SUPPLEMENTATION DURING FAT REDUCTION

What are supplements, and are they useful?

Supplements are responsible for replenishing nutrient deficiencies in your body. Fat reduction is always associated with a negative caloric balance, that is, eating less food than is comfortable for the body. It’s important to provide your body with the highest quality food and optional supplements while on a fat reduction diet.

The answer is no – supplements aren’t necessary. You can still achieve a great body without ever taking them. But, they do make the process a whole lot easier by replenishing the nutrient deficiencies in your body.

Let’s take a look at three examples of people wanting to reduce fat:  

No. 1 – A person who hasn’t started training, but wants to

No. 2 – A beginner trainer

No. 3 – An advanced trainer

Nutrient requirements and supplementation will differ depending on whether you’re a beginner trainer, an advanced trainer, or haven’t started your fitness journey yet.

If you want to start your fitness journey and lose body fat, you should focus on taking health-promoting supplements such as:

• Vitamins and minerals – A supplement that replenishes micronutrient deficiencies. It’s the most important supplement for anyone looking to reduce fat.

• Omega 3 – The highest quality source of fatty acids derived from fish. It helps maintain optimal healthy fatty acid levels, and helps alleviate micro injuries that occur during training.

• Vitamin D + K – The sun is our main source of Vitamin D, and since we don’t get a lot of it in the autumn-winter months, we should take it in doses higher than in vitamin and mineral supplements.

If you’ve been training for some time or are just starting, then your body’s demand for micronutrients has definitely increased. Make sure to take care of your body with the following supplements:

• Vitamins and minerals – A supplement that replenishes micronutrient deficiencies. It’s the most important supplement for anyone looking to reduce fat.

• Omega 3 – The highest quality source of fatty acids derived from fish. It helps maintain optimal healthy fatty acid levels, and helps alleviate micro injuries that occur during training.

• Vitamin D + K – The sun is our main source of Vitamin D, and since we don’t get a lot of it in the autumn-winter months, we should take it in doses higher than in vitamin and mineral supplements.

• BCAA – Branched Chain Amino Acids are designed to break down overall cortisol levels, as well as during training, and support the regenerative process.

• Protein Formula – A formulation designed to help maintain optimal protein levels. It’s especially needed during fat reduction, when your body’s protein requirements increase.

• Fat Burners – These supplements are meant to “burn” our fat tissue. They’re what we call “thermogenic supplements”. They stimulate our body to periodically have decreased hunger and increased sweating. Thanks to this, we can forget about feeling hungry for a few hours, which in turn can help promote fat loss. However, we have to remember that these aren’t magic fat burning pills – our body quickly adapts to fat burners, and within a few weeks you won’t be able to feel the same “kick” that you felt in the beginning. Plus, taking too many thermogenic supplements can cause many side effects, such as extreme hunger, excessive heat, and sweating even when you’re not training.

If you’ve been training for a few years or more, whether you’re a professional athlete or just training for a competition, there’s no doubt that your workouts are intense – which means that your body’s demand for micronutrients is extremely high.

• Vitamins and minerals – A supplement that replenishes our micronutrient deficiencies. It’s the most important supplement for anyone looking to reduce fat.

• Omega 3 – The highest quality source of fatty acids derived from fish. It helps maintain optimal healthy fatty acid levels, and helps alleviate micro injuries that occur during training.

• Vitamin D + K – The sun is our main source of Vitamin D, and since we don’t get a lot of it in the autumn-winter months, we should take it in doses higher than in vitamin and mineral supplements.

• BCAA – Branched Chain Amino Acids are designed to break down overall cortisol levels, as well as during training, and support the regenerative process. The recommended dosage is 5 to 25g per day, before, during, or after your workout.

• Protein Formula – A formulation designed to help maintain optimal protein levels. It’s especially needed during fat reduction, when your body’s protein requirements increase.

• Fat Burners –These supplements are meant to “burn” our fat tissue. They’re what we call “thermogenic supplements”. They stimulate our body to periodically have decreased hunger and increased sweating. Thanks to this, we can forget about feeling hungry for a few hours, which in turn can help promote fat loss. However, we have to remember that these aren’t magic fat burning pills – our body quickly adapts to fat burners, and within a few weeks you won’t be able to feel the same “kick” that you felt in the beginning. Plus, taking too many thermogenic supplements can cause many side effects, such as extreme hunger, excessive heat, and sweating even when you’re not training.

• Creatine – Often seen as a compulsory supplement while building body mass. Since creatine saturates our muscles with water, a lot of people think that it bloats the body and makes us look fat – but that’s completely wrong. Taking creatine for fat reduction helps the regenerative process and increases energy levels.

• Carbohydrate Formula – Although products that have a high caloric value in small volumes are usually avoided while on a fat reduction diet, this supplement helps in intense situations like heavy weight training with very low fat levels. Even a small amount of this nutrient can help you regain strength and quickly rebuild glycogen resources lost during training.

Overall, nutritional supplements can help improve anyone’s well-being and quality of life by balancing micro and macro nutrient needs. Of course, they’re not necessary – the most important thing is maintaining a proper diet – but, combining the right diet with the right supplements will give you optimal fat reduction results.