Fat Burners For Weight Loss: Powerful Weapons That Can Help You Win The War Against Fat

More than half of the adult population of the United States is overweight. One third qualify as obese. Given these statistics and the mounting evidence linking excess weight to a number of health problems, it is not surprising that many of us have declared war on our fat and are engaged in a fierce battle with our extra pounds. And thanks to America’s irrepressible entrepreneurial spirit, several companies have jumped into the fray with new products designed to melt our unwanted fat into oblivion. The good news is that many of these fat burning supplements actually work. But before you start using any of them, there are a few things you should know.

First, don’t expect miracles. No matter what the ads say, no supplement will burn fat while you sleep. In fact, taking most of them at bedtime will keep you up all night. And drive out of your head any thoughts that a pill will restore you to your once elegant self. Fat burners can help you lose weight, but you still have to do the work. Be reasonable. Even if it were possible to lose weight without making any changes to your lifestyle or eating habits, how long do you think you will not gain the weight back once you stop taking the pills? And that brings us to your second reality check: You can’t take most of these supplements indefinitely. The ingredients in some of them can be unhealthy if used for too long.

know your enemy

Weight gain can occur for a variety of reasons. So before taking a fat burning supplement, there are a number of things you will want to do. Have your thyroid function checked. An underactive thyroid gland can make it impossible for you to lose weight. Make sure you get enough sleep. Recent evidence suggests that inadequate sleep can make your body insulin resistant. In simple language, that means that you will have a tendency to gain weight and find it difficult to take it off. Eat regular meals. Skipping breakfast or lunch is a surefire way to slow down your metabolism and slow your body’s fat-burning potential to a crawl. Limit your intake of starchy carbohydrates and simple sugars. If you continue to consume these easily accessible sources of energy, your body will never be able to burn its energy stores, the fat you want to lose. Lastly, get enough exercise. According to experts, the absolute minimum amount required to lose weight is 3 50-minute sessions of cardiovascular exercise per week. Don’t bother doing 30 minutes. It is the last 20 that produce the results. If, after making these adjustments, you still can’t lose weight, a fat burner may be just what you need.

Thermogenics to the rescue

Many overweight people have a slow metabolism. Their bodies have a tendency to store food as fat before it can be burned for fuel. Thermogenic (heat generating) agents speed up the body’s metabolic rate and increase its energy expenditure. The result is an increased need for stored energy, which can translate into significant weight loss. But be warned, they are not for everyone. For a variety of reasons too numerous to mention here, people with diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmia, prostate enlargement, thyroid disease, glaucoma, and those taking antidepressant medications should not use them.

Ephedrine – Caffeine – Aspirin Stack

This is the heart and soul of most, but not all thermogenic products. Ephedrine is a stimulator of beta receptors in brown adipose tissue (BAT), which is a fancy way of saying it burns fat. The combination of caffeine and ephedrine produces twice the thermogenic effect of ephedrine alone. In one study, overweight women who took ephedrine and caffeine lost 100% more fat and 72% less muscle mass than those who took a placebo. In another study in which patients did not go on a diet, the combination of ephedrine and caffeine plus aspirin caused three times greater weight loss than placebo. Caffeine and aspirin appear to modulate activities in the body that would otherwise inhibit the thermogenic activity of ephedrine. This combination produces one more benefit: appetite suppression. During the first week or two there is a significant reduction in appetite. By the time this effect wears off, thermogenic activity has kicked in and one should be able to eat a reasonable amount of food and continue to lose weight.

Security First

I tell my clients to start with small doses and gradually increase them over a few weeks. Also, I suggest limiting their use to 5 days a week, with weekends off, and discontinuing them for 3 weeks every 3 months. This gives the central nervous and endocrine systems a chance to re-establish homeostasis on a regular basis, reducing the chance of becoming dependent on stimulant agents. If you notice nervousness, irritability, insomnia or nausea reduce or stop using them.

In my opinion, ephedrine should be limited to a maximum of 25mg per dose, caffeine to 100mg, and aspirin to 82mg, with breakfast and lunch. Read labels carefully. Ephedrine may be listed as ephedra or ma huang. Caffeine can be presented as cola nut, mate or guarana. Aspirin can come in its natural form, white willow bark.

more ammunition

The combination of ephedrine and caffeine can make some people nervous. Fortunately, some manufacturers of fat burners have come up with effective formulas that avoid the use of stimulants. The best will contain one or more of the following ingredients:

– Pyruvate – 2-5 grams daily can significantly increase fat loss. Pyruvate also improves exercise resistance and sports performance. It seems safe even in high doses.

– Chromium Picolinate: Involved in glucose metabolism, 200-400 mcg helps regulate blood sugar and converts fat to muscle.

– Carnitine: transports fat to the mitochondria, the metabolic furnace of cells, where it can be burned as fuel. Optimal doses range from 1,000 to 4,000 mg per day. The tartrate form is preferable. A diet low in carbohydrates and high in omega-3 fatty acids improves carnitine performance.

– Garcinia Cambogia – Also known as hydroxycitric acid (HCA), it has been shown in laboratory studies to reduce the conversion of dietary carbohydrates to fat by inhibiting certain enzymatic processes. It can also suppress your appetite. 500-2000mg of the extract will produce maximum benefits.

Sam Rose, CN MS is a licensed and certified nutritionist and owner of Rose Nutrition Center in West Los Angeles. You can reach him at [email protected] or 310-473-8835.

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