Do fat burners work? Do I take them? Should you take them? How do they work? What are the effects of using them? These are all questions which I am frequently asked in regard to fat burners and rightly so, they are a very popular topic. Let’s get back to basics and go from the start; by the end of this blog you should be able to make an informed decision yourself on fat burners and if you want to use them.

What Are They?

Fat burners are essentially thermogenic power houses which increase the rate of thermogenesis within the body. Thermogenesis just means your basal metabolic rate is increasing thus leading to more calories burned around the clock. Basically it helps burn fat!

There are different pathways to induce thermogenesis and this will boil down to the particular fat burning product you are using. Many will use caffeine as a base stimulant and then add more potent natural stimulants to try and up-regulate thyroid function – things like bitter orange peel extract for example.

There you have a little background knowledge on what a conventional fat burner actually is and how they work.

Do You Use Them?

On and off I use them because I have found them to help immensely during certain phases of a diet. I have never experienced any adverse side effects from doing so and I have found them to help me reach my goals quicker.

Should I Use Them?

Yes and no. Yes you should at some point but you need to get the timing right. The thing is, like most supplements they do just that – ‘’supplement’’ a good diet. This means your diet needs to be spot on before you consider fat burners. I would go as far as to say that you also need to achieve so much through diet, training and basic supplementation before you introduce fat burners.

Fat burners are the ‘’edge’’ you need when you begin to plateau towards the end of a transformation. If you use them from the word go the chances are you will experience negative effects. You could end up with adrenal gland fatigue thus impairing fat loss and your body will adapt to the effects of the product which means you will lose that ‘’shock’’ value a fat burner can give.

With that said my advice is to use a fat burner for no longer than 4–6 weeks in one go and then allow your body at least the same time to ‘’recover’’ in order to reinstate normal function within said glands. Cycling fat burners is quite effective because as I said it carries ‘’shock’’ value.

How Will I Feel?

When you start using fat burners you might notice a few physical changes in the way you feel. For one you will probably feel more energised and alert due to the stimulant ingredient content. You might feel a little ‘’warmer’’ as thermogenesis kicks in and bumps up your metabolic rate. You may sweat more freely when you train for the reason above, but these are all good things.

To draw the blog to a conclusion I do rate fat burners and I do know they help. The trick lies in your application of them and getting that part right. If you can do that then you should find them to be very useful at the right times. Like all supplements please make sure you read the label and follow it plus if you are on any other medication you should consult with your doctor. Be responsible and do your homework.