Short Answer: No, not really.
Fat reducing pills are very popular in both the bodybuilding world and among people trying to lose weight.
The Internet has made such supplements and medicines more accessible to people that would not normally think to buy them, and few people question if they are effective or safe, before buying online.
There are several types of diet pill on the market now. There are fat blockers which actively reduce fats from the foods you eat from being absorbed through the wall of the digestive tract, reducing the amount of energy (calories) you take in. Similarly there is a drug which blocks the uptake of carbohydrate. Neither of these pills are really safe in the long term and both have some side effects which are not very pleasant. Some drugs are positively unsafe, DNP is an example. DNP kills and is illegal, but people are still taking it to aid weight loss.
Fat burning pills work a little differently in that they are designed to increase metabolism that more fat can be lost. Most often fat burning pills are used by bodybuilders prior to competitions when “cutting” is most important. How the pills work to increase metabolism varies, but most contain a chemical concoction of caffeine, guarana, green tea and other ingredients which have been shown to possibly aid an increase in fat burning.
Are Fat Reducing Pills Safe?
Although losing fat can be simpler and easier with the correct advice and nutritional products, it is absolutely essential that fat burning pills are only taken by people that are working out intensively on a regular basis. The pills should never be taken by people that are looking for an easy way to lose some weight. At best they just will not work, and at worse they could lead to side effects and ill health.
What Is A Fat Burner?
Most people know that to lose weight, you need to eat less and exercise more. The problem is that dieting can be a physical and mental torture! A fat burner helps you move towards your weight management goals, as part of your diet and training regime.
Do Fat Burning Pills Work?
OK, so they may not be totally safe, but do they actually work as claimed? To answer that, we first, we need to look at what they are.
A fat burner helps you to mobilize and burn fat when used in conjunction with a sensible diet and exercise program. What this means is that the pills help encourage your body to break down more fat tissue for energy. However, the science is not conclusive – there is no solid evidence that they are effective, most of the claims are from individuals that believe they have helped.
For example, Maximuscle’s best selling fat-burner Thermobol contains ingredients that research shows could increase fat loss. This will help you feel more in control when restricting calories, helping to support your weight management goals.
Should You Use A Fat Burner?
If you’re training hard and still finding it difficult to lose weight, or you’re frustrated by the fact that the weight is not coming off quickly enough, a fat burner could help you reach your weight management goals more quickly.
One of the features of a fat burner is that it raises your psychological and nervous energy levels – you can become highly strung. This is designed so that you exercise with a greater intensity and therefore burn more energy.
This is the thermogenesis effect – you get hotter and work harder to burn more. It is argued that positive thinking and mental preparation before exercise can have a similar effect. In fact, much of sports and athletics coaching involves working on the psychological aspect of training to reach peak performance.
However, some research has shown that “bioactive components may support weight maintenance after a hypocaloric diet” (Belza, 2006).
Likewise, research into the effects of a green tea supplement shows it “enhances exercise-induced changes in abdominal fat” (Maki et al, 2009), i.e. you must exercise for it to be effective.
Are Fat Reducing Pills Safe?
There are many risks associated with taking these kinds of medications. Fat blockers in particular have some negative side effects, including stomach aches, diarrhea, and a tendency to interfere with other medications, notably birth control and estrogen supplements. They can also encourage undernourishment as they often block the absorption of lots of fat-soluble vitamins.
Some of these medicines are high in substances like caffeine, which can have a negative effect on the heart. These medications also don’t help slimmer to re-learn appropriate eating habits.
If you are looking to lose some extra fat, and are exercising on a regular basis, then fat burning pills such Maximuscle’s Thermobol can help to speed up metabolism to burn fat. Some products such as CLA-1000 also help to break down fat.
Typical Side Effects of Fat Burning Supplements
- Caffeine – anxiety, sleep disruption, confusion, headaches, seeing flashes, tinnitus, mania and psychosis (rare and with very high doses).
- Guarana – insomnia, headaches, nervousness, anxiety, heart palpitations and high blood pressure.
- Green Tea Extract – restlessness and insomnia
- CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) – linked to increased risk factors for heart disease
- Chromium – anemia, memory loss and DNA damage linked with chromium picolinate.
- Chitosan – gas, bloating and diarrhea. Malnutrition possible due to blocking of fat soluble vitamins.
