As you guys know I’m a coach and most of the people I work with generally want some sort of physique modification such as fat loss and muscle building. The question I’m often asked around this time of the year is “what do I need to take to lose fat, get and stay lean??”
By: Daniel Salazar
Now i go through a crazy amount of detail when i work with a client. I find out what they normally eat, how many times a day do they eat, what types of diets they’ve tried before, which one of those diets worked and didn’t work and a bunch of other stuff. When i get all that info i put together a training, nutrition and supplement program specifically for the individual, It’s a pretty long process.
So what i want to do today is just give you guys a little list of natural supplements you can add to whatever you are doing now that have been proven by research to help melt some unwanted body fat.
Disclaimer: Lawyers say I have to do this so here we go. I am not a doctor, nutritionist, dietitian, or scientist by any means. I am a coach with a lot of certifications who spends a lot of time doing his research to help clients. Be careful when putting anything in your body, everyone’s reaction to certain stimulants and supplements is completely different. Do your research or consult with a dietitian to help get you started. This list of ingredients is by no means the end all be all and should be taken with some type of nutritional strategy.
Don’t just inhale a bunch of supplements, one more thing. This list alone will not get you ripped or melt fat off immediately, but it will complement a well-structured nutrition and resistance training program.
Fish Oil
This stuff is just great! Not only does is help cardiovascular, depression, brain, blood, skin and joint issues it can also burn fat!!
In one study recently 324 overweight and obese men and women and put them on a reduced calorie diet. They received either nothing, fatty fish, lean fish, or fish oil capsules. Also they were put on a crappy diet of mostly carbs and even worst they weren’t allowed to exercise!!
Check this out, even though they were basically set up to fail the men lost a total average of 14 pounds, but the men that ate fish or took fish oil lost an extra 2 pounds. Take fish oil and drop fat, BOOM!!
Coffee
Waking up at 3:30 am to go, train clients is no joke and without that cup of coffee, I probably wouldn’t be able to make it.
But here’s another benefit of coffee: Multiple studies have confirmed that coffee, namely caffeine can increase endurance performance. The reason why is that caffeine can release fat from the cells also known as fat oxidation.
For fat loss, it is not enough to just release the fat from the cell because if you are not moving the fat will just go right back in. Couple that with some form of exercise and you’ll burn more fat. Caffeine is also a short-term appetite suppressant!!
NOTE: Caffeine is a diuretic which means it will increase urination and sweating. To avoid dehydration have tons of water handy and add a dash of salt. Your best option would be some sort of carbohydrate-protein mixed drink during your workout.
Cinnamon
Who doesn’t love cinnamon in their oatmeal or coffee?!
A research study published in Diabetes Care found that cinnamon reduces the impact that carbohydrate-rich foods have on your body by 18-29% while also reducing triglycerides and LDL (bad) cholesterol flowing through your bloodstream.
Carbohydrate-rich foods such as sugar, white bread, etc.. rapidly spike blood sugar levels and put your body into fat-storing mode.
Cinnamon can help to keep your blood sugar spikes low, less blood sugar spikes mean rapid fat loss.
Vinegar
Yep, the same stuff you put on you salads can help melt the fat off! One study involved, 175 Japanese men and women were given 1 to 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar daily for 12 weeks. In that time they all had significantly lowered their body weight and visceral fat.
NOTE: Visceral fat surrounds the internal organs. More dangerous then that fat directly underneath the skin
Researchers also found that subjects that ate a high-fat diet that also included vinegar ended up with 10% less body fat than subjects with the same diet that didn’t include vinegar.
Broccoli
Broccoli has an insane amount of benefits. Not only high in calcium but has tons of vitamin C, which helps with calcium absorption, and also has plenty of vitamin A, folate, and fiber.
It will keep you full longer and at 20 calories per cup, you could stuff your face with no remorse. There is one other thing broccoli does that is pretty cool.
