Most people face a lot of struggle when they are aiming to lose weight. The task is not easy either, with you having to maintain a strict diet and follow routine exercises. The main aim here should not be to lose the maximum weight possible in a quick time but to be consistent with it. This way, you are shedding off the extra weight in a healthy manner, while your body is maintaining the balance as well. One of the key steps that you need to follow while on weight loss is to consume lots of proteins in any form.
People often think that weight loss means eating less. It is not strictly true. You do have to reduce the number of carbohydrates, and fats to an extent, but you have to take an adequate amount of protein too. It is vital to keep the body nourished and healthy. Only then you will get the weight loss results without harming the body in any other way. Protein is one of the key ingredients while you are on a weight loss routine.
One of the best ways to intake the proper amount of good quality protein in your body is through the protein shakes. This way, the protein intake in your body is maintained. As a result, you do not feel hungry or starved, even when you have reduced eating carbohydrate-containing foods. Metabolism gets a boost, while there is an increased amount of calories burnt.
Table of Contents
Weight loss shakes
The homemade protein shakes are one of the best ways to take the correct amount of protein required to maintain your body balance during weight loss. Given below are 6 of the best protein shakes that will help you to lose weight. None of these shakes is made of supplements or synthetic powders.
Peanut Butter Protein Shake
The peanut butter protein shake is entirely homemade, and it contains cream and nuts, which is delicious to eat. The fat amount is low, while the amount of fibre is high. There are no extra sugars added. This shake can be made by mixing half a cup of almond milk, one cup of yoghurt, green grapes (15 to 20), and peanut butter (1 to 2 tablespoons). The mix can be kept in a refrigerator and consumed as a chilled shake.
Chocolate and Banana Protein Shake
Even if you are on a weight loss, you can still take chocolate and bananas to make them into an excellent protein shake. The taste is yummy, and it is also a very healthy drink. This protein shake can be prepared with half a cup yoghurt, half teaspoon of cinnamon, three-fourth cup of milk, almonds (10 to 12), sliced pieces of banana, one-fourth cup of cooked quinoa, and one full teaspoon of cocoa powder. This mixture can be mixed, and your delicious protein shake is ready. Another alternative of quinoa is Amarnath seeds, and both of these are rich sources of amino acids.
Berry Protein Shake
Berries are naturally more effective as weight-loss friendly foods as they are rich in strong antioxidants. The fibre content is also equally high. For a berry shake, you can use different berries such as blackberries, gooseberries, and even strawberries to fill in your smoothie to make it delicious. You can take up to 10 berries, with half a cup of whipped cottage cheese and one spoon of chia seeds in one-fourth cup of water and honey.
Vegan Protein Shake
Milk is present in any protein shake. However, some people may be lactose intolerant, or do not prefer the taste of dairy products. Therefore, having a vegan protein shake is the best alternative you can go within such a situation. For this, you will need to mix one cup of cashew or almond milk, three-fourth cup silken tofu, one-fourth cup of cooked oats, one teaspoon of honey, and one banana. You can also add flavours such as vanilla essence. Addition of oats will give you the required fibre, and tofu is an excellent source of quality protein.
Raw Egg Protein Shake
Those who want to lose weight and develop their muscles at the same time, the raw egg protein shake is one of the best options available. As the name says, there are raw eggs used in the shake. The key is to use eggs of decent quality. You need to take one full egg and mix it with half cup milk, avocado, half teaspoon of cinnamon, one teaspoon of honey, and one banana. The mixture can be consumed right away.
Spinach Flax Protein Shake
The spinach flax protein shake can be made by mixing one cup of almond milk which is not sweetened, with half a cup of mango slices, a half-a-cup of pineapple slices, spinach leaves, one teaspoon of chia seeds and flax seeds each, along with half a banana piece. The mixture can be served in a glass and taken as regular shakes.
Consumption
The best time to take a glass of protein shake is within half an hour after your workout session. This way, the recovery of the muscles from the fatigue will occur faster. Otherwise, you can take protein shakes whenever you feel you are low in stamina.
Apart from homemade protein shakes, you can also take weight loss supplements and pills for losing weight. There are multiple supplements, drugs, and pills which can enhance the action of weight loss in the body. These supplements mainly burn the stored fat and reduce the absorption of extra fats and carbohydrates.
Weight loss supplements
Given below are twelve of the best supplements that you can take for enhancing your weight loss.
Extracts of Garcinia Cambogia
This small fruit is similar to pumpkin and is green coloured. The fruit mainly contains HCA or the Hydroxycitric Acid, which is an effective pill for diet. When this fruit extract is consumed, the serotonin level in the body increases, and it helps in reducing the appetite.
Hydroxycut
If you are looking for weight loss supplements, you are sure to have heard about Hydroxycut. There are multiple ingredients on the inside, and all of these ingredients are focused on losing weight. The constituent is plant extracts, and these help in less reduction of the carbohydrates and fats in the body, thus effectively lowering your calorie intake.
Caffeine
Caffeine is just like a drug for coffee lovers, and people take it without even realizing its importance in weight loss. Caffeine is present in dark chocolate, green tea, and mainly coffee. This drug helps in increasing metabolism, and many commercial supplements contain a high amount of caffeine.
