Fat-burning products can take you from "pretty rippeo" to "downright shredded." Here's the skinny on what works best
→ You've asked yourself the question many times when you see an advertisement of a formerly pudgy guy who's now ripped to the bone promoting a fat-burning supplement: Does that stuff really work?
Actually, yes, it does. But it's only a small part of the equation. Getting extra lean requires intense training over a long period of time and a clean diet. A good supplement, however, can make that extra bit of difference that gets you over the hump in losing those last few pounds of body fat. And in an industry always on the cutting edge of nutrition science, fat-burning supplements (also called thermogenics because they help the body burn more calories) now do more than just burn fat. They increase energy, improve mood, and even make you stronger in the gym. Here are the different types of fat-burning ingredients and what you should keep your eye out for.
Lipolytic Agents
Lipolysis is the process of releasing fat from your fat cells, so, as you can imagine, lipolytic agents are good things to have on your side when you're looking to lose weight. When fat is removed from cells and burned for fuel, those cells shrink and you get leaner. Caffeine is great for increasing lipolysis, but so are the ingredients yohimbine, forskolin (which also boosts testosterone), and hydroxycitric acid. When searching for an effective fat-burning supplement, look for those ingredients.
Fat Transporters
Releasing fat from fat cells isn't enough. If that fat isn't burned for fuel, it'll remain in the bloodstream and end up getting stored again. That's bad news. This is why carnitine is a great supplement. It helps transport the released fat into your cells' mitochondria, where it's subsequently burned and gone for good.
Thyroid Stimulators
The thyroid gland plays a highly crucial role in your body: It produces thyroid hormones that increase your metabolism. For those guys well into their 30s or 40s, revving up the metabolism is highly desirable. Two of the more effective thyroid-stimulating supplement ingredients are bacopa monniera and foskolin.
Appetite Suppressants
Consider this category of Ingredients a means of behavior modification. If you're cleaning up your diet in hopes of shedding fat, two of the biggest things to overcome are food cravings and hunger pains. You remove unhealthy foods and extra calories from your diet, you get hungry. That's just the way it goes.
Luckily, appetite suppressants like glucoman-nan, phenyethylamine, simmondsin, and 5-HTP will help curb overeating.
Insulin Control

Few hormones play a bigger role in staying lean than insulin. When you eat a carb-heavy meal, insulin levels rise, fat-burning is blunted, and your body instinctively begins hoarding fat. Good luck trying to get ripped when this happens on a regular basis. For those who refuse to go low-carb, such insulin-lowering ingredients as antioxidant alpha lipoic acid, cinnamon extract (aka Cinnulin PF), chromium, and evodiamine can help keep your insulin levels in check.
Carb and Fat Blockers
What's the dieter who absolutely loves pizza supposed to do? Not eat pizza-ever? That doesn't sound like fun, which is why carb- and fat-blocking supplements are so popular. These ingredients work to block the amount of carbs or fat, respectively, that the body actually absorbs, binding to the undesirable nutrients and removing them before they do any damage to your physique. The best carb blocker out there these days is white kidney bean extract (Phaseoulus vulgaris).
Mood/Brain Boosters
If you've ever gone on a serious get-lean, calorie-restricted diet, you probably recall having some noticeable mood swings as a result. If you don't recall, your significant other definitely does.
Fortunately, supplement manufacturers understand this effect, which is why they include in their fatburning products ingredients to boost your mental well-being. Caffeine is one such ingredient, as are phenylethylamine, which also increases calorie burn; the amino acid tyrosine; and vinpocetine.
Diuretics
Your body-fat percentage can be well into the single digits, but if you're holding too much water under your skin, you won't get that sharp muscle definition that bodybuilders and high-level fitness models possess. You may not want to hold that "dry" look for long, but it's nice for the periodic trip to the beach or a photo shoot. This is where a supplement with diuretic ingredients can help. Natural diuretics that will get rid of some of that water under the skin include dandelion (Taraxacum officianilis) extract, uva ursi (aka bear-berry), and horsetail extract.
Thermogenics
A good starting point when looking for supplements that will help you lean out is the stimulants market.
The most common fat-burning supp is caffeine, as it's a proven calorie and fat burner; and it also reduces hunger, improves mood, and boosts strength levels. Caffeine has a lot going for it, which is why it's found in most fat burners. Green tea is another popular one. Its active ingredient, epigal-locatechin gallate (EGCG), has been shown to increase calorie burning. Two other thermogenics, synephrine and capsaicin (often listed as capsicum), also ramp up calorie burning.
CLA SOFTGELS
MANUFACTUR: Optimum Nutrition
SERVING SIZE: 1 capsule

AVAILABLE AT: Boclybuilding.com, Muscleandfitness.com
INGREDENTS: Conjugated Linoleic Acid
DEXYFEN
MANUFACTURER: Image Sports SERVING SIZE: 1 capsule
AVAILABLE AT: Only at GNC and GNC.com
INGREDENTS: Oryza Sativa, Zanthoxylum Piperitum, Yohimbine, Caffeine
DOPAMITE
MANUFACTURER: MHP
SERVINING SIZE: 2 capsules
AVAILABLE AT: Bodybuilding.com. GNC, MHPStrong.com
INGREDENTS: DL-Phenylalanine. Mucuna Pruriens Standardized 60% L-Dopa, Caffeine. Thunbergia
Luarifolia
DYMA-BURN
MANUFACTURER: Dymatize Nutrition
SERVINING SIZE: 2 capsules
AVAILABLE AT: Balybuilding.com, GNC, Muscleandfrtnes5.com
INGREDENTS: Vitamin B5, Chromium, EPX 200. Guarana Extract, Caffeine, L-Carnitine
HYDROXYSTIM
MANUFACTURER: MuscleTech
SERVINING SIZE: 1 capsule
AVAILABLE AT: Bodybuilding.com, GNC, Muscleandfitness.com, Vitamin Shoppe
INGREDENTS: Geranium Extract, Caffeine Anhydrous, Deanol Bitartrate, Yohimbe, Huperzine
HYPERSHRED
MANUFACTURER: BSN SERVING SIZE: 1 Capsule
AVAILABLE AT: Bodybuilding.com, GNC. Muscleandfitness.com
INGREDENTS: Caffeine, Synephrine, Pepper Extracts. Huperzine, Bacopa, Banaba

