Everybody has heard of fat
burners, those magic pills that just melt away all that nasty fat blocking the beauty
of your six pack, those malignant love handles and that evil cellulite hanging
on your thighs like parasites! The truth is not that dramatic I’m afraid, fat
burners are supplements after all and like all supplements they are meant to
assist or boost your main fat burning efforts not become it. No fat burner, no
matter what its advertisers claim can replace the time trusted methods of
healthy nutrition, portion control and heavy work in the gym, get that straight
right at the beginning.
However, fat burners can and do play
a role as part your health and fitness plan, when you KNOW that you are eating
right, watching your portion size and exercising to the best of your ability
and the pounds are still not coming off as they should , then and only then in
my opinion should you reach for those pills. Do fat burners work? In my
experience, if you get the right ones, yes. Should you always use them, no!
Today, I will be taking a look at
fat burners, what they are, what they do, how and why they work, what’s in them
etc. so that you can make an informed choice on if fat burners can help you
reach your health and fitness goals.
Thanks, and do have a wonderful
weekend!
WHAT IS A FAT BURNER?
A fat burner is basically a nutritional
supplement that helps you body to greatly increase fat metabolism or increase
energy expenditure, impair fat absorption, increase weight loss, increase fat
oxidation during exercise, I could go on and on in defining them but I know you
get the picture by now. That’s a lot of work for just a little pill, right? So let’s
delve a little deeper into the workings of your average fat burner.
HOW DOES A FAT BURNER WORK?
The key ingredients in fat
burners work by stimulating hormonal reactions in your body so that it begins
to break down fat and use it as a fuel source as opposed to only using sugar
from your blood. The main ingredient in most ft burners is caffeine *(take note
if you are caffeine sensitive), this
helps you lose weight by increasing your metabolism and helping the body use
fat for fuel, it also helps provide energy for exercise and other calorie
burning activities. Caffeine increases the breakdown of fatty acids in the body
in the adipose tissue i.e. belly fat. Once the adipose tissue breaks down, they
enter the blood stream and can be burnt up as energy by the body.
DO FAT BURNERS WORK?
Yes they do, but no and I repeat
no fat burner can fix a broken diet. You cannot stuff your face with junk
calories in large amounts and expect the fat burner to do its magic, it’s a lie,
it will never happen, period! Some people believe that using a fat burner
should help them lose 10kg in 2 weeks! Sorry but it doesn’t work that way, you
need to set realistic expectations for your weight loss. A safe rate of fat
loss is probably 1 to 2 kg per week, you can even push this rate up to 3kg per
week but it isn’t really sustainable, your body will protest at all that
exertion or starvation, and fat loss will slow down.
You can set your weight loss
goals from week to week, and month to month but never day to day, this is to
avoid disappointment.
FOR BETTER RESULTS, CYCLE!:
No, not on a bike! To get better
results from fat burners, its best to cycle them i.e. have a rest period. It is
not advisable to take fat burner in perpetuity, no matter how good they are,
your body will get used to them at some point and they stop having that
stimulating effect. I advice that you do
take fat burners for a 4 to 6 week cycle , and cycle off(rest) from them for
the same period, this is to ensure that your body does not get too used to them
and develop resistance to it. Once your body gets used to them you will not get
the same rate of fat oxidation as before, by stopping every now and then, you
ensure that it still activates your body to burn fat.
DOSAGE:
Here’s a tip, start at the lowest
recommended dosage from the manufacturer and keep taking only the lowest
recommended dosage for at least the first week or ten days, so that your body
gradually gets used to it (remember the caffeine sensitivity?) I can tell you
many horror stories, some personal about sleepless nights due to taking too
many pills at the beginning, with fat burners, more does not always equate to
greater fat loss!
MAKE MUSCLES YOUR PRIORITY:
Most people equate fat loss with
cardio, and once they are on a fat burner cycle, the next step is well, the
cycle! This is a mistake, if you want to get more out of a fat burner,
concentrate your exercise efforts on a weight training regime, lifting weights
will help activate your metabolism more than running or aerobics and will help
protect your muscles from loss while you drop weight.
ARE FAT BURNERS SAFE?
The short and quick answer is
yes, however like all supplements you have to make sure it is safe for you. I have
mentioned caffeine sensitivity twice already in this article as a possible
drawback of fat burners. A second thing to look for is your current health
condition, if you suffer from any issues with your heart, blood pressure or
anxiety, then make sure you speak to a doctor first and make sure you are
conversant with all the ingredients in your fat burner of choice, this is to
avoid consuming anything that you are allergic to. If you have no underlying
health challenges then I think you are safe to go, but remember to adhere strictly
to dosage recommendations.
WHAT IS IN THE BEST FAT BURNERS?
There are two kinds of fat
burners, those with stimulants and stimulant free fat burners. Most, but not
all thermogenic fat burners contain stimulants, with caffeine being the most
prominent stimulant; caffeinated fat burners are good for people who find it
difficult to summon the energy for a heavy weight training or cardio session. Caffeine
is also a potent appetite suppressant for those of us who find it hard to
control our cravings while on a restricted calorie meal plan. Other ingredients
to look out for include Green tea, L
Carnitine, CLA, Yohimbine and Garcinia. This is by no means all the
ingredients in fat burners, but more is not always better, these are the key
ones, the rest being just mainly fillers to make the product look high tech and
to justify exorbitant pricing! Note, if a product does not list its main
ingredients and their quantities and hides under this technical term *”Proprietary Blend”, don’t buy it!
There you have it, a quick guide
to fat burners. If you have been struggling with fat loss in spite of taking
care of your nutrition and exercise then this guide will help you make an
informed choice on whether you need to take fat burning supplements or not. I have
purposely not endorsed any particular brand of fat burner, that choice is for
you to make, I just hope that I have given you the tools to a make a safe and
informed choice in your journey to fitness.
Thanks, and do have a wonderful
weekend!
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