It is very difficult to get an honest and objective answer to this question. Most people who write about weight loss supplements and drugs are those who benefit from selling them. As a result, they are trying to make you believe that weight loss supplements are a necessary component for every weight loss program and even that diet supplementation can work well on its own (and you can eat all you want ? blah, blah). This is not the truth. This is simply the answer from which they make profits.

Weight loss supplements are NOT a necessary component of any weight loss program; they are not a “must have” element. You can lose fat at incredible (and healthy) rates without using any kind of fat burners. They can be used to only improve your existing program, not to replace it. Many companies try to make you believe they have “the magic pill” that makes you burn fat while sleeping and while eating whatever you want. This is the pill we all are looking for. Nobody likes dieting and sweating in the gym. Nobody likes counting calories and following strict exercise routines. But this is the only way to get rid of those ugly pounds of excess body fat.

I'm not saying weight loss supplements can't help you at all. In many cases they can improve the effect of your weight loss program and boost your results if you know how to use them. But you should learn first how to achieve “natural weight loss” (with proper nutrition and exercise) before thinking about taking supplements.

As you see, the key to effective fat burning is proper nutrition and exercise. When eating and exercising correctly, you can convert your body into a fat-melting machine without any kind of “miracle” products. Here you have some basic instructions:

Calorie Balance

You probably know that in order to lose fat, you should burn more calories than consume. But if you cut your calories too much you will shut down your metabolism, which definitely is not desirable when trying to lose weight. So your goal is mild calorie restriction from food (200-300 kCal below maintenance level) to keep your metabolism fast.

      

Since there are 3500 kCal in a pound of fat, you will need great calorie deficit to lose weight at acceptable rates. To achieve such a deficit (500-1000 kCal/day) you have to use exercise, which will increase your metabolic rates even more.

Nutrition

* Spread your meal intake into 5-6 small protein-rich meals during the day.

This will boost your metabolism and promote better nutrient absorption. All of your meals should have plenty of lean protein (egg whites, chicken breast, lean red meat, seafood, fish, etc.), complex carbs (brown rice, oatmeal, whole grains, legumes, lentils, kidney beans, mushrooms, etc.) in moderation, and small amount of good fats (flaxseed, olive, sunflower, soybean and fish oils).

* Opt for natural foods

Processed foods contain additives and sodium. Additives are bad for your liver, which is the main fat-burning organ in your body. If your liver is overloaded, you just stop burning fat. You should eat more natural, unprocessed foods; raw fruits and vegetables; grains; and seeds to get rid of toxins easier and promote better liver function.

* Drink plenty of water

Water suppresses appetite and helps your body metabolize the fat. When fat is burned, many fat-soluble toxins are freed and you need plenty of water to get rid of them. In addition, drinking water fights fluid and salt retention and will help you look and feel better.

* Avoid carbs before bedtime

Carbs are the main fuel for your body. When they are not used for energy your body stores them as fat. If you eat carbs before bedtime this is exactly what happens, because your energy needs are very low while sleeping. In addition, during deep sleep is when your body produces human growth hormone (hGH), which promotes fat burning. If your blood sugar level is high (due to the carbs consumed) insulin will be released to lower it and insulin is known to inhibit the production of hGH and its beneficial effects.

* Cut down on saturated and trans fats

These are not only fattening but very dangerous for your general health too. Saturated and trans fats can cause raised blood cholesterol, increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and other serious health conditions.

Exercise

Cardio exercise is the best known method to directly burn the stored fat. If you want real, long-term results, cardio exercise should be a “must do” element of your weight loss program. At the beginning you might want to choose the easiest form of cardio: walking. Start walking for 40-60 minutes a day for a week. When you get used to walking, start more intensive cardio training, like jogging or cycling. A good duration is between 30 and 40 minutes per session. Do it three or four times a week, and you will start to notice the effect immediately. Later, you may want to change your routine and do it every day. This noticeably will improve your results.

If you add weight training to nutrition and cardio you get the magic combination that will make you naturally burn fat at incredible rates.

