Weight Loss Program - How to Lose 20lbs In 30 Days (part 2)

Weight Loss Guide - Best Fat Burners

The weight loss industry is a huge business, and it's huge for a good reason - over two thirds (2/3) of the American population is either overweight or obese! Many fat burners and diet pills contain various stimulants and thermogenics that help increase metabolism and burn away fat.

As the name suggests, thermogenics has to do with temperature - these supplements raise your body temperature, and the number of calories burned. Thermogenic fat loss products have proven to be effective helping people lose weight; however not indefinitely.

Athletes, bodybuilders, and people from all walks of life are pitched at with diet and weight loss products. In recent years, Xenadrine RFA 1 appeared on the scene and gained 'superstar' popularity for the weight loss results it delivers, and recently, Cytodyne has discontinued the Xenadrine RFA-1 line of products because it contained ephedrine – an active ingredient in many fat burners that did wonders for fat loss, but also caused many unwanted side effects, even death.

Thermogenic compounds tend to stimulate the central nervous system, like caffeine and ephedrine. Like all supplements/drugs, if not used responsibly, thermogenic products can lead to abusive behavior. Short term use of these products can produce excellent weight loss results; however, long term use can lead to adapted tolerance to these substances leading to little and/or no fat loss benefit. Worse yet, prolonged use can lead to chemical dependence... That’s right, there is the small possibility that you can get addicted to fat burner after prolonged use, and I’ve even written an article about this, re-posting an email I received from one of my visitors who crashed when he stopped using Xenadrine. See here.

Studies have shown thermogenics to effectively reduce fat when used for less than five to six weeks, after which time, the effectiveness begins to disappear over the next four to five weeks. With over eight weeks of continual use, tolerances establish and you see very little weight loss improvements. At this point, you should stop using such a product since it's not going to do you much good. If you insist continuing using thermogenic products, it's recommended you take some time off, and then continue.

There are quite a few fat burners on the market, how do you know what to use, and what will work best? Well, I can’t really tell you that, because what works for one individual may not work for the next, simply because everyone’s body is different. However, we provide in depth reviews of many fat burners and weight loss supplements on our site here, and you can read much more in depth reviews of each.

Cardio and Weight Loss Diet

Almost anyone will know you should do cardio when trying to lose weight, but why do you see so many people day in, day out on the treadmill, without any noticeable improvements? You see, losing fat isn’t as complicated as most people think, and doing more cardio will not necessarily make you lose more body fat. As said before, the simplest way to look at it is: if you burn more calories than you consume, then you will lose fat! It’s as simple as that, really.

Obviously, doing regular cardio helps as well. It not only helps you burn excess calories, but also improves your cardiovascular health, and helps improve your endurance. But ask yourself this: what’s easier?

1. To eat whatever you want, and spend a few extra hours doing cardio to burn off the excess calories you had, or
2. To eat healthy and clean, and only spend 20 to 30 minutes doing cardio?

So, why only 20 to 30 minutes of cardio? Research shows that high intensity training for shorter periods of time is more effective at burning fat than low intensity, long duration training, and the higher the intensity of the cardio, the greater the fat loss. For diet and nutrition, there are three basic nutrients you need to know about:

1. Protein – is made up of amino acids, and is what helps build muscle tissue. Each gram of protein you eat gives you 4 calories.
2. Carbohydrates – is the fuel used for energy, and each gram of carbohydrate also gives 4 calories.
3. Fats – fats are packed with calories compared to proteins and carbohydrates. Each gram of fat contains 9 calories.

On a cutting diet, here’s a very simple rule of thumb to estimate how much calories you should be consuming each day. Take your body weight, and multiply by a factor of 10 to 12, and that how much calories you should be consuming each day. For example, for a person who weighs 200lbs, the amount of calories he/she should be taking is daily is:

200 X 10 = 2000 to 200 X 12 = 2400

So, this individual should be getting about 2000 to 2400 calories daily. Now, as you progress in your weight loss, the amount of calories you need will also reduce with the drop in body weight. Let’s say after 2 months, this person’s body weight drops to 180lbs, he/she will need 1800 to 2160 calories daily. However, please keep in mind that this is just a rule of thumb.

One Diet Supplement We Recommend

While there are numerous fat burners and diet pills on the market, the one that we highly recommend isn't a fat burner, and does not contain stimulants. The supplement we're referring to is called CLA. It’s a dietary supplement (a fatty acid) that you can get from dairy products, but just not enough. Also, you might be interested to find out that scientific studies have found CLA to help with weight loss, and it can also induce region specific fat loss - especially around the stomach and legs area. You can read more about CLA in detail from these links below:

CLA Supplement Information
CLA Benefits and Side Effects
CLA User Feedback and Reviews

Typically, CLA supplements will recommend you take about 3 to 5 grams a day; however, from my experience and all the feedback I’ve had, taking 6 to 9 grams a day will be more effective at cutting down body fat, especially around the waist area.

For fat burner use, regardless of which one you choose, I wouldn’t recommend taking it longer than 8 to 10 weeks. After this time, you body develops a certain tolerance for the stimulants, and prolonged use can lead to chemical dependence on the fat burner, and if you ever do decide to use the fat burner again, wait at least 6 to 8 weeks before going back on. Waiting longer is even better. As for CLA, since it’s a dietary supplement you can choose to take it as long as you want. I should point out to you that generally, you need to stay on CLA for at least 1 month for results to start showing. So be patient.

Although fat burners can help you to lose some fat, but you should never rely on them to do the work for you. You need to be disciplined about your diet and exercising. Make healthy eating and exercising a regular part of your lifestyle – you’ll be glad you did! Good luck!