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Which Belly Fat Supplements Should You Be Using?

I'll be honest, there are ALOT of belly fat supplements on the market today and deciding which one (s) to use can be confusing task. I remember a time when they're were only a handful of belly fat supplements on the market and choosing one was relatively simple task. 

Today, that is a different story.

Don't get me wrong, there are certain belly fat burning supplements that can help you achieve your “belly be gone” goals. There are belly fat burning supplements on the market today that actually do what they're supposed to, but I tell you, sorting through all the crap can be a daunting task . I know, it may seem like there is a sea of weight loss supplements out there but if you can understand and categorize belly fat supplements according to their properties and how they work with the weight loss / fat burning process, it will become a lot less confusing.

I am going to go through it with you and get the belly fat supplement mystery sorted out.

There are three elements you need to understand about burning belly fat and losing weight. First is the weight loss process. Losing weight occurs when the amount of calories you consume on a daily basis is less than the amount of energy you expend (for that given day). It’s pretty simple, your body will draw on its own resources (fat stores) if there isn’t enough calories being consumed for that day. This is called a calorie deficit. The reverse holds true to gaining weight.

That is the basic weight loss process in a nutshell.

The second element is the basic fat loss process. To burn fat the body requires oxygen. Fat is metabolized in the body to be used as energy when there is an abundance of oxygen present. The more oxygen you have the more fat that is going to be burned. Interesting point here is that fat doesn’t get excreted as sweat; most fat is breathed out as good old C02 or carbon dioxide. It only makes sense that the better cardio vascular shape you are in the more body fat you are going to burn.

Let me ask you a question, have you ever seen an overweight long distance runner or cyclist? Neither have I. The main reason is because long distance runners and cyclist have become so efficient at processing oxygen that whatever food they ingest gets metabolized almost instantly.

This is why cardiovascular exercise is so important for burning fat; it helps improve your body’s ability to process oxygen.

The third element is a process called “thermogenesis”. This is basically an alteration of your body’s core temperature. When your body’s temperature rises it will burn more calories and according to the latest evidence, the reverse holds true when your body’s temperature decreases. This increased your body’s metabolic activity which converts nutrients (such as fat) into energy

If you combine points 1, 2 and 3 you will allow your body the opportunity to draw from its own resources to lose weight. More importantly, you will create the perfect environment for your body to burn belly fat!

Now that we understand how the body loses weight and burns fat we can look at how belly fat supplements can help you with your weight loss journey.

Belly fat supplements (and other supplements) are designed to work with the above noted elements either as stand-alone products or in combination (of elements 1,2 and 3). Understanding what the different ingredients are and what they do will help you understand the type of weight loss supplement you need. 

Let’s take a look at the 3 elements.

Element 1: Calories deficit

Belly Fat Supplement: Appetite Suppressant

The main types of belly fat supplements for helping with calorie deficits are supplements that help create the feeling of “fullness”. Depending on the severity of a nutrition protocols calorie deficit most people will experience a certain amount of hunger throughout the day. For some, this isn’t a big deal but for others, it’s a deal breaker. Hunger is something some of us associate with pain and why most of us fail when it comes to calorie reduced dietary protocols.

These types of belly fat supplements help to curb those hunger feelings by “fooling” your body into thinking its full. These are called appetite suppressants. Here are a few examples.

Glucomannan

The main ingredient in Lipozene, this belly fat supplement helps to create a feeling of fullness by expanding in the stomach. Add a bit of liquid to this fiber rich supplement and it expands like a sponge which takes up space in your stomach. Gluconmannan can absorb up to 50 times its own weight so have a glass of water with this belly fat supplement 15 minutes before eating, 3 times per day.

Does it work? There are a few studies which show its effectiveness and can help with food portion control. It sounds interesting and may help; I think this supplement is up for a try and might be worth it.

 Garcinia Cambogia

Derived from the fruit yellow, pumpkin shaped fruit the active ingredient, hydroxycitric acid (HCA) is thought to have two main weight loss properties. There are two main properties associated with HCA and one is to act as an appetite suppressant and the other to help block the creation of new fat cells.

Does it work? There are limited studies done on this popular weight loss supplement and very non conclusive. I’ve tried Carcinia for an 8 week period and it’s hard to say if anything happened. I didn’t really notice anything out of the ordinary so I can’t say if this belly fat supplement worked. For this supplement I’m saying a maybe.

Gymnema Sylvestre

The active ingredient is called gymnemic acid. The claim from this belly fat supplement is that gymnemic acid helps to reduce the taste of “sweetness” from sugary foods. It does this by blocking the sugar receptors on your taste buds from tasting the “sweetness”.

