Q&A: Fat Burners, Diet Pills & Thermogenics
So many people don’t understand what Fat Burners really do. Are they diet pills? Do they work? How do they make you feel? Will it help you lose weight? How fast should you see results? When is it best to take them? These are many of the questions we get about Thermogenics (AKA Fat Burners).
First, watch this quick video, where Steve explains what thermogenics actually are – and what they do.
[youtube=http://youtu.be/KMTDHuw8XyI]
Now, to answer some of those questions.
Are they diet pills?
Diet pills do different things. Many prescription pills curb your appetitive. There is another prescription that blocks fat from being absorbed and stored. Old school prescription pills often contained amphetamines which now is typically prescribed as dextroamphetamine, or the inactive prodruglisdexamfetamine. Then you have the old school fat burners, which contained Ephedra, in combination with aspirin and caffeine. Since Ephedra is no longer legal in the United States, supplement companies have been working hard to come up with a safer way to burn fat. So, in my opinion, I would not classify a thermogenic as a diet pill. While the fat burner we take, ThermoHeat for example, does have an appetite suppressant in it, it’s main job its to increase your body temperature to burn more calories throughout the day.
Do they work?
Yes, but not if you are depending on a fat burner alone. Fat burners can give you the edge you need to be more apt to move, exercise and stay active. It will increase calorie burn, but you have to understand how easy it is to erase those calories with poor food choices. Let’s say, for example sake, you burn 200 extra calories a day when on a fat burner. You could erase those calories easily with a big gulp coke or an extra snack. For this reason, fat burners work best when you combine it with exercise and diet.
How do they make you feel?
Some fat burners make you feel like you’ve had 10 cups of coffee. The old school fat burners that had ephedra in it really freaked people out. However, I think most fat burners today are more mild feeling in comparison to the Ephedra, caffeine and aspirin variations. People may complain about feeling anxious and jittery on some fat burners. Since I have heart palpitations, I have to watch out for fat burners that get my heart racing. ThermoHeat doesn’t make me feel that way at all. It makes me feel focused and more apt to stay moving, but I don’t feel like I’m on speed or anything. Basically, the answer to this question is “it depends”. Every fat burner is different.
Will it help you lose weight?
Yes. If you are burning more calories than you are consuming, you will lose weight. The key to success is to make the most of the fat-burning opportunity. Exercise when you are feeling energized and avoid replacing calories with poor food choices. However, if you aren’t going to track calories or even try to be in a caloric deficit, you probably will not get the results you want.
How fast should you see results?
How fast you get results depends on how dedicated you are to your weight loss goals. First, you need to know that you should feel results right away. You should feel more energized and more focused pretty quickly. This should help you WANT to workout and stay more active, which can often be an issue for many people. People lack the motivation or the energy to workout. BUT, if you don’t workout and you refuse to be more active, you aren’t going to get all the goody out of your fat burner. If you are taking ThermoHeat, you should also not feel as hungry, which can help with controlling your appetite. So, in many ways, you should be getting results almost immediately. However, if you are talking about seeing results on the scale, that’s a different story. The results you get are dependent on consistency and accuracy. Staying consistent with eating low-calorie foods and exercising will get you faster results. Accurately tracking calories burned and calories consumed will help you get the best results. But if you plan on just guessing your way through the day, I can only guess your results (and I would guess they won’t be what you want).
When is it best to take them?
Personally, I like taking Fat Burners to help give me an edge when I’m taking my training or dieting up a notch. I only take them for a season, and then I go off for a while. For example, I took ThermoHeat to help me prepare for my competition. It REALLY helped me get my 3 workouts in a day (2 cardios and 1 weight training workout) when I was extra low on calories. I honestly don’t think I would have had the oomph to do it without it. It’s also great for people who are starting a workout and diet plan. It can give people the mental and physical boost they need to get in a routine. It also will help increase energy when people would typically experience a loss of energy from just starting a diet and exercise program.
