It is believed that products such as Coffee Bean Extract and Raspberry Ketones will help you lose weight. They help your body more efficiently burn fat, which can help with weight loss.
Taking supplements alone will not help most people lose weight
The reality check I want most people to realize is taking supplements alone will probably not help you lose weight, unless your current health values were already keeping you at a fairly consistent weight. By this I mean you already have somewhat of a decent diet and get some exercise… you are not gaining any weight, but you are not losing any either. You are just sort of stuck.
If you believe you can have poor dietary habits and never exercise and still lose weight, you will be disappointed. Think of it this way: If you are consuming 500 extra calories per day that your body isn’t naturally able to use… even if these supplements help you burn an additional 300 calories, you are still consuming 200 extra calories a day that your body doesn’t need, and therefore stores as fat.
Slow, moderate weight loss is a good thing
We live in a world that enjoys instant gratification and results. The problem is, we have proven time and time again that extremely restrictive diets and intense exercise programs don’t work for most of us. We may see some great initial results, but will probably end up abandoning our efforts which will result in weight gain.
Try to use a little common sense with dieting. Eat lots of vegetables and a variety of real food. Find a way to get some exercise that works for you. Ideally, you want 30-60 mins of exercise almost every day… but even 10 mins is better than nothing. If you hate going to the gym, join a recreational sports league or find a way to get some exercise at home. Find something you are likely to stick with… you don’t have to love it, but for the benefit of your health, you need to find something you can at least stick with.
I believe that 2-3 pounds of weight loss in a month is great. That adds up to 24-36 pounds a year. A sustainable weight loss strategy will be way more effective in the long run, in spite of the patience required to achieve the results you probably want.
Evolve your eating habits
Keep health top of mind. I’m not saying to feel guilty about having some pizza or chips, if choose to do so. I’m saying if you constantly make small, sustainable improvements to your health… it will add up in the long run. Every little bit counts. A few quick examples:
1) Say you love pizza, and order one every Saturday. Your favorite pizza includes Bacon, Pepperoni, and Italian Sausage. Instead of ordering this, try Bacon, Mushrooms & Chicken. You might realize it is pretty much as enjoyable, and you are obviously cutting some calories.
2) Say you are indifferent about your lunch, but love to enjoy a hearty breakfast or dinner. Make your lunch all veggies. Enjoy a big salad with lots of veggies, a cooked vegetable mix, or a vegetarian stir fry. If you would have normally had a fatty meat or bread with lunch, this will make a big difference in the long run.
3) Say you order a large coffee in the morning with 2 cream and 2 sugar… can you try a medium with 1 cream and 1 sugar? You might notice it at first, but in the long run you still get to enjoy your coffee, but are cutting out a ton of calories.
I’m sure I could name hundreds of examples, but hopefully you get the idea. Constantly making small improvements to your dietary habits will result in significant long term benefits for your health and weight.
Evolve your exercise habits
Our bodies were not created to be sedentary. Our bodies were created to walk, work, travel & hunt. These days, we don’t get the kind of exercise we might naturally have gotten in the early days… so we need to find a way to balance that a bit. The key again is to find something you can stick with, and every little bit counts. Here are a few ideas:
1) Buy some resistance bands. If you are watching TV at night, do some resistance band exercises during commercials. You can do other kinds of exercises as an alternative that better target your legs, or whatever it is you want to work on. If each commercial break is 2 mins, and you exercise during 5 commercial breaks… that’s 10 mins of exercise. If you were not doing this before, that’s a great start.
2) Go for a walk. Especially in the summer, walks can be very enjoyable. You get to enjoy the outdoors and the fresh air. It can help clear your mind, and make you feel great. Again, even a 15 min walk around the block is better than nothing… and you might grow to enjoy it, which would obviously make you want to go for longer walks.
3) Join a recreational sports league. There are many recreational sports leagues that are not extremely competitive. They are just about having fun. Was there a sport you used to love or have always wanted to try? Tell your friends, and keep your eyes out for the opportunity to join a recreational sports league.
Remember, while it is suggested you get 30-60 mins of exercise every day… even an extra 30-60 mins a week that you didn’t get before is a good start. If you continuously evolve your exercise habits a little bit, that 30-60 mins per week might become 60-120 mins per week in 6 months… and this might continue to evolve from there. This constant improvement can be very enjoyable and is sustainable.
The power of mindset and momentum
Too often, we just come to accept that we are an overweight person. We set the expectation in our minds that even though we know we SHOULD lose some weight, we are just a bigger person, so no real pressure to do anything about it. It is a powerful tool when you can train yourself to believe that instead of “I am an overweight person” you are “A person who is constantly improving their health”. Your brain literally starts to believe you are a person who is improving your health, and will help guide you how to do this. Once you start to lose a little bit of weight, you start to gain momentum. Small changes in positive momentum will again add up in the long run.
Conclusion
As you can see, there really isn’t a miracle instant cure to lose weight. Supplements such as Coffee Bean Extract can be a great help in your efforts to lose weight, but it is a lot of small things put together, that will ensure your optimal long term health and weight loss success.