- Ephedrine– hypertension, heart palpitations, acne, anorexia, urinary tract problems, confusion, insomnia, delusions, paranoia, panic attacks, headaches and dizziness, plus many more. The worse know side effects recorded have been “stroke, heart attack, and death” (FDA, 2004). Seek medical advice before going near this stuff.
Really it is for the consumer to weigh up the risks and benefits and decide if fat reducing pills are safe for them. There is no sure answer. The best answer is to adopt a healthy diet and do plenty of quality exercise. If you do decide to experiment with a fat burning supplement it is wise to keep a diary and note any unusual feelings or behavior. Increased aggression, anxiety, sleeplessness or paranoia and confusion could all indicate a problematic side effect of one of the ingredients and stopping the supplements immediately is the only recommended course of action.
Following a well structured weight loss system that emphasis both diet and exercise is the best way for most people to lose weight. However, many people intent on looking for the quicker, easier option, and if you are working out hard, then a fat burner may work well for you.
Diet Pills Kill Woman – The Dangers of Too Much Caffeine
This is not actually breaking news and we are not aware of any recent deaths. However, on researching the relationship of caffeine and health I came across a report from the journal of Veterinary & Human Toxicology that reported a death due to caffeine overdose. Although deaths from excess caffeine are rare, they do happen, and with more products flooding the market containing caffeine, these deaths are likely to continue. This gives rise to a larger question, are diet pills really safe? It is a subject that we have covered already, however, the risk of death from caffeine overdose was not considered.
A 22 year-old female was rush to accident and emergency after suffering a heart attack. Her heart attack came on after consuming too many diet pills that she had purchased online. These pills were of a thermogenic nature, designed to increase metabolism by raising heart rate. For this woman the result triggered a heart attack that killed her.
Cause of Death: Caffeine
A post-mortem examination revealed that she had a caffeine level of 1,560 micrograms/ml in her blood. The lethal limit is considered to be 100 micrograms/ml. Her caffeine levels were 15 times higher than the fatal level. How did she manage to accomplish this? No other substances were found in her blood and her death was attributed to acute caffeine toxicity.
Thermogenic Diet Pills and Fat Burners
Thermogenic diet pills are popular for one reason – they are currently legal to be sold over the counter, without prescription. The only diet pills to really work, such as fat blockers and carb blockers, have not passed testing or have had to be withdrawn from the market due to serious side effects. The thermogenic ones remain because so far they have not resulted in many fatalities.
The idea really is that by taking a thermogenic diet pill you increase your heart rate and metabolism to encourage you to exercise. Studies have found that when you consume caffeine you will workout with a greater intensity. Many athletes and bodybuilders drink black coffee in the morning before their cardio sessions for this reason. Although it is not known what happened in the case reported in Veterinary & Human Toxicology, there is a real risk that not exercising could be the cause of the highly elevated levels.
How Much Caffeine is Safe?
Over-the-counter caffeine tablets generally contain up to 100 mg of caffeine. In 2004 Sweden put a restriction on caffeine tablets, limiting the number that could be bought without prescription to just 30 at a time. This was in response to deliberate caffeine overdosing.
“Overdoses of tablets containing caffeine can be fatal, suicides as well as accidents occur.” (Thelander et al, 2010).
The study by Thelander reported the case of a 21-year-old woman who had taken 10 grams of caffeine (100 tablets). She called the ambulance afterwards and was taken to hospital but no problems were seen. Just as she was leaving hospital she collapsed after developing ventricular fibrillations (irregular and inefficient heart contractions). After 30 minutes her heart was restored but she suffered several more attacks afterwards. Doctors eventually stabilized her, but after being in hospital for 13 days in intensive care she deteriorated and died. The caffeine overdose essentially destroyed her heart, or her ability (the brain’s subconscious influence) to control her heart.
The same study looked at the toxicological results of 20 deaths attributed to caffeine overdose and in 2 of the cases ephedrine was found in the blood. Ephedrine is another chemical used in fat burners and stimulants designed to help people to lose weight.
How Much Caffeine in Over-the-Counter Pills?
Here are a selection of “fat burners” chosen at random by searching for “far burners” in Google Shopping results on 21st November 2011. Caffeine data taken from the product websites.
- Maximuscle Thermobol, 90 capsules. 153 mg caffeine each.
- Twinlab Ripped Fuel Extreme, 60 capsules, 220 mg caffeine each.
