One of the most popular goals for anyone entering training, working out, nutrition, etc, is to lose weight. With that, supplement companies have been falling all over themselves to create products that they claim to be THE ONE to help you shed that fat once and for all. The supplement market is flooded with pills, powders, and shakes that promise to melt away the stubborn fat you can’t seem to nix, but in truth, they are all snake oil.
As someone who battled with his weight and eventually went through his own weight loss transformation before becoming a personal trainer, I would be lying if I said I have never used a fat loss supplement in the hopes that it could help me knock off those extra lbs.
But I will honestly tell you also, that none of them worked.
Looking at an ingredients list for fat loss supplements can be as daunting as looking at a box of cereal, full of words and things you can’t pronounce and probably shouldn’t allow yourself to ingest, but almost every bottle you pick up will most likely boil down to 2 main components.
Some sort of Caffeine + a Diuretic
Caffeine
Probably one of the highest consumed ingredients in America (behind just sugar), caffeine has been in the spotlight for a long time thanks to the benefits of increasing our energy levels and helping us get through those midday slumps. It’s in coffee, energy drinks, pre-workouts, and is a large component of pre-workout supplements. Because it increases our energy levels, part of that process is increasing our heart rate our bodies natural functions. With our body moving more, it slightly increases the thermodynamic effect of our body – the ability to burn energy. That energy being burnt, it is claimed, is the fat cells we store. By causing our body to move more – even if just internally – the idea is that it’s burning fat for that energy. This can be seen as ingredients such as: Purcaf, Caffeine Proprietary Blend, Caffeine Anhydrous, or Green Tea Extract*
*Green Tea Extract is essentially caffeine specifically sourced from green tea – thought to be a naturally occurring energy source (similar to coffee beans).
Diuretics
The other thing to be aware of is the use of diuretics. Most fat loss supplements include ingredients that cause the body to shed water. Many people who start taking these supplements and see a steep drop in weight at the beginning are really just seeing that their body is flushing out water that has been retained. This may be helpful if you’re competing in some sort of physique/bodybuilding competition, but if you’re an average Joe like myself, you want water in your body to help it function optimally. Diuretics are hard on your kidneys and since our bodies are made up largely of water – cutting it out can have other detrimental consequences.
I’m not here to tell you not to try whatever you can to lose the weight if you feel it’s necessary, but I want to try and give a testimonial, that they may provide some sort of aid, beyond the caffeine boosting energy and diuretic components dropping water, these supplements rarely work to the effect that they claim.
True fat loss comes from focusing on the hard things you don’t want to do – cleaning up your nutrition; exercising regularly; prioritizing rest and recovery; and managing stress.
Take care of those things and the fat should melt away the way no supplement can.
Do the un-fun things now and enjoy the fruits of your labor later.
Trust the process and reach your goals!
What’s your favorite fat loss myth you’ve heard? Let’s start a thread below.