BCAA’s otherwise known as branched chain amino acids can be an effective aid for helping to both lose body fat and build muscle. Research has shown that even if you consume an adequate amount of protein you can improve your body composition by consuming at least 5 grams of BCAA’s each day.

Among the many benefits of BCAA’s are the following.

They are the key amino acids for muscle recovery. During exercise you are damaging muscle tissue in order to lose body fat and build muscle your body must repair damaged tissue. Branched Chain Amino Acids are the most important amino acids for muscle recovery.

BCAA’s cause cells to absorb and burn more fatty acids. High levels of BCAA’s in the blood stream usually mean excessive muscle breakdown. In order to stop muscle breakdown the body will adapt by using more fat for fuel. You can trick your body into triggering this process by consuming supplemental BCAA’s.

Significant amounts of BCAA’s also trigger an increase in leptin emission. This is the hormone that tells the body that it has consumed enough energy; it also increases energy burning and helps control appetite.

BCAA’s can be used by both men and women to help improve body composition. BCAA’s can be consumed at almost any time throughout the day. For optimal results try to consume a few grams before or during workouts.

We recommend Intek’s BCAA or Muscle Sports BCAA Revolution.

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ANS Ultra-Lite just flat out makes you feel good, this fat burning energy enhancer also turns out to be a pretty good mood elevator. Reducing calorie intake reduces dopamine production in the brain leading to sluggishness and binge eating. Ultra-Lite is designed to offset the effect of lower calories by increasing energy and improving well-being. Its natural appetite suppressors also keep appetite and cravings under control. High energy plus low appetite will equal weight loss.

In addition Ultra-Lite uses a thermogenic component to increase calorie burning even while the body is at rest. By causing your body to become energy inefficient you waste excess calories as heat allowing you to burn more calories throughout each day.

While most “fat burning” products are little more than massive doses of stimulants there are natural ingredients that can burn fat and improve body composition. Unfortunately most companies don’t use them. If you look at the most effective body recompositioning drugs you find beta-2-agonists. Clenbuterol is a well-known one, but salbutamol and fenoterol are also beta-2-agonists. What they have in common is that they stimulate the beta-2-adrenoreceptor in the body, thus promoting a decrease of fat mass. Use of the substances is forbidden in sport and supplement makers are not allowed to put them in their products. However, a class of amino acids found in cocoa has been shown to produce similar effects. These amino acids are in the bean, as well as other parts of the plant. The cocoa plant probably manufactures them to increase its resistance against disease and other forms of plant stress.

The amino acids in question are metabolites of tyrosine and go by the name of clovamide. Clovamide and its analogues imitate the effects of clenbuterol in test-tube trials. This was discovered in research done at the Phytonutrients Laboratory, part of the American ministry of agriculture, and published in 2005 in FASEB Journal.

The researchers introduced clovamide and its analogues to immune cells with beta-2-receptors. To determine how well the substances were capable of stimulating the receptor the researchers measured the cAMP concentration. The more cAMP the cells produced, the better the beta-2-receptor stimulated clovamide and its analogues. Within this category of substances, clovamide and its analogue N-coumarolydopamine are the most powerful beta-2-agonists.

One of the more interesting fat burning compounds that has been discovered recently is curcumin. A review of literature by scientists from the University of Buffalo concluded that curcumin helps regulate fat metabolism and is an effective supplement for promoting weight loss and preventing heart disease, diabetes, and inflammation.

Curcumin decreases insulin resistance and promotes normal blood sugar metabolism. It may also promote health by reducing inflammation and neutralizing free radicals – which amount to a kind of biological rust that impairs the immune system, breaks down DNA, and promotes aging.

