[Sabrina]

Is there really any credibility to metabolism boosters and fat burners? There are shelves and shelves in the stores of these products - from shakes to tablets to high protein bars. I am tempted time and time again to buy (good advertising) but resist.

Can anyone say they have had some form of success from using these products or is it just a huge advertising and money-making hype?

Hi Sabrina,
I too have seen numerous products in the stores like the ones you are talking about.

I don't know for a fact if they work or not, I buy nutritional bars every now and then, just because I figure they have vitamins in them and they make a good snack instead of candy. I tried some mints that are supposed to reduce your appetite and "cure" your sugar cravings, but for me it had no effect at all.

I know someone that has tried virtually every one of these products to lose weight, but she hasn't seen a difference, and she bounces from one to the next in hopes of finding the right one. I have read about some of these, and they say to use "In conjunction to a healthy diet and exercise program." That leads me to believe that they are just supplements and not miracle workers. I don't know for sure though, the only thing that works for me is portion control and exercise. I also noticed that some of these products have health warnings on them so we should all use caution if we do decide to use them, even if they claim to be "natural,"herbs can still be dangerous. Well I hope you get some other responses to your question!

Oh yeah, when I was in school for masssage therapy they told us nutritional bars aren't really "nutritional" as they claim to be, so who really knows? I think it's something you have to research and experiment with.

Sujin

[drunksunflower]

I use BodyBurn and that works really well for me. The thing I think a lot of people miss is that they don't actually work on their own (apart from curbing your appetite somewhat).

The idea is that they boost your metabolism, but you a) have to exercise - many say to take them just before you go for a run/gym/power walk. You just burn calories more effectively than you normally would because of the thermoduric effect they have.

And b) you have to be eating OK to start - I don't believe they work so well if you starve yourself.

EDS supplements are also quite good.

I recommend protein shakes as excellent afternoon snacks, or breakfast along with a piece of fruit. if you can find a nice flavoured one they are just like a chocolate milkshake !! The woman's formulas are usually enriched with calcium too which is really useful.

i used to be really really bad with food and diet etc. In a few different ways.

But the plain facts are that if you eat healthily (and follow certain guidelines like no carbs after 4pm),, exercise for 30 minutes 4 times a week (or 5 if you can), and you add in these fat burners/thermodurics/metabolism boosters, they will ASSIST you in getting to your goal faster.

They aren't just a cheat thing, you actually have to put the work in as well.

Carb or starch blockers can be useful if you like things like sushi (very good for you) but find that carbs make you put on weight easily.

sorry that's just my 2 cents (or maybe 5 cents actually)

[Lexicon78]

I steer clear of all those things so I don't really know. Although I'm sure they help some people I think there's probably a much more natural way of losing all the weight that we put on. I mean nature didn't intend for us to stay healthy and all that through the use of pills, right? Just a thought.

[funnygirl]

Ladies

Don't buy all those products on the shelves - it's big business, a con, a load of hype, that's all. They want your money!

Losing weight is a matter of balance, of mathematics - what goes in and what goes out. Calories in and calories out.
Cut down on fatty foods because a gram of fat has 9 cals, whereas a gram of either protein or carbohydrate has 4.5 cals.

Happy, healthy eating to us all.

FG

[drunksunflower]

Errr ... I disagree ... I hate blanket statements like that ...

Some products are crap, some are very good.

Bodyburn and some of the EAS supplements, for example, are very effective.

Also, your maths is wrong. There are different types of fat - saturated and unsaturated - which have different effects on your body. Also, some people gain a lot of weight from carbs. It works a lot better for many of us to try not to eat carbs after 4pm because then we don't have time to burn it off.

Food is a lot more complicated than you suggest ...

[(JD)]

IMO it depends upon what the product contains, or "is." Going to a health food store and speaking with a nutritionist is the best thing maybe. Some products "work" but at a price of some other part of the human body's system.

I know for a fact, scientifically and safe... that spicy foods help increase most everyone's metabolism. I know personally, when I sprinkle red hot pepper flakes onto my PIZZA, and/or eat serano pepper sauce with TORTILLA CHIPS.. .I lose weight!

While I can't do strenuous activity (exercise etc) if you can, it would also help you lose weight... muscles weigh more, but a toned body also burns more calories and looks great!

