Sometimes the scale really does lie. Well sort of. With the addition of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) to your diet, it’s possible to lose body fat but not register on the scale. Meanwhile, your clothes are fitting looser. What’s up? It’s because people taking CLA may gain some muscle to make up for fat loss. Not a bad tradeoff considering muscle takes up less space than fat so you look and feel leaner even if your scale hasn’t budged.
CLA is found in small quantities in dairy and meat. It helps with body composition by reducing fat and preserving muscle. According to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition, subjects taking 3.4 grams of CLA a day lost an average of 6 pounds of body fat.
Scientists have found that CLA helps lower the amount of fat stored after a meal and allows the body to use fat more efficiently. CLA also activates other enzymes that promote fat burning.
Studies Spotlight the Real Story
CLA has been the subject of many other research studies in the past several years, too. Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison showed that when a group of 71 dieters stopped dieting and gained weight back, those taking CLA were more likely to gain muscle rather than fat. Since muscle mass is more compact, those dieters still looked leaner (read: the jeans still zipped).
Yet another study by researchers in Norway showed that CLA helped overweight men and women lose up to 9 percent of their body fat. The same researchers showed CLA also helped subjects maintain the weight loss a year later.
In addition to fat loss, another study from Purdue University showed CLA improved insulin levels in about two-thirds of diabetic patients, and moderately reduced blood glucose and triglycerides levels.
Other benefits found in the many studies on CLA include:
- • Increases metabolic rate. This is your body’s furnace. More muscle yields a faster metabolism and that means less fat is stored after eating.
- • Decreases abdominal fat. This fat is the worst kind as it can signal metabolic syndrome, which often leads to diabetes.
- • Enhances muscle growth. This is a win-win since muscle burns fat and increases metabolism at the same time. Muscle growth also gives the body shape.
- • Lowers insulin resistance. This makes it easier to control weight, and can help prevent diabetes.
How to Get Enough CLA
CLA can be found in some supplements, including Reliv’s ProVantage® performance enhancer and Slimplicity® meal replacement shakes (under the brand name Tonalin®). By having a Slimplicity shake for lunch each day, you get a host of weight-loss ingredients — including CLA — working to boost metabolism, block and burn fat, and maintain weight loss. Combined with a healthy eating plan and exercise, the complete Slimplicity weight loss system is an easy way to get all the body-shaping benefits you’ve been looking for.