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The world of supplements As a fitness professional and gym owner, I am bombarded by questions about supplements that aid in losing weight and building muscle. The central thing I tell my clients is to interpret “supplement” literally, to mean “extra.” This is important because far too many people think of supplements as a solution by themselves, and that inevitably leads to further problems. Below are a few cases in point, relating to popular weight-loss supplements. Thank you for sharing that story with us. Your question is very important, because it brings up the problems implicit in any “diet” that restricts calories. For anyone intent on trying Slim-Fast as a weight-loss solution, I would simply advise you to read the ingredients: skim milk and sugar. The reason you initially lost weight when you started replacing your meals with Slim-Fast is that you were getting fewer calories with the reduction in food. But there are two problems with this kind of strategy: First, because sugar is a primary ingredient, the resulting spike in your blood-sugar level after drinking these shakes means your body won’t immediately produce glucagon, the hormone that releases fat into the bloodstream to be burned as fuel. “Locking in” stored body fat in this way makes long-term weight loss very difficult. The second problem is that when you restrict your calories with a drink like Slim-Fast, your body loses water, then muscle tissue is broken down and used as fuel, and then your endocrine system downgrades its hormone production so that you can survive on less fuel. The result: dehydration and a slower metabolism. The combination of stored fat and a slower metabolism is exactly the opposite of what you need. This is why no matter what you do, you are unable to continue to lose weight. As mentioned in my previous column on nutrition, diets actually make you fatter. Making small but significant lifestyle changes, however, will lead to fat loss in both the short- and long-term. To that end, try the “synergy” of eating small, frequent meals; beginning a sensible strength-training program; and doing moderate cardiovascular exercise for optimal results. For specifics on nutrition and exercise techniques that will help you lose weight and keep it off, visit my Website. I can make a pretty good guess at what the problem is: You are hoping that a supplement will be a solution. But taken alone, they never are. And while it is true that cortisol, the body’s stress hormone, does lead to increased fat around the midsection, and that reducing physical stress has a positive outcome not only on fat accumulation but also on feelings of well-being, I have not found that taking Cortislim leads to these positive effects. When marketers of products on infomercials show you “experts” in white lab coats and professional models showing off their six-packs, they lead you to make purchases based not on science but emotion. They are never very clear on just what is “scientifically proven,” and in the case of Cortislim, the evidence that it works is not very compelling. If you want to continue using Cortislim, I would suggest that you make sure, at the same time, to improve your eating habits and embark on a sound exercise plan. Think of Cortislim as something “extra,” not a solution in and of itself. To summarize, while there are supplements on the market that can help you lose weight or build lean muscle, there are no silver bullets: The day that a pill is manufactured to work by itself to help you lose fat — not to mention combat obesity, which is an epidemic in the U.S. — I will be the first to stand on rooftops and extol the new “miracle drug.” Meanwhile, I continue to wait for that day. In the next two weeks, I’ll cover supplements that have been shown to be effective, and talk about how to integrate them into a holistic approach to health and well-being.
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