Do you know anything about fat burners????

[kwormann]

The gym program we signed up for came with supplements. One of them for me is a fat burner pill...one choice being Metabolife another being their owm, w/o the caffene. Since I am VERY sensitive to caffene, I opted for their own brand.

Question is:

Does anyone know what Metabolife is supposed to do? Does it burn fat, raise metabolism, suppress hunger???

Any ideas? I have personally never taken a diet pill (although having had weight problems my whole life, I have been tempted), but have also never had a ceritifed personal trainer recommend one to me.

I value your opinion and would love to hear it.

Kim

[emilycat]

Oh, Kim, please don't get sucked in!

I must admit first that I don't know a great deal about this product. I have read in numerous sources that fat burners don't work -- there is no pill that can make you burn fat more effectively.

I am a stout believer, though, in no shortcuts. Taking diet pills can be very dangerous to your health, and doesn't teach you to make the lifestyle changes you need to in order to lose weight for good.

I really hate weight-loss quick-fix gimmicks, because I think they take advantage of people's insecurities and encourage them to risk their health for short-term solutions.

As for your trainer suggesting the supplements, there have been numerous documentations of certified trainers suggesting such products to clients without enough knowledge or research. It's extremely irresponsible for a trainer to suggest you take a diet pill...what does he think the gym is for? Being a certified trainer doesn't take much effort sometimes, depending on which kind of certification you have, so I wouldn't rely heavily on his credibility.

In my opinion, taking this product would be a waste of your money and would do more harm than good in the long run. I hope I don't sound like I'm lecturing, but I feel like I've become so close to you all on this board, and I don't want you doing anything ridiculous http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Emily

[lesliem]

I second Emily's comments- Definitely do some research (talk to a Dr.) before taking this. I might be getting it mixed up with something else- but many of these "fat burners" contain something (ephedra?) that can be dangerous. I read a really good article not too long ago, I'll see if I can find it again and I'll post it.

leslie

[Sandy1]

Kim...if you give me your address, I have 5 bottles (90 pills in each) of the Metabolife that I'll send you! They are absolutely useless and I cannot believe I got talked into spending a substantial amount of money on them. Ah well, this was a year ago and I was taught a lesson that I already knew; nothing beats a healthy diet and exercise.
The only reason they haven't gone in the garbage can is so I can remind myself how dumb I can be sometimes:-)
Sandy.

[Natasha]

Kim,

Your personal trainer recommended this? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif It never fails to boggle my mind that there are trainers out there who actually try to peddle supplements like this. There is nothing, nothing, nothing out there that works except hard work and healthy eating (unless I m missing out on some magic potion, in which case I would LOVE to know about it!) http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

It sounds to me from your other posts that you are doing extremely well in maintaining and increasing your fitness level. You walk, run, lift weights, and eat healthily. Don t worry - you ll get wherever you want to be. And don t forget to enjoy the journey! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by Natasha (edited 12-17-2000).]

[lindrusso]

I agree with the consensus here - I don't believe in fat burners!!!

If these pills really did work, then weight wouldn't be such an issue for so many people. Seems like every time people start singing the praises of some "miracle cure", we find out later how harmful it can be. This is one risk I choose not to take, but mostly because I simply believe they do not work.

Here's my "theory" on shortcuts. I believe that we would not be well-served in the long run if someone ever developed a "miracle cure". If people could take the easy way out, I believe that many (perhaps myself included!) would abandon healthy eating and exercise habits. What would happen to our poor hearts, bones, organs then???? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif Perhaps we'd all be thin, but we wouldn't be healthy! A miracle cure might help the morbidly obese to be healthier, but I don't think it would make most of us any healthier.

I did once try Dexatrim. It made me hungrier. Go figure.

[Kerri]

I just had to post on this subject also. On the local news they did a story about this supplements and had a doctor saying that they do work. Wait, before you freak out, let me finish. He said they work because you have to take them on an empty stomach. So, if you take it right before bed and to have an empty stomach you can't eat for 2 hours before this. Since this time of night is prime snacking time, not eating can dramatically cut your calories. I just thought that that was interesting.

