Fat Burners – How To Turn Your Body Into A Metabolic Monster
Sep 03 '03
The Bottom Line Want to blast the fat away? To do it effectively, you'll need to hit the books and enter the sometimes-deceptive world of sport supplements.
If you want to be a millionaire in less than a year, inventing a weight loss or fat burning product is definitely the way to go. Every year hundreds of thousands of people embark on a quest to lose weight, some do it to look better, others because their health is in danger. The phrase “morbidly obese” is tossed around more and more these days and personally, I find it a rather insulting term. To be diagnosed as morbidly obese you have to be at least 100 pounds over weight according to clinical standards [that are completely outdated] or a BMI [body mass index] of 40 or higher. Looking at my personal assessment [female, 5’ 11”, 207#, 11 % body fat] I am considered slightly obese [if I was an inch shorter, I’d be morbidly obese]. Ideally I should weigh anywhere from 140 – 171 pounds. What these charts don’t take into consideration is that I have an athletic build, weight train and have a lot of muscle on my frame. This is why the charts should be tossed out the window, burned, destroyed etc. – they do nothing but make a bad situation worse. So, as I was saying … if you want to be a millionaire in less than a year – create a fat burning product, advertise it and people will buy it regardless of whether or not it works. Everyone is looking for a miracle drug that will melt away the fat, I hate to burst your bubble but there is no such product. Anything that will reduce your weight probably contains a diuretic and any drop in pounds will be water loss.
Before You Buy Anything …..
It’s a good idea to visit your doctor and get a physical exam before starting any type of exercise or weight loss program. After that you’ll want to have you body fat percentage calculated to see how much actual fat you are carrying around. You can purchase fat calipers from places like GNC or online vendors with the usually cost for a good one being about $25.00. If you are shy or body conscious, you can have a friend or family member take the readings rather than having someone at a gym do it. Most gyms offer free body fat checks and in most cases it’s about ten minutes from start to finish. Getting an accurate reading of your body fat is the best way to gauge your progress, relying on a scale is pointless since [this is the golden rule] muscle weighs more than fat.
There are several things to keep in mind when shopping for fat burning and weight loss products. I’ve yet to see an over the counter fat burning product whose claims have been evaluate by the FDA [Food & Drug Administration]. In most cases you’ll a small note on the bottle or container that says “these claims have not been evaluated by the FDA”. So who is regulating these products? No one. You can literally formulate a supplement, test it out on yourself and a few friends, use the “results” as product claims and market it. That’s why I say it over and over in my reviews of weight loss and fat burning products – read the label, know what you are taking and never exceed the recommended dosage. When checking out products, visit the manufactures sites to see if they offer free samples. You can try the products out for a few days [most samples are 4 capsules or tablets] to see if you have any side effects or if it worth the suggested retail price. If you can’t come across any samples, look for the smallest sized bottle that’s available. You’ll be paying a little more per dose than if you purchased the larger size but if it doesn’t work or you don’t like it – you’ve saved yourself some cash. When purchasing, be sure to check the expiration date and that the safety seals are all intact. Most come with a shrink-wrap around the neck of the bottle as well as in inner seal. Blister packs should have a smooth surface to them with no bubbles or puckers. If you are the least but concerned or think that something you’ve purchased has been tampered with, return it to the store for a refund, if they refuse then contact their corporate headquarters – even the threat of doing so is usually enough to prompt them to do an even exchange.
Weeding Through The Products
There’s no possible way to calculate the number of weight loss and fat burning products that are on the market. Every week there are new claims made about the same old thing – the ECA stack - Ephedrine, Caffeine and Aspirin. This is one of the most common combinations in fat burners as well as the ones that claim they’ll give you extra energy. In order to be a smart consumer you’ll need to brush up on your terminology. Sometimes it doesn’t say “contains ephedrine, caffeine and aspirin” on the label – you have to deal with the herbal and natural forms of these ingredients as well as pseudonyms they are known by. With the heated debates over products that contain ephedrine and ephedra by-products, people are brainwashed into thinking that anything that contains these supplements is dangerous and deadly. Just like a loaded gun sitting on a table – it’s harmless until a complete moron picks it up and starts playing around with it.
