So many girls out there want to lose weight, but how much can a fat burner help you? SpotMeGirl investigates.
We know weight loss is a huge reason many women head to the gym and we know that, for many, it can be hard to drop the pounds. That’s why so many of us turn to fat burners in the hope they’re the missing link, the magic pill that will unlock the amazing transformation we’re hoping for.
The supplement industry is overflowing with promises of incredible weight loss and stories of body transformations. But how much of this is actually true? What can you realistically achieve when taking a fat burner? And should you be using one to lose weight?
To answer all these questions and more, we’ve delved in to the world of fat burners to bring you our extensive, comprehensive guide to fat burners. Read this, girl, and you’ll know everything there is to know about this type of supplement. From how they affect your body to the ingredients you should be looking out for.
Check it out.
What are fat burners?
A fat burner supplement is a formula of ingredients, designed to help you lose weight. They’re usually available in a powder or capsule form and are taken throughout the day to help you control your food intake and burn more calories.
It sounds like a lot to ask, but every good fat burner should have the capability to support your diet and help you torch any excess weight you’re carrying.
Unfortunately, the world of fat burner supplements is brimming with under-researched, under-dosed, ineffective formulas that don’t get results, and could put you on the fast track to side effect city.
When you type “fat burner” into a search engine, there are quite literally thousands of products that pop up, claiming to get next level results. What’s more, when you look at the ingredients label each one reads differently.
Because there are so many options out there, it’s essential you know how to tell the good from the bad. To do that, you first need to learn how a really good fat burner should work.
How do fat burners work?
The first rule of fat burners is to remember that they’re not a miracle pill that will suddenly drop fat from your body. We need to be realistic about what they can help you achieve to fully understand how they work.
Essentially, a fat burner is there to assist your dieting process. They won’t work alone, because the real fat loss happens when you’re in a calorie deficit.
That means you need to be burning more calories than you’re consuming, and the most effective way to do that is by sticking to a calorie-restricted diet. Ever heard the phrase abs are made in the kitchen? Well it’s pretty much true.
A good fat burner should simply support and enhance the results you see from a solid diet and exercise plan. They won’t do the job for you.
Once you’ve got your diet down, your fat burner should help you in the following ways:
Increase calorie burn
Most fat burners will claim to help you burn more calories. They do this by including stimulants or thermogenic ingredients that boost your metabolism. This means, whenever you head to the gym or simply go about your daily life, your body will be primed to spend more calories than you normally would which will eventually lead to more fat lost.
This element should accelerate your fat loss journey, helping you to get there faster.
Keep you energized
Low-calorie dieting can be tiring. Without enough food in your system you could feel a lack of energy, which makes it harder to hit the gym and lead an active lifestyle that helps you burn fat.
A good fat burner should support you in your fat loss journey by helping you stay energized enough to get on with your day-to-day life and maintain your usual efforts in the gym. This is usually done with a stimulant like caffeine. However, there are plenty of stimulant free fat-burners that also help you stay fueled up and ready to go.
Suppress your appetite
Cravings and snacking can be the Achilles heel of many diets for women. An intelligent fat burner should take this into account and provided an appetite suppressant. The most effective ingredient for this is glucomannan.
With an appetite suppressant, you’ll feel full before a meal so you’re less likely to eat too much. By holding hunger pangs at bay, you’re also less likely to give in to cravings, which is essential to keeping a diet going strong in the long term.
[Related Article: Glucomannan Explained – What is it and How Does it Work? ]
Reduce carb absorption
Just as suppressing the appetite is a preventative measure, a carb blocker is a damage control measure. If you do have a cheat meal (we’re all human girl), a fat burner containing a carb blocker will help to minimize the damage by stopping your body from absorbing those sugars.
This will help to support you at the hardest points of your diet, so you don’t feel derailed whenever you need a break.
What makes a good fat burner?
When we’re looking for an effective fat burner, there are few standards we like to set to ensure we’re using a quality supplement.
To help you find a quality product that will help you on your weight loss journey, we’ve shared our criteria of what we expect to see from a good fat burner.
No proprietary blends
More often than not, you’ll look at a fat burner label and see a proprietary blend. This is essentially label manufacturers use to hide a mix of undisclosed ingredients at unknown doses. Blends are an immediate red flag to us, as we like to know what we’re putting into our bodies at all times.
If you’re worried about side effects, it’s best to avoid proprietary blends as much as possible.
Backed by science
The truth of the situation is, the supplement industry is largely unregulated. That’s how so many manufacturers get away with putting proprietary blends in their products, and under dosing their formulas.
The best way to ensure a fat burner has the potential to really work is by looking into the science behind it. A good supplement should have scientific research to prove that the ingredients they’re using really work and to show evidence about how they work.
All natural
For us, it’s natural or nothing. A lot of formulas on the market are made up of factory-made synthetic ingredients that your body just isn’t designed to absorb. With these floating around in your system, you’re on the fast track to one thing: side effects.
With natural we know that are bodies can handle it, and we know exactly what it holds in store for us.
We use the same criteria to review all supplements. Check out our intensive reviews of the best fat burners on the market right here.
