If you’re looking to drop some pounds and get a cut looking physique, then there are a number of different products out there that can help you.
Broadly, these products tend to be referred to as ‘fat burners’ – though in fact there are three different kinds of fat burners at least, each of which works slightly different.
Fat burners that increase your metabolism and help you to burn fat for instance are called ‘thermogenics’. Meanwhile, you also have appetite suppressants that are designed to help you fight your cravings, eat less and lose weight as a result.
The third kind of fat burner, is the fat blocker. This one works a little differently and actually may be the most effective tool you have to help change your body composition. Read on and we’ll look in more detail at what fat blockers are and how they work.
Mechanism of Action
When you take a fat blocker, the objective is to prevent yourself from putting on more weight. This is a little different to a thermogenic, where the aim is to help you burn more of the fat that you’re already storing.
The way this works, is by preventing your body from absorbing as many calories from your diet. Specifically, fat blockers prevent you from absorbing as much sugar from carbohydrates and are also sometimes known as ‘carb blockers’ or ‘starch blockers’ for this reason.
When you use carb blockers, you consume a number of ingredients including the likes of kidney bean extract. These in turn work by reducing the action of enzymes called ‘lipases’ that are used to break down sugar. In many ways, this is similar to eating a lot of fiber along with your carb meal.
The result is that your body can’t break down the carbs as rapidly, which means that the sugar isn’t so quickly absorbed into the blood stream. Thus you don’t get the same spike in insulin that leads to lipogenesis (fat storage) and you absorb fewer calories overall before the sustenance is excreted.
Do They Work?
That’s how they’re meant to work, but are they really as good as they claim?
According to some sources, the answer is yes. One brand of fat blocker (admittedly not an objective source!) states that their product can help you lose an extra pound of fat for every two pounds you lose. A report by Fox News meanwhile stated that a product called Orlistat could block 25 percent of the fat consumed.
And when you take in less fat, this doesn’t only prevent you gaining more weight, it also leads to additional fat loss. This is true because the body needs to get its energy from somewhere and ends up having to turn to the fat stores that you want to get rid of so badly.
Mileage may vary and you’re still going to need to exercise some discipline to avoid eating more food to compensate for the low blood sugar levels. Likewise, keep an eye out for gastrointestinal side effects that can sometimes occur.
