The Truth about Fat Burning Pills

O.K., summer has passed, followed by autumn and now winter is coming on strong. Shorts and small tops have given way to clothes that are, well, much more cumbersome.

Has this sudden "change in weather" made you want to rush out and buy the latest fat loss supplement so you'll be in better shape for the New Year? If it has, well, let me say, "Hold on a minute there!"

Here's a question that may be on your mind, "What is the best supplement to help me lose fat?"

The answer: None of them. They are all a waste of money.

Well…maybe.

Countless studies have proven that no advertised weight loss nutritional supplement actually helps with weight loss. That’s right, green tea, caffeine, CLA, chitosan (the fat trapper), as well as all of the others just plain don't work for weight loss. Therefore, don't waste your hard earned money. One of the latest studies* about Chromium Picolinate showed no benefit at all. (*Reference: Nutrition 23:187-195, 2007.)

As much as I hate to burst your bubble, a true "fat burner" just doesn't exist. Please believe me when I say that I wish there was an effective fat loss supplement as much as the next person.

There are no magic bullets for fat loss.
However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t supplements out there that may possibly benefit you in your goals for a lean, sleek and voluptuous, muscular physique. Bear in mind these are NOT fat loss supplements, but nutritional supplements that may assist in fat emulsification and metabolic increases.

According to my colleague Alwyn Cosgrove:
“Here's a recently published study: Thorsdottir I, Tomasson H, Gunnarsdottir I,et al.
Randomized trial of weight-loss-diets for young adults varying in fish and fish oil contentInt J Obes (Lond). 2007 May 15; [Epub ahead of print]

324 subjects split into 4 groups
Control group–
group fed lean fish –
a group fed fatty fish –
and a group who supplemented with fish oil (exact same macronutrient and caloric composition for all diets)

The results showed that all fish groups saw an increased weight loss of 1kg (about 2 pounds) in 4 weeks over the control group.

I've mentioned before that I felt fish oil could enhance fat loss -- now we appear to have some additional evidence.

Here's another study as regards protein supplements (I've mentioned this one before):

Demling RH, DeSanti L
Effect of a hypocaloric diet, increased protein intake and resistance training on lean mass gains and fat mass loss in overweight police officers.Ann Nutr Metab. 2000;44(1):21-9.

Three groups following a hypo caloric diet for 12 weeks. This study compared three groups following a hypo caloric diet (80% of maintenance) for 12 weeks.

Group one was a diet only group.
Group two was diet, plus resistance exercise plus a whey supplement.
Group three was identical to group two although they used a casein protein supplement.

After 12 weeks the diet only group had a loss of 5.5lbs of fat with no change in lean mass.

The resistance plus whey group had a total fat loss of 9.2lbs and a lean mass gain of 4.4lbs.

The resistance plus casein group showed a total fat loss of 15.4lbs and a lean muscle gain of 8.8lbs (almost three times the rate of fat loss of the diet only group).

It seems that the use of whey, and even more so, a casein supplement actually enhanced the rate of fat loss.

Could whey/casein and fish oil enhance your fat loss efforts?

I think these supplements have enough evidence as to their safety and possible health benefits in other realms that they are worth using.

Here's a side note-- all of these studies showed enhanced fat loss with subjects that were already losing fat.

Please read that again.

They did not show that the supplements actually caused fat loss -- just an increased rate.

It's an important difference.

You have to already be on an effective fat loss training program before any supplement will help you.”

Remember, there are a number of ways to boost your metabolism without supplements...
1) Strength training.
2) Interval training - rather than long, slow boring cardio.
3) A few extra bodyweight circuits - done either in the AM or PM.
4) A whole, natural foods diet, rich in high-fiber fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, and high-protein foods.

The rules are simple. All you have to do is commit to them with consistency and effort, and you'll boost your metabolism.

The addition of the above mentioned supplements may, or may not, benefit you. However, the evidence seems to dictate that it is worth a shot.

God bless,
Steve