[Ralph]

Let me weigh in w/a medical perspective.
There are NO pills that will "burn fat." There are several FDA-approved diet pills; all but two of these are approved for only 3-months' use. These are all derivatives of amphetamine (speed). The other two are Meridia (a safer version of those others) & Xenical (a med that blocks fat absorption in the intestines). Those two are approved for use for one year & provide decent, not spectatcular benefits.
ALL fat burners, supplements, etc., contain either mah huang and/or guarana. These are both herbs, one equivalent to caffeine, the other equivalent to ephedra, another amphetamine-like substance. All they do is speed up your ENTIRE system (metabolism, intestines, heart, etc.).
The FDA just recently ordered phenylpropanolamine (PPA) & one of those two herbs off the market. PPA is a decongestant, but is also known as Dexatrim. A couple of recent studies have shown significantly increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke in healthy women under age 50 using these things!
To quote the old Lost In Space: "DANGER WILL ROBINSON! DANGER!" PLEASE don't use these things. Unfortunately the key to weight loss hasn't changed much: Watch your diet & exercise, exercise, exercise. You shouldn't expect to lose more than 1-2 pounds per WEEK. Yes, week.

[Pat58]

I wholeheartedly agree with all of the above posts. I also urge you to look at the label - does it contain "ephedra?" This is an herbal stimulant that can be dangerous.

There are only two "fat burners" - increased exercise and reduced calorie input. Your personal trainer is selling you a package to profit the gym. I suggest you get your money back while there is still time. And I also suggest you confront your trainer about it! He/she might take you through a great workout, but "prescribing" fat-burners is totally bogus.

[kwormann]

I am glad to hear all the opinions that match my suspicions. I have had them for 1 month now, but had only taken them 2X.

Thanks for confirming my suspicions. I always figured I was healthier 10 lbs overweight and drug free than 10 lbs with ruined organs!

Kim http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[jennyo]

Originally posted by kwormann:
The gym program we signed up for came with supplements. One of them for me is a fat burner pill...one choice being Metabolife another being their owm, w/o the caffene. Since I am VERY sensitive to caffene, I opted for their own brand.

Question is:

Does anyone know what Metabolife is supposed to do? Does it burn fat, raise metabolism, suppress hunger???

Any ideas? I have personally never taken a diet pill (although having had weight problems my whole life, I have been tempted), but have also never had a ceritifed personal trainer recommend one to me.

I value your opinion and would love to hear it.

KimFat burners do not work!! The only way to burn fat is by diet and exercise! I cannot believe a gym gave you these. It would seem to me that they are not promoting a healthy lifestyle by giving you these. If looking good were easy everyone would look great. Taking pills to "burn fat" are a farce. They may help you lose weight for a short time, but once your off them back it comes. Don't get sucked in!

[SusieO]

Kim:
My heart skipped a beat when I read your first post this morning. You're doing so well with your exercise/healthy eating program, I would hate to see you jeopardize your health with questionable supplements. Glad you decided against using them.

[Kelly]

Kwormann and everyone:

Well I am glad to read this thread! I too have been wondering if these things really work. I actually picked up a bottle in the store yesterday and read the label. I have had a weight problem all my life and often thought about taking these and then the intelligent part of brain kicks in and says "if you want to loose weight - get off your butt & get some exercise! and oh yeh - stop eating the m&m's!"

Thanks for posting this - I going to go back and read all the responses again so I will not be tempted to take the quick approach.

[sundropdlc]

Definitely agree with all the above.
Also note that Ephedra can be listed on the ingredients as:
Ephedra, ephedra alkiloids or
Ma Huang.

There are some indications that ephedra is related to an increase in blood pressure and
possibly some deaths. Not worth taking for a minor increase in metabolism.

I was taking them for awhile (they do increase your energy, but also tended to make me feel jittery), but stopped when I started reading reports on what they could do! Nothing beats plain old exercise.

[Laura]

I used some type of herbal supplement that was supposed to "burn fat" about 4 years ago. What a joke! Very expensive and I think I actually gained weight. I am galled at these type of false promos and right now, all the various women's magazines that are advertizing how to lose 5-10 pounds in 2 weeks. Okay, we all know that it is highly unlikely that this is successful, and even if you are it is only because you are literally starving your body, which throws your metabolism out of whack, not to mention the type of tissue that you are losing may not be fat. Even then once you go off a crazy diet you are likely going to gain the weight back 3- fold.

The way to lose weight is consume less calories then you expend and do it so that it becomes a part of your routine. No it is not easy, there are often 2 steps back for every one step forward, but it is the sensible healthy way to do it. For me, I am committing more to the exercise end, simply because it seems as soon as I say I am going to try and cut back on calories, I end up eating more.

Wow. Sorry. This seems to have been my day to preach (well it is Sunday after all http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif) Thanks for putting up with me. I promise to be quiet for the rest of the evening! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

Laura

[bijoux22]

If all of the so called "fat-burner" pills worked Cooking Light and Weight Watchers would not exist. Some things are just not meant to be easy and this is one of them.