Please don't fall for every product that advertises proof. Become a learned consumer. This will help you prevent the hope and disappointment aspects of getting to a good weight, imo. TC

A news station here has a consumer awareness thing where people can write in and ask them to test things seen in TV commercials and they frequently do the fat burners and diet aids and so on. by themselves they don't work and with out them the people in the test had the same results. The reason these things can continually be advertized and sold is because in the comercials in very VERY small pront usually at the very bottom of the screne when a very colorful background or person is in the upper portions of the screne to divert attention you will see the words " this product has not been FDA approved" and "results very" and "when following a normally healthy diet , exercise and 8 large glasses of water a day"

With or without the diet aids people lose weight with a normal healthy diet of one serving (serving sizes marked on the food packaging) at meal times of one item from each of the food pyramid and 8 large glasses of water a day and 30 minutes of walking, or biking or other forms of exercise a day.

As for the protein bars if you look up the ingrediants they are forms of sugar and a very little bit of protein - a person can get the same amount of protein by eating two table spoons of peanut butter. those that are peanut butter flavored that is the "protein" in that bar. The bar mixes the sugars and protein so that the person either gets or thinks they are getting more energy so they are more active.

In the testing they covered normal quaker cerail bars with the label of the boosting bars and they had the same results as those with the real thing. It all boiled down to a healthy intake of food water and exercise. So now the show sponsers a lose weight segment where people can write in and participate in a wieght lose program contest and they pay for time in the gym with a personal trainer, nutricionalists and so on that help develop your person weight loss plan of diet water and exercise.

[funnygirl]

Erm, I do actually know more than most about this subject - I am a qualified dietician at a UK hospital.

The mathematics are correct.

Any fat, whatever form, still has 9 calories per gram. All other categories of food have 4.5 cals per gram.

Of course, some fats are good, some bad, but they all carry the same calorific value.

No product on the shelf will help you intrinsically in weight loss, only by a placebo effect, that is, give a person more incentive to stick to a healthy eating plan and/or take more exercise.

By the way, this is supposed to be a support board, but recently there has been a very acidic tone creeping into the posts. Very unpleasant when people are trying to help or in some cases simply giving their opinion.

FG

[funnygirl]

I couldn't have said it better myself, Myself!

FG

[drunksunflower]

[drunksunflower]

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
funnygirl said:

Erm, I do actually know more than most about this subject - I am a qualified dietician at a UK hospital.

The mathematics are correct.

Any fat, whatever form, still has 9 calories per gram. All other categories of food have 4.5 cals per gram.

Of course, some fats are good, some bad, but they all carry the same calorific value.

No product on the shelf will help you intrinsically in weight loss, only by a placebo effect, that is, give a person more incentive to stick to a healthy eating plan and/or take more exercise.

By the way, this is supposed to be a support board, but recently there has been a very acidic tone creeping into the posts. Very unpleasant when people are trying to help or in some cases simply giving their opinion.

FG

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

Oh so it's a placebo effect when my appetite decreases after I've taken something thermoduric (before exercise) ... right ... heh.

Body for Life products are actually very good, by the way. Their protein drinks (and the Horleys Women's Sculpt) are recommended highly by friends who are in the health and fitness industry.

All anyone can do is give their advice based on their experiences and knowledge. I think it's rude to try and tell people what to do. There ARE some very effective products out there. Perhaps you've tried the bad ones?

Thanks Funny girl.

I have had great success with losing weight just by following my family physicans diet plan for me which is the Diabetic 2 diet plan. I eat 9 times a day, bike a half hour to an hour a day and 8 large glasses of water (equivelent to 64 oz of water a day). no booster bars, slim fast and so on.

[drunksunflower]

I'm so busy I could never eat 9 times a day - that's where things like protein shakes fit in.

If I take a metabolic booster before my half hour swim or hour walk each day I get better results and a decreased appetite to boot.

Different things work for everyone.

[funnygirl]

This is a discussion board, and obviously people are going to disagree sometimes.

The fact remains that weight loss is big big business and the manufacturers will try anything to get you to buy their products.

FG

[LMo]

Ok, rather than lock or delete this post (which many of you have said you'd prefer that the mods NOT do), let's try this:

Keep comments to weight loss product or method discussions. If you have a problem with something that another member has said, you have the following options:

1) respectfully disagree without calling names and without telling people off
2) PM them with your genuine concern about their misinformation (but again, without calling names and without telling them off)
3) notify a Mod or Admin

These options are both for those who feel they've been attacked and for those who dislike a post and feel they need to correct what they perceive as bad information.

... agree to disagree.

Thanks

[drunksunflower]

My opinion stands ... there ARE some very good products that assist in weight loss ... as I have stated they only work if YOU put in the work (exercise and sensible eating).

This is my opinion and i use products recommended by friends who work in the health and fitness industry.

I'm much happier with my body since taking their advice , so I do have some respect for the products.

I also agree that there is a lot of *&^% out there.

But different things work for different people