There are several different routes that can be taken when picking out a fat burner. You can go straight for the hard core ones that contain ephedra based products like Stacker 2 and Stacker 3 or go for something that is "natural". Another popular misconception about the term "natural" is this – you hear the word and assume that it is safe since it isn’t a synthetic. Again, I hate to burst people’s bubbles but a majority of the stimulants, like ephedrine, are derived from plants, herbs or shrubs. Just because the package says that it is “all natural” doesn’t mean that you can pop them like candy and not expect side effects. A good example of this is Dexatrim Natural Dietary Supplement & Diet Plan [Ephedrine Free Formula] When you read that what does it say – ‘natural’. This is where reading the label comes into play. Some of the ingredients you should familiarize yourself with - ginseng extract, green tea leaf, caffeine, guarana seed extract, kola nut extract. All these ‘natural’ herbs, extracts and seeds contain caffeine. One dose [one caplet] contains 80 milligrams of caffeine.
A manufacturers reputation, as well as their product line, is always a good indication of how well their claim stack up to their products. If Company XYZ put out a product called “Flab Buster” and said that it would melt away the fat if you took it three times a day and people purchased it, used it and it didn’t work – you can bet that they’d complain about it and the product would sit on the shelves. But on the same token, you have to take what you read, both positive and negative, about a company with a grain of salt. Cytodyne, NVE and Muscle Tech have all come under fire for their fat burning formulations and products. Your best bet is to ignore what you read in fitness magazines, see on the television and see in stores. Talk to people who have used products and have no vested interest in whether you make a purchase or not. Doctors, as much as I hate to say it, are pretty much clueless about fat burners and weight loss supplements. To them eating a 1,500 calorie a day diet is their idea of a solid weight loss program. That primitive, ancient and archaic mentality went out fifteen years ago and I guess they never got the memo. These days they are pushing the bariatric surgeries more than stressing a healthy eating plan, exercise and education.
Fat Burners
There are several ways that “fat burners” work but first, the basics. Once a fat cell is created it’s there for life unless you have it surgically removed. All you can do is manipulate it – essentially squeezing the contents from it and reducing the overall size. Boosting a person’s metabolism with supplements and a generous meal plan is the best way to go and will have the best results over an extended period of time. As I have said in the past, you didn’t get fat in a day, so don’t expect to lose the weight in a day. Eating small meals often will keep your metabolism working almost non-stop. Some fat burners have appetite suppressants in them; this can be a good thing but at the same time a bad thing. Your body needs fuel and usually that comes from food, when you cut down the amount of food you are ingesting, your body starts seeking out other avenues for energy. It’s either going to start eating muscle [catabolic effect] or turn to fat. Basically muscle tissue is at the bottom of your body’s food chain, when you reduce the amount of food you are eating an alarm goes off and your body starts to slow its metabolism as a defense mechanism. Fat burners help to slow the alarm from sounding but your body will catch on quick and start to tap muscle for energy.
Almost every fat burning supplement will give you an energy boost and I’d be extremely leery of any product that claims to burn fat “while you sleep”. To be effective you need motion / expelled energy to deplete the fat cells of their contents. If you take fat burners and just go about your daily routine you will see a little weight loss but when you combine it with weight training or cardiovascular activities, you are increasing the viability of the product. You’ll be able to make good use of that extra energy, sweat out some toxins and keep your metabolism going. The exception to the rule would be vasodilatation products, usually topical creams or sprays, will aid in spot reduction of fat [targeted fat loss] but unless you are only a few pounds from your goal weight the only noticeable result you’ll see from these products is a lot of sweat. Since both oral and topical fat burners raise the body temperature, they shouldn’t be taken at the same time. Doing so could result in dehydration, muscle cramping, dizziness, heat stroke and if not addressed, internal organ shut down.
Some of the side effects you may experience from fat burners include:
1. Profuse sweating – remember to drink plenty of water and take breaks on a regular basis. This may lead to muscle cramping or tight feelings in the lower back or legs. If this happens you can supplement with potassium or do what I do and have a banana.
2. Increased energy levels – this usually lasts for a few hours when you first start taking a product however when it starts to wear off [called crashing] you might feel drowsy and get irritable. When you first start taking a fat burner it is wise to avoid any type of recreational drug as well as the consumption of alcohol. You don’t know how your body will react to the supplement and drug use or alcohol may intensify the effects.
3. Increased body temperature – if you are a heat sensitive person, have had any previous bouts with heat exhaustion or simply can’t tolerate heat you may want to check with your doctor before taking any fat burner. Normal increases are only a few degrees but in the summer months that might be all that is needed to bring on or aggravate an existing condition.
4. Red skin – this is from the body temperature being raised as well as the enlargement of the underlying tissue releasing sweat to try and cool the body off. Most rash-like appearances disappear when you are done exercising or your body temperature has dropped. If using a topical fat burner the red marks may last up to 24 hours, especially if they have several combinations of menthol listed on the ingredient panel.
