If you’re overweight, losing those extra pounds can help you feel and look better, but at what cost? Sometimes in depriving ourselves of extra calories, we can also deplete ourselves of the nutrients we need to maintain vital and active lives.

Since we generally lose weight for our health (those size 6 jeans are just an extra bonus!) why jeopardize your health by not giving your body what it needs to support itself? It’s a case of the best intentions—we cut back our food intake to ensure a healthy weight, but in doing so we cut out some of the foods which provide essential nutrients and ensure our health.

A big trend for weight loss has been the low carbohydrate diet. Popular diets such as The Atkins Diet or Carbohydrate Addicts Diet target lowering carbohydrates—such as breads, pastas and cereal—as the key to reaching a healthy weight. Carbohydrates, however, are a staple of a healthy diet and help provide the brain and our body with energy. Whole grain carbs pack the most punch in terms of nutrition, and provide B vitamins, some vitamin E, and other trace minerals such as magnesium and selenium. Severely restricting these foods can lead to low energy and inadequate intakes of some essential vitamins and minerals. Therefore, it is recommended that if you are on a carbohydrate restricting diet, you should take a daily multivitamin supplement for your age and gender, as well as an additional B-complex vitamin and an antioxidant supplement, which contains vitamins C and E.

Also, a low intake of fiber from restriction of grain and wheat products can lead to constipation, and over the long term can contribute to digestive or intestinal problems. Furthermore, depriving ourselves of carbohydrate rich foods can lead to cravings for foods that are high in sugar and fat. The high protein content of these low carbohydrate diets can potentially tax the kidneys, especially if not consuming enough fluids.

While there is no magical weight loss pill, you can consider some supplements to combine with a healthy, calorie-controlled diet and regular exercise, andhelp promote a healthy body weight.. Green tea extract may have a slight effect on calorie burn and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has been shown in studies to help enhance fat loss, however, more research is needed. These supplements may be considered as part of a total approach to maintaining a healthy weight.

As always, moderation is the key. Keep your eyes on the prize instead of the scale, try to eat a variety of healthful foods, and be sure to get some exercise on a daily basis. You can use the Nutrition Tracker within the Wellness Advisor Tools to calculate the calories and nutritional value of what you eat, and to keep a record as you work towards better health!