- Nutrex 1158 Nurtex Research Fat Burner LiPo, 120 capsules – 200 mg Caffeine Anhydrous USP each.
- Forza T5 Super Strength Fat Burners – 60 caps, 200 mg Caffeine each.
As you can see, each of these contains more capsules than the Swedish government allow to be sold on health grounds. Just 50 of the Nutrex capsules will provide 10000 mg (10 gram) of caffeine, the same amount that killed the healthy woman who Thelander and co wrote about in 2010.
Although the advice is to take one fat burner / thermogenic pill per day, some people do not read the labels and think that taking more will result in more fat burning. This is why care has to be taken as accidental overdoses do occur, and people tend to think that it is not possible to overdose on over-the-counter medicine. It is highly unlikely that anyone would take 50 fat burners in one go, however, currently the safe lower limit is not known.
How Effective is Caffeine?
Caffeine is certainly a stimulant, but does it really improve performance? Graham and Spriet (1991) examined the effect of caffeine on endurance athletes and concluded that neither cyclists nor runners saw any improvements in respiratory exchange ratio (used to measure fat burning) or plasma free fatty acid data (an indicator of total fat oxidation / fat burning) at rest or during exercise.
Some studies, such as the one by Namdar and colleagues in 2006 showed that caffeine actually reduces blood flow to the heart and may impair athletic performance. As little as 2 cups of coffee reduces exercise-induced myocardial flow reserve at normoxia. Myocardial flow reserve is the rate at which blood can flow through the heart, and so impacts on the amount of oxygen that can be delivered to the muscles during exercise.
Caffeine has been shown to help muscles recover after exercise, but it is also responsible for increasing cholesterol levels.
So, care must be taken if you are considering taking fat burners that contain caffeine, caffeine based energy drinks or lots of coffee. Although coffee does seem to have some advantages and positive effects on health and fitness, there are also some serious side effects of having too much caffeine.
So, are there safe fat burning supplements? While none are dangerous as such, none can be considered totally “safe”, as all have side effects. Caffeine overdose is possible, as mentioned above. People with heart conditions or high blood pressure should avoid fat burning pills.
For most people reading this, and that includes you, a combination of exercise and healthy eating is all that is required.
References and Further information into fat burning products
- “Fat pills give modest weight loss” BBC News, 16 November 2007. Accessed Oct. 2011.
- “Weight Loss Products and Programs” by J. Anderson, L.Young, and J.Roach. 2008. Colorado State University. Accessed Oct. 2011.
- “Body fat loss achieved by stimulation of thermogenesis by a combination of bioactive food ingredients: a placebo-controlled, double-blind 8-week intervention in obese subjects” by A Belza, E Frandsen and J Kondrup. International Journal of Obesity (2007) 31, 121–130. doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0803351. Abstract: http://www.nature.com/articles/0803351
- “Effects of Citrus aurantium extract, caffeine, and St. John’s Wort on body fat loss, lipid levels, and mood states in overweight healthy adults” by Carlon M. Colker, Douglas S. Kaiman, Georgeann C. Torina, Theresa Perlis, Chris Street. Current Therapeutic Research, Volume 60, Issue 3, March 1999, Pages 145-153.
- “Thermogenic Effect from Nutritionally Enriched Coffee Consumption” by Jay R Hoffman, Jie Kang, Nicholas A Ratamess, Peter F Jennings, Gerald Mangine and Avery D Faigenbaum. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2006, 3:35-41 doi:10.1186/1550-2783-3-1-35. Full; article: http://www.jissn.com/content/3/1/35
- “Green Tea Catechin Consumption Enhances Exercise-Induced Abdominal Fat Loss in Overweight and Obese Adults” by Kevin C. Maki, Matthew S. Reeves, Mildred Farmer, Koichi Yasunaga, Noboru Matsuo, Yoshihisa Katsuragi, Masanori Komikado, Ichiro Tokimitsu, Donna Wilder, Franz Jones, Jeffrey B. Blumberg, and Yolanda Cartwright. J. Nutr. February 2009 vol. 139 no. 2 264-270. Full article: http://jn.nutrition.org/content/139/2/264.full
- “Federal Register Final Rule – FR69 6787 Final Rule Declaring Dietary Supplements Containing Ephedrine Alkaloids Adulterated Because They Present an Unreasonable Risk February 11, 2004” FDA Online publication. Accessed October 2011.
