Water or Fat Loss?

It's Spring so it is time to be concerned about how you look in a bathing suit. This is where many busy moms are tempted to take a weight loss supplement with a bit of something to pep you. The problem with these products is that they do not help you lose your fat. They can cause you to lose water and the water less is temporary. When you drink those Chinese teas and stuff it only works for a few days.

Diet products that cause water loss and not weight loss are called diuretics. The loss is temporary and fat is never dissolved as is sometimes claimed on the package, as that is not scientifically possible. Diuretics can actually promote dangerous heart problems. As soon as the body runs dry the weight comes back as you drink to quench the thirst caused by the dieting. If your weight loss is to be meaningful at all it must include the dropping of fat as well as water.

If you are dealing with a weight loss product that makes outrageous promises such as Lose Twenty Pounds in Two Weeks or Take Ten Inches off of your waist in a week then you really need to drink a lot of water. Also if you are dieting because you are a new mom who is trying to lose the baby weight you need to be aware that this type of crash dieting can really deflate your mood and make you feel depressed and fatigued.

The products that are diuretics can be hard to identify. You must look at the ingredients. According to the FDA the ingredients in anything must be listed from what the product contains the most of to what it contains the least of. If the first listing on the box is caffeine then you are looking at diuretic.

Most magical weight loss formulas (and especially those that are marketed as Chinese or miracle weight loss teas) contain herbs that act as diuretics. This includes green tea, which sounds all healthy, but any weight loss is causes are triggered by diuretic action and loss of water. There is no such thing as 'fat burning herb' only herbs that speed up heart rate, breathing and other functions. This is not “fat burning” it is simply a way to stress the body all of the time so it wastes a lot of calories.

There are quite a few herbs that you should not take if you are a mother. They make you moody and cause weight loss only. One of these is Bochum, which causes dizziness and fatigue so you can't function.

Another one to avoid in any mixture is Kola Nut. This is a powerful diuretic that is not to be fooled around with. The side effects are excessive thirst, nervousness, anxiety, restlessness, frequent urination, and urges to go on an empty bladder, over stimulation, mania and insomnia.