You’ve asked yourself the question many times after seeing an advertisement of a formerly pudgy guy now ripped to the bone as he promotes a fat-burning supplement: Does that stuff really work? Actually, yes, it does. But it’s only a small part of the equation. Getting extra lean requires intense training over a long period of time and a clean diet. A good supplement, however, can make that extra bit of difference that gets you over the hump in losing those last few pounds of body fat. Here are the nine most common types of fat burners on the market as well as what to look for when buying them.
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Thermogenics
A good starting point when looking for supplements to help you lean out is the stimulants market. Probably the most common found in fat-burning supps is caffeine, as it’s a proven, effective calorie and fat burner that also reduces hunger, improves mood, decreases fatigue, and boosts strength levels. Caffeine has a lot going for it, which is why it’s found in most fat-burning supplements. Green tea is also popular. Its active ingredient, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), has been shown in studies to increase calorie-burning. Two of its other thermogenics are synephrine and capsaicin (often listed as “capsicum”), also ramp up calorie burning.
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Lipolytic Agents
Lipolysis is the process of releasing fat from fat cells, so, as you can imagine, lipolytic agents are good things to have on your side. When fat is removed from the cells and burned for fuel, those cells shrink, making you leaner. Caffeine is great at increasing lipolysis, but so are the ingredients CLA, yohimbine, forskolin (which also boosts testosterone), and hydroxycitric acid. When searching for an effective fat-burning supplement, look for these ingredients.
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Fat Transporters
Releasing fat from fat cells isn’t enough. If that fat isn’t burned for fuel, it’ll remain in the blood stream and end up getting stored again. That’s bad news. This is why carnitine is great as a supplement. It helps transport the released fat into your cells’ mitochondria, where it’s subsequently burned and gone for good.
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Thyroid Stimulators
The thyroid gland plays a crucial role in your body: It produces thyroid hormones that increase your metabolism. For those guys well into their 30s or 40s, revving up the metabolism is highly desirable. Two of the more effective thyroid-stimulating supplement ingredients are bacopa monniera and forskolin.
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Insulin Control
Few hormones play a bigger role in staying lean than insulin. When you eat a carb-heavy meal, insulin levels rise, fat-burning is blunted, and your body instinctively wants to hoard fat. Good luck trying to get ripped when this happens on a regular basis. For those who refuse to go low-carb, such insulin-lowering ingredients as antioxidant alpha lipoic acid, cinnamon extract (aka Cinnulin PF), chromium, and evodiamine can help you keep insulin levels in check.
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Appetite Suppressants
Consider this category of ingredients a means of behavior modification. When you clean up your diet in hopes of shedding fat, two of the biggest things to overcome are food cravings and hunger pains. When you rid unhealthy foods and extra calories from your diet, you get hungry. Fill that void with green vegetables, and use appetite suppressants like glucomannan, phenyethylamine, simmondsin, and 5-HTP to curb your urges to overeat.
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Mood and Brain Boosters
If you’ve ever gone on a serious get-lean, calorie-restricted diet, you probably recall having some noticeable mood swings. If you don’t recall, your significant other definitely does. Fortunately, supplement manufacturers understand this effect, which is why they include in their fat-burning products ingredients to boost your mental well-being. Caffeine is one such ingredient, as are phenylethylamine, which also increases calorie burn; the amino acid tyrosine; and vinpocetine.
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Diuretics
Your body-fat percentage can be well into the single digits, but if you’re holding too much water under your skin, you won’t get that sharp muscle definition that bodybuilders and high-level fitness models possess. You may not want to hold that “dry” look for long, but it’s nice for the periodic trip to the beach or photo shoot. This is where a supplement with diuretic ingredients can help. Natural diuretics that will get rid of some of that water under the skin include dandelion (Taraxacum officianilis) extract, uva ursi (aka bearberry), and horsetail extract.
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Carb and Fat Blockers
What’s the dieter who absolutely loves pizza supposed to do? Not eat pizza—ever? That doesn’t sound like fun, which is why carb- and fat-blocking supplements are so popular. Their ingredients work to block the amount of carbs and fat that the body absorbs, binding to the undesirable nutrients and removing them before they do any damage to your physique. The best carb blocker out there these days is white kidney bean extract (Phaseoulus vulgaris).