- Anti-obesity Drug Suspended Due to Psychiatric Risks – MotleyHealth.com
- “Massive caffeine ingestion resulting in death” by Mrvos RM, Reilly PE, Dean BS, Krenzelok EP. Vet Hum Toxicol. 1989 Dec;31(6):571-2. Abstract: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2617841.
- “Caffeine fatalities – Do sales restrictions prevent intentional intoxications?” by Gunilla Thelander, Anna Kristina Jönsson, Mark Personne, Gunilla Sjölin Forsberg, Kristina Magnusson Lundqvist And Johan Ahlner. Clinical Toxicology (2010) 48, 354–358. Abstract: http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/15563650903586752
- “Acute caffeine ingestion fatalities: management issues” by Shum S, Seale C, Hathaway D, Chucovich V, Beard D. Vet Hum Toxicol. 1997 Aug;39(4):228-30. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9251173.
- “Performance and metabolic responses to a high caffeine dose during prolonged exercise” by T. E. Graham and L. L. Spriet. Journal of Applied Physiology. December 1991 vol. 71 no. 62292-2298. Abstract: jap.physiology.org/content/71/6/2292.short.
- “Caffeine Decreases Exercise-Induced Myocardial Flow Reserve” by Mehdi Namdar, Pascal Koepfli, Renate Grathwohl, Patrick T. Siegrist, Michael Klainguti, Tiziano Schepis, Raphael Delaloye, Christophe A. Wyss, Samuel P. Fleischmann, Oliver Gaemperli and Philipp A. Kaufmann. Journal of American College of Cardiology (JACC), 2006; 47:405-410, doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2005.08.064.
Scientists from Italy’s National Research Council have developed a new style of diet pill. Once eaten it expands in the stomach to make the dieter feel full. The effect can last several hours, during which the diet does not feel hungry. It is made from a hydrogel, which the team developed when trying to make more absorbent nappy linings.
It is thought that the pill may help to fight the obesity epidemic. Testing so far has been limited, and before the diet pill can be marketed further testing and research needs to be carried out.
Head of research, Professor Luigi Ambrosio, realised that hydrogel may have a similar effect to gastric banding – a surgical procedure that reduces the size of the stomach. Gastric banding is a very risky procedure and can cause long term damage to the stomach. It is thought that this new diet pill will not have any long term effects.
The diet pill is powdery when dry but when swallowed with a glass of water turns to a jelly-like ball in the stomach. It is made from an organic compound called cellulose and can be flushed out by the body. The diet pill has not been named yet, but it is being tested in a further 90 overweight volunteers who will be monitored to see how much weight they lose and if there are any adverse effects.
Professor Ambrosio said the pill should be taken about 30 minutes to one hour before each meal. It passes through the digestive system within five to six hours.
Dr David Haslam, clinical director of the National Obesity Forum said there had been products around for many years which had tried to produce a feeling of fullness. “The theory has been tried and tested in the past but it’s not been that successful. “We’d need much bigger trials but it’s a reasonable enough idea. “However, it would have to be given with the appropriate nutritional advice, you can’t live on such tablets.”
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6252720.stm
(this comment was moved from an older article)
A health warning was released on July 6th, 2009, regarding the prescription slimming pill Alli, made by GlaxoSmithKline.
The pill was released in April 2009 and hailed as a wonder drug, the the potential to help obese patients lose 50% more weight. The drug was approved after tests by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, however recent studies indicate that it may be responsible for liver damage. The drug works by blocking the absorption of dietary fats during digestion. Investigations are continuing, and if proved conclusive then the drug will be recalled and banned.
I am an ulcer patient, can I still take a fat burner pills? If yes please tell me which one to use.
Hi Nana. Fat burning pills based on green tea should be OK for you, as green tea actually helps treat ulcers. However, you really should consult your doctor first to be sure. I really would not suggest taking anything else until speaking with a medical professional.
hello mate,
I’m 19 years old and I used to be fat when I was like 16, around 95 kg, and now I’m around 72-73 kg. As I lost weight, I had hard abs, but it never showed up because of my belly fat. I still have the same problem. I’ve started going gym alot now. Is it advisable for me to consume any of the fat burning supplements?