Orlistat or Alli
Orlistat is commonly known as Alli in pharmacy stores, and it is prescribed under the name of Xenical. This is an effective pill for weight loss which helps in fat breakdown, and thus the amount of calories in the body is significantly reduced.
Raspberry Ketones
Raspberries contain the raspberry ketones, and these have a unique smell. These ketones are formulated synthetically and sold as supplements for weight loss. When taken, the fat cells are easily broken down. The hormone adiponectin, which is a direct cause of weight loss, is said to increase in an amount too.
Extracts of Green Coffee Bean
When coffee beans are not roasted, they turn to green coffee beans. These coffee beans contain chlorogenic acid in addition to caffeine, and these increase the burning of fat and slow the carbohydrate breakdown. These extracts are antioxidant-rich and act as effective weight loss supplements.
Glucomannan
Glucomannan is commonly known as Konjac, and it is a fibre of the elephant yam roots. This vegetable is mainly helpful due to its fullness. As a result, eating Konjac will keep your hunger away for a long time. The cholesterol levels also go down with consuming glucomannan, and it also helps a lot in constipation.
Meratrim
This is a new weight-reducing pill. There are mainly two extracts of plants present, and it helps in altering the fat cells metabolism process. The fat cells are effectively limited, and excess fats are used up beforehand before storing new fat cells. The levels of triglycerides, cholesterol, and blood sugar are also reported to go down while using Meratrim.
Extract of Green Tea
Extract of green tea mainly contains caffeine and EGCG, which act as fat burners. The norepinephrine activity increases with green tea extract, and this hormone is also a promoter of burning fats. The harmful belly fat can be reduced by taking green tea extracts regularly.
Conjugated Linoleic Acid or CLA
The CLA or the Conjugated Linoleic Acid is one of the leading supplements for losing fat. When taken, the body will have a reduced appetite, and the metabolism process will get boosted. The excess fat stored in the body is easily broken down, and the absorption of additional fat is reduced.
Forskolin
Forskolin is also a weight loss promoter, and this plant extract is mainly from the mint family. The levels of cAMP in the cells are increased, and the process of fat burning is accelerated. The muscle gets also developed at the same time.
Bitter Orange or Synephrine
Synephrine is one of the main components of bitter orange, which is an orange type. Synephrine is close to ephedrine, and this is a key component of many weight loss pills. Since ephedrine is now banned, synephrine does the same work without causing severe side effects.
Apart from these supplements, you can also take prescription medications such as Qsymia, Belviq, Contrave, and Phentermine.
Apart from protein shakes and supplements, weight loss can also be attained by drinking teas. Tea is one of the most commonly taken drinks in the world, and this beverage comes with multiple benefits as well. Making tea is very easy too. You just need to boil the tea leaves or the tea pouches in hot water and keep them for a while. Once the flavour gets mixed with water, the tea is ready for serving. You can take it with sugar, milk, or honey as per your preference.
Weight loss tea
As stated, one of the main benefits of having tea is losing weight. Given below are six of the best tea choices that you can have for reducing the weight.
Green Tea
The best and most popular form of tea with the best health benefit is green tea. This tea is mainly known for its weight loss capabilities, and body fat and weight are both reduced with this beverage. For regular consumers of green tea, it has been seen that they have lost a significant amount of body weight over a period. It contains strong antioxidants, and it helps in burning body fat effectively.
Puerh Tea
Puerh tea is a form of black tea found in China, and the fermented form is packed. It has a strong earthy aroma, and it helps in lowering the levels of triglycerides and blood sugar. This form of tea has an effect that suppresses obesity, and weight gain is significantly suppressed.
Black Tea
Black tea is widely known for its weight loss capabilities, and it is highly oxidized. The tea leaves which are used for making black tea are exposed to air, and this causes the leaves to turn brown. The most popular form of black tea that is available in the market includes English breakfast and Earl Grey. For people who are actively pursuing weight control, black tea is an excellent option to go with.
Oolong Tea
The form of Oolong Tea is oxidized partly, and the colour and oxidation level is somewhat between black tea and green tea. The flavour of Oolong tea is unique, and the aroma is slightly fruity and fragrant. This tea boosts the metabolism process, and the fat burning process is improved.
White Tea
The form of white tea is processed very minimally, and the harvesting is done at an early stage. The taste of the white tea is more on the sweet and delicate side. White tea helps a lot in reducing body weight and fat, and it also helps in destroying potential carcinogenic cells.
Herbal Tea
Herbal teas mainly consist of spices, fruits, and herbs. When boiled in water, the tea leaves do not secrete caffeine. Instead, these leaves are mostly of Camellia sinensis. There are many varieties, such as hibiscus tea, rosehip tea, ginger tea, and rooibos tea. The constituents of this tea accelerate the burning of fats and thus help in effective weight reduction.
Conclusion
We have seen that weight loss can be attained by taking protein shakes, pills & supplements, and some tea types. However, to make the result effective, you need to be consistent with your techniques, which include both diet control and exercises.