Ingredients
As we said above, we’re always on the lookout for the best all-natural formulas. With that in mind, it’s important you become familiar with the supplement facts label.
When we’re looking over the formula, it’s essential we know which are the powerhouse ingredients straight from mother nature herself and which are synthetic chemicals.
Synthetics are pretty easy to spot. They’re usually identified by a long, barcode style set of numbers rather than a real name. It’s a hard no if you see any of these or a mysterious proprietary blend in the mix. You don’t know what they are or how they may affect your body.
When it comes to the natural formulas, there are a few key ones you should keep an eye out for as you check out the supplement facts table. Here are a few examples to keep you on track:
Green Tea Extract
You may be familiar with green tea, but you may not know it’s a pretty big deal when it comes to fat burning. Science shows it boosts your metabolism, burning through more calories then you normally would. It also provides you with a hit of caffeine that’ll help you stay energized through those tough workouts.
[Related Article: Matcha Green Tea Explained – What is it and How Does it Work?]
Cayenne Pepper
This ingredient boosts the heat on your fat burning efforts. Literally. As a thermogenic, it raises your body temperature slightly, so you have to work harder to bring it back down. That leads to one thing, a raised metabolism and more calories burned. On top of that, it’s packed full of vitamins and improves your insulin sensitivity so your body stores carbs more effectively.
Glucomannan
You need to feel in complete control of your diet to keep it going and glucomannan is the ingredient that helps you do just that. Also known as konjac root extract, it works by expanding when it hits your stomach, making you feel fuller so you’re less likely to overeat or snack. It’s an essential preventative measure that helps you stay on track and focused.
Caffeine Anhydrous
Caffeine is something many of us have regularly. It should be in a supplement to help you stay energized enough to get through your workouts. It does have some fat burning abilities, but first and foremost, it should be used to give you energizing boost. Many supplements out there over dose their caffeine, which could lead to some side effects. We recommend that, if you do go for one containing caffeine stimulants, that you choose a product with a measured approach to the ingredient.
[Related Article: Caffeine Anhydrous Explained – What is it and How Does it Work? ]
Fat burner side effects
The side effects you experience when you take a fat burner supplement will vary depending on a number of different things.
To be perfectly honest, if you opt for a synthetic fat burner, or something containing a proprietary blend, we can’t tell you what side effects you could be at risk of, because we can’t be certain what’s in the formula. The best way to avoid adverse symptoms is to dodge this type of supplement completely.
In terms of natural fat burners, you should be safe with the majority of options. The only thing to be wary of is the caffeine content. If you’re sensitive to caffeine, or already consume quite a few cups a day, you might consider going for a stimulant free option.
If you do go for something with a caffeine stimulant in, be sure to monitor your intake throughout the day to avoid over-doing it. This ingredient is also a diuretic, so you should drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration.
We also advise you avoid taking your fat burner within five hours of going to bed, as the caffeine could impact your sleep [1]. It has also been linked to increasing anxiety [2], so it’s worth avoiding if you think this could affect you.
The truth about fat burners and whether they really work
By its very definition, a supplement is there to help or enhance. That’s exactly what a fat burner does. It helps you on your fat loss journey and enhances the results you get from a healthy diet and exercise.
To get the most out of your fat burner supplement, there are few things you need to come to terms with:
- The truth is, a healthy, calorie restricted diet is the most important thing when it comes to losing weight. We’d say it’s about 70-80% diet and the rest comes down to attitude, exercise and motivation. A good fat burner will help you to boost the results from your diet, improve your resolve and help you stick to it. It could be that extra push you need to get your dream results, but it definitely won’t work alone.
Without putting in the right amount of effort with your diet and relying solely on supplements, you won’t feel motivated or empowered by your weight loss journey. Instead you’re likely to feel disappointed, underwhelmed and you’re not likely to see the changes you’re looking for.
- There really is no magic pill. At the end of the day, the thing that will get the best results for you is grit, determination and dedication. A fat burner supplement really is the final weapon in your arsenal. It will be there to support you, give your progress an edge and help you get there faster.If that sounds good to you and you’re ready to put in the work, then a fat burner could really help you.
- As a final point, remember girl, fat loss takes time even if you’re using a fat burner. Despite all the crazy transformation pics you see everywhere, you won’t drop the weight overnight. Keep up the good work and you’ll have everything you need to slay your body composition goals. Just remember to be realistic about your goals and your progress
Once you’ve got all this down in your mind, you’re primed to get the best out of your fat burner.
The final scoop
Now you know what it takes to create a good fat burner, and fully understand just what this supplement can do for you, you’re in a much better position to make an informed decision.
As long as you have the right attitude, a great grip on your diet and lead a healthy, active lifestyle, you should be in a great position to get the most out of a fat burner.
The crux of the issue is, a good fat burner can only really work when you’re nailing a healthy, low-calorie diet and leading an active lifestyle. Alone, they won’t get the results you’re looking for.
To help you find a supplement that could really support your weight loss plans, check out our review of the top fat burners on the market. We’ve reviewed each one to bring you our favorites: The Best Fat Burner Supplements for Women.
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