We’re a month out from summer and many of us are no doubt starting to prepare to get ‘beach body’ ready. To get the best results, adequate rest, exercise and nutrition are required. However if you want to take that a little further and consider supplementation, here’s what you need to know according to Health Expert Moodi Dennaoui.
For starters there is a difference between a fat burning supplement and a detox supplement. A body detox, focuses on ridding the body of toxins. While a fat burning is the process where free fatty acids are used for fuel as opposed to glucose (human blood sugar). Before we go further on this, keep in mind that there are many fat burning/ weight loss supplement cocepts on the market like Thermogenics, Carbohydrate Blockers, Fat Blockers, Appetite Suppressants, so this information is general.
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A fat burner is usually a thermogenic supplement that helps to aid weight loss by either enhancing your energy, boosting your metabolism and contains ingredients to suppressing cravings. If you were to get a thermogenic fat burner they are designed to increase your metabolism by generating heat (thermogenesis). The boost in heat and the rise in energy triggers the body to burn more calories.
With a detox supplement, they are predominately supplements that shouldn’t used long term. Your body is a natural detoxing machine and forcing your internal organs to detox excessively can cause problems. Having said that, there are many different supplements on the market so don’t start a course of this without seeking the guidance of a health care professional first.
In this article I will focus on fat burners. If there is a supplement that you want to try, first and foremost I would suggest that you test your tolerance with them first as many are caffeinated. Only use products that have an AUSTL number. As we want to burn fat safely the AUSTL shows that the ingredients are accepted by the Therapeutic Goods Administration for supply in Australia and are included in the ARTG. The number is printed on the outer packaging so that it can be seen easily. Don’t be fooled by industry hype. If the label says proprietary blend in the ingredient panel and does not list the g, mg or mcg for each ingredient, don’t buy it. You have no idea what is really in it.
For beginners we recommend you take half of the recommended dose to begin with and do this first thing in the morning. If that is fine for you, you can up the doses but avoid exceeding the recommended dosage without the guidance of a health care professional. Fat burners are most effective when taken on an empty stomach (as well as before training) however I advise that you take it earlier on in the day so that the caffeine does not keep you up at night.
Fat burning supplements are also applicable irrespective of your choice of exercise. Whether you are a cross-fitter, weight lifter or just like the occasional run, a good quality fat burner will act as an energy enhancer as well as target fat cells.
On the flip side, from my experience, a lot of fat burners that I have tried in the past have actually hindered my progress by providing me with a dramatic amount of energy that also exited my system really quick and left me with a bad crash! I could barely stay awake at work.
The other detrimental effect of having a large influx of caffeine in one hit is having a large amount of energy with no mental focus!
There are products on the market that have taken measures to minimise the risk of having an untargeted caffeine hit and a huge crash. For example, with products such as the Hydroxyburn Neuro- Thermogenic, there are three types of caffeine (caffeine anhydrous, guarana and green tea), all of which release into the blood stream (and exit) at different stages. This means that you have more energy for longer, as you won’t be getting one massive hit of energy and there is no crash.
Furthermore, it is also contains nootropic ingredients to help with mental acuity such as Tyrosine and Acetyl L-Carnitine.
A nootropic (which is a greek word that means ‘Towards the Mind’) is also known as a ‘smart drug’ as they are cognitive enhancers that increase focus and provide sustained energy and clarity, especially when you are focusing on a set task. These are advantages that everyone can benefit from, whether it be to focus on your studies as a student, meeting deadlines at work or being able to walk into the gym without foggy thoughts that could distract you from your workout! They are becoming more popular for ‘fitness fanatics’ as a result.
For those looking for a more natural and extremely low calorie supplement, there are some great green tea fat burners on the market that not only boost your energy but they also help tap into fat cells.
Look for products that are low calorie and that contain camellia Sinensis (Green Tea), Vitamin C and Lactobacillus plantarum which is a probiotc which is great for gut health. This combination will help to stimulate thermogenesis, boost metabolism and therefore weight loss, it’s also a natural stimulant and it should increase antioxidant activity.
Green tea also helps relax the arteries so you get better cardiovascular performance as well.
When choosing any supplement however, I suggest that you do your research and go with a reputable brand. They are a lot of supplements on the market that have random ingredients in them such as Pramipexole, Guanfacine, Clonidine, Ampakines & Fexofenadine which have no significant cognition-enhancing effects in healthy individuals.
You also want to avoid large doses of caffeine anhydrous as that will cause a crash in energy levels making it virtually impossible to focus throughout the day.
