Seriously, folks, how do Fat Burners work? I recently was vaugely persuaded into picking up some of this Stacker 3 stuff that was being waved around, and am curious how it’s supposed to have any effect. Let’s see. I see it’s got a goodly amount of caffeine in it, and the ingredients are listed as a 550 mg capsule of Ephedra Extract (Is that related to adrenaline? I do know the generic term for adrenaline is ephidrine… though I may have mispelled it) Kola Nut Extract (This must be the caffeine. The sign claimed 250 mgs) White Willow Bark (Aspirin?) Grapefruit Extract (I have no idea) and Chitosan (No idea, again) I believe that the Stacker and various other flavor of American Fat Burners work slightly differently than the Mexican variety, which I am given to understand is, well, speed. What’s the straight dope on this, folks?
http://www.google.com 
Look up “ephedra”.
Also do a search in the thread archives, under “ephedra”.
Err, not quite… the alternative term for adrenalin is epinephrine. Both are generic names because the substance occurs naturally, hence it is not patented and marketed with a trade name.
Both names reflect the physiological site of secretion: adrenalin refers to the adrenal cortex, and epinephrine literally means “above the kidneys”. The adrenal glands are immediately adjacent to the kidneys.
I’ll be darned, this stuff is good for my asthma. No wonder I felt like a sudafed rush. I’ve been saying that caffeine helped my breathing for years, now I’ve got some data. Yes, I see the nasty side effects, but as long as I stay safe and sane, it shouldn’t be that bad.
Thanks for the spelling help, I was pulling the name out of my head. Wasn’t Adrenalin once trademarked or something, though? I could swear I saw someone natter about it in an article of some kind, years ago. And I mean Adrenalin, not Adrenaline. Or, possibly, the other way around. I seem to recall the trailing e being important.
Actually it has been known for a long time caffine helps asthma. Theo-Dur (Sp?) is a drug that used to be given for asthma. This drug is a cousin chemically to caffine.
Albuterol is used now as it is more effective.
Primatine Mist is epinephrine. That is what they give you in E.R.s for acute attacks.
But epinephrine is much more dangerous than albuterol and the like.
The short answer is that they DON’T work. Nor are they particularly safe. The amounts of those drugs per dose are generally uneven and poorly regulated. Contrary to claims they do NOT “speed up the metabolism.” They do nothing to help you burn fat faster. What they do is make you hyper (just like any caffeine product) which I suppose makes you feel more energized for exercise. Of course, the “crash” you experience in coming off of those things will make you feel much LESS energized.
Also, caffeine and other stimulants are appetite suppressants, so you won’t feel like eating as much when you’re on them. Of course, the same rebound effect regarding the extra energy is true here…when you’re due for another dose, you’ll likely be MORE hungry than you would have originally. In addition, when you discontinue using the medication, you will re-gain everything you lost while on them and most likely a few extra pounds on top of that.
-Laura
Update: Several weeks later.
Well, I’ve discovered that following the directions on the label is a bad thing, as it gives me a caffeine major overdose. (Heart palpitations and so on. Only did it once, though.)
Yes, it seems to be mostly caffeine. But I am losing weight. It might be because I’m just not drinking as much soda in the morning. It might also be because I have this weakness for junk food. Drakes Cakes, chips, whatever, and I’m not getting the urge in the morning when I’m most vunerable. So, I plan on breaking myself into a good habit or two, eating smaller portions, and convincing myself I’m full. Seems to be working. It may also be the placebo effect, but I think it’s the caffeine.
After this bottle runs out, I’m going to try some caffeine pills instead, and see what happens that way.
Any thoughts?
Basically, as long as I don’t rely on them to be a wonderpill, they might actually not be a total waste of cash.
On the other hand, I may just be fooling myself. But fooling myself might work. Only one way to find out, and that’s to see if I do gain weight after going off the pills. Unfortunately, I don’t have a working scale at the moment, but I have gotten comments that I’m losing weight, and I havn’t mentioned that I’ve been taking these, and the bottle doesn’t go to work with me.