Fat burners speed up fat loss while you work out. Supplement manufacturers have revolutionized how these bodybuilding supplements help you lose weight. However, fat burners aren’t without certain risks. Nowadays, there are plenty of them available in the market and some formulas are less risky than others. There are even hybrid formulas which provide additional health benefits for you.
Experts often attribute common side effects of fat burners to the stimulants they contain. Recently, companies have manufactured stimulant-free fat burners to keep jitters at bay. Let’s find out more about the pros and cons of fat burners.
Table of Contents
Fat Burners Pros
PRO: Fat burners speed up fat loss
Manufacturers created fat burners to speed up fat loss. However, this doesn’t mean that you should lessen your physical activity because you’re taking fat burners. In fact, you should have a more active lifestyle to get the fat loss results that you expect. Just remember that burners don’t work if you still maintain your sedentary lifestyle while taking it. You have to engage in physical activity to get sustainable weight loss results.
Fat burners stimulate fat loss through different mechanisms and they may even help you get rid of belly fat permanently.
PRO: Fat burners may prevent muscle loss
There are fat burners which help keep muscle loss at bay. The most difficult challenge regarding weight loss is the prevention of muscle loss. Your muscles are can also break down to make way for weight loss. However, weight loss due to muscle loss is unhealthy and you will eventually feel very weak. In addition, if you lose muscle, your body probably retains the fat that you are trying to lose (experts recommend regular exercise to regain lost muscle mass). That is exactly what fat burners are trying to avoid. You can lose fat safely and effectively with the use of fat burners.
If you are a bodybuilder, you have to protect your muscles to maintain your physique. On the other hand, if you are an athlete or power lifter your muscle mass really matters even more because your muscles allow you to reach your peak physical performance. You can check out The BIG List of Fat Burners to find out about the ideal ingredients for you. You can also check out our Best Fat Burners Epic Page to get a more in-depth analysis of how fat burners work to your advantage.
PRO: There are specific fat burners for the needs of women
Men and women burn fat the same way. However, there are specific ingredient combinations which work better for women because of their unique physiological needs. Here are the most common fat loss challenges that women encounter:
- Women have less lean muscle mass compared to men
- Many women steer clear of strength (anaerobic) training
- Emotional binge eating often affects women
- Slower metabolism due to thyroid issues which often affects women
- Birth control and other similar medication
- Pregnancy and postpartum weight gain
- Slow metabolism due to menopause and lack of estrogen
If you are a woman and you want to lose fat, fat burners for women may help you with safe and sustainable weight loss. You may check our Best Fat Burners for Women review you to help you choose the right fat burner for women.
PRO: Fat burners may help manage food cravings and binge eating disorder (BED)
We all know that wrong food choices make you gain weight. In fact, you probably still indulge in it even though you know that junk food is the culprit behind your weight gain. Junk food cravings are really quite difficult to overcome, so you just end up eating unhealthy food, anyway. That is why most fat burner formulas contain ingredients which help manage your food cravings so you get sustainable weight-loss results. Eventually, once you wean yourself from the fat burners, maintaining your weight may boil down to your self-discipline.
Your sugar level also contributes to your food cravings. If your blood sugar is low, you are more likely to crave for sweet food, soda, and other junk food. That is why it is essential to manage blood sugar levels even before cravings actually start. Some fat burners address this by providing ingredients which help maintain healthy blood sugar levels to help you manage food cravings.
Fat burners may even help manage binge eating disorder (BED). Different factors cause BED (hormone irregularities, depression, low self-esteem, traumatic situations, social pressures, etc.). Fat burners work through different mechanisms to help you manage it. In addition, if you successfully manage BED, you might be able to avoid other health problems related to it such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
PRO: Fat burners increase your energy levels
Fat burners increase your energy on a cellular level. It allows your metabolism to speed up and make your body work with optimum energy-efficiency. Fat burners supercharge the mitochondria,which acts as the powerhouse of the cell.They also increase the production of ATP from within the cell to further increase your energy. In addition, this can all happen in the absence of stimulants, so you can feel more energetic without the jitters.
Fat Burners Cons
CON: Some fat-burning ingredients might be addictive
You may find yourself getting hooked on your weight-loss goals. You probably even want to sustain your supplement use in the long term. However, you’re probably not just after the weight-loss results if you are craving for fat burners for a longer time than necessary.
Some fat-burning ingredients have addictive components. These ingredients make you want them even more upon regular intake and it may eventually increase your tolerance to that particular ingredient in the long-term. In addition, some ingredients may even cause withdrawal symptoms you cease consumption for any reason. Experts attribute addiction concerns to stimulants in fat burners.
CON: Fat burners may cause stimulant-related jitters
Some stimulant-based fat burners make you agitated, jittery, shaky, nervous, and restless. This is why there are now fat burners which don’t contain stimulants to keep this effect at bay. Caffeine may stimulate the central nervous system too much to the point that it may cause jitters. This, in turn, may eventually lead to horrible “crashes” which leaves you feeling horribly sluggish.
CON: Fat burners may elevate blood pressure
Stimulant-based fat burners may elevate blood pressure. Elevated blood pressure may eventually lead to cardiovascular problems when consistently left alone. If you are already obese or overweight, you are at a higher risk for elevated blood pressure and cardiovascular issues.
However, if you are physically fit, your blood pressure will eventually bounce back to normal levels safely while taking stimulants. Stimulants may elevate your blood pressure to unsafe levels if you are unhealthy. That is why it is also ideal that you regularly visit your physician while taking fat burners.
CON: Choosing a fat burner supplement is more confusing than ever before
Nowadays, fat burner supplements feature hybrid formulas. This means that fat burners don’t only have one effect – manufacturers combine it with other ingredients to make it a more complex supplement. The additional ingredients of fat burners might benefit you. However, this means that there is less room for active fat burner ingredients.
Making fat burners as combination supplements might be cost effective because you don’t need to purchase a separate supplement for its benefits. But, with hybrid formulas available, it is now more difficult to choose the right fat burner for you.
Conclusion on Fat Burners Pros and Cons
Whether you are just starting out your weight loss journey or you’re after bodybuilder-oriented shredding, slicing and dicing, there is a fat burner out there for you. However, you should keep in mind that different fat burners may have very different pros and cons due to their formulation. In general, most fat burners are safe when used correctly.
Fat burners are beneficial for your weight loss and overall health. Its benefits outweigh the risks. Chronic obesity is still riskier than taking fat burners for a short period of time. In addition, the availability of stim-free fat burners eliminates most of these cons which makes fat burners a lot safer.
Stimulants in fat burners aren’t all that bad. It is just that stimulants often have certain side effects which might be too much for some people (especially for people who are just beginning their weight loss journey). Stimulants are probably more beneficial for bodybuilders who are into shredding, slicing, and dicing. In addition, athletes may also find stimulants beneficial for their training so they are able to do more as they work out.
Take the extra precautions in choosing a fat burner. Opt for formulas which are safe and science-backed (check out our How to Buy a Good Supplement Guide for more information). Remember, fat burners are only beneficial when you take them correctly. It’s also better to complement fat burner supplementation with a healthy lifestyle (regular exercise, sound nutrition, enough sleep, etc.) for best long-term results.
Still can’t find the right fat burner for you? Best Fat Burner Supplements 2018 Edition might help you decide which fat burner to take.
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