Natural health with Megan Sheppard: Weight loss

Q. A few years back, you mentioned a supplement that you found very effective for weight-loss. 

You said it was almost like a ‘miracle’ cure as one loses weight so effectively when using it (together with appropriate food intake, of course).

What is the name of this supplement, and where can I buy it? I find it extremely difficult to lose weight.

A. There are certainly shelves full of so-called miracle pills for weight loss, but as you will no doubt be aware, most of these supplements and gimmicks do fall short — or worse, they result in weight gain.

The one weight loss supplement that has consistently performed well in the health world is CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid). CLA is an essential fatty acid supplement that works by reducing body fat and improving muscle tone at the same time.

When taken for a minimum of three months, CLA supplementation has been shown to reduce body fat by an average of 20%.

There are a couple of other supplements which have the scientific backing to show that they do help with weight loss, however the difficult part is sourcing a reliable product which actually contains the pure herbs in the specified doses. The top two are hoodia gordonii and African mango seed extract.

Hoodia takes five to seven years to mature and provide the appetite suppressant effect, so it is often illegally harvested. The African government has limited the amount available for export, which makes licensed supplies expensive and difficult to source.

Many unlicensed products contain little or no Hoodia gordonii and instead are loaded with stimulants.

African mango seed extract (irvingia gabonensis) works by increasing your metabolism and reducing the body’s resistance to leptin, a hormone linked to metabolic rate, body temperature maintenance, fat burning, and appetite control.

It also improves insulin sensitivity. A double-blind, placeo-controlled study of irvingia gabonensis seed extract showed an average weight loss of 10 pounds for those taking this supplement, while those taking a placebo did not lose any weight.

As you mention, there are no miracle cures that allow us to lose weight without also addressing our lifestyle choices.

A simple food combining technique of choosing either proteins with vegetables or vegetables with starchy carbohydrates and avoiding proteins and starchy carbohydrates at the same meal is surprisingly effective.

Another food combining guideline that works well is to only eat fruit on an empty stomach — first thing in the morning is easiest, and avoid combining it with dairy or cereal products.

Many people seriously restrict their calories in order to drop weight, but this tends to have the opposite effect where the body goes into starvation mode and holds on to the calories as fat for long-term energy storage.

It is important to keep your metabolism fired up — there are many online calculators to help you work out your optimal calorie/kilojoule intake based on your age, measurements etc.

Avoiding food after 7pm is probably one of the simplest ways to lose weight. People who are continually hungry in the evenings might need to increase their calorie intake during the day.

Any foods and drinks that are labelled as fat-free, sugar-free, or diet should most likely be avoided since these are typically highly-processed and full of chemicals that actually cause the body to gain weight.

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is widely available through sports and body-building suppliers, such as www.bulkpowders.ie . African mango seed extract is available from most health stores.

Pure and ethically-sourced Hoodia gordonii is a little more difficult to track down; unfortunately I am unable to recommend a reliable supplier at this point.