To maximize energy and improve mood ANS turned to Sulbutiamine. Sulbutiamine is a synthetic analogue of thiamine, or vitamin B1. Its slightly different structure means it enters cells more easily than regular vitamin B1 does. As a result of this thiamine analogues – including sulbutiamine – show a performance enhancing effect in animal studies. Sulbutiamine also increases mental alertness, improves cognitive functioning, reduces chronic fatigue, and can also be effective in boosting ones mood, by creating a feeling of euphoria similar to caffeinated beverages but without the jitters.

Ultra-Lite activates fat burning mechanisms in your body while simultaneously blocking the internal biochemistry that prevents you from burning fat. Under normal conditions your body will adjust to weight loss and dieting by slowing your metabolic rate. This is the reason so many people have difficulty losing weight and why they often gain lost weight back.

Imagine having something available that helps you train BEYOND YOUR LIMITS. The goal when designing Diesel Force was to use ingredients with legitimate scientific backing, that showed real performance benefits. A product designed with proven ingredients at proven doses that, together, create a perfect mix of energy, focus and performance enhancement.

Diesel Force uses research proven-effective ingredients in their research-backed dosages together in a formula that will truly enhance your training results. Diesel Force is more than a “pump” product or an “insane energy buzz” product that only provides temporary results. Diesel Force is a product that will deliver actual improvements in your performance and physique.

Improving the Energy Equation
Caffeine and other stimulant centric ingredients are great for providing a quick energy fix but can lead to a crash and often have diminishing effects over time. Diesel Force has paired traditional stimulants like caffeine with other ingredients like Sulbutiamine and N-Methyl Tyramine designed to enhance energy while minimizing the weak points of traditional stimulants. Sulbutiamine is a synthetic analogue of thiamine, or vitamin B1. Its slightly different structure means it enters cells more easily than regular vitamin B1 does. As a result of this thiamine analogues including sulbutiamine show a performance enhancing effect in studies. The results of studies suggest that they may have a modest muscle-building effect as well. Sulbutiamine also increases mental alertness, improves cognitive functioning, reduces chronic fatigue, and can also be effective in boosting ones mood, by creating a feeling of euphoria similar to caffeinated beverages but without the jitters.

Changing Body Composition
Among the most effective body recompositioning drugs are the beta-2-agonists. Of which Clenbuterol is probably the most well known. What they have in common is that they stimulate the beta-2-adrenoreceptor in the body, thus promoting an increase of muscle mass and decrease of fat mass. Use of the substances is forbidden in sport and supplements makers are not allowed to put them in their products. However, a class of amino acids found in cocoa has been shown to produce similar results. These amino acids are located in the bean, and throughout the rest of the plant. The cocoa plant probably manufactures them to increase resistance against disease and other forms of plant stress.

The amino acids in question are metabolites of tyrosine. Which also go by the name of clovamide. Clovamide and its analogues imitate the effects of clenbuterol in test-tube trials. This was discovered in research done at the Phytonutrients Laboratory, part of the American ministry of agriculture, and published in 2005 in FASEB Journal.

The researchers introduced clovamide and its analogues to immune cells with beta-2-receptors. To determine how well the substances were capable of stimulating the receptor the researchers measured the cAMP concentration. The more cAMP the cells produced, the better the beta-2-receptor stimulated clovamide and its analogues. Within this category of substances, clovamide and its analogue N-coumarolydopamine are the most powerful beta-2-agonists

Building Muscle While Losing Body Fat
Building muscle is difficult and not many natural compounds can truly help with the muscle building process. A new compound produced from the peel of an apple has proven effective at accelerating muscle growth and is now available in nutritional supplements. The fatty layer of an apple peel contains a compound that has an anabolic effect, write researchers from the University of Iowa in Cell Metabolism. It’s called ursolic acid, but also goes by the shorter name of malol. In tests on mice, the compound caused their muscles to grow and fat mass to shrink.

The researchers from Iowa stumbled upon the anabolic properties of ursolic acid when they were examining cells from muscle tissue that where wasting. They determined which genes in the cells were active during the process of muscular atrophy. Then they searched databases for substances that had the opposite effect. The most promising substance that they found was ursolic acid.

