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Are fat burning gels a scam?
Answers from Burn The Fat author Tom Venuto.
"FAT BURNING" GELS - AN OLD SCAM IN NEW CLOTHES
In the past few months, I've received at least a dozen e-mails
asking about the new "fat-burning gels" that are being advertised by many of the popular
fitness and bodybuilding magazines.
Rub on some cream and the fat just melts away: Sounds like everyone's
wildest fitness fantasy.
Sorry to disappoint you if you had visions of canceling your gym
membership and eating whatever you want, but "fat burning gels"
are just a new twist on an old scam: Cellulite creams.
The active ingredients in most of these products are aminophylline
and theophylline. Some of them also contain Yohimbine. Aminophylline is the ingredient
most frequently used. A cousin of caffeine, this member of the methylxanthine family
is actually an asthma medication that dilates the bronchial tubes.
According to the manufacturers, aminophylline, when applied in gel form,
can penetrate the skin and release body fat into the bloodstream. This is called a
"transdermal" (through the skin) delivery system. If you've ever heard of the
Nicotine patch that is used to help smokers wean themselves off of cigarettes,
then you realize that certain drugs can be absorbed into the bloodstream directly
through the skin.
More than one study has shown that using these transdermal gels can
effectively reduce waist, hip, or leg circumference.
But that doesn't mean you've lost BODY FAT!
Ironically, the study from which this craze began did not even measure
fat loss! It only measured circumference. (Greenway et al, "Regional fat loss from the
thigh in women using topical 2% Aminophylline cream," Journal of Obesity, 1993).
After the public announcement of these results in 1993, the media went
crazy! Despite the fact that aminophylline gels were far from scientifically proven as
lipolytic (fat burning) agents, headlines around the world exclaimed, "New thigh shrinking
compound," Fat Loss Compound that really works!" "The cellulite cure!"
With dollar signs flashing in their eyes, dozens of companies scrambled
to get their version of this new "Dream Cream" onto the shelves. And, not surprisingly,
the naïve public fell for it hook, line and sinker.
It wasn't long before the Federal Trade Commission began investigating
the almost miraculous claims these companies were making. At least one company was found
guilty and one withdrew its product from the market. Others continued selling it, but
changed their advertising claims.
Now fast forward to 2001: Bodybuilding and fitness magazines are flooded
with page after page of advertisements for a whole slew of new fat melting gel products.
This time, they are not just targeted to women with cellulite, but to bodybuilders and
athletes who want the "ripped" look.
Is this second-generation of lipolytic agents the real deal, or is this
1993 all over again? I believe it is the latter.
My theory is that Aminophylline is a diuretic and is probably effective
at removing water from below the skin or maybe even from the fat cell itself, thus providing
a short-term reduction in limb, waist or hip circumference and temporarily producing
tighter-looking skin. You might lose inches and improve the texture of your skin, but
you won't lose body fat (and the inches and dimpled, orange-peel appearance of cellulite
WILL come back!)
Could the gels be useful to a bodybuilder or fitness competitor right
before a show? Quite possibly, yes. The water loss might make you look more ripped for a
few days while you're using it. But there's no concrete evidence that it removes body fat
permanently. The real test is what you look like after you stop taking it.
You're intelligent - think this through logically: There are nearly
100 million overweight people in the United States alone. If such a product really did melt
away fat, then how do you account for the fact that so many people are overweight, and why
is the obesity problem worse than ever? Wouldn't the stuff be selling off the shelves?
Wouldn't everyone know about it? Wouldn't it be all the rage?
Let's play devil's advocate for a moment and pretend that a transdermal
gel is developed that really does have lipolytic, and not just diuretic properties. The
problem is, ANY treatment for body fat that doesn't address the cause (poor diet and
inactivity), and only addresses the effect (body fat), will never be more than a temporary
quick fix. Unless your lifestyle changes, you're always going to gain it back. So no matter
what new "twist" is added to topical fat loss formulas, they will NEVER be a long term
solution to the problem.
Also, don't be impressed just because some of these products have
patents on them. Having a patent means the formula is protected as someone's original idea.
It doesn't mean it works.
Don't be impressed because the ads say, "clinically proven" either.
Look hard enough and you can find a clinical study to back up any theory you want. One
study means very little. A single study can be: a) biased, b) poorly designed, c) poorly
controlled, or d) unrepeatable. Or in the case of the 1993 study, it doesn't even measure
what it was supposed to measure (fat loss).
This stuff is expensive too - the retail price is $89.95 and even if
you buy it direct from a wholesaler it's still about $50 bucks a bottle.
What really gets under my skin (pardon the pun) is the ads for these
products. It amazes me that they can get away with making claims like these! Just listen
to this tripe:
"Because Cutting Gunk helps release stored fat into the bloodstream
to be used as energy, you have to help burn that released fat by exercising or reducing
caloric intake so that free fat isn't re-deposited."
You mean you have to EXERCISE and REDUCE CALORIES for the gunk to work?
Really? No kidding? You don't say?
It gets better:
"Apply Cutting Gunk to your quads, your quads get ripped. Apply
Cutting Gunk to your glutes, biceps, triceps, or lats, and the fat literally melts away,
leaving pure, ripped muscle behind!"
But wait, it gets EVEN BETTER….
"You can't rub Cutting Gunk all over your body at the same time.
There is simply no way for your body to deal with that much newly released fat."
Marketing can be really powerful when it plays on your emotions, but
if it sounds too good to be true… it ALWAYS is.
Listen to what I'm about to say very carefully because I'm about to
reveal to you the truth about supplements and the entire weight loss industry in general.
Are you ready for this? If not, delete this e-mail quick because you might not like it. Ok, here goes:
We live in a world of cause and effect. There are certain laws
governing our universe, and one of these laws is the law of applied effort: Just like
anything else worth having in life, losing body fat requires effort. And the more
effort you put in, the more fat you'll lose.
One of today's greatest teachers of life's laws is Mr. Jim Rohn. Mr. Rohn
says:
"Life is full of laws, but this may well be the major law we need to
understand: for every disciplined effort, there are multiple rewards. That's one of life's
great arrangements. In fact, it's an extension of the Biblical law that says that if you
sow well, you will reap well."
Another great teacher of Life's Laws was Emerson. Study Emerson's essay
on Compensation: "Whatever you want in life, it's yours - pay the price and take it." The
catch is, there's a price to pay for everything. This is the law of sowing and reaping.
Nothing good ever comes easy. The desire to get something for nothing
is folly and has ruined more people's lives and eroded more people's character than any
other personality flaw.
Why am I lecturing you about "life's laws" in an article on transdermal
gels? Simple. My hope for you is that you will stop looking for shortcuts to a better body and
start developing your work ethic. Get your butt in the gym and start practicing some
nutritional discipline. Work at it. Earn it. Deserve it!
There are only two ways to lose fat permanently:
1) Nutrition (eat the right foods and eat fewer calories), and
2) Exercise (burn more calories than you consume)
It's that simple. It really is.
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