“So Mike, I found this awesome new fat burner that gives everyone amazing results. I saw this guy that lost 50lbs in 90 days and this woman that lost 100lbs in less than a year. Do you think I should take it?”
I get asked these kinds of questions from time to time. It’s not suprising that so many people get fired up about taking fat burners when they see their dream come true results in an infomercial, magazine, or website. The idea of getting “The Biggest Loser” type results in a pill is very enticing. But the sceptic in all of us has to wonder “Could those type of results really happen for me?”
Well, I’m here to tell you the absolute answer to that question is ……
Maybe
In order to get the results that you see in fitness advertisements you first need to understand how they got such drastic results while taking a fat burner.
Before taking fat burners they:
- Never did cardio
- Never lifted weights
- Ate like a competitive hot dog eater daily
While taking the fat burner they:
- Started doing lots of cardio
- Started doing regular weight lifting
- Stuck to a healthy eating plan
- And sometimes take many additional supplements
“So Mike, Are you saying that fat burners are a scam and I should never take them?”
Not necessarily. There are a few legitimate reasons to take fat burners.
Legit reasons to take fat burners
The Placebo Effect. This is absolutely the best reason to take fat burners. For some people, when they spend money on fat burners they feel an extra motivation to make sure they get their money’s worth. So while taking fat burners many people feel obligated to eat better and workout more. While the pill itself may not make much of a difference in your fat loss journey, the better eating habits and increased exercise will help your cause.
The Appetite Suppressant. Many fat burners nowadays include a supplement that can make you feel less hungry. So if you lack the discipline to not over eat, this could be a benefit to you. Again the pill isn’t magically sucking the fat out of your body. It’s just helping you to eat less.
The Energy Boost. If you’re the type of person that counts on a caffeine boost from coffee, energy drinks, or some other source to get through your day, fat burners might be a more cost effective solution. If you’re spending $5 per day on Starbucks coffees or Monster energy drinks, you could save yourself about $100 a month by taking a fat burner with the same amount of caffeine instead.
The reason you should NOT take fat burners
The results. If none of the above reasons for taking fat burners apply to you, then you probably shouldn’t bother taking fat burners.
“But Mike, are you saying taking fat burners won’t improve my fitness results at all?”
Not exactly. Here’s what you can expect.
Let’s say you stuck to a healthy eating plan, rocked out a solid workout routine and lost 20lbs in 3 months. If you had been taking fat burners while you lost those 20 lbs you probably would have lost 22lbs. Assuming you chose a fat burner that costs $50 a month you need to ask yourself “Am I willing to pay $150 to lose an extra 2lbs?”
I’m not saying you should or should not take fat burners. My goal for today is to make sure you are or are not taking fat burners for the right reason. And to make it very clear that diet and exercise will always get you 95% of your results so focus on that.