The researchers gave this to fasting mice and observed that the ursolic acid led to a reduction in the processes of muscle atrophy. They then did a second round of experiments in which a control group was given ordinary feed and another group was given feed containing 0.27 percent ursolic acid. A five-week course of ursolic acid resulted in growth of the quadriceps and the mice grew stronger. The activity of the catabolic genes MuRF-1 and Atrogin-1 declined in the muscle cells. In contrast, the activity of the gene for IGF-1 increased, as did the concentration of IGF-1 in the blood. Molecular signaling molecules, like the receptor for IGF-1, Akt and S6K, were switched on.

In the studies ursolic acid also reduced the fat cells’ emission of leptin, the concentrations of triglycerides and cholesterol, and even the fasting glucose level. All of these are positive effects.

The researchers suspect that ursolic acid’s prime target is the IGF-1 receptor. This becomes more sensitive and as a result the IGF-1 that is present in the body works better.

Increasing the Work Load
Not to be out done by some of the more novel ingredients, the Diesel Force formula also includes COP or Creatinol O Phosphate as well as Creatine Citrate.

Creatinol O Phosphate or COP increases levels of ATP in the muscle, and this may be due in part because of its actions as an intracellular buffer, a phosphate donor, and a stabilizer of cell membranes. The end result is that contractility (force of contraction) of muscles is increased – especially in low oxygen, low blood flow conditions. These conditions would be present during demanding activity such as weight training.

When you are performing an explosive activity like weight training you are going to create conditions in which lactic acid increases and PH drops in the muscle. ATP levels also drop as you perform intense activity. These are the conditions that cause muscle failure. So what happens when you supplement with Creatinol O Phosphate? Your muscles are able to generate a greater amount of force which leads to strength gains, and increased muscular endurance.

The citrate form of creatine is composed of a creatine molecule that is attached to a citric acid molecule. Citric acid is an intermediate of the Krebs cycle (the metabolic pathway that produces aerobic energy within muscle). In other words, citric acid is important for energy production. Because of this, creatine taken with citrate may provide greater muscular energy than creatine alone.

ANS Diesel Force is a true advancement in the pre-workout category as it blends the benefits of energy, pump, and real performance into a single product.

Among the most effective body recompositioning drugs are the beta-2-agonists. Clenbuterol is probably the most well known. What they have in common is that they stimulate the beta-2-adrenoreceptor in the body, thus promoting a decrease of fat mass. Use of these substances is forbidden in sports and supplements makers are not allowed to put them in their products. However, these rules do not apply to a class of amino acids found in cocoa. These amino acids are in the bean, and parts of the plant. The cocoa plant probably manufactures them to increase its resistance against disease and other forms of plant stress.

The amino acids in question are metabolites of tyrosine. The amino acids in cocoa also go by the name of clovamide. Clovamide and its analogues imitate the effects of clenbuterol in test-tube trials. This was discovered in research done at the Phytonutrients Laboratory, part of the American ministry of agriculture, and published in 2005 in FASEB Journal.

The researchers introduced clovamide and its analogues to immune cells with beta-2-receptors. To determine how well the substances were capable of stimulating the receptor the researchers measured the cAMP concentration. The more cAMP the cells produced, the better the beta-2-receptor stimulated clovamide and its analogues. Within this category of substances, clovamide and its analogue N-coumarolydopamine are the most powerful beta-2-agonists.

The fatty layer on an apple peel contains a compound that has an anabolic effect, write researchers from the University of Iowa. It’s called ursolic acid, but also goes by the shorter name of malol. In tests on mice, the compound caused their muscles to grow and fat mass to shrink.

Ursolic acid is also present in basil, blueberries, cranberries, rosemary, oregano, thyme and plums. And speaking of plums: researchers at the American department of agriculture discovered in 2006 that prunes (dried plums) boost the concentration of IGF-1. They had no explanation for this, but it might be that ursolic acid explains the special effects of prunes.

