Can someone give me the "skinny" on fat burners.

Options
Hi everyone;

A local fitness shop (Mass Muscle Maker) just recently suggested I add "fat burners" to my fitness plan. I would appreciate everyone's thoughts on this subject and if you support the subject, please tell me what you recommend.

In short - can you please give me the "SKINNY" on "FAT BURNERS".

Thanks
Steve

Replies

  • LesterBlackstone
    LesterBlackstone Posts: 291 Member
    Options
    Waste of money.
  • stfuriada
    stfuriada Posts: 445 Member
    Options
    They're usually loaded with either DMAA and/or caffeine to give you more energy, and raise your body temp (thermogenic). They usually have an appetite suppressing effect too.

    It will not do your work for you and some of them have some side effects as some chemicals in them affect your CNS. Your mood might be affected as well as your focus.

    Diet is about 90% of the battle. SO if you just get that part in order, you wont really need these.
  • steplaj
    steplaj Posts: 586 Member
    Options
    Some people say Green Tea is a natural fat burner. How about this? I drink iced tea pretty much every day - always with a sugar substitute and no cream, so it essentially has '0' everything. Would switching to green tea be better?
  • bceagleace
    bceagleace Posts: 22
    Options
    Steplaj - of course the guy selling them recommends them! I have lost 41 lbs in 5 months and I have a six pack for the first time in my life and I have taken NO supplements. I'm not a former athlete.

    The key to long term fat loss and keeping it off is to change your habits... food and exercise. Fat loss is 80% proper nutrition, 20% exercise. You don't need stuff in a bottle.
  • gogophers
    gogophers Posts: 190 Member
    Options
    Some people say Green Tea is a natural fat burner. How about this? I drink iced tea pretty much every day - always with a sugar substitute and no cream, so it essentially has '0' everything. Would switching to green tea be better?

    Green tea is better than iced tea+sugar substitute. But none of these things are really going to help you burn fat. They don't account for enough calories to make a difference (kind of like the "drink cold water to burn more calories" claims) and the reason many fat burners help you burn fat is because they put your heart into tachycardia and your heart has to work harder so it burns calories.
  • MoveTheMountain
    Options
    Some people say Green Tea is a natural fat burner. How about this? I drink iced tea pretty much every day - always with a sugar substitute and no cream, so it essentially has '0' everything. Would switching to green tea be better?

    Green tea is a fat burner mostly (if not entirely) from the caffeine content. Heating destroys caffeine, and since green tea is almost totally unheated, it has the highest caffeine levels of all teas.

    At the end of the day, there are only a couple of ways to get rid of fat, and stimulants can help, if your body can tolerate them. Personally, I don't use any, because I don't like the way they make me feel.
  • MoveTheMountain
    Options
    Steplaj - of course the guy selling them recommends them! I have lost 41 lbs in 5 months and I have a six pack for the first time in my life and I have taken NO supplements. I'm not a former athlete.

    The key to long term fat loss and keeping it off is to change your habits... food and exercise. Fat loss is 80% proper nutrition, 20% exercise. You don't need stuff in a bottle.

    I totally agree.
  • MMAQueen
    MMAQueen Posts: 279 Member
    Options
    there is science to them. but i'd stay away, they can make your heart explode. ok that's a bit of an extreme, but they arn't really good for you.

    eat clean, and do lots of interval training, you will burn fat just fine.
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
    Options
    A local fitness shop (Mass Muscle Maker) just recently suggested I add "fat burners" to my fitness plan.

    Let me guess, these guys make a profit off of selling you the stuff? Sounds like a real unbiased opinion.

    It's a waste of money. While it might shave off a few extra calories a day you could get the same or better effect just skipping the last bite of food in a meal. You can import water from Fiji too but that doesn't mean it's better than a bottle of generic bottled water here.

    You don't want to depend on those things the rest of your life so just eat good and ignore the marketing mayhem.