The last time I talked to you all about my weight, I confessed that I’d regained some pounds. Unfortunately, for the rest of 2016 things got much worse before they got better and about half of my hard work went down the drain. It’s not something I’m proud of, but after assessing some of the ways I went about losing weight the wrong way the last time and forgiving myself for the regain, at the beginning of 2017 I decided to get my ish back together.
While I wouldn’t be relying on a trainer this time — because I needed to be more accountable to myself — I did implement some of the practices my trainer taught me, one of which was the benefit of supplements. And no I don’t mean gimmicky “lose weight fast” supplements, I mean products that provide nutrients to help your body perform at its best and boost weight loss efforts that there are no substitutes for: exercise and clean eating.
Because I’d reaped such good benefits from HUM Nutrition’s Big Chill pill, I decided to explore what options the brand had for my health goals. That’s when I came across Ripped Rooster and Skinny Bird. Ripped Rooster is a thermogenic fat burner that contains 7-keto, a natural metabolite that has been shown to eliminate and reverse the decrease in metabolic rate that can happen after dieting. Because I was coming off of a year of losing 92 pounds, I wanted to give my metabolism a boost and I was well aware of the benefits of Green Tea in aiding weight loss, which this supplement also contains.
As attractive as the word skinny is in the name of the second supplement, what really excited me about this product was its promise to not just curve your appetite, but reduce stress eating. I’ve told you all more times than I care to think about how emotional eating has repeatedly been my downfall, so I was definitely game to try something created specifically with that issue in mind. Plus the pill helps boost metabolism and control blood sugar, the latter of which I’d been suspecting I had issues with because I hadn’t been eating on a regular schedule and certainly not healthy foods.
Let me tell you, the difference when I take Skinny Bird and when I don’t is palpable. As I type this, I’m slightly struggling to finish a small smoothie that I’ve been working on for nearly an hour. Monday I didn’t take the supplement and downed the same medium size smoothie and was ready or a snack within another hour. It’s unfortunate that I have a hard time remembering to take this supplement 30 minutes before breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as directed, because I’d likely see even more benefits if I did.
Nevertheless, I am 15 pounds lighter than I was when the year began and I feel 15 times better than I did in 2016, and not just because I’m smaller. In addition to the weight loss aids above, I also resumed taking Omega-3s. Fish Oil has fatty acids that help maintain brain and heart health and, being overweight and working out daily at high intensities, I didn’t want to play with the latter. I also appreciate that OMG! Omega the Great doesn’t have a fishy aftertaste.
I take these supplements in addition to a daily multivitamin, which you should take regardless of any attempt to lose weight, and B-12 to assist my energy levels. It’s a concoction that has worked wonders for me so far, but the key word with everything I said here is supplement. None of these pills is a substitute for healthy eating or hard work, they simply make the pay off for doing so that much greater.
BTW, you can follow my weight loss journey do-over more closely here.