Mahesh, if you are indeed working out on a regular basis, and doing quality (intensive) exercise, and also eating a lean, healthy diet with plenty of proteins and fruits, vegetables and pulses, then a fat burner can help you. Always read the labels to learn if there are any possible side effects. If in any doubt speak to a medical professional.
Hi I am 19 and I am in the gym 3 times a week. I do mostly strength training, will the pills help me loose fat or should I be doing more cardio instead of strength? I do not want to lose muscle but I want to get rid of fat.
I want to know if fat burning pills are dangerous for your heart or any other organs?
Hey I’m a female fourteen almost fifteen and I play tennis two or three times a week for two hours and condition. Plus on my own I weight train and “try” to eat healthy but I have this pooch on my lower stomach that I hate and can’t get rid of even though I do crunches. I have strong abdominal muscles that show above the pooch but I can’t get rid of the fat on my lower stomach. Any advice?
Hi Jessica, the key really is diet. Maybe you are eating too much of the wrong thing – sugar maybe? It is very easy to store fat in that area. If it is just a little, do not worry about it though. Just keep playing sports and exercising!
Your 14 years old, do not even think about dieting, or taking pills. and i cant believe a proffessional would tell you to diet. your 14, your still growing, just eat fruit and veginstead of eating some rubbish, but your very young to even think about dieting, youve got alot of growing to do yet. learn to love yourself and be happy. not dieting, as its dangerous for a young person like u to be dieting, i should know, im a nurse. ignore this so-called professional. People like that make people anorexic and ill. and i think its disguisting and wrong.
Lisa, I said that diet is the key, not to go on “a diet”. There is a big difference. Most people put on weight due to a bad diet, and by that I mean eating junk food, too much sugar, saturated fat etc. Even people that are active can put on weight if they eat a poor diet, as I am sure you know.
Maybe we should not use the word “diet” in the proper sense now, instead say “healthy eating” to avoid confusion?
Did you read the last piece of advice to Jessica?
hiya I’m 20 years old and have been going to the gym just recently as I am trying to lose my belly fat as I weigh 17.4 stone but I want to lose my belly fat quickly so I can get a 6pack with a nice muscular body. so I was wondering what will help lose that belly fat in a few months and would any supplements help lose the belly fat and help muscle building and toning.
Hi Phillip, you need to start dieting. Eat fewer calories and eat healthier meals. Cut sugar, bread, rice, starchy foods. Go low GI, lean proteins. And exercise – do whatever you can. Walking lots will help. Do not touch supplements yet, not until you are fit enough to be exercise intensively. At the moment they will just add to your daily calories and will make weight loss harder.
My goal was to lose 20lbs. I lost 10 with eating a healthy diet, calorie counting and exercising 30-60mins 5-6days a week. Now it seems that I have plateaued a cpl weeks now. Should I try a suppliment now to reach my goal?
Hi Kim, I think that losing 10 pounds on a healthy diet and with exercise is proof that you can lose the remaining weight the same way. You may need to step up your exercise routines a little to burn more fat. Get more intensive, do interval training and some weight training. Also take a fresh look at the diet, maybe there are still little areas that can be improved, esp. reduction of sugar.
I am 23 yrs old and want to lose some weight. I have been working out 30-45 min 5 days a week and am not losing anything. I do not eat junk food and stay away from all sugars. I feel like I keep working and am not getting any results, Any ideas?
Hi Arielle. Although you may not have seen any noticeable weight loss at the moment you are certainly getting fitter and stronger by doing your daily workouts. This means that you can start to push yourself a little harder – get more intensive. Maybe you could measure your waist, thighs, arms, chest and see if these change. You should be building some muscle, and this does weigh more than fat, so if you are losing fat at the same rate as you are building muscle then you will not see much of a difference in the scales. Questions you really should be asking yourself are: Do I feel better? Do I have more energy? Am I sleeping better? Start by working harder. In the last 10 minutes of your workout start doing 1 minute “sprints”, i.e. train as hard as possible for 1 minute. Then slow down to recover for 1 minute, and repeat. So you do 5 sprints (intensive intervals) in the last 10 minutes. This should help burn more fat and get you fitter.
Hi all! Well I’ve been training for past 6 years and I used some fat burning pills!I had my 6 pack, I was so enthusiastic till one day I suddenly started losing not just fat but body muscle. I was eating healthy, taking proteins, so I seek medical help. My creatine level was higher than normal and risked kidney failure. So I had not just to quit GYM but also gave up on normal ordinary life style. So before to take any supplements ask yourself, what do you really need?