Does it work? I wouldn’t mess around with anything that affects the way food tastes. If you want to have sweets and sugary snacks, you may as well go for it. Losing belly fat and body weight is all about food portion control. If you have to alter the taste of food to do it, you are either not ready for your weight loss journey or you’re not serious about it. Either way, I’d stay away from this belly fat supplement.

Griffonia simplicifolia (5-HTP)

5-HTP works by boosting serotonin levels which is used to help regulate mood, sleep, appetite and other functions. By helping to boost serotonin levels, the idea is to help improve moods which can have an effect on appetite control.

Does it work? Personally, I don’t want to mess with my body’s ability to produce serotonin. I’m hesitant to try this belly fat supplement because there isn’t sufficient evidence that it works and if it has any negative side effects that may inhibit my serotonin levels.

Hoodia Gordonii

Derived from the Hoodia Gordonii plant, this belly fat supplement helps to suppress appetite by allowing your body to think its blood sugar levels have increased (when it hasn’t). Our bodies use different signals to tell when it’s full and one of those signals is blood sugar levels.

Does this belly fat supplement work? It may help but honestly, it’s not a miracle supplement. If you’re on a well-balanced, calorie reduced nutrition plan it may help to get you over the “hunger hump” and help with your portion control. Personally, I'd use this belly fat supplement to "fill in the gaps" when I start to get hungry, especially in the evening. Honestly though, nothing beats good old peanut butter. A tablespoon of peanut butter gets me over the hump and provides a little energy boost.

Element 2: Fat Burning

Belly Fat Supplement: Fat metabolism

All unused nutrients including protein and carbohydrates will eventually metabolize into fat. This is especially true if our daily calorie allowance is over and above our daily energy expenditures. Unused protein and carbohydrates that are not stored or excreted gets stored (metabolized) as body fat. If you are losing weight and belly fat this is not the ideal situation you want to be in.

This is where these types of weight loss supplements come into play. These are often called fat / carb blockers and work by affecting how your body breaks down fat and carbohydrates. They mainly affect how certain enzymes (that are responsible for breaking down fat and carbohydrates) work within our body.

Here are a few examples:

Orlistate (Alli)

Alli is an over the counter compound designed to help limit the amount of fat our body’s absorb. It does this by blocking the enzyme lipase which helps break down dietary fats in the stomach. Fat is calorie dense and contains two times as many calories as it does with protein or carbohydrates. By blocking the absorption of dietary fat it reduces the amount of calories your body absorbs.

Does it work? It may help but honestly, if your nutrition sucks and you’re eating over and above your daily calorie allowance for weight loss, it’s a waste of money. There’s a good reason why our bodies produce these enzymes and that’s to make sure our body does what it’s supposed to do.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)

CLA is fatty acid (omega 6) that is found in beef and dairy. This popular belly fat supplement has been thought to help stimulate fat breakdown and inhibit the production of fat. Although there have been numerous studies done on CLA none have really proven any conclusive results.

Does it work? I’m not convinced that it works as a stand-alone product. There hasn’t been any conclusive evidence that it does what it is supposed to do.

Chitosan

Chitosan is an interesting belly fat supplement. Considered a type of fiber, chitosan doesn’t really block fat but helps to carry it out of the body. Fiber is a non-digestible carbohydrate that travels through the body helping to improve digestion and the elimination of body waste. What Chitosan does is to travel through the body and along its way (in the intestines) it picks up a small amount of dietary fat. It carries this fat out of the body thereby preventing its absorption into the body.

Chitosan comes from shellfish (the outer shell) so if you’re allergic to shellfish you may want to stay away from Chitosan.

Does it work? There isn’t enough evidence to prove that it works for losing belly fat but it is an interesting theory nonetheless.

White Kidney Beans

Belly fat supplements that are made from white kidney are considered “starch blockers” which work by inhibiting the enzyme amylase. Amylase is responsible for breaking down starches (pasta, breads, rice) into sugar (within the body). It is thought that by inhibiting amylase from breaking down starches it can help to reduce the amount of sugar within the body.

Does it work? There have been a few studies that show that white kidney bean may help be helpful for weight loss but the results have been inconclusive. My question is if you want to reduce the amount of sugar your body absorbs from starches why not just reduce or cut out starches from your nutrition? It’s a pretty simple fix, reduce the amount of starches from your nutrition program and allow your body to perform its natural process.

Salacia

Salacia is a herb that (in theory) works by preventing additional carbohydrates from being stored as fat. The thing you have to remember about carbohydrates is this. Your body breaks down carbohydrates into a usable form of sugar called glycogen to be stored mainly in the liver and muscles (to power muscular movement). Glycogen is the number one preferred energy source by your muscles. When your body stores its limit of glycogen it will metabolize excess sugars into fat (to be stored as fat). 

