Fat Loss Supplements for Those Last 20 Pounds

Question: I’ve been working out consistently since April of 2008, and have gone from 267 to 227 (currently). I’m basically trying to burn body fat, but most of the supplements I’ve been taking don’t seem to help. Any supplement or  diet recommendations? My goal is to get this last 20+ pounds off. Thanks for your time.

Steven R

Answer: Regarding diet: make sure to follow a Macro-Cycling type diet like I lay out in SYMOF.  This will ensure that you keep burning body fat but without causing your metabolism to slow down, thus halting your progress.

Before we move on to supplements that help with fat loss, we should address cardio.  For starters, make sure you are doing some!  Likewise, make sure you’re doing at least 3 high-intensity interval training session per week to really give your metabolism (and fat burning) a boost.

As for fat loss supplements — the single most proven and effective fat loss/fat burning supplement is caffeine.  I know, I know… it’s old school, and you probably wanted me to tell you about some exotic new supplement that melts fat like a candle.  But the fact is, caffeine works!  You just have to make sure to use it and not abuse it.  Well, that goes for any stimulant.

Speaking of new and exciting… there is one new supplement that has caught my eye – VPX Meltdown.  Not only does it contain caffeine and yohimbine (which I do sometimes use to help get rid of stubborn body fat), but it also contains some other ingredients that are fairly unique, but apparently effective.

The reason Meltdown caught my eye in the first place is because a fairly new, well done study has shown Meltdown to be very effective at increasing metabolic rate and the amount of fat burned per unit of time.

Although I have not tried meltdown myself, I have had a couple of clients try it with good results (although they had great nutrition and training programs as well).  However, one stopped using it because it gave her headaches, which is fairly common among stimulants, especially stronger ones.

I certainly wouldn’t recommend that just anyone try a strong central nervous system (CNS) stimulant like Meltdown, but if you’re healthy and your doctor gives you the go-ahead then it is something that I feel is worth trying.  I will be trying it myself before too long.

Although I’m turning this into more of an article than a simple answer, keep in mind that NO supplement is going to magically burn fat — a proper nutrition and exercise plan burn fat, NOT supplements.  At best, fat loss supplements can just enhance the fat burning process a bit.