Diet supplements have become an important and effective tool for losing weight, providing you energy and helping your body maintain good health. Fat burners remain some of the most popular dietary supplements. While all fat burners are designed to help you lose weight, they don’t all work in the same way. Let’s take a look some of the most common types of fat burners and how they work.

Thermogenic Fat Burners

Your metabolism is constantly at work to give you the energy you need. Even when you are not exerting yourself, your body needs energy to breathe, circulate blood, maintain cells and perform hundreds of other invisible tasks. The number of calories you need to burn to power these functions is known as your basal metabolic rate. As the most widely used type of weight loss supplement, thermogenic fat burners are designed to increase your internal body temperature. Creating more heat leads to an increase in your basal metabolic rate, which allows you to burn more calories and fat when you are at rest.

The ingredients used in thermogenic fat burners vary, though the most common is caffeine. While you know it best as the ingredient in your coffee, caffeine can also be found in certain teas (black, white and green) as well as cacao, the seed used to make chocolate. Along with providing you with some extra pep, caffeine can provide mental stimulation. Studies show that caffeine also has thermogenic effects that may increase metabolism and lipolysis (the break down of fats). However, it should be noted that caffeine should be taken in moderation. Long-term use of caffeine can lead to tolerance, meaning you would need more of it to get the same effects. Caffeine can also lead to jitters, irritability and an eventual crash.

Other common natural ingredients you might find in thermogenic fat burner supplements include:

• Grains of paradise – A common spice that can add heat and provide thermogenic effects for weight loss.
• Theacrine – Marketed as TeaCrine®, theacrine is a compound with a similar molecular structure as caffeine. It offers many of the same stimulant and thermogenic benefits of caffeine without the negative effects.
• Capsaicin – Capsaicin is the active component in hot peppers that creates characteristic spiciness. It has been shown to increase internal heat via adrenaline receptors and burn body fat in the process.
• Evodiamine – One of the active ingredients in the plant known as Evodia rutaecarpa that is known to increase warmth in the body.

Many thermogenic supplements, like Pyroxamine™ from MYOKEM™, use a unique formula to neutralize many of these negative effects by providing a smoother, cleaner flow of energy.

Stimulant-Free Fat Burners

Some people are sensitive to caffeine and other stimulant ingredients found in fat burning supplements. While stimulants are effective at burning fat and giving you a boost in energy, overstimulation is not beneficial to your health. Stimulants may trigger anxiety, sleep problems, irritability and cardiovascular issues.

Stimulant-free fat burners offer the benefits of other fat burners but are intended for people who may be sensitive to stimulant ingredients. Stimulant-free supplements do not affect your adrenaline, so they can be taken with other products or foods, like coffee, without you needing to worry about overstimulation.

One ingredient you may find in stimulant-t-free fat burners is fucoxanthin. Fucoxanthin is a natural pigment compound known as a carotenoid found primarily in brown seaweed and other marine-based sources. As a xanthophyll, fucoxanthin has a molecular structure similar to vitamin A and beta carotene. Studies suggest that the compound can be stored in fat cells and induce fat loss while inhibiting the differentiation and proliferation of fat cells, essentially allowing for reduced fat mass. It has also been shown to improve glucose metabolism in muscle tissue, which may reduce triglyceride and cholesterol levels.

If you want to try a stimulant-free fat burner, MYOKEM™ offers an advanced stimulant-free weight loss solution in Thyrovate™. Thyrovate™ uses a unique formula of natural ingredients to accelerate fat loss, reduce your appetite and target your midsection while increasing your resistance to stress. Some of its main ingredients include:

• Japanese mugwort extract
• Weak jumby pepper
• Olive leaf extract
• Ashwagandha extract

Appetite Suppressants

While we all need to eat, some of us just seem to have bottomless stomachs and appetites that just will not let up. Hunger has both physiological and psychological triggers. Always feeling the need to eat may point to your body not getting enough nutrients, fiber or healthy fats. You may just need to reconsider your caloric needs and macronutrients. Emotional cravings are often a means of coping with stress.

Appetite suppressants keep you from overeating and decrease your appetite to boost the overall rate of fat loss. Many of these appetite suppressants work by balancing the levels of ghrelin and leptin, the two main chemicals involved with hunger. Throughout the day, these two chemicals rise and fall based on a variety of factors, like what and how much you have eaten recently, stress levels, sleep levels, mood, weight and genetics.