Conclusion

By now you realize that you don't need a pill or any kind of diet products to successfully lose weight. The secret to healthy, long-term results is natural weight loss (nutrition and exercise). By combining these two elements, you can convert your body into a fat-burning factory. You must understand the only thing that stops your success is your own will. YOU, AND ONLY YOU, should decide to start losing weight and motivate yourself to achieve the best results. So stop looking for the easy way and take the first step to a better and healthier life!

When you want to lose weight, is your first choice to run to the latest fad diet? Often a quick 5 to 10 pounds will come off, then your old eating habits return. If you stick with it to attain your weight goal, you may still find yourself back at the same weight or higher in a few months. Why don't diets work?

A Diet is a Lifestyle, Not an Event

On many diets, you are not eating the way you will eat for the rest of your life. You eat foods you may not like very much and don't find satisfying. If you are determined enough, you stick with it until you reach your goal. But you know this is "just for the diet" rather than finding healthier foods you enjoy in amounts that don't cause weight gain.

Diets Can Be Downers

The very word "diet" is depressing to many of us. We think of giving up foods that are comforting and enjoyable. We think of sitting a party with celery sticks while others are eating the crab puffs. We may even stop socializing because food is a big part of how we interact with friends and family. We feel deprived, alienated and alone, except for others who are dieting. Eventually we give up and enter back into the world of happy uncontrolled eating, carrying negative feelings toward healthier "diet foods."

The Dangerous Yo-Yo Diet Cycle

Studies are finding dangers in the yo-yo diet cycle of losing weight, gaining it back plus a little more, losing, and gaining again. It is stressful on the body systems to have wide swings in body weight. We think each time that this time we won't gain it back, but the statistics show that most of us will. Yo-Yo Dieting May Weaken Immune System.

Control Issues

At first a diet can give you a sense of control. You are taking charge of your eating patterns. You may see success as the scale drops. But soon you are fighting cravings for forbidden foods, as well as hunger pangs and a lack of energy from the lower calorie level. Eventually you rebel against the diet and start "cheating." If your cheats are small you can still be losing weight, although more slowly. But soon you may go into full rebellion and return to your old eating habits.

Diets Slow Your Metabolism

Your body reacts to fewer calories by slowing down your metabolism -- burning fewer calories each day just to maintain your body functions. If you don't add exercise along with the diet, you will lose lean muscle mass as well as fat and water weight. When you lose muscle, your metabolism is slowed even further and you would have to eat even fewer calories per day to continue to lose weight. It takes a conscious effort to increase exercise when on a diet.

If you don't exercise and then you fall off of the diet, the weight will come back on even faster, as your body is burning fewer calories per day. Even worse, the weight will come back on as fat rather than as the muscle you lost. Your body will look even less lean and healthy.

Solution: Get Active for an Hour a Day

Your first step to improve your health and appearance is to begin daily exercise. Clients of bariatric surgery clinics are prescribed an hour of exercise a day before they can be candidates for surgery. Some of them lose weight so successfully from the exercise that they decide not to have the surgery after all. The exercise doesn't have to be intense -- pick activities you enjoy such as walking, biking, or swimming. Get your body moving most days of the week. The U.S. Surgeon General recommends a minimum daily requirement of 30 to 60 minutes a day of walking or other easy-to-moderate intensity exercise for weight management.

Solution: Make Simple Eating Changes

Find a 100-calorie change you can make for this week. Perhaps it is drinking one less can of cola each day, or having non-fat milk in your coffee instead of cream. Substitute string cheese or an apple instead of a bag of potato chips. Make a 100-calorie change each week for the next six weeks and you will have made a significant change in your eating habits. Don't think in terms of depriving yourself of foods you love, but eliminate empty calories you don't really like and find substitutes that you can enjoy for the rest of your life.

Moving from "Diet" to "Way of Eating"

Healthy Foods Instead of a Diet

By making these changes, you can tip your energy balance to building and maintaining lean muscle while burning and losing fat. This will probably be gradual rather than dramatic, but you will eventually notice clothes fitting looser, your waistline shrinking, and your energy level higher.

Rather than gaining a few pounds each year like most adults, you will be losing a little weight each year. Friends who haven't seen you in awhile will be impressed by the difference. Best of all, you will not have shocked your body with a deprivation diet, but instead have been feeding it appropriate amounts of better food while giving it the exercise it needs for health.

-DENISE MIRANDA, Health Fitness Professional