Does it work? What Salacia does is to help stop your body’s ability to metabolize excess sugars into body fat. Makes sense right? However, there isn’t enough evidence that Salacia actually helps to prevent this process from happening. The thing is, consuming an overabundance of carbohydrates is indicative of a nutritional imbalance between protein, fat and carbohydrates. What’s the fix? Reduce the amount of carbohydrates, starches in particular to levels your body can manage.

Green Tea (Catechins)

Catechins are an anti-oxidant compound found in green tea, berries and dark chocolate. There are numerous benefits for consuming green tea rich in catechins but one if the more interesting weight loss benefit is how it helps to improve your body’s fat burning efficiency. In other words, catechins may help improve the rate at which your body metabolizes fat.

Does it work? There have been studies completed that show there is some benefit to consuming catechin rich foods such as green tea. I personally drink green tea extra for its anti-oxidant benefits but if one of the side effects is additional fat loss, I’ll take it!

L-Carnitine

L-carnitine is a very popular weight loss ingredient and is found in most of today’s popular fat burners. It is an amino acid derivative compound that helps in the production of energy by transporting fatty acids into your cells. Makes sense that the more L-carnitine you have in your system means more energy production via fat metabolism however, the studies to date have been very inconclusive.

Does it work? The jury is out on this belly fat supplement as there isn’t enough conclusive evidence that L-carnitine helps burn fat.

Element 3: Fat Burning

Belly Fat Supplement: Thermogenic

Thermogenic belly fat burners work by elevating your body’s metabolism. Your metabolism is your body’s internal engine that converts the food you eat into energy. Speed up your metabolism up and you will increase the rate at which your body converts the nutrients you eat into energy. Slow your metabolism down and the opposite occurs.

It only makes sense that a more efficient and active metabolism improves the rate at which nutrients (especially fat) are metabolized hence, improved weight loss. In addition, it takes energy (calories) to keep your metabolism working so an active metabolism will draw in more calories.

Thermogenic fat burners are supplements that help to boost your metabolism. It does so in one of two ways, by either increasing your body’s internal temperature or speeding up the level of activity within your body (stimulants).

Let’s take a look at a few popular thermogenic fat burners.

Caffeine

Caffeine is a staple amongst fat burners. It is the “go to” compound for a lot of fat burners on the market today. The main reason is that it increases both, mental and physical acuity while boosting metabolic activity. The bottom line is that it speeds up your metabolism allowing you to keep burning calories for up to 4 hours. Caffeine is a powerful stimulant and while it has been shown to help people lose weight and burn belly fat, there are side effects. Too much caffeine can cause anxiety, nervousness, jitters, and a feeling of uneasiness. It’s best to approach caffeine based fat burners with caution. Start with 100 milligrams (most fat burners start at 200 milligrams per serving) to test your tolerance.

Cayenne pepper – Capsicum

Cayenne pepper contains an ingredient called capsicum which gives the pepper it’s “zing”. Capsicum has been shown to increase your body’s metabolic rate in addition to raising your body’s internal temperature. As your body’s temperature rises your body is forced to expend energy (calorie burn) to bring your body’s temperature back to normal. Capsicum isn’t a stimulant and doesn’t affect the nervous system.

This effect usually lasts up to 30 minutes. I personally use cayenne pepper in my morning "Wake up" drink and it kick starts my bodies fat burning metabolism. I recommend this belly fat supplement.

Bitter orange (Synephrine)

Bitter orange is a powerful stimulant that like caffeine, affects the nervous system. Synephrine works by increasing your body’s metabolism via the nervous system. This raises your metabolic rate and the amount of calories your body burns.

Synerphrine is a powerful stimulant and while many fat burners contain this ingredient I wouldn’t recommend it. It has been shown to increase the heart rate to dangerous levels so my recommendation is to stay clear.

Belly Fat Supplements - Conclusion

Do belly fat supplements work? Yes, they do work provided that you’re nutrition and exercise plan are in place and have been shown to provide results. Weight loss supplements and fat burners will not replace bad dietary or poor exercise habits. My suggestion is this. Follow an exercise and nutrition protocol that allows you to see some concrete weight loss and results. Once you are comfortable with your nutrition and exercise routine, start off with a non-stimulant weight loss product that has been shown to work.

I don’t recommend stimulant based fat burners for beginners or intermediates. Only try stimulant based products once you’re exercise and nutrition protocols are firmly in place and your doctor has approved you to try.

Try my Belly Be Gone Fat Burner! It’s a 30 day supply of my unique green tea extract / raspberry ketone combination that is all natural with no heavy stimulants! Click here to check it out!

Blake Bissaillion
Owner, Belly Be Gone

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