Before I close, let me be super clear. If you want to lose weight, the first thing you need to focus on is diet. You need to learn to track calories and stick to a caloric budget (I like using the LoseIt app for this). Second, you need to get in a good exercise routine. It doesn’t have to be an intense workout everyday, but a consistent workout routine you can stick to. Third, once you are willing to commit to eating right and exercising, THEN you can add supplements to the equation, like protein, creatine, fat burners, etc. Sadly, people often do the exact opposite, because making a protein shake or popping a pill is a lot easier than committing to a lifestyle change. You should never rely on supplements – they are only to SUPPLEMENT what you are missing and enhance what you are already doing. They are the icing on the low-cal cake! As long as you understand that, you are golden. Are they effective? Heck yeah, when they are used correctly! As long as you realize there is no protein shake or fat burner alone that will get you ripped like you see in the ads. Will they help? Absolutely! But, if you want results, you will be required to work for it. But I do promise you it will be SO worth it!!!
CLICK HERE to learn more about the fat burner we take, ThermoHeat.
Inspire Someone:
Bonnie Pfiester
Owner of Lift Vero and motivational "pfitness, pfood and pfaith" blogger in Vero Beach, Florida.
9 Comments
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Mandy
Hi I’m late to the conversation. I was wondering if eating one or two chili peppers would have the same benefit? I can’t always afford pills!
Bonnie Pfiester
I know I’m late replying – I missed your comment notification! Chili peppers would turn up the heat a little (temporarily) but you would still be missing out on all the effects of the other ingredients. It really is about a magical combination of ingredients to increase body temperature as well as keep a steady energy going (and suppress appetite) 🙂
Sarah
My husband and I both adore you and Steve. I have been anxious to hear your thoughts on supplements because I do not have the resources, knowledge nor the time to figure it all out. Thank you for this post!
brendaledford
Bonnie- First let me express my gratitude for your honesty and expressions of faith in this journey of staying fit. You are a new found inspiration for me and I am truly thankful for this blog and the information and motivation I have found here.
You note in your article (Q&A: Fat Burners, Diet Pills & Thermogenics): “If you are burning more calories than you are consuming, you will lose weight….If you want to lose weight, the first thing you need to focus on is diet. You need to learn to track calories and stick to a caloric budget (I like using the LoseIt app for this)…. Third, once you are willing to commit to eating right and exercising, THEN you can add supplements to the equation, like protein, creatine, fat burners, etc.”
I use the Loseit app and highly recommend it for anyone who hasn’t tried it. I am recently back on this fitness wagon ( 4 weeks strong and committed), my age (48) has made some not so happy consequences when mixed with my years of relative inactivity (grad school has taken its toll). I am honestly so disappointed in myself for letting myself get to this place. In my early twenties I was very active, lifting weights was my first love for fitness and one I am discovering is my joy. I have missed it. I have about 30-40 lbs. to lose and here is the question about the above statement. I am confused about the calories that Loseit subtracts for exercise. For example, I had a legs weight training day with cardio today. My heartrate monitor tells me that the total number of calories burned is 554 cals for the legs workout and 227 for the cardio. Loseit subtracts that from my total cals. There seems to be mixed opinions about adding back those calories burned. I am someone who is not used to eating 2000+ calories a day, but I have gone to 6 meals/snacks a day and with a weary caution increased my calories to provide my muscles the nutrition they need to develop (still learning about all this ‘nutrition’ dos and don’ts). So do I need to add that 781 calories to my 2000 calorie intake or not? You say you need to burn more calories that you consume, so my reason says no, because I haven’t burned near enough to overtake my total calorie intake. That said, I know that we are allotted so many calories a day for maintenance, but I do not calculate that in. Should I? My heart rate monitor can be easily worn under clothing all day if I need to calculate that daily. I have not seen much a reduction on the scale ( I have added protein shakes and creatine) so I am aware of the impact that may have on the scale. I am seeing after 4 weeks, firmness in my muscles but still so much fat covering them, but I am determined to keep going. I am not sure about the fat burner yet. The protein shakes and creatine are still new to me, so I think I will wait on that, but did use fat burners in my twenties with good success. Like you I thought they worked well for me. So maybe later….Another question might be if soy protein powder is effective enough to see muscle growth? I have high cholesterol and Whey protein powder has just too much cholesterol for me to use it (I aim to keep my daily intake to 100 mg or less). Thanks for any clarification or just honest educated opinion.
