Everyone is looking for quick and easy ways to shed the extra pounds they managed to gain during quarantine. While committing to a healthy exercise and diet routine is the best way to go, not everyone has the same endurance and dedication to the task.
Which is why it’s no wonder that fat burners have experienced a recent boost in sales this past year.
According to one survey, Americans spend about $2.1 billion on weight-loss supplements every year. 20.6% of women and 9.7% of men use weight-loss supplements to aid in healthy weight loss.
Since the FDA doesn’t regulate the manufacturing and distribution of fat burners/weight loss supplements in the market, there can be concerns related to the quality and reliability of the product.
So, before you make any final decisions, here’s a list of the pros and cons of fat burners for healthy weight loss. Hopefully, it can help you make a better and more informed decision with your purchase.
What are fat burners?
As its name suggests, fat burners are essentially weight loss supplements or any other substances that claim to help the body burn excess fat by increasing metabolism, decreasing fat absorption, and increasing fat oxidation during exercise.
Fat burners for women and/or men often come in the form of pills or teas that contain the following weight-loss ingredients:
- Caffeine
- L-carnitine
- Green tea
- Conjugated linoleic acid
- Forskolin
- Chromium
- Yohimbe
- Glucomannan
- Raspberry Ketones
The pros and cons of fat burners
Not all fat burners are made the same. Some products can give you positive results, while others may lean more towards the negative. Consider the following things before you settle on a product.
The pros
It can help manage cravings.
Getting a grip on your appetite and cravings is one of the major challenges of weight loss. Anyone who’s ever tried to lose weight can attest to this.
This is why most fat burners and weight loss supplements contain appetite suppressants that help curb a user’s hunger and keep them feeling full longer.
Some ingredients that are known to cause this type of feeling are:
- Fenugreek
- Glucomannan
- Gymnema Sylvestre
- Griffonia simplicifolia (5-HTP)
- Caralluma Fimbriata
- Green tea extract
It prevents further fat formation.
Supplements such as LeanBean and PhenQ can help prevent further formation of fat in the body by suppressing the liver’s ability to convert energy into fat and diverting the necessary calories to building up lean and healthy muscles.
It increases energy and focus.
The majority of fat burners boast the ability to increase a person’s energy levels and focus. Ingredients such as coffee and green tea extract can help improve blood flow in the body, increasing its supply of oxygen which can then result in feeling more energy and focus.
Fat burners can also level up endurance and decrease a person’s feelings of fatigue and tiredness at the end of a rigorous workout.
The cons
It doesn’t work for people living a sedentary lifestyle.
Most weight loss products require the user to have a minimum amount of physical activity every day to ensure the overall efficacy of the product. People often miss this message and expect their fat burners to do all the work for them even when they’re living a completely sedentary lifestyle.
It can be a cause for users to potentially gain more weight.
Some products include protein powder and other ingredients that may come with a considerable amount of calories. If you don’t keep track of how much of the supplement you take, you can end up heavier than when you started.
It can put your safety and health at risk.
Since weight loss supplements are not regulated by the FDA, there’s no ensuring that the ingredients, labels, and research they write on the bottle or their business websites are accurate and true.
For people with allergies or other sensitivities to unlisted ingredients, this can pose a serious health and safety risk.
It can cause uncomfortable side effects.
Some fat burners can cause uncomfortable, even dangerous side effects, such as :
- Nausea
- Diarrhea, constipation, and other stomach problems
- Jitters
- Sleeplessness
- Increased blood pressure
- Stroke
- Various cardiovascular issues
- Liver damage or failure
- Nervousness, irritability, similar behavior changes
- Seizures
The bottom line
Different fat burners contain varying ingredients, which means not one supplement will work the same way as the other. As long as you take them with utmost care and consideration for your health and safety, there should be no reason for you to be at risk.
Once again, because the weight loss market is an unregulated space, it’s always best to be cautious of the purchases that you make.
Visit customer forums, review boards, and social media to see what others say about the product you’re checking out.
Story by Lana Evans. She has been a professional personal trainer for five years and has helped hundreds of women of all ages and backgrounds achieve their individual fitness goals. She specializes in creating comprehensive meal plans for her clients and designing easy-to-follow workout routines. You can get in touch with her at lana@totalshape(dot)com.
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