Frustrated dieters are constantly looking for an easy solution to weight loss. I recently had a friend ask me about a particular weight reduction supplement she was thinking about taking. She wanted my honest opinion as to whether it would help her lose the 70 pounds she put on during pregnancy. I explained to her that while a natural weight reduction supplement can definitely help you lose unwanted fat dramatically there are other factors that need to be in place if she wanted to lose weight permanently. I also explained to her that she needed to understand what "natural" meant when it comes to dietary supplements. Here are a few tips I gave her in addition to her taking a natural weight loss supplement.

Read the Label

Over-the-counter dietary supplements contain all kinds of harmful ingredients. The ingredients can sometimes be difficult for the layman to understand. That's why it's crucial to look for natural ingredients in a weight reduction supplement. If you can read and pronounce the ingredient, chances are the ingredients are "natural."

You Are What You Eat

Contrary to popular belief, no natural supplement for weight reduction will aid in your weight loss efforts if you do not watch what you eat - period. There's no getting around this one. You are what you eat. So if you eat fat, you will be fat. If you eat bacon, you will be a pig. On the other hand, if you eat healthy, high fibrous foods, you will be healthy and thin. Now, some people, despite their eating right, still can't seem to lose weight. I then would recommend adding two other items to your diet - a natural weight loss supplement and exercise.

Adding a Natural Weight Loss Supplement

Remember I talked about reading labels? Well, if you can't pronounce the ingredient, you should probably steer clear from it. One of the most important things in looking for a natural supplement to lose weight is looking at the first four ingredients. The first four ingredients of a product will let you know that those ingredients are highest in concentration. What kind of natural ingredients should you look for?

Types of Natural Ingredients in Weight Loss Supplements

I would look for green tea extract. Green tea speeds up your metabolism and burns more fats than carbohydrates. I would also look for an ingredient like Hoodia. Hoodia is a natural appetite suppressant and comes from a cactus plant in the Kalahari Desert. I would also look for Glucomannan. Okay, so maybe you can't pronounce this word, but it's still a natural ingredient.

Glucomannan is a natural ingredient that slows down the absorption of carbs and suppresses appetite. It is extracted from the Konjac plant. Plant based diets and derivatives (that are packed with fiber) can assist in losing weight by making the body "feel full" sooner.

These are just a few natural ingredients you should look for in a natural weight loss supplement. Now a word about exercise.

Exercise

No weight loss regimen would be complete without exercise. Exercise doesn't have to necessarily mean lifting weights and running 1,000 miles. But if you want to increase your metabolism, a good 30 minutes of brisk walking around the block or walking on a treadmill will skyrocket your metabolism. So in addition to adding a natural weight loss supplement to your diet, following these guidelines will help you dramatically in your weight reducing efforts.