Maintaining a healthy weight requires constant work. Keeping up with healthy eating habits and staying active are a must when it comes to keeping the pounds off. But despite our best efforts, it can be hard to hit – and maintain – our target weight. Sometimes a little extra support is called for to get the scale right where we want it.

Although these supplements won’t replace proper diet or exercise, they can help your weight management journey – giving you an edge when it comes to resisting cravings, revving up your body’s metabolism, and balancing your gut’s friendly bacteria. Here are Thorne’s top six formulas for helping to maintain the waistline we all want.

1. Chromium Picolinate 

Chromium might not share the big-name recognition of minerals like iron or calcium, but this essential mineral has much to offer. 

“Chromium is one of those essential nutrients that people tend to overlook,” Thorne’s Senior Vice President of Medical Strategies, Dr. Laura Kunces, PhD, RD, shared. “It is essential to the process of bringing glucose from your bloodstream into the cells, so it helps maintain blood sugar levels by supporting insulin’s role in the body.”*

The bad news, thanks to our modern food supply, is that refined flours and sugars are significantly depleted of chromium, making it harder to get the ideal amount. In addition, metabolic stress, strenuous exercise, and pregnancy can increase chromium needs. Like other nutrient deficiencies, a lack of chromium can manifest as sugar cravings (Read: Why Am I Craving Sweets?). 

Making sure you get enough chromium through a high-quality supplement, such as Thorne’s Chromium Picolinate, can help maintain healthy blood sugar levels while also helping lessen carbohydrate cravings.*

2. FloraMend Prime Probiotic

Inside each person’s gut, a personal galaxy can be found – one teeming with trillions of bacteria and other microbes that help your body break down and absorb the nutrients in the food we eat. 

However, keeping these gut bacteria balanced goes far beyond promoting healthy digestion. The friendly bacteria also regulate skin health, our mood, immune function, and our body’s metabolism (a super important part for managing one’s weight).* This means adding a high-quality prebiotic, with the proper friendly bacteria, will help give one’s metabolism a much-needed kick. 

“Thorne’s FloraMend Prime contains Bifidobacterium longum, a bacteria strain that isn’t commonly found (or at least not in high abundance) in the adult GI tract,” Dr. Kunces says. “This bacteria has been shown to have many beneficial actions in metabolism, including breaking down carbohydrates for energy usage.”

In fact, clinical studies show that the ingredients in FloraMend had a nearly 5-percent average reduction in visceral and subcutaneous body fat with correlating positive effects on body weight, waist circumference, and BMI1 – making it an ideal choice for individuals wanting to improve weight management, waist circumference, or body mass index.* 

3. Green Tea Phytosome

A cup of green tea can do more than help you power through an afternoon slump. Green tea is full of important antioxidants that help keep your body healthy.* Studies also show that green tea displays both thermogenic (fat burning) and fat oxidation properties in the body.2*

To get the amount of green tea to achieve health benefits, many turn to green tea extracts, such as Thorne’s Green Tea Phytosome, which offers the polyphenols found in green tea in an optimally absorbed form. 

“Green Tea Phytosome is great for individuals who don’t consume or can’t tolerate caffeine because it provides many of the same benefits but without caffeine,” Dr. Kunces says. “However, this supplement, like others, doesn’t work on its own – the studies show its benefits are compounded when it’s paired with the right diet and exercise routine geared for weight loss.”

4. MediBolic 

As the foundation of Thorne’s Weight Management protocol, MediBolic is an ideal choice for individuals looking for an all-in-one healthy shake solution. This rice and pea protein-based nutritional supplement contains a complete multi-vitamin/mineral complex, plus additional unique botanicals and nutrients for weight and metabolic support.*

“It’s great tasting and can be used when you’re on the go or too busy to stop and make a big meal,” Dr. Kunces says. “The cinnamon flavoring is purposeful – because cinnamon is also a nutrient that helps stabilize blood sugar. It’s loaded with vitamins and minerals, fiber as partially hydrolyzed guar gum for satiety (and the bonus is the fiber is also good for gut health), and a smooth blend of pea and rice protein that provides the essential amino acids to your diet.”

5. Metabolic Health

As the newest formula in Thorne’s healthy weight portfolio, Metabolic Health features the first-ever use of bergamot extract in a Thorne formula. This unique extract comes from the Citrus bergamia plant that grows throughout the Mediterranean region. You might know bergamot from Earl Gray Tea, where it gives the tea its distinctive taste and aroma. When combined with curcumin phytosome, Metabolic Health’s ingredients work together to balance the inflammatory responses and hormones that can sabotage a weight management program.*

“This is one I recommend for a person who is keeping an eye on their blood sugar and their lipid profile – like total cholesterol, LDL (the bad), and HDL (the good) levels,” Dr. Kunces says. “Instead of taking 2-3 supplements to get these nutrients, this product is all-in-one.” 

6. Craving and Stress Support

Unchecked stress can sabotage our efforts to lose weight. You know how it goes – for days on end you are killing it keeping up with a healthy diet and exercise, but then a bad day comes along and a cheat day feels justified. Turning to food as a source of comfort, especially during times of high stress or anxiety, is a common reason many of our weight loss goals either fail or don’t stick. 

The ingredients in Craving and Stress Support‡ can help. 

“The bark extracts in Craving and Stress Support‡ have been shown to help curb food cravings in stressed individuals,” says Dr. Kunces. “However, it won't happen overnight. Making changes to your weight up or down takes time and effort – so use in combination with a stress management routine and it will help you rebalance stress levels, support the blood levels that affect weight, and see how you feel in 2-3 months.”

Get a better understanding of your body’s metabolism

Having trouble reaching your weight goal or making it stick? Tip the scales in your favor with some extra support and insight from Thorne’s Weight Management Test.

“If you don’t know where to begin, then this is the place to start. Some individuals need to focus on blood sugar management, some their cholesterol level, and others their stress or inflammation levels. Without knowing your values, it’s hard to pick a plan,” Dr. Kunces says. 

Thorne’s Weight Management Test works by measuring both your blood and your saliva for different hormones and biomarkers. The best part? It can be done at home! Simply order online, take your samples, and send them back to the lab. After analyzing your results, you receive a customized plan for what to eat, exercising, and the best supplements to help you reach your weight goal. 

“Testing also provides a baseline, so you have something to compare to after you follow your personalized plan for a few months,” Dr. Kunces says. “And many of these biomarkers are ones your doctor doesn’t regularly check or be able to give you such an in-depth review. The biomarkers in this test are easy to collect, provide an accurate picture of metabolic health, and all can be influenced when you start a new diet, exercise, and supplement routine.”

Get started on your healthy weight journey by learning more about our Weight Management Test here.

References 

  1. Kadooka Y, Sato M, Imaizumi K, et al. Regulation of abdominal adiposity by probiotics (Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055) in adults with obese tendencies in a randomized controlled trial. Eur J Clin Nutr 2010;64(6):636-643.
  2. Dulloo A, Duret C, et al. Efficacy of a green tea extract rich in catechin polyphenols and caffeine in increasing 24-hour energy expenditure and fat oxidation in humans. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1999;70(6):1040-1045. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/70.6.1040