With the abundance of protein, meal replacements and supplements available on the market today, I have shortlisted the key items that may assist you in your goals towards weight loss and fat burning when combined with a healthy, active lifestyle.

PROTEIN Not just for guys looking to bulk up! The goal of looking slim and toned is widely aspired to by women in particular.  The key thing to remember with this is that you must develop lean muscle to achieve success.  The key point to remember is that you must develop muscle whilst keeping body fat to a minimum!  Published research highlights that dieters who increased their protein intake to 30% of their diet ate approximately 450 less calories and lost more weight than the control group.  And if, like most people that are successful in losing weight, you are exercising as well as counting calories, protein is doubly essential in making sure you lose fat and not muscle.  Protein is broken down into amino acids and it is these that your body uses to build lean muscle, which not only makes you stronger and more toned but burns more calories, even when you are at rest.  Ultimately, the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate is and less you need to worry about counting calories!

So… Which protein products are best for you when trying to lose weight?

Diet Whey –  various brands available either flavoured (Chocolate, Strawberry, Banana etc) or if like me your not keen on flavours you can shop around for an unflavoured product and mix with anything you like!

Protein Bars – available in forms such as flapjack, these have high levels of protein.  You can purchase meal replacement or snack bars to suit your needs.

THERMOGENICS, The function of Thermogenics is to stimulate the metabolism by increasing the production of heat within your body which in turn increases calorie expenditure. Thermogenics are viewed as the strongest fat burners available on the market today! Thermogenics are available in capsules and tablets as well as flavoured and unflavoured powder.

CLA or, Congugated Linoleic Acid is a modified form of the Omega-6 essential fatty acid Linoleic Acid. CLA is normally used for fat loss and research on typically overweight subjects shows that CLA can improve body composition by reducing body-fat levels.  In short,  what CLA does is break up and bind with the fat in your body so that it can be flushed out. CLA is available in capsules, softgels and flavoured and unflavoured powders.

GREEN TEA is a nutritional aid widely available on the highstreet that is thought to assist in weight loss. To simplify, Green Tea contains something scientifically known as Catechins.  These are known to help elevate norepinephrine ( the fat burning hormone) levels, keep them elevatated and prolong thermogenesis.  It has also recognised that the caffeine and the catechins in green tea enhance the bodys use of calories as energy and boost your resting metabolic rate!

To conclude, when we are oblivious to the benefits of nutritional supplements available on the market, it is easy to disregard them as unnecessary, when in fact, if you have hit a rut in your path towards your goals of a slimmer, trimmer body, they could be just the boost you need!  It worth a thought at the very least!