I am constantly being bombarded on the radio with testimonials by deejays about these products that supposedly burn off fat and give you more energy. My wife tried a fat burner pill and said she thought she was going to have a heart-attack. Great, another dangerous herbal supplement.
Nonetheless, these deejays pimp how safe this stuff is, how Americans have lost “millions of pounds of weight” and the deejay swears up and down he looks and feels great.
Smells of a scam. Anyone got the straight dope on fat burning pills? Has anyone tried any with any results?
My wife and I tried Metabolife for a about two weeks. Basically, as I recall, it had something in it that speeds up your heart rate, but, at least for us, didn’t really curb our hunger.
I’m sure you’ll find other threads on this if you do an archive search.
Personally, both of us are in a fat phase right now (read: we just don’t care), but when my wife (and I by default) get on a diet kick, we’ve had the most luck with diets that basically use the high protein/ low carb. strategy. Something about getting to eat all the meat you want makes you quickly lose your appetite and not want to snack anymore which works great for me since I am a major carnivore. I have no problem eating the burger if I just have to chuck the bun.
None of these “herbal” products have to prove anything via an FDA trial, etc. Likely, there is nothing more than anecdotal evidence that it works. No scientific test that would pass the scrutiny of the SDBM for sure.
There are supplements that can help you in your goal towards losing weight, but none are going to suck the fat out of your cells, or block carbs from being absorbed.
The best supplements are used in conjunction with a healthy diet where there is the chance that too much protein is lost to dieting. Protein supplements are good things when dieting. Vitamins too.
I hear, and roll my eyes, at the various testimonials. I also work with about 350 women who try to take the easy way out by using every Herba-this or Body-that or fatsucking-this instead of maintaining a diet and exercise program with intelligent use of vitamin and protein supplements. Oddly , they spend their life looking for magic formulas, all why the suffer from lifelong fatness of ass.
I don’t have any knowledge about effectiveness, but Metabolife 356, at least, contains ephedra, a stimulant that has been linked to an increased risk of heart attacks and stroke. No conclusive evidence that I know of, but something to be aware of.
If they work, its not a huge effect
I’m taking one version (“Ripped Fuel”) and if its helping take off the fat, its not all THAT great, even though I’m continuing to work out 2 hours a day at the gym. I’m picking up some muscle and losing fat (I’m at ~165, 6’0").
I’m not losing weight, but thats not my goal- I just want to drop my bodyfat percentage.
All I can say about the pills is that they make you feel slightly warmer for the next few hours. They do NOT make my heart race, I’ve measured it at 57 bpm and less while taking them, so I don’t have any problems there. I would imagine its the dosage- I believe Metabolife has like 5 times the ephedra as ripped fuel. They’re probably burning some calories, but If you’re overeating 500 calories a day or something I doubt they’d have any effect- they’d probably be more likely to help keep your metabolism going when you’re already on a calorie restricted diet and running on a calorie deficit…
Actually, they don’t work and they are dangerous. End of story…
Let me sexplain… I took Xenadrine in college to lose those few extra holiday pounds. Big, big, big, huge mistake. Not only did I not lose any weight, they gave me a stomach ulcer which is something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy’s dog. My doc said he was pretty sure that the pills had caused the ulcer. Don’t take these herbal weight loss things, they are a rip off.
all the pills that burn fat or raise your bodies metabolism are linked to heart problems from what I have come across.
the reason can easily be explained. all these pills make the cell become more active. your heart is made from cells. your heart cells become more active. sustain heart cells at high rates will lead to failure. thus, heart problems.
you get same problem for high cholesterol or other problems… your heart rate increases for long durations and causes failure. Failure does not mean heart just stops, but several heart cells stop but not all.
Caffeine is a stimulant, as are ephedra and many of the active ingredients in these “supplements”. Stimulants will up your metabolic rate, which will raise your heart rate, among other things.
Also, if you fill up on coffee, you’ll be less hungry because your stomach isn’t empty.
Actually, ECA stacking (ephedrine, caffeine, aspirin) can be effective in giving you more energy to excercise and stuff. It’s not especially safe - and personally, it bothered my stomach, but when I tried it, I had a remarkable amount of energy and endurance.
The burden of proof is a burden the companies that push these products bears. There are not “cites” to show it works, so that’s all you need. Lack of evidence they work is evidence that they probably don’t.
That’s the problem. Because they FDA doesn’t handle herbal remedies, the claims are questionable.
Like the “Bloussant” herbal boob growth supplements. If the FDA were to approve it for use a a boob grower, I’d be dumping it into the water supply.
Stimulants will curb appetite and raise your metabolism. Hence, taking stimulants can work for weight loss. However, its also a foolish thing to do, unless you’re carefully following a doctor’s advice (actually, thinking back on “Requieum for a Dream”, be wary of your doctor if they prescribe stimulants for weight loss). Most all of these pills are mild stimulants plus vitamins, with whatever herbal crap is currently “hot” thrown in to bring in the rubes.
Be wary of taking these pills, and certainly consult with your doctor first. They can be harmless, but they can also cause problems (as any stimulant can) if you aren’t careful or have certain risk factors.
Boy, some of you are going to hate hearing this … but I’ve been taking Metabolife and I’ve lost about 35 pounds on it. They might not work for some, but they do for me.
Yeah, ephedra is dangerous. So is carring excess body weight, and either one might stop my heart if I try running up a flight of stairs. YMMV.