Sorry if this is a redundant question that many already know and understand, or if I should have asked it elsewhere (direct me accordingly if so). I am experiencing a bit of a learning curve. Brenda L.
Bonnie Pfiester
Hi Brenda!! I’m SO SORRY for seeing this soooo late!! I was in the middle of a major site overhaul when you commented and I never got the notification. Did you figure out what you were needing?
Brandon
If caffeine pills only cost about 10 dollars for 100 pills with 200mg of caffeine per pill and thermoheat has 250mg caffeine per 2 pills and cost 60 dollars (for 30 servings) how is buying thermoheat even close to being better? Appetite is subjective, and your biggest point is that the energy you get from the product is amazing, I see no reason why energy from a caffein pill or cup of coffee would be any different.
Most of the ingredients in thermoheat show little to no effect inducing thermogenesis (synephrine shows about a 65kcal increase over 75 minutes, possible 180kcal when taken in conduction with other ingredients). Caffeine has the most effect and its super cheap outside of fat burners, also most of caffeine’s effects decreases over time so prolonged use is rarely ever effective.
I know you stated that fat burners should not be used alone, but along side with diet and exercise, but you also keep back peddling and saying “But I do promise you it will be SO worth it!!!”. It seems clear to me that you know the effect is minimal at best even in perfect conditions but still want to promote this company. What do you gain from doing this? Do you really believe that someone wasting their money on this product or alike is going to be the game changer in changing their whole life style? Or do you not really care and are fine with promoting an industry that is full of lies and deception, and industry that really doesn’t care about their consumers along as they continue to buy products and turn a prophet. The supplement industry has been increasing every year but the rate in obesity really hasn’t changed, correlation doesn’t equal causation but its something to think about.
Bonnie Pfiester
If I just did caffeine, my energy would yo-yo up and down. A good fat burner should keep your energy steady with no energy crash. Also, this particular thermoheat has really helped my sleep (i have trouble sleeping because my love for coffee..and taking pre-workouts, etc). Lastly, my point by saying to not use it alone is simply encouraging people to make the most of it. The same way you wouldn’t take a pre-workout and not workout, I wouldn’t take a fat burner and not use the extra energy to be more active. In the big scheme of things, fat burners and pre-workouts are a small part of fitness, but very helpful. I get a TON of opportunities to try many supplement products, but I don’t accept jobs or do positive reviews for brands I really don’t like. One thing I pride myself on is only working with brands I love, and giving honest reviews and opinions. Since I have heart issues, I can’t take just any fat burner. I had a good experience with this one, and I do believe it helped me a lot. It’s just my opinion, but it is an honest one. Both my husband and I took it and liked it – and we also REALLY like their new pre-workout too (and my husband has tried a lot and is super picky). You are right there, there are a LOT of products that are lame or sold on lies. I do not believe this is one of them. I personally really liked it. 🙂
Brandon
This post being your own personal opinion is fine and you are more then welcomed to it. I do not doubt you that you have experienced better sleep and perceived that it feels different then caffeine, but you can not absolutely say its because of the product. There are so many variables in our lives that anecdote can only be taken so far for evidence that products like these work, that is why scientific evidence via controlled trials are so important. Unfortunately the evidence just doesn’t point in the direction of these cocktails of ingredients being overwhelming effective. Again, you like this product and get the feeling it helps is great for you, but I don’t think im out of line when I say its a waste of money for most people when at the best they are getting a hyped up caffeine pill with added placebo effect.
Here is a great info graphic by MICHAEL ISRAETEL
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/3OL15Gu3aYn0-txF6tIp3Hh7SMQ51ezrWQY-wD3_c9O7rPOLHANn9hEglJLEq74Mc-j_UxcLxsX-GcKIVaAy9V_5mAZC0OKT1QcJ4Ka-EiFMEeY8lQTNTFiVSJyJk39WCP6e84nRTik