Make your New Years resolution a reality
The New Year is in full swing, and for millions around the world that means it’s time to focus on getting healthy, cleaning up the diet, and (most importantly) losing weight.
And while that may seem simple enough in concept, weight loss has been made to seem exceedingly difficult, nigh impossible by the various “gurus,” coaches, and influencers that infest media.
But the truth is that weight loss is straightforward -- create a calorie deficit by using a combination of diet and exercise and maintain that deficit consistently and you’ll lose weight. Sure, there are some other things that will affect the process but the “30,000-foot view” is to lose weight you have to consume less energy than you expend in a day. Do that day after day, week after week and you’ll lose weight.
There are no shortcuts.
There are no magic pills.
And there are no quick fixes.
It took time to put excess body weight on, and (you guessed it) it’s going to take time (as well as dedication and consistency) to work it off.
Only by getting your nutrition and exercise regimen on track will you get the results you want.
Now, that’s not to say that supplements can’t help streamline the weight loss process and/or make it seem less arduous.
Truth be told, there are many supplements that have been found to support weight loss via different mechanisms.
We’ve taken the best of those ingredients and brought them together in our best-selling thermogenic weight loss supplement -- THERMOFUEL.
What’s in ThermoFuel?
Acetyl L-Carnitine
Carnitine is an ingredient that’s long been synonymous with fat loss. The reason for this is that carnitine plays an essential role in the body’s ability to burn fat for fuel (a process known as beta-oxidation).
On their own, long chain fatty acids circulating in the bloodstream can’t enter the cell on their own volition, which means they can’t get into the mitochondria (the power generation plant of each cell) and be “burned” for fuel.
They require the services of an intracellular shuttle service, which just so happens to be carnitine.
But supplementing with any old carnitine supplement isn’t really all that effective. In fact, for the average individual, L-Carnitine doesn’t offer much benefit due to poor bioavailability.
Acetyl L-Carnitine (ALCAR), however, is an “enhanced” form of carnitine that not only offers superior bioavailability to regular L-carnitine, but it can also cross the blood-brain barrier, which means it can offer some nootropic benefits as well.
Specifically, regarding cognitive benefits, ALCAR buffers oxidative stress and maintains
ATP levels. It also supports production of acetylcholine -- the “learning neurotransmitter” which, in addition to affecting learning, also has a role in focus, memory, and the mind-muscle connection. To top it off, ALCAR may help improve attention and reduce fatigue.
As anyone who has ever spent time dieting for fat loss can tell you, attention span decreases as does mental and physical stamina. In addition to supporting fat burning, ALCAR may also help ablate feelings of fatigue, helping you have more energy to push harder in your workouts, ultimately burning more calories!
Green Tea Extract
Green tea extract is rife with beneficial bioactive, including antioxidants, phenols, and catechins -- the most well-known catechin is EGCG.
In fact, consumption of green tea (as a beverage or dietary supplement) has been found to support :
- Increased levels of fat oxidation (i.e., fat burning)
- Improved blood flow
- Greater insulin sensitivity
- Improved mood
- Cardiovascular health via a reduction in blood pressure
Furthermore, green tea extract, as well as EGCG, have been shown in research trials to boost energy expenditure both at rest and during exercise as well as enhance athletic performance.
Finally, studies indicate that supplementation with green tea extract may help:
- decrease body fat and waist circumference
- reduce caloric intake during meals
- limit the amounts of carbohydrates absorbed from a meal
L-Tyrosine
Tyrosine is an amino acid that serves as a building block for important neurotransmitters and cholamines, including dopamine and noradrenaline.
Dopamine is most associated with feelings of reward (which it does affect), but that’s not all this versatile neurotransmitter does. It also impacts mood, motivation, focus, decision-making, and motor control.
As most dieters can attest, mood and motivation to do much of anything (let alone get in those extra cardio sessions) takes a noticeable decline. Supplementing with L-Tyrosine may help prevent the normal drop in dopamine that occurs during stressful situations or when you switch between cognitively demanding tasks.