The researchers from Iowa stumbled upon the anabolic properties of ursolic acid when they were examining cells from muscle tissue that was wasting. They determined which genes in the cells were active during the process of muscular atrophy. Then they searched databases for substances that had the opposite effect. The most promising substance they found was ursolic acid.

The researchers gave this to fasting mice and observed that the ursolic acid led to a reduction in the processes of muscle atrophy. They then did a second round of experiments, in which the mice were given as much to eat as they wanted. A control group was given ordinary feed and another group was given feed containing 0.27 percent ursolic acid.

A five-week course of ursolic acid resulted in growth of the quadriceps and the mice grew stronger. The activity of the catabolic genes MuRF-1 and Atrogin-1 declined in the muscle cells. In contrast, the activity of the gene for IGF-1 increased, as did the concentration of IGF-1 in the blood. Molecular signaling molecules, like the receptor for IGF-1, Akt and S6K, were switched on.

In the animal studies ursolic acid also reduced the fat cells’ emission of leptin, the concentrations of triglycerides and cholesterol, and even the fasting glucose level. All of these are positive effects.

The researchers suspect that ursolic acid’s prime target is the IGF-1 receptor. This becomes more sensitive and as a result the IGF-1 that is present in the body works better.

A review of literature by scientists from the University of Buffalo concluded that curcumin helps regulate fat metabolism and might be an effective supplement for promoting weight loss and preventing heart disease, diabetes, and inflammation.

Curcumin decreases insulin resistance and promotes normal blood sugar metabolism.  It may also promote health by reducing inflammation and neutralizing free radicals – which amount to a kind of biological rust that impairs the immune system, breaks down DNA, and promotes aging.

A good pre-workout should do four things to improve the user’s workout.

1) It should provide physical energy, like you might feel from an energy drink. The energy component should also help with mental focus (mind muscle connection).
2) It should increase ATP or cellular energy stores.
3) It should buffer lactic acid and decrease fatigue.
4) It should increase blood flow to the working muscle and deliver nutrients and enhance the muscle pump.

The new Lean Revolution Limited Edition produces on all four of these fronts and is one of the few non geranium based products that provide a significant boost in focus and energy.

For Energy and Focus
N-Methyltyramine is a conditionally essential amino acid which works by being an essential precursor to the neurotransmitter nor epinephrine. N-Methyltyramine also activates brown fat and increases body metabolism and the use of white fat (bad fat) as body fuel. N-Methyltyramine, is known as an adrenergenic amine, which means it can help facilitate the action of the sympathetic nervous system on the adrenal glands, thereby increasing the body’s metabolism, and boosting energy. N-Methyltyramine is like a shot of adrenaline providing a very smooth focused energy.

Piracetam enhances brain metabolism by increasing Glucose Utilization, Blood & Oxygen Flow. The net result is a boost in mental energy & cerebral circulation.

CDP Choline was also added for brain and mood support. CDP Choline results in a noticeable level of alertness and motivation. In addition, colors seem brighter and sharper and libido is enhanced.

For ATP Production and Cellular Energy
Creatine MagnaPower provides more active creatine to the bloodstream for subsequent incorporation into the cells of the muscle. Chelate provides magnesium, which is involved in more energy producing systems than creatine, in addition creatine requires magnesium for its energy producing cycle. High doses of creatine are not required, since the chelate is not susceptible to acidic cyclization. Gastric disturbances are eliminated since only doses approximately 20% of what would be needed with creatine monohydrate are required.

For Buffering Lactic Acid and Fatigue Reduction
Beta Alanine and Creatinol O Phosphate act to reduce fatigue and muscle failure. Beta Alanine works through increasing carnosine levels. By doing so, it helps improve weight training and athletic performance in a variety of ways. By increasing carnosine levels it increases buffering capacity in the muscle, this helps prevent your muscles from becoming overly acidic during times of stress.

