A balanced diet and a stern focus on your exercise routine may not be enough to achieve your desired weight. If you have started your weight loss journey, it is essential to watch out for your daily level of calorie consumption.
You can either opt to consume less or stick to the usual but burn more. Which leads us to the question: ‘Do you know your basal metabolic rate?’ In simple terms, this is the number of calories you burn effortlessly. So, finding ways to accelerate metabolism is the key to unlocking your ideal weight.
With that in mind, you may opt to hit the gym consistently, watch your dietary plan, and even consider supplements that will help your body metabolize fat effectively. Is it okay to depend on those supplements entirely? Weight loss supplements should work hand-in-hand with your meal plan and exercises.
Below we help you decide on the fitness supplement that is ideal for you.
1. Pre-Workout
Just as its name states, you should take this supplement before your workout session. Total concentration and endurance during your gym sessions require effort – that is where this supplement saves the day. The correct intake of pre-workout add-ons refines your energy levels.
Are they all effective? The functionality of each option out there is dependent on its ingredients and source. Moreover, they come in different forms. However, most of them get the job done by reducing fatigue and improving your training sessions.
Some of these supplements come as a powder, while others are ready-to-drink formulas. The powder can readily blend with your beverage or drink, eliminating the potential horrible tastes of most supplements.
You should select your supplement based on the number of sources it has. The more, the better. For instance, Cellucor c4’s ingredients pump your energy level and promote blood flow, improving your exercise performance.
Each serving contains 150mg of caffeine to facilitate endless vigor and delay weariness. To boost your muscle mass, it also has creatine nitrate and arginine alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG). It is characterized by an amino acid called Beta-Alanine, transforming into a carnosine compound to promote endurance. Typically, Beta-Alanine is advisable for high interval and resistant training.
For your choice, it comes in twelve different flavors and formula forms, which exclude creatine.
2. Whey Protein
Good protein intake is crucial for any fitness journey to enhance your muscles’ recovery and synthesis while still stimulating fat loss. Numerous protein powders have hit the market. Their popularity is due to the high level of Leucine, an amino acid that works on the protein synthesis of our muscles.
Nonetheless, you are strongly discouraged from opting for whey protein that contains sugar. Instead, you should consider Gold Standard 100% Whey by Optimum Nutrition. For every serving, you get 24g of solid protein and 5g of BCAAs.
Moreover, its calorie level is low, which matches the main objective of weight loss. Another recommended option is Dymatize ISO-100 whey protein. Each serving provides 25g of hydrolyzed 100% whey protein isolate, together with 5.5g of BCAAs and 2.7g of Leucine. Even though it contains sugar, it is less than one gram for each input.
3. BCAAs
Branched-chain amino acids are undoubtedly beneficial to your muscles and include three critical amino acids: Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine. These ensure rehabilitation and growth of your muscles. They enhance muscle protein synthesis while at the same time minimizing Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) and muscle fatigue.
And that’s not all; they also speed up metabolism, prevent muscle breakdown, boost energy levels, and fight to ensure stress hormones such as cortisol are not produced. The fascinating thing is you can take them whenever you prefer – whether before, during, or after your exercise sessions, the choice is yours.
You should take them after exercising for the best results, as the three in one amino acids are ideal in recuperating your muscles. With that in mind, Scivation Xtend BCAAs in formula forms have been advanced further to contain glutamine, citrulline malate, and 7g of BCAAs.
Together, they promote fat breakdown, the development, and protein synthesis of muscles. For high-intensity training, BCAAs are the ideal choice. Since hydration is critical during exercise routines, the formula also comes with electrolytes to prevent dehydration. They are also sugar-free.
4. Fat burners
Topping up your balanced diet and exercise routine with fat burner supplements can get you better results. These add-ons enhance metabolism with their powerful ingredients that cut down on cravings and boost your energy.
Just like other supplements, different firms sell fat burner supplements. It is best to find ones with worthwhile ingredients. OxyShred by Ehp labs is an example of a supplement that has been through scientific scrutiny.
The thermogenic fat burner is powerful in restoring fat cell receptors and promoting the breakdown of fat cells. You may also opt for other fat burners such as green tea, which minimises appetite, increase energy, lower cortisol, and boost metabolism.
5. Green Tea
How does green tea fit into the list? It contains catechins – natural chemicals that boost energy levels and promote fat-burning. Although some reports claim that tea can also help with weight loss, the benefits of their green tea counterparts are unmatched.
Green tea supplements have a higher concentration of catechins, which help achieve your desired waist circumference and refine the fat composition in the body. For younger-looking skin, the anti-aging characteristic of catechins makes it worthwhile by keeping the skin radical-free and minimizing oxidative stress.
6. CLA
Conjugated Linoleic Acid, CLA, is an unrefined fatty acid. However, it is very significant in boosting metabolism levels. Achieving a lean body is one thing, but maintaining it is even more challenging; that is where CLA comes to your aid.
Most times, we tend to gain weight faster than its riddance. In such a case, you should opt for Dymatize CLA. It looks takes care of your fat composition by optimizing the body’s tendencies to store fat and heightening your training sessions’ outcome.
Conclusion
Firm training combined with suitable dietary needs should be your first consideration in achieving your weight desires. Ensuring your calorie deficit is on the right track may require more than that. Whether you go for green tea supplements, whey proteins, pre-workouts, BCAAs, or CLA, the nutritional value gained may take you a step closer to your fitness goal. It is also advisable to get a good gym instructor and consult your healthcare provider to help you choose the weight loss supplement that suits you.
