Diet Supplements VS Diet Shakes

Diet Supplements VS Diet Shakes

The Internet is packed with information and advice on weight loss. Reading some reviews, you would think that it is easy to lose 10 kilos in as many days. But, is it realistic? Losing 10 kilos in as many days, is probably one of the most unrealistic claims the diet industry makes. Sure, you can lose weight in 10 days, but can you do so safely? 

What you really should ask yourself, is how you can lose weight safely and keep the weight off. At the end of the day, keeping the weight off should always be your ultimate goal. In that case, you should not only focus on weight loss. Making lifestyle changes is just as important. 

Can you make lifestyle changes when you use try to lose weight using diet shakes and weight loss supplements? Before you even buy a diet shake or a weight loss supplement, you need to ask yourself if the ingredients contained in the shake or supplement are safe and effective.

Are Diet Shakes A Good Way To Lose Weight?

There must be hundreds of different types of diet shakes on the market. You can buy them on the Internet and in high street stores. I recently visited my local branch of Holland and Barrett. I wanted to check out both diet supplements and diet shakes. 

I thought I would find a few different types of diet shakes. To my surprise, I came across 24 different brands of diet shakes. Reading the labels, they all more or less claimed that they could do the same thing. That is help me to lose weight quickly and keep it off. 

Almost all of the diet shakes I checked out, promoted a weight loss program and a maintenance program. Once you had lost the weight, the majority of them claimed they could help me to keep the weight off. 

But, that was not the only claim the diet shakes made. According to their brightly coloured labels, they mentioned they were natural and would benefit my all over health. 

How Do Diet Shakes Work? 

Most of them work by meal replacement. In other words, you replace a meal or two with a shake. All of the drinks claimed that they were nutritionally correct. I could rest assured that I would not suffer from any lack of vitamins and minerals while I used the shakes to lose weight. 

I could understand the theory behind that, but were they natural? It did not take take me long to figure out that my idea of a natural diet shake and the manufacturer’s idea of a natural diet, was rather different. 

Sure, they were loaded with vitamins and minerals. The downside was that most of them did not contain much fiber. When you are trying to lose weight, it is actually the fiber that helps to make you feel full. This is why it is recommended you add extra fruit and vegetables to your diet when you want to lose weight. 

No, they were not natural. Many of them also listed harmful ingredients such as artificial preservatives and sweeteners. Quiet frankly, they put me off and did not really make me want to spend my hard earned cash on them. 

What About Diet Supplements? 

The assistant in the store did not give up. If I did not fancy the idea of diet shakes, how about trying diet supplements instead. 

Within seconds I found myself in front of a shelf with a bewildering array of supplements promising me to help me lose my unwanted kilos that had been hanging around for some time. 

Let me tell you, there are more weight loss supplements out there than diet shakes. All of the promise you to help you to lose weight without changing your diet. Some of them claim to speed up your metabolism while others claimed they were fat burning. 

I found myself wondering if you could actually get a pill that burned fat? The entire idea sounded rather silly to me. I was not sure, and I have to admit the other thing that put me off, was the cost. Believe me, diet supplements do not come cheap. 

Can Weight Loss Supplements Help You To Lose Weight?

Thinking about it, I really can’t see how a weight loss supplement help you to lose weight. In order to get rid of excess weight, surely what you need to do is to eat less calories and exercise. 

Many of the supplements on the shelves claimed that there was no need to do so at all. I could carry on eating my normal diet and still lose weight by popping a pill or two in the morning before breakfast. 

Celebs and Weight Loss Supplements

I had to admit the claims made by the manufacturer made me more than a little bit suspicious. But, that was not the only thing that made me wonder about the validity of the claims made by the diet supplements.

Most of the diet supplements on the shelves had one thing in common. They were promoted by celebs. Surely, no celeb would put their name to any product without being paid for it. Having had some experience of the promotional industry, I knew this not to be true. 

Celebs charge a small fortune for promoting a product. The entire concept made me wonder if the entire weight loss supplement industry is not a money-making venture instead. 

In Conclusion…

What did I decide to do? Instead of spending my money on either diet shakes and weight loss supplements, I decided I would invest in a pair of trainers instead. A good pair of quality trainers would last longer than any of the wild claims made. 

So, I left the store, went next doors and bought a pair of trainers instead. Later on that afternoon, I hit my local supermarket, invested in a couple of nice fish dishes, stocked up on fruit and vegetables and went home to my trusted exercise mat. 

Maybe diet shakes and weight loss supplements work for some, but I am certainly not sure if they are the right solution for me. There is a lot more to eating a healthy diet than losing weight and cutting calories.