Whatever your fitness goals are, whether they be losing weight, gaining muscle, or fitting into a 32" waist again, you may be tempted to use supplements. Supplements don't fit into fitness through moderation, because they are an extreme measure. Here I will explain the basics and categories for the most common supplements.
Weight Loss: There are two main classifications of weight loss pills:
appetite suppressants and
drugs that block fat absorption.
- Appetite suppressants work by tricking you hunger signals into thinking that they don't need food. Commonly they contain some type of stimulant, thus they are basically legal speed. These can be used to achieve rapid weight loss. Take it from a former tweaker: if you are fueling your body with speed instead of healthy foods you will eventually crash. Once you stop taking these supplements you will have to work much harder to maintain your weight. With healthy eating and exercise, once you reach your goal weight, you can actually eat a few more calories or exercise a little less to maintain your weight. Another bad side effect of using stimulants to lose weight is DEATH. Stimulants weaken the heart muscles and can lead to heart attacks or strokes. Cigarettes are sometimes used as appetite suppressants, and many smokers fear weight gain. Is it better to be a little chubby and healthy or thin with weak lung function. Also quitting smoking would be a good time to begin a healthy eating exercise program.
- Fat Blockers work by affecting the way that your body processes fat. The primary organ for processing fat is the liver. Liver failure has been associated with a number of fat blocker supplements. Again once you go off of the supplement, you will have to work harder to maintain your weight.
There are a wide variety of supplements available for
gaining muscle: the two I will cover here are
amino acids and
creatine supplements.- Amino Acids come in a wide variety of packaging. They can be called whey protein, muscle boost, or they could even just be called amino acids. Amino acids are the basic building blocks of protein. A healthy diet with eggs and dairy will get you the same amount of amino acids, and so they are not really necessary if you eat well. Anecdotal evidence has shown that amino acids decrease muscle pain after working out, but a little soreness is good as it reflects the micro-tears that are needed to strengthen muscle, and if the pain is too great adjust your workout, instead of pushing through. Bottom line: if you eat healthy there is no reason to take amino acid supplements.
- Creatine is another supplement that has promises of boosting muscle mass. It works by making the muscles retain more water, thus it doesn't increase muscle mass but merely creates an illusion of muscle mass. The muscles will be bulky, but you will sacrifice muscle tone for the added bulkiness. Creatine has also been associated with an increased risk for kidney stones. Since Creatine doesn't increase muscle mass, it is not a very effective supplement for muscle development.
Taking Supplements are not a real option for fitness through moderation. They are extreme measures, that should only be taken under the guidance of a trusted physician. Supplements are only for extreme cases, and they don't work in the long run. The best advice is to eat moderately, exercise moderately, and have moderate goals.
