[For general health, visit my page on health supplements.]

I am not a fan of most weight loss solutions today, because most work by one of two methods: they suppress appetite (starvation, which is never a long-term solution and just messes up the metabolism), or they work by speeding up metabolism.

The problem with the latter option is that speeding up a broken machine doesn't address the underlying problem. And speeding up metabolism can accelerate the aging process.

The underlying problem, all too often, is that the body has stopped burning FAT efficiently. And the only other option is to burn healthy, lean body mass, which you don't want to do. The ideal is to retrain the body on burning fat.

Having said that, most people also have to establish new eating habits that REMOVE packaged, processed, fake foods and replace those with natural foods as much as possible. I do NOT believe in eating a low-fat diet. I believe in eating a HEALTHY-fat diet. Adequate healthy fat is necessary to burning fat.

So the solutions below offer options besides just speeding up metabolism or starving you. I've written the pros and cons, as far as my research has shown me, so that you can make educated decisions for yourself.

Leptin Weight Loss
Max WLX is my favorite weight loss product, as it helps to re-establish leptin signaling with the brain. Leptin is a hormone created by fat and that talks to the brain; it tells it when the body has adequate fat and should be burning it. However, when we put on too much fat, the body creates too much leptin and the message is lost in the midst of "shouting." The brain thinks the body doesn't have enough fat when it actually has too much. So it tells the body to keep storing more.

By lowering leptin levels in the blood -- which can be proven through simple blood tests -- this products re-establishes proper communication, and the body begins burning fat.

My ONLY caution on this is that leptin is a master hormone; women with serious, known hormonal problems will want to be very careful when starting on this, to assess whether the "balancing" act will create issues for them. As with any supplement, I recommend everyone start slowly to see how they, as individuals, respond. I have seen amazing results with this product though, and highly recommend it. At $69/month, it's a bargain compared to many weight loss options, and it's one of the few healthy options available.

Crystal Thin Diet Crystals

If you've heard of Sensa (currently a VERY popular

weight loss product with purportedly massive results), then you basically know what this is. You sprinkle a bit on your food. It's not supposed to change the flavor, but it affects your sense of smell, sends signals to the brain, and more quickly alerts it to the fact that you're full.

The great thing is that Crystal Thin Diet Crystals were formulated by the same fellow who worked with the man behind Sensa. The Crystal Thin creator, though, was the actual formulator, so he's improved on Sensa, and through TamPogo, it's far cheaper.

($26.95/bottle = about a one-month supply. Purchase 2 in a package for $49.95 -- this is ideal, as you want to choose one "salt" flavor and one "sweet" flavor to go with different foods. You shouldn't taste them, but this is how they're designed to be used.)

Again, we're dealing with brain signals, which I like. But I don't know that this gets your body to more effectively burn fat (which is why Max WLX is my first choice). So while this can work for anyone, I believe it needs to go hand-in-hand with making better food choices. (See below for some help on avoiding sweets.)

Appetite Down
One of the very big tricks in re-establishing good eating habits is the fact that most of us are completely addicted to sugar. While I do NOT believe in products that suppress appetite, I like the idea of products that trick the brain into not liking or recognizing sugar.

Appetite Down has a natural ingredient called gymnema sylvestre, which blocks sweetness receptors on the tongue for up to two hours. So if you eat something sugary out of habit, it just won't hold much appeal.

If this can be used short-term to get you eating healthy foods and establishing that as a new pattern for long-term health, then I think it's a worthwhile trick.

Admittedly, I think it's ridiculous that these lemon-lime lozenges contain sugar and corn syrup. But again, I only recommend this as a short-term solution to point you back toward natural, non-sweet foods. Just $27.95 for a box of 80 lozenges at TamPogo.