Cycling
Once you have established which products work for you and which ones don’t, you can then start what’s called “cycling”. Often times you’ll hear that term used in conjunction with anabolic steroids but in this case I’m talking about a little trickery and manipulation. If you use the same supplement day in and day out, eventually your body will get used to it and it will become less and less effective over time. By changing either the amounts you are taking, the time of say you consume them or the actual products – you can get the most for your money and keep the fat burning process active. Your body can’t become tolerate to something that it isn’t expecting. Before I go any farther, I am not suggesting that you exceed the recommended dosage of any weight loss or fat burning product. If the normal dose of a product is two capsules before a meal, try taking one capsule then two with your next meal – shake things up a bit and keep your body guessing.
If you are going to cycle several different fat burners it’s important to know them inside and out. This can only happen when you’ve tried them out for at least two weeks, you’ll be able to get first hand knowledge of how your body reacts to them, possible side effects, how long they last and how hard you come down or crash after you peak. Once you’ve picked out a few that seem to work for you, rotating or cycling them is just a matter of switching them every few days. As an example, when I am heading into the first phase of ketosis I start off with Stacker 3 for the first week, varying the number I take per day as well as the time of day that I take them. The second week I’ll take one of the Xenadrine products. Every few days I’ll skip a dose or take a complete day off. When I don’t want the jitters or don’t need a ton of energy I’ll take something like Stacker 2 Lite that gives you a few hours or power but still allows you to gear down in the evening.
All good things must come to an end – including weight loss and fat burning supplements. No matter how much you cycle or rotate them, eventually your body will build up a tolerance to them. Some products contain strict guidelines regarding the length of time that it can be taken however if you purchase something that doesn’t have a time frame – I’d suggest using them for no more than eight weeks. Take a three to four day break so your body can “work out” the supplements and when you start back, don’t take the same amounts you did when you ended your cycle. Chances are that if you take a break, when you start back on them your body will need an adjustment period. If you really want to track the success of products and work on a cycling schedule that’s customized just for your needs, take notes after workouts and when you get your body fat levels checked. You’ll be able to get a real feel for which products work the best and which path to take for increased fat burning.
Choosing The Right Fat Burner
There’s no set rule for which fat burner will work best – there are a lot of variables that need to be taken into consideration. Body weight, body fat level, general health, height, activity level, amount of fat you are looking to lose and the time table you’ve set for yourself. Fat burners come in tablets, capsules, caplets, topical creams and liquids. For the most part they are all the same, they help prompt your metabolism to work a little harder, provide you with a little extra energy and reduce the size of the fat cells. Choosing one out of the hundreds that are available may seem overwhelming so it’s best to do a little research first. If you are looking to lose a few vanity pounds then a topical cream or spray on product would be a good suggestion. This allows you to target certain areas such as the abdominals or thighs. When combined with exercise, you are looking at noticeable results within about eight weeks.
If you have ten to twenty pounds you will want something that will give you an even amount of fat burning properties and energy. This will allow you to build up strength in your muscles, give you the energy to make it through a workout and eventually increase the length of cardiovascular activities. If you have more than thirty pounds you’ll need both energy and fat burning ingredients but you need to start off slowly, especially if you’ve been sedentary. Jumping into cardio work outs, weight lifting and exercise might be too much for your body to handle, even more so with the fat burners running through your system. For those that are classified as morbidly obese, start off with basic stretching, move up to walking then add in some free weights. Only when you’ve conditioned your body to at least thirty minutes of low level non-stop activity should you start taking a fat burner. To combine exercise and stimulants after a long period of inactivity can do more harm than good.
The Bottom Line
Picking out a fat burner that will work for you isn’t something that can be done by reading testimonials or editorials, nor is it an exact science. It’s something that you have to experiment with and come to your own conclusions. Beyond all that I’ve written here, the one thing that I can’t stress enough is to set a realistic goal for weight loss. If you are more than a few pounds overweight and start taking fat burners you will see some real results when its combined with small but frequent meals and exercise. Losing that initial weight will give your self confidence a real boost but don’t get discouraged when the pounds start to come off slower and slower and what ever you do – don’t give up. Burning fat with supplements is a good way to lose weight, accentuate your curves or improve your health but no product will simply “melt away the fat”. That, my friend, is something that happens in movies, in fairy tales and on the pages of muscle and fitness magazines.
As always, thanks for the visit …
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2003 Freak369
If you want to read more about the basics of sport supplements and learn the gym lingo, you can check out my editorial entitled Sport Supplement & Bodybuilding Dictionary - What You Need To Know In Order To Grow
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