Furthermore, for the BCAA-guzzling fans out there, it might interest you to know that downing BCAAs all day may lead to depletion of tyrosine. The reason this is noteworthy is that tyrosine depletion has been found in animal studies to blunt the effects of stimulants, effectively reducing the “punch” and effectiveness of your pre workout or weight loss supplements would be shooting ourselves in the feet.
Caffeine
Caffeine is the consummate stimulant and something that not only fuels many a PR-shattering training session, but also has thermogenic and appetite-suppressant effects.
In fact, studies have found that caffeine ingestion may:
- Increase energy expenditure
- Stimulate lipolysis (the “freeing” of stored fatty acids)
- Enhance fat oxidation (“fat burning”) during exercise
- Reduce appetite
Moreover, caffeine can stimulate the release of dopamine in the brain, which is one of the main reasons that your morning cup of coffee (or serving of pre workout) not only helps boost feelings of mental energy, but also increases energy and motivation to get things done!
Last, but not least, caffeine also can delay the onset of fatigue, which can help you sustain a higher level of work output during your resistance training sessions and cardio workouts, ultimately leading to greater calorie burning.
Synephrine
Naturally occurring in Citrus Aurantium (bitter orange), synephrine (or p-synephrine) is structurally similar to another well-known fat loss stimulant -- ephedrine.
However, unlike ephedrine (which has a greater affinity for alpha, beta-1, and beta-2 receptors, and may lead to increased heart rate and/or blood pressure), synephrine primarily targets beta-3 receptors, meaning that it doesn’t come with the potential for adverse cardiovascular effects like ephedrine.
As a beta receptor agonist, synephrine stimulates lipolysis, which liberates stored fatty acids from adipose tissue, freeing them up to be oxidized (“burned”) for energy.
Synephrine, alone and in combination with caffeine, has been found to increase performance in resistance training sessions (total repetitions, volume load) without increasing blood lactate or rating of perceived exertion (RPE). When combined with caffeine, synephrine supplementation also has been noted to increase mean power and velocity of squat performance.
Furthermore, synephrine, alone or in combination with other nutrients, has been shown to increase resting metabolic rate and energy expenditure by up to ~13 as well as lead to reductions in body weight.
Banaba Leaf Extract
The leaves contain over 40 bioactive compounds, but the primary one of interest is corosolic acid. In fact, human studies have found that corosolic acid may help decrease blood sugar levels within 60 minutes.
Moreover, Banaba and corosolic acid may help :
- Enhance cellular uptake of glucose
- Support stable blood sugar levels
- Reduce digestion of sucrose and starches (which may help decrease the amount of carbs and total calories consumed from a meal)
- Decrease gluconeogenesis
- Regulate lipid metabolism
Research from 2019 also indicates that compounds within Banaba may inhibit the formation of fat cells (adipogenesis) as well as the formation of fat molecules (lipogenesis).
Cayenne Pepper
Cayenne pepper is a fiery, palate-igniting chile pepper used to add a dash of flavor and heat to various culinary creations and is a fundamental ingredient of New Orleans cuisine.
In addition to amping up the flavor of food, the piquant pepper also offers some benefits concerning weight loss.
Capsaicin, the alkaloid that gives chile peppers their bite, binds directly to the TRPV1 receptor, causing noradrenaline to be released, which is very good for stimulating brown fat thermogenesis.
Additional research documents that capsaicin may :
- Increase daily energy expenditure
- Reduce appetite
- Promote weight loss by releasing serotonin, a hunger-suppressing hormone, in the gut.
Theobromine
Theobromine is a chemical cousin of caffeine found in several foods, particularly dark chocolate.
Whale caffeine is noted for its fast, intense energy, theobromine is a bit smoother and may help extend the energy boost imparted by caffeine, which may be due to theobromine having a longer half-life than caffeine.
Theobromine is also known to possess respiratory benefits, which may help you to train harder for longer (i.e., not get winded as quickly) during intense training sessions, ultimately enabling you to burn more calories and lose weight faster!
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