LICHI ELITE
MANUFACTURER: Bainbridge & Knight
SERVING SIZE: 2 capsules
AVAILABLE AT: Bodybuilding.com, GNC
INGREDENTS: Calcium. Chromium, Super Citri-Max. Garnicla, Green Tea Leaf Extract, Caffeine
META-IGNITE
MANUFACTURE: GNC GenetixHD SERVING SIZE: 3 capsules
AVAILABLE AT: Only at GNC and GNC.com
INGREDIENTS: Tri-Pepper Blend (Caffeine Anhydrous, Black Pepper Extract, Capsimax). MegaNatural
Grape Seed Extract. Black Tea Leaf. ResVlda Resveratrol, L-Carnitine
MPOWER
MANUFACTURER: Rivalus
SERVING SIZE: 2 capsules
AVAILABLE AT: Only at GNC and GNC.com
INGREDENTS: Caffeine
NO2 RIPCUTS
MANUFACTURER: MRI
SERVING SIZE: 12 gram stick pack
AVAILABLE AT: Only at GNC and GNC.com
INGREDENTS: L-Arginine Alpha-Ke-toglutarate, L-Arginine HCL, Green Tea Extract, L-Carnitine, L-Leucine
PRO PERFORMANCE AMP ENDURANCE VITAPAK PROGRAM
MANUFACTURER: GNC
SERVING SIZE: 1 pak daily
AVAILABLE AT: Only at GNC and GNC.com
INGREDENTS: Mega Men Sport Multivitamin, Energy Enhancer N.O., Thermo Igniter 12x, Yohimbe 451
PRO PERFORMANCE: AMP RIPPED VITAPAK PROGRAM

MANUFACTURER: GNC
SERVING SIZE: One pak dally
AVAILABLE AT: Only at GNC and GNC.com
INGREDIENTS: Mega Men Sport Multivitamin, Thermo Igniter 12X, Waterex. Clarinol CLA
ROXYLEAN
MANUFACTURER: BPI SERVING SIZE: 1 Capsule
AVAILABLE AT: Bodybuilding.com, GNC. Muscleandfitness.com, Prosource.net, Vitacost.com, Vitamin
Shoppe
INGREDIENTS: Citrus limonum, Adhatoda Vasica, Salicin, Yohimbine, Caffeine
RED SHRED
MANUFACTURER: MRI
SERVICING SIZE: 3 capsules
AVAILABLE AT: GNC and GNC.com
INGREDENTS: Phase 2 White Kidney Bean Extract, Super Citri-Max, Caffeine, Cayenne Pepper, African
Mango
RX6
MANUFACTURER: BPI
SERVING SIZE: 1 capsule
AVAILABLE AT: Bodybuilding.eom, GNC, Muscleandfitness.com, Prosource.net, Vitacost.com, Vitamin
Shoppe
INGREDIENTS: 6-Gingerol, Acer Truncatum, Yohimbine, Caffeine
TROPINEX AQ
MANUFACTURER: Image Sports
SERVING SIZE: 1 capsule
AVAILABLE AT: Only at GNC and GNC.com
INGREDIENTS: Alseodaphne Andersonii. Alstonia Macrophylla, Sambucus Australis, Ficus Benga-lensis,
Puerarla Thumbergiana

W.I.N.
MANUFACTURER: Image Sports
SERVING SIZE: N/A
AVAILABLE AT: GNC
INGREDIENTS: Oryza Sativa, Zanthoxylum Piperitum, Crocus Sativus, Aspalathius Linearis, Malus
Domestica
ZYCOR
MANUFACTURER: BiOqUeSt
SERVING SIZE: 2 capsules
AVAILABLE AT: Prosource.net
INGREDIENTS: Niacin, Meratrim, Caffeine Anhydrous, Citris Aurantium Fruit Extract, Mucuna Pruriens
Extract
54: Percentage of Americans who are actively trying to lose weight
34: Percentage of adults over the age of 20 who are obese, according to government standards
96: Percentage of Americans who don't regularly engage in physical leisure-time activities
A BRIEF HISTORY OF FAT BURNERS
Before supplements, people turned to all types of different products in an attempt to take off their flab
1900 High-fiber cereal
1950 Vibrating belts
1970s Diet soda
1980s Workout videos
2000 Infomercial products
Obesity can be socially contagious, but how about weight loss?
According to a study published in the journal Obesity, when people entered a team-based weight-loss competition, they influenced one another's weight loss-meaning losing weight could have a nipple effect.
TIP

Biking is a great fat burner but it can put a strain on your lower back. Try tilting the seal down to relieve pressure
TIP
Hit the beach for a run in deep sand You'll expend more energy on the softer surface and cut your workout time.
TIP
Jump! High-intensity workouts are great if you're short on time but looking to burn big calories.
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By JIM STOPPAI, PH.D