Read also: “Local fat burning” and “fat burning elixir” – what’s the truth about them? Part 1

“You don’t have to do anything else, just take this tablet with 300ml water, 3 times a day, 30 minutes before your main meals.” Many people think that’s all, and the fat burner is going to do its job by itself and they will wake up in a brand new body. Hello, people, what is that “supplement” part in the word “food supplement” for?!? It means that by itself it will hardly do much as it is only a supplement to something.

Let’s see the most frequent misunderstandings, false myths regarding fat burning

You should first understand how fat burners work in theory to really see why they can’t be effective without any change in your diet and your (non-existent) work-out habits.

Burning fat is based on a very simple principle – if there is a calorie deficit, you are doing to lose weight. It means you take in less calories than what you use. The calories that you consume cannot be changed with any pills or tablets. Therefore, you either have to reduce the intake or – as an alternative – burn more calories, which process can be enhanced with sports, boosters and fat burners. Caffeine, L-carnitine, green tea and CLA boost your metabolism, supply you with excess energy to be more resistant in the face of challenges. Choline and inositol help in detoxification, fibres reduce your sense of hunger, just to mention the most popular ingredients. It means that in themselves, these ingredients have no effect whatsoever, they only boost your training efficiency and somewhat reduce your appetite.

Read also: “Local fat burning” and “fat burning elixir” – what’s the truth about them? Part 1

Many people worry that these substances cause them to sweat even when resting, for example while they are sitting. What you read above defies this since if you don’t move there is nothing to be enhanced by the fat burner. Obviously, this article refers to food supplements that contain only legal and harmless active ingredients. It is also a common myth that the more you sweat the more weight you lose. How is that possible? Could fat transform into water? That is out of question! You sweat because your body temperature increases during exercise (or because of sauna, extreme weather or stress), which your body is trying to readjust to the ideal 36.5 degrees Celsius. Sweating is like evaporation that cools the body. Therefore, it does not stimulate fat burning, it is only a side effect of it, but it is an important detoxification mechanism.

To be honest, it is not the smartest thing to make yourself sweat more with the help of cling film, plastic wrap or a warm track suit. In can be specifically dangerous, because during excessive sweating essential minerals are depleted from your body and unless you replace them, your balance maybe be tipped and your weight loss can slow down.

And what about taking fat burners together with mass gainers?

To put it bluntly – it is a total waste of money. Weight loss requires that you are in a calorie minus, while bulking requires excessive calories. The two types of products counterbalance the effect of the other. It is maximum in 1 to 2% of the cases when these processes could happen simultaneously, so can be considered as some sort of a miracle. The different phases in body-building have specific functions – during bulking we try to get very lean muscles, then the remaining fat is worked during the shredding phase. If professional body-builders do it in stages, why do you think you can do it all at once?

We recommend that prior to taking any substances – even if you don’t refer to an expert (which would be the best option) – find information at least from 5 to 10 different sources on what the product is good for and what it can do for you. This way you can avoid unpleasant surprises and disappointments.

Panna Plézer

Trainer