Good advice Emin. Supplements should be used to supplement your healthy diet, not to replace food.
I’ve been working out 5-6 days a week for the past 6 weeks and only lost 4 lb i do see an inch in my belt, and my pants legs and butt are a lot loser but the scale is not going down. I do wieght training 3-4 days out of the 6 days i work out walking or using the elipcal I am on a healthy diet no red meat only chicken , sea food , nothing fried everything grilled lots of veg. and fruits, no rice, no bread, wheat pasta if any and brown rice what do i need to do now to loose the weight and the belly fat
Hi Sophia. You are doing great. OK, 4 lb is not a lot in 6 weeks, but you are slimmer and fitter, this is something to build on. When you start exercising you need to build a foundation first, the fitter you get, the harder you can work, the more calories you burn. You may still need to reduce portion size slightly to help with the fat loss, and keep an eye on sugar (which gets in everything these days, breakfast cereals included). Switch as many foods for the lowest GI ones that you can. Keep pushing yourself with your workouts. Even if the weight loss is slow, stay positive and remember these two facts: 1. You are losing weight. 2. You are getting fitter. Both of these make you healthier, and this should make you happier. Give it time, and make small adjustments to diet as you progress.
So the issue with fat burners if you aren’t exercising is that the fat burners themselves contain a lot of calories? I’m trying to understand why dieting + fat burners but not a large amount of exercise wouldn’t help, or exactly what is it about fat burners that are bad for you if you aren’t working out a lot.
They do not contain calories, it is just that they are not so effective if you are not exercising and there is a risk of possible side effects occurring.
I am 23 years and weigh 127 kg. I want to loose about 50 kg within the next three months how should I do?.I started a healthy diet and exercising for the past 3 days, and am also drinking a plenty of water and lemon mixture. AM I ON THE RIGHT TRACK?.
Hi Maureen, yes you are on the right track. Diet is the most important part. Reduce sugar intake and keep calories low. Try to do some exercise everyday, lots of walking is a good way to start if you are very overweight. Aim to lose 1-2kg a week to start with then this will lower to 0.5-1kg per week. But just keep working at it. As you lose weight and get fitter increase your exercise. Good luck! Please come back and tell us how you are getting on.
Hi I have started gym just 12 days back but I haven’t lost no weight no fat infact ppl think and ask me I’m looking fatter.. I exercise for abt an 1 and a half hours or so.. I asked my trainer what could be done he said use fat burnering pills.. Now my question is is it safe for me.. I have a thyroid promlem now it is almost cleared.. I’m not able to decide what to do could u pls help with a good suggestion…
Well, a trainer does not always know best, he may even make a profit on selling the fat burning pills.
To lose weight you need to diet as well as exercise. If you have not adjusted your diet, i.e. reduced calories and reduced sugar, then you will not lose much weight in 12 days, fat burning pills or not.
Sort the diet out, then review in another 2 weeks.
I am a 22yr old guy, and I have been doing a really hardcore work out in gym for last 3 months . I am also using mammoth 2500 once a day with gym, ( my body is in good shape now), But I haven’t seen nearly any difference on my stomach fats, its not going down, just increasing. I don’t do a lot of abs exercise just regular (because people say my stomach will grow 3 times more if I’ll stop working out ).
I do eat a lot to stay healthy though. And I also work on computer, so sitting is mainly the whole day routine also. So my question is can I take fat losing pills just for abs? I can lose a little muscle, no problem, but I really want a lean stomach.
Hi Umar, this is your problem: “I do eat a lot to stay healthy though”. If you are working out hard then the only additional thing you need to do to lose your belly fat is to change your diet. Eat less calories and make sure what you do eat is nutritious. Check out these bodybuilding daily diets for ideas (don’t eat as much as these guys though, they are huge).
This is an update on my weight loss. Its been 7 weeks since I started exercising and have lost 14.6 kg from 127 to 112.4.I have a problem cause I do a lot of running than regular exercising so my right calf bone gets so painful that I sometimes feel that its broken, any ideas to prevent the pain?
That is fast weight loss Maureen. As for your leg – RICE. Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. After you run. Stretch well and maybe take some fish oil supplement.