Other appetite suppressants may also work by:

• Improving blood sugar balance
• Burning more stored body fat (much like thermogenics)
• Increasing the release of endorphins, serotonin and other chemicals to improve mood
• Curbing cravings for sweets and junk food

Some common natural appetite suppressants include:

• Green tea extract
• Cayenne
• Grapefruit essential oil
• Black pepper

Carb Blockers

The public opinion on carbohydrates has consistently fluctuated. Carbohydrates are one of the three main macronutrients in the average person’s diet, next to protein and fats. They are the most accessible source of energy in your body and get broken down into glucose for your brain and glycogen for your muscles.

Not all carbs are created equal, which is where things tend to get complicated. Good carbs are high in nutrients and fiber, while bad carbs are high in sugar and calories and don’t provide much of any nutritional benefit. Sadly, most of the things you love to eat, like sweets and sugary drinks, are composed of bad carbs. Furthermore, any carbs that are not used up get stored in the body as fat.

Carbs tend to be the biggest problem for dieters, but carb blockers can help. These supplements work by inhibiting the enzymes that normally digest carbohydrates. This allows the carbs to pass through your system without contributing to your total caloric intake. Keeping these carb-based calories out of your system can help to create the deficit you need to burn fat.

Fat Blockers

Fats are another necessary component of any healthy diet. Fat is the most calorically dense macronutrient and is important for insulating organs, regulating chemicals and maintaining your skin and hair. While you do need certain fats and oils, too many food products are filled with processed or trans fats, which add empty calories and increase the risk of certain cardiovascular issues.

Fat blocker supplements work in the same way as carbohydrate blockers. They prevent the digestion and absorption of fats that you consume, keeping them from adding calories or contributing to your body fat.

Thyroid Regulating Fat Blockers

Your thyroid gland is responsible for producing the chemicals that regulate your heart, digestion and metabolic functions. Your thyroid may not be producing enough of these chemicals, making your metabolism less efficient. This is joined with weight gain, fatigue and frequently feeling cold.

Thyroid regulating fat burners aim to rebalance these chemicals by supplying your body with the substances that your thyroid would normally produce, namely forskolin and guggulsterone. Many thyroid regulating supplements also include ingredients to naturally increase your metabolism and maintain the general health and function of your thyroid.

Cortisol Blockers

Stress has become one of the biggest epidemics plaguing people in modern, day-to-day life. Stress leads to the secretion of the enzyme cortisol, which activates your fight or flight response, necessary to your survival. However, chronic stress leads to a consistently high level of cortisol, which has a wide range of harmful effects to your health, including anxiety, sleep problems, acne and high blood pressure.

Unsurprisingly, excess cortisol also causes weight gain in a variety of ways. It encourages your body to hold fat, particularly around your midsection. Cortisol also causes a significant drop in your blood sugar, which naturally leads to cravings for fatty, sugary foods. Eating these comfort foods triggers the release of chemicals that have a direct calming effect on your body.

Aside from stress, your body’s cortisol levels can increase based on a variety of factors, including:

• Overtraining
• Being in a hypocaloric state (consuming fewer calories than normal)
• Not getting enough sleep
• Consuming too many simple sugars

It can take a lot of careful balancing to control all of these factors. Otherwise, cortisol is probably hindering your progress in some way. Cortisol blocking supplements inhibit cortisol to keep it from harming your body and turning the food you eat into fat.

One of the most popular cortisol blocking ingredients is Sensoril®, an extract of ashwagandha. Ashwagandha, scientifically known as Withania somnifera, is an herb that has traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine. As a supplement, the herb is classified as an adaptogen, which describes any natural substance that can help the body adapt to the physiological effects of stress. Ashwagandha has been shown to significantly reduce concentrations of cortisol in the blood and prevent many of the immunosuppressive effects of stress. Extracts of the herb have been particularly prescribed to reduce symptoms of anxiety. Ashwagandha has also been shown to reduce cholesterol and improve physical performance, further encouraging weight loss.

Sensoril® specifically is backed by extensive scientific research that shows that it has a significant effect on cortisol to help you:

• Cope with stress
• Promote a calm, relaxed state of mind
• Increase your resistance to tension, stress and general irritability
• Promote positive mood
• Reduce effects of emotional, physical and mental stress and fatigue

Sensoril® can curb stress-based cravings for carbohydrates and inhibit overeating to control weight gain from stress.

Other common ingredients you will find in cortisol blockers include:

• L-carnitine
• Alpha lipoic acid
• White willow extract
• Green tea extract
• Ginseng

Despite the wide range of different types of fat burners, remember that there is no miracle pill. You will not lose significant weight by taking a supplement. A balanced diet that is rich in vitamins and nutrients and a regular workout regiment are the foundation for any effective weight loss plan. Fat burner supplements can give you the extra edge you need to get rid of more stubborn pounds. Along with fat burners, reconsider your exercise routine or try counting calories and macronutrient amounts.