Re: Hello! Newbie here!

November 12, 2003

Hi and welcome to the group.

addresses fat burners in several recent messages. Here are

the ones that I found:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/bodyforlife/message/66616

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/bodyforlife/message/66627

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/bodyforlife/message/66646

No fat burners are so effective that they are worth the money you

pay. Plus, as you already know, there can be side effects.

You'll burn the most fat through proper nutrition and training.

Andy

> Hi all - I'm new to your group and glad to be here. Seems like

> there's some knowledgeable folks here.

>

> My name is and I live in Texas. I am 42, 5'7 " , and have much

> weight to lose. I have just begun BFL this week and am researching

> every website I can to soak up information.

>

> I'm slowly trying to catch up on past posts here, so forgive me if

> I'm asking a question that's been asked & answered. I wonder if

> anyone has experience with supplements for fat burning who can

guide

> me? I've had bad experiences in the past with ephedra products...

> they make me REALLY jittery. And have found the couple of non-

> ephedra alternatives I've tried to be ineffective. Any ideas?

>

> Thanks!

>

November 12, 2003

,

Unless you are type II or greater obesity, OR within a few pounds of

your goal, fat burners are honestly not something to seriously

consider. Outside of those two conditions, fat burners cost a lot of

money, have the potential for negative side effects, and really do

not promote as much fat loss as marketing and advertisements would

like to promote.

In reality, the majority of people who struggle with fat loss

struggle with nutrition. No supplement can make up for poor

nutrition. Nutrition is by and far the major component for fat loss

and if you are not already losing fat at an optimal rate, then no

supplement will fix that, and some may actually risk your health.

Supplement companies are great at marketing to what is known as

the " I feel it " syndrome. They include ingredients that give you a

buzz or make you feel like you are sweating, then tout that as proof

that your metabolism has been raised and you are burning more fat. In

reality, a raised metabolism does not guarantee you are burinng more

fat - you could just as easily be burning carbohydrate that you ate

or even your own protein for energy. Furthermore, despite the high

cost of most " fat-burning " supplements, the amount of extra calories

they actually contribute to is quite low - most controlled scientific

studies confirm maybe an average of 50 - 150 calories per day using

the correct doses of pharmaceutical grade thermogenics such as the

ephedrine-caffeine-aspirin (ECA) stack. Most companies do not even

guarantee the same grade in quality as the studies they cite, nor

even provide the ingredients in the correct ratios.

If you are type II obese or greater, then much research has shown

that the ones who benefit the MOST from thermogenics are obese women -

this is what the studies were performed on. In this case, you should

consult with your physician to make certain it is the right choice

and that you are not contraindicated (i.e. have some adverse

condition that would make supplementation with thermogenics unsafe).

Since you would have much more fat to lose, the longer time frame

means that the extra 50 - 150 calories per day can add up over time.

For someone who is already within weeks of their goal, studies show

that thermogenics can help preserve lean mass. Many bodybuilders take

these when preparing for a competition not because of any fat burning

qualities, but rather because of the appetite suppression and the

fact that research has shown preservation of lean muscle mass (i.e.

less loss of muscle). However, these are typically short cycles (one

month or less) and most of the bodybuilders I know actually start

taking them after they are already lean enough to see their abs -

this is just a short " step " to get more shredded for a competition.

The people in between just do not need such an extreme measure. You

can reach low body fat through manipulation of nutrition alone and

when you are overweight you are more likely to lose fat than muscle

anyway. The risk and cost of thermogenics far outweighs the benefits.

I think if you have had bad experiences with ephedra and found new

products ineffective, why not save your hard-earned cash and focus on

your nutrition and discipline there? If you truly can say you have

done 12 weeks without deviating at all from the BFL plan (i.e. 100%

for 6 days out of 7 every week) then you are far ahead of the game.

If not, then that is where I would focus and invest my time and

energy - on striving for progress to get better with each challenge,

because no thermogenic can fix a cheat meal or cheat day, as these

typically involve thousands of calories and a fat-burner may burn

only additional few dozen!

Congratulations for making strides to better health. I wish you the

best of success!

Likness