Hi,
I am Darshini, 23 years old. I am a software professional so get very little time to go to the gym. I make sure I exercise at home every morning for an hour. I have been following this routine along with a healthy diet for quite sometime. My body fat, esp in the thigh n arms is very stubborn. I haven’t lost an inch!!
So wanna know if the fat burning pills are an option for me and if they are safe for women? Awaiting your reply.
Before thinking about taking any pills like this you have to be sure that your diet is a clean and lean as possible. In all honesty, if you are eating a healthy diet that is low in sugar, if you are not eating too many calories, and if you are doing regular intensive exercise, then you do not need fat burning pills. People that take these pills are usually trying to remove every little bit of fat, i.e. pro bodybuilders and athletes that need to get their weight down.
What exercise are you doing for one hour each day? Maybe we can get your doing some more effective exercises. Also, give an example of a average daily diet.
I do yoga(24 surya namaskars), cycling for 30 mins and few crunches. Also my normal diet includes : corn flakes and slim milk wit apple for breakfast, 2 rotis n veggies for lunch, fresh fruit salad in the evenin and 1 roti n veggies for dinner. I want to get rid of all the cellulite in my body esp lower body and arms. I have tried intensive gyming for 3 months but it didn’t work.
Hi Darshini. Cellulite is not he same as fat unfortunately. Have you reduced weight? I assume that you are quite fit now. Is your yoga done every day? The rotis could be a problem, although 3 a day should not be too much. How big are they?
I make it a point to do my yoga everyday. I don’t eat rice as that might be fattening. The rotis are small and cooked without oil.
Sounds like you are doing the right things. Give it more time. Think about increasing the intensity of the yoga routines if they become too easy for you. Always try t make yourself fitter an healthier, and keep a close watch on those little snacks.
My name is arfan and I am taking fat burner pill and have cut down a lot on fatty foods most I eat is salads pasta wholemeal bread etc I go to gym 4 days a week is it still ok to take fat burner pills even thou I exercise 4 days a week i do a lot of walking abot in my job as well…
It is normal to exercise. Reducing refined carbs, such as bread and pasta, may speed up weight loss more than fat burning pills. Many fat burning pills use polyphenols and other extracts found in green tea that have been shown to breakdown dietary fat (i.e. the fat that you eat). There is no evidence that they will actually reduce fat accumulation as the result of eating too much sugar (carbohydrate). So I am not entirely convinced that fat burning pills taken with a low fat/high carb diet are going to be the most effective way to lose weight.
hi,great topic with great update,thanks. im 22 and ive started to lose weight for about 2month,ive worked hard at the gym(3times a week),and eat twice less than i ate before but ive just lost 4 pounds, so disapointing. ive got blood preasure too, can i use fat burning pills? if yes what kind should i use?
Considering you medical condition I strongly suggest that you speak with you doctor before taking any pills. Are you on medication for high blood pressure?
no, ive not really considered it a big deal, sometimes its normal somtimes high
Tony, I would certainly run this by a doctor beforehand, as they should know more about your condition and the impact different chemicals / drugs may have on it. Take the details of any pills you are considering and ask them to advise.
Hey, Just a quick question, I am working on my abs real hard, I use to have a belly, But now I can see abs muscles, and I love it..its great, But I will be joining office in a week[regular job], so will my belly grow back even faster then before if not work on it with the same routine ( but keeping my diet controlled )?
Lots of fit people work in offices, its just that it is easy to let your fitness and diet slip, especially with cheap canteen food and after work trips to the bar.
The key is to maintain what you have been doing. Make the time to do it. There is always time.
Yes, But other people are telling me that my belly will grow back even faster then before, when I will cut short on my workouts.
Do you think a daily walk of about 2km daily (going and coming back from office) and workout in gym on weekends can keep me fit,
I will try to hit the gym on alternate days, but for now all I have is walk and weekend workout.
hey my name is jack and i got a fat belly. not that fat thow. do you think if i take fat burning pills and work out will help me out please help me out.
Working out will certainly help. The fat burning pills will never be effective without a calorie restricted and healthy diet though. Some reports suggest that fat burning pills will only burn an additional 100 calories a day – that is just 1 slice of bread. So diet must be sorted out first.
Hello everyone.
These is another update on my weight. It’s been 21 weeks and i have lost 24.2kgs from 127kgs to 102.8 kgs to date. I am still exercising, eating healthy and drinking a plenty of water. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH.