Wasting Money on Fat Burners

About 6 months after I started losing weight, I started wasting money on fat burning supplements.

I’m going to spare you as lot of time and energy. The best “fat-burner” supplement is probably just caffeine.

But for the sake of knowledge. Here’s what to avoid:

I had tried hydroxycut, Lipo-6, all of the them, and honestly, I think they slowed my weight loss down. Probably because the psychosomatic effect made me feel like I could be more lax with my diet.

Anyway…

1) Forskolin: Added in a bunch of supplements. Simple truth, it’s supposed to increase cAMP (a vital part of lipolysis). But when you look at the hard data, pretty much no change in body composition whatsoever.

The good news is that there are no real side effects.

It just doesn’t change your body.

Here’s the study that looked at that in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition

Looks like caffeine and coffee are better drivers of cAMP. So just enjoy the brew in the morning! (Or Green Tea too).

2) Hoodia: Oh this one got me good.

The data on Hoodia is super weak in humans.

But, the data is pretty powerful… in rodents…… when injected RIGHT INTO THEIR BRAIN!

That is hardly practical for a human. Forget studies like that.
It’s supposed to suppress your appetite by working upon certain regions of the brain. But the human studies show no real change in appetite.

It just seems to be a waste. Here’s the research paper that also shows it breaks down muscle tissue in rats (ick). Study Here

3) Calcium

It’s been a while since I have seen this heavily pushed. But two weeks ago someone asked me about using it as a fat burner and it brought it back to mind.

No… Just because some old studies showed that people with lower plasma levels of calcium had a harder time losing weight than those with higher levels, does NOT mean that Calcium is a fat burner.

It’s weak science and if a company is pushing calcium… yikes.

4) Carnitine (ONLY IF YOU’RE NOT DEFICIENT)
We NEED Carnitine. Especially for fat burning. So please, please don’t think I am opposed to it. In fact, take it if you have it laying around or if it is in a compound, but know that it is naturally occurring in your muscles and you only need supplementation if you’re deficient.

BUT, it is easy to become deficient in it. Especially if you’re working out a lot.

So, is it adequately marketed as a fat burner. NO.

It does not increase the amount of calories you burn, but it MAY improve oxidation rates if you are deficient, or possibly if you’re on keto.

In other words, I take it when I am increasing my exercise intensity.

5) Important Mention on Multi Vitamins
I do not think that fat-burning multivitamins are a thing.

I do not  think that multivitamins in general make a ton of sense for adults because we should be getting our nutrients in. They definitely will not help you burn more fat. I cannot see many ethical ways of saying that they would, but I am sure some companies would find a way. lol. Just wanted to clear that up.

For kids, however, multivitamins make sense. I give my kids HIYA.

Hiya is a sugar-free, monkfruit sweetened chewable multivitamin and my kids LOVE them. 50% Off using that link above.

Kids definitely get some benefit because they tend to eat a lot more picky than us adults, and I think instilling some good behaviors and practices are always a good thing.

But, my son also loves the “treat” aspect of having a vitamin that tastes like the old Flintstones vitamins, but without the sugar (or any other weird stuff.

Just a “dad mention” here as I am a big fan and appreciate what they do.

Here’s a 50% Off Discount Link off Your First Order of HIYA if you want to try it (use code THO )

6) Another note on Chromium, too

Chromium is for blood glucose modulation. Not fat oxidation. I do not know why that gets marketed as such.

Great for post cheat meal damage control, though, haha.

But it does not affect lipid oxidation, or lipolysis for that matter.

Mention on Pre Workouts and Then I will let you go…

Most pre workouts have a mild thermogenic effect. They may help with fat loss IF they help you get more out of your workout.

Also, the caffeine counts for something too.

If you want me to do a video review on pre-workouts, I would be happy to, just let me know by replying to this email!

All the best and have a great day!