet greatly differs from this one and you do not eat enough healthy foods then dietary supplements could be the helping hand you are looking for.

With their support you can take control of your weight loss, and modify your eating habits at a pace that is right for you.

There are however instances where taking a dietary supplement is not safe:

• If you consume less than 1600 calories a day
• If you are pregnant, trying to get pregnant or are breastfeeding
• If you are a vegetarian and don't implement your diet appropriately
• If you are experiencing heavy bleeding during periods
• If you have had your menopause
• If you are affected by a medical condition that influences the absorption rate of your body i.e. food allergies, acute diarrhoea, malfunctioning liver or gall bladder, heart problems, diabetes etc.

Incorporating a dietary supplement into your diet can do wonders for your 2 week weight loss or long term week weight loss plan. However before you go any further, at Weight Loss Week we recommend you do the following:

• Talk to your dietician about the types of supplements available and the appropriate doses which will suit your weight loss needs
• Check all supplements for possible side effects or interactions they may cause (especially important if you are on medication)
• Make sure you pick a dietary supplement that is rich in vitamins, minerals and amino acids:
  • Vitamins are the most important constituent of any dietary supplements as they are essential for vital metabolic reactions.
  • Minerals are the chemical elements that are required by the body to maintain bodily health.
  • The body also needs 10 of the 20 standard proteinogenic amino acids including threonine, tryptophan, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, etc to function.
• Make sure your dietary supplement doesn't contain any additives, allergens, preservatives or harmful filler such as sugar, starch, silica, gluten, artificial colours and flavours.
• Always buy your dietary supplement from a GMP-compliant manufacturer. Through them you can expect to get the best natural weight loss program and feel confident of its authenticity. Proactol for example is one of the leading dietary supplements on the market to hold this stamp of approval.