For Increasing Blood Flow and Muscle Pump
Most people are familiar with arginine but the metabolic by product of arginine known as agmatine sulfate goes well beyond arginine in terms of effectiveness. This formula also uses citrulline, glycerol and vanadyl to enhance the pump effect from exercise.

ANS Melting Point is probably the most comprehensive of the non stimulant fat burning products on the market.  If you are serious about fat burning check out what this product has to offer.

In the battle against fat 7-oxo or 7-keto DHEA carries a lot of weight. Double blind placebo controlled studies have shown this ingredient to increase resting metabolic rate by as much as 5.4%. 7-oxo DHEA also works to stop reductions in metabolic rate when calories are restricted during dieting. 7-oxo DHEA achieves thermogenisis not by acting as a stimulant but by increasing the activity of fat burning enzymes. Weight lost while using 7-oxo DHEA tends to be fat as this ingredient has been shown to spare muscle tissue.

The active chemical in Coleus (forskolin) initiates a cascade of chemical reactions that cause fat cells to basically release their energy and melt away. In more technical terms, what happens is Coleus increases an enzyme called adenylate cyclase, which increases levels of another enzyme called cAMP (cyclic AMP), which is found in fat. cAMP then stimulates another enzyme, hormone sensitive lipase, to burn fat. Additionally, by a similar mechanism using cAMP, coleus increases thyroid hormone production and release, thereby increasing the bodies’ metabolism, to burn more calories.

The polyphenols in green tea appear to activate our bodies’ thermogenic activity, promoting the use of calories as energy and thus may assist our fat-fighting efforts.

Raspberry Ketones are aromatic compounds found in red raspberries that have been shown to aid fat loss without stimulating the central nervous system. The molecular structure in Raspberry Ketones are similar to capsaicin – the thermogenic (caloric burning process through heat) agent in chilies and red peppers, but are thought to be far more potent than capsaicin at lipolysis (fat cell destruction).

Due to the similarity in structure of Raspberry Ketones to capsaicin, scientific research to test the fat loss effects of Raspberry Ketones were conducted, and clearly showed that Raspberry Ketones prevented weight gain in mice even when the animals were on a high-fat diet.  Also, when rats were overfed fructose, Raspberry Ketones prevented fat synthesis.

Raspberry Ketones fat loss effects come from their ability to enhance norepinephrine-induced fat loss by promoting the relocation of HSL (hormone-sensitive lipase) to translocate to within the fat cell. HSL is the enzyme that, once inside the fat cell, slices apart fat molecules into various fatty acids in preparation for fat metabolism, which means that consuming Raspberry Ketones may lead to overall increase in fat being burned for energy without the use of harsh stimulants.

I really like this product as it ties together several ingredients that have compelling science backing their fat fighting potential. It also shows the dosing of each ingredient rather than hiding them in an under dosed blend.

Fat burning supplements are a great way to safely accelerate the weight loss process. There are a number of good products on the market which approach the fat loss process from different pathways. We broke them down in simple terms below to help you pick the best option to support your fat loss efforts.

Lipotropics
Theoretically, lipotropics don’t burn fat. But what they can do is motivate your liver to expedite the flow of bile and fat from the gall bladder while reducing the amount of fat deposited. So rather than being stored as simple sugars, fat can be used to produce readily available energy. Lipotropics include products like BioRhythm Olio, MSI Liposlim and Intek CLA/ L-Carnitine.

Starch Inhibitors
Some of the most popular starch inhibitors are standardized bean extracts from Phaseolus vulgaris. They work by inhibiting the activity of alpha amylase, the digestive enzyme in charge of shuttling the hundreds of complex carbohydrates from your super-sized #3 to your stomach, legs and rear.

Starch inhibitors prevent carbs from being utilized by normal metabolic processes, allowing them to be swept away to toilet heaven.