You’ve asked yourself the question many times after seeing an advertisement of a formerly pudgy guy now ripped to the bone as he promotes a fat-burning supplement: Does that stuff really work? Actually, yes, it does. But it’s only a small part of the equation. Getting extra lean requires intense training over a long period of time and a clean diet. A good supplement, however, can make that extra bit of difference that gets you over the hump in losing those last few pounds of body fat. Here are the nine most common types of fat burners on the market as well as what to look for when buying them.
Thermogenics
A good starting point when looking for supplements to help you lean out is the stimulants market. Probably the most common found in fat-burning supps is caffeine, as it’s a proven, effective calorie and fat burner that also reduces hunger, improves mood, decreases fatigue, and boosts strength levels. Caffeine has a lot going for it, which is why it’s found in most fat-burning supplements. Green tea is also popular. Its active ingredient, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), has been shown in studies to increase calorie-burning. Two of its other thermogenics are synephrine and capsaicin (often listed as “capsicum”), also ramp up calorie burning.
Lipolytic Agents
Lipolysis is the process of releasing fat from fat cells, so, as you can imagine, lipolytic agents are good things to have on your side. When fat is removed from the cells and burned for fuel, those cells shrink, making you leaner. Caffeine is great at increasing lipolysis, but so are the ingredients CLA, yohimbine, forskolin (which also boosts testosterone), and hydroxycitric acid. When searching for an effective fat-burning supplement, look for these ingredients.
Fat Transporters
Releasing fat from fat cells isn’t enough. If that fat isn’t burned for fuel, it’ll remain in the blood stream and end up getting stored again. That’s bad news. This is why carnitine is great as a supplement. It helps transport the released fat into your cells’ mitochondria, where it’s subsequently burned and gone for good.
Thyroid Stimulators
The thyroid gland plays a crucial role in your body: It produces thyroid hormones that increase your metabolism. For those guys well into their 30s or 40s, revving up the metabolism is highly desirable. Two of the more effective thyroid-stimulating supplement ingredients are bacopa monniera and forskolin.
Insulin Control
Few hormones play a bigger role in staying lean than insulin. When you eat a carb-heavy meal, insulin levels rise, fat-burning is blunted, and your body instinctively wants to hoard fat. Good luck trying to get ripped when this happens on a regular basis. For those who refuse to go low-carb, such insulin-lowering ingredients as antioxidant alpha lipoic acid, cinnamon extract (aka Cinnulin PF), chromium, and evodiamine can help you keep insulin levels in check.
Appetite Suppressants
Consider this category of ingredients a means of behavior modification. When you clean up your diet in hopes of shedding fat, two of the biggest things to overcome are food cravings and hunger pains. When you rid unhealthy foods and extra calories from your diet, you get hungry. Fill that void with green vegetables, and use appetite suppressants like glucomannan, phenyethylamine, simmondsin, and 5-HTP to curb your urges to overeat.
Mood and Brain Boosters
If you’ve ever gone on a serious get-lean, calorie-restricted diet, you probably recall having some noticeable mood swings. If you don’t recall, your significant other definitely does. Fortunately, supplement manufacturers understand this effect, which is why they include in their fat-burning products ingredients to boost your mental well-being. Caffeine is one such ingredient, as are phenylethylamine, which also increases calorie burn; the amino acid tyrosine; and vinpocetine.
Diuretics
Your body-fat percentage can be well into the single digits, but if you’re holding too much water under your skin, you won’t get that sharp muscle definition that bodybuilders and high-level fitness models possess. You may not want to hold that “dry” look for long, but it’s nice for the periodic trip to the beach or photo shoot. This is where a supplement with diuretic ingredients can help. Natural diuretics that will get rid of some of that water under the skin include dandelion (Taraxacum officianilis) extract, uva ursi (aka bearberry), and horsetail extract.
Carb and Fat Blockers
What’s the dieter who absolutely loves pizza supposed to do? Not eat pizza—ever? That doesn’t sound like fun, which is why carb- and fat-blocking supplements are so popular. Their ingredients work to block the amount of carbs and fat that the body absorbs, binding to the undesirable nutrients and removing them before they do any damage to your physique. The best carb blocker out there these days is white kidney bean extract (Phaseoulus vulgaris).
