Which one for fat loss

For fat loss?

Sensibly moderate calorie deficit, ideally while getting reasonably adequate overall nutrition, and doing manageably challenging cardiovascular and strength exercise.

Preworkout, L-carnitine? Those are a tangent to fat loss, majoring in the minors, though they might offer some tactical support in small ways.

Don't look for hacks. Focus on the majors: Eating and activity.

Neither. You can take both but if your calorie intake exceeds what you burn, you WON'T lose weight even if you took them in double doses. You calorie intake is what determines fat loss/weight gain/maintenance.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

L-carnitine can make you stink of fish. And it has basically no use for people not having a carnitine deficiency. Another potential problem with it: it widens blood vessels a bit. If you suffer from low blood pressure, dysautonomia like POTs and similar things this could be a problem.

Preworkout? What is that even supposed to be? A banana?

sollyn23l2 wrote: »

yirara wrote: »

L-carnitine can make you stink of fish. And it has basically no use for people not having a carnitine deficiency. Another potential problem with it: it widens blood vessels a bit. If you suffer from low blood pressure, dysautonomia like POTs and similar things this could be a problem.

Preworkout? What is that even supposed to be? A banana?

Pre-workout is basically a supplement that has uppers in it (like caffeine) to supposedly help you "go hard" at your workout.

A lot of them are laced now with other things that scientifically tested, do aid in weight training, HOWEVER because of all the "proprietary blends", you have no idea if the dosage of ingredient in the product is even the same as they used in the study.
The two now that are popular in pre workouts are niacin (makes your skin tingly) and beta alanine which is a hydrogen buffer and reduces lactic acid build up, meaning you can do more reps for a given resistance that you can't without it.


A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

springlering62 wrote: »

Since you’ve asked this on several threads, I’m creating my own poll.
A.) Is OP easily influenced by social media?
B.) Is OP trying to create buzz about this supplement?

Please please please get off the social media and take some time to read the threads here about how to lose weight (including fat), while retaining or building muscle.

We want you to be successful.

C.) how many people reading this thread have lost weight without resorting to trendy supplements?


I am “C”.

In my world, protein powder is a supplement, and pretty trendy. That doesn't make it bad IMO. People take it to get enough protein at reduced calories. Is that "taking it for fat loss"? Don't know. Don't care, even.

But I am C, too, if the question is taking supplements in order to lose fat, or facilitate losing fat, including using no protein powder in my case.

I took some vitamins/supplements before weight loss, some during, some after. None of them were in any respect taken with intent to enhance fat loss.

L-carnitine (assuming that's what OP meant, since that's not how OP spelled it) seems to have some benefits in some cases, some of them maybe weakly "metabolic" (for some definitions of how people use that word). I took it for a while, stopped, would like to take it again, but it's complicated interactions-wise in my case.

I've seen people here report pre-workouts as helpful to them. I've never used a pre-workout, but have timed food/nutrients around workouts sometimes, which isn't that much different.

I do think this poll is very bizarre, but I think the extreme reaction about these particular supplements is a little oddly vociferous, too.