Solid products in this category include Irwin Naturals 3 in 1 Carb Blocker and BSN Cheaters.

Thermogenics
By definition, thermogenic translates to “creating heat”. And where there’s heat, there’s hope. They work by stimulating and speeding up the bodies metabolic processes. This ultimately affects how many calories the body is able to use in the production of energy. Thermogenic formulas usually contain supplements such as7oxo DHEA, Bitter Orange, Guarana, Geranium extract and a long list of others.

Among the best thermogenics are Intek Thermogenic, MSI Diet Revolution, and BioRhythm Adrenalean.

Cortisol Suppressors
Judging by today’s high stress, road rage-centric way of life, it’s a miracle that we all don’t weigh in somewhere above the 300 lb range. When you get stressed, be it from exercise, bar brawls or being chased by your boss with a machete, your body releases a stress-induced catabolic hormone called cortisol. Not only does it have an influence on how much fat you store, it can also leave you depressed, sluggish and unmotivated. Supplements such as phosphatidyl serine help balance how much cortisol your body releases after stressful situation.

To reduce cortisol and keep your body from storing fat try NOW Foods phosphatidyl serine, BioRhythm Relax and Chill or BioRhythm Synthrolean.

Essential Fatty Acids
We haven’t become such a grossly obese nation because we’re eating too much fat. It’s because we’re not eating enough. At least, not enough good fat. Yes, there is such a thing as good fat. And without it, your body becomes prone to storing the overwhelming amounts of saturated fats you scarf down on a daily basis. Mono and polyunsaturated fats (especially the essential fatty acids Omega-3 and -6) actually make it possible for your body to utilize the total fat from your diet more effectively, provided that you’re getting them in balance.

For fat loss purposes try BioRhythm Olio, or MSI Liposlim both of which use the ideal blend of EFA’s with CLA and other potent ingredients for mobilizing stubborn body fat.

Appetite Suppressants
Do you have an appetite that just won’t stop? If so, it’s more than likely you’re struggling to have success with weight loss since you can’t stop eating! Many people deal with this issue, not only because of a high physiological hunger, but also because of psychological factors at work with our appetite. Ever walk through the food court in the mall and find yourself feeling slightly hungry? Odd how you were not hungry beforehand.

Appetite suppressants typically have some level of stimulants in them so make sure you understand your tolerance to stimulants before choosing a product. Some of the best in this group are MSI Diet Revolution, Rocket Fuel, and Intek Fat Burner Evolution.

Thyroid Regulating Fat Burners
For other individuals, their thyroid may not be producing enough of the hormones to keep their metabolism working at an effective rate. When this happens, a slowed metabolism results, often accompanied by a weight gain, feelings of fatigue, and feeling cold all the time. Thyroid regulating fat burners serve to fix this issue by supplying the two main substances that the thyroid would normally produce, guggulsterone and forskolin. They also often contain a combination of other ingredients that help to increase the metabolic rate and keep the thyroid working effectively.

Best in class products for optimizing thyroid performance include BioRhythm Synthrolean, Tri Pharm Incinerate, and Ultra Lean FX from BioRhythm.

Australian researchers published a long-term weight loss study in healthy adult overweight women (BMI initially ~32).

In this study, they followed 79 women for more than a year to see how protein influences weight loss and compliance to a dietary program.

Women who followed a high protein diet lost MORE weight and more fat than those that ate the high carb diet. Protein intake was inversely related to weight and fat loss such that for those that ate more protein lost an average of 14 lbs and 10 lbs of fat compared to those that ate less protein (and more carbs) who lost 7 lbs and 5 lbs of fat over the course of a year. Body composition was measured by DEXA, the gold standard for body comp assessment. After 64 weeks, body fat was higher in those that ate more carbohydrate and lower in those that ate more protein. The same was seen for belly fat – more belly fat in those that ate a higher carb diet compared to the higher protein diet.