Many men and women have imbalances of estrogen in the body and it’s partly due to our American diets as well as environmental factors. Too many estrogens in the body cause fat gain. Fat cells store high levels of estrogen.
Broccoli contains a chemical that can help stimulate your body into getting rid of the excess estrogen and once that estrogen is balanced out fat can just drop off.
Ice Water
Water is the ultimate thirst quencher. It also helps with digestion and absorption of food, regulation of body temperature, and blood circulation carries nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and aids in the removal of toxins and other wastes. Water is kind of a big deal!
But in terms of fat loss, water, preferably ice cold water can help out! Your body has to work to heat that ice-cold water. An 8-ounce cup of ice cold water will help you burn about 8 calories. It doesn’t seem like much but if you drink 8 cups a day, 7 days a week for 52 weeks a year that adds up to just over 6 1/2 pounds of fat you dropped just by doing nothing but drinking more water.
This is a big one. Water is an appetite suppressant and can naturally help the body metabolize stored fat.
The kidneys cannot function properly when you are dehydrated and most of the American population is somewhat dehydrated… When the kidney isn’t working right the liver has to pull the extra weight. The liver has tons of functions in the body but one of its jobs is to metabolize stored fat into energy. But if the liver has to pick up the slack of the kidneys, it can’t do its job well.
So drink up and burn fat.
Seltzer
This stuff is a great way to fill up when your the over eater type. The carbonation even though it may make you burp a lot it does the trick to control that never full stomach.
Green Tea
This little leaf will increases your metabolism making you burn more fat and is an appetite suppressant so you’ll also eat less. The antioxidant from green tea called catechins causes something thermogenesis. Thermogenesis is when your body starts to produce heat. This production of heat causes you to burn calories and fat.
Recent studies have also found that green tea prevents insulin spikes after meals loaded with carbs. This may prevent you from gaining fat even after stuffing your face. It can also lower your blood sugar for people with type 2 diabetes. Lower blood sugar reduces your cravings for sweets making you not eat as many so you won’t gain any weight.
Chocamine
Chocamine is an extract from cocoa beans, so its chocolate without the sugar and fat. It has tons of beneficial amino acids, antioxidants, and nutritional minerals such as magnesium.
This stuff is pretty strong, can increase energy, suppress appetite, burn fat, improve mood, improved concentration, increase alertness and improve physical performance not to mention the tons of other health benefits that this antioxidant provides. Don’t take this around bed time cause you wont sleep.
NOTE: It’s a powerful stimulant and should be definitely avoided by those prone to anxiety attacks or with cardiovascular conditions. Like other stimulants, it should not be used before bed, and caution is strongly advised when combining with other stimulants.
Sugar less chewing gum
Water is the ultimate thirst quencher. It also helps with digestion and absorption of food, regulation of body temperature, and blood circulation carries nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and aids in the removal of toxins and other wastes. Water is kind of a big deal!
But in terms of fat loss, water, preferably ice cold water can help out! Your body has to work to heat that ice-cold water. An 8-ounce cup of ice cold water will help you burn about 8 calories. It doesn’t seem like much but if you drink 8 cups a day, 7 days a week for 52 weeks a year that adds up.
Fighters have been using this trick for ages. Chewing gum help ward off that sweet tooth and now that i comes in a variety of flavors you can satisfy pretty much any sweet craving you have.
Also according to a professor at the University of Rhode Island chewing gum can help you lose weight!
The test results from his study also showed that subjects who chewed gum for a total of one hour before lunch consumed 67 fewer calories at lunch than the subjects who did not chew gum at all. They also burned a few calories just from the act of chewing.
CONCLUSION
Like I said earlier you won’t instantly become lean and have the opposite sex all over you, but they may help give you a little boost and get you a few steps closer to your goal. Ultimately, find someone who knows what they’re doing as far as nutrition and resistance training, get on a program, and get it done. The only magic bullet that will help you reach your goal is Hard work
