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What is the best fat burner?

If you do a quick search online, you’ll find lots of resources claiming to answer this very question.

You’ll find top 5s, top 10s, fat burner reviews, and all sorts of helpful content recommending the best fat burners for women, the best for men, the best thermogenic fat burner, and so on.

But there’s one thing many of these guides are short on:

Information on choosing the best fat burner for you.

Because the best depends on a few things. It depends on your goals, your budget, and the changes you’re willing to make.

In this guide, we’re going to break down the best criteria for choosing the right fat burner for your needs.

Here’s what you’ll find inside:

  • The best overall fat burner based on these criteria
  • The best fat burner for women
  • Whether CBD can work for weight loss
  • The criteria we use to choose the best fat burners
  • How to assess fat burner health claims
  • Potential fat burner side effects

Let’s dive in…

Three Best Fat Burners

  1. Leanbean – Best Overall 
  2. Powher Fat Burner – Best Fat Burner for Women
  3. littledrops – Natural CBD Supplement to Control Hunger
  4. ShredFierce – Best Fat Burner For Men
  5. Burn XT – Amazon choice

Three Best Fat Burners: Reviews

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1. Leanbean– Best Overall Fat Burner

What is Leanbean?

Leanbean is a fat burner built around a hefty daily dose of glucomannan: A clinically-proven 3g daily dose to be exact.

With glucomannan at its core, Leanbean utilizes a proven appetite suppressant.

As a result, it can credibly claim to curb your cravings and help you eat less at mealtimes, meaning that your body will store less fat in the long run.

Leanbean also contains a further 10 natural ingredients…

The objective of which is to support fat metabolism, target common vitamin deficiencies and to provide a thermogenic boost. That’s several concurrent methods of action to help you enhance your weight loss results.

And whilst the price point for this fat burner is a bit on the premium side there are multibuy discounts available when you buy from the official website.

The Leanbean fat burner has also gained fans around the world and is the favourite of professional athletes like surfer Bree Kleintop.

Check out reviews on their site and on any of hundreds of other sites, and you’ll see the same theme pop up again and again: Leanbean is a fat burner that works.

Note: This supplement isn’t available on Amazon – a decision likely made to protect against fakes.

Key Ingredients

Glucomannan 

This natural dietary fiber is a clinically-proven appetite suppressant. When ingested it expands in your stomach and helps you feel the need to eat less. More importantly it has been approved by the EFSA for weight loss in the context of an energy-restricted diet.

Garcinia Cambogia

Another natural extract, this time from the rind of a small pumpkin-like fruit. One of the components – hydroxycitric acid – has strong links to weight loss, especially with regard to appetite suppression.

Choline

A metabolic booster that ramps up your body’s fat metabolism, helping it to transport, store, and break down fat.

Leanbean Pros:

  • Premium fat burning formula.
  • Includes ingredients/doses with regulatory backing for health claims.
  • Curbs cravings & boosts metabolism.
  • Positive reviews across the board.
  • Bulk discounts are available.

Buy Leanbean from their Official Website

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2. Powher Fat Burner – Best Fat Burner for Women

What is the Powher Fat Burner for Women?

The fat burner marketplace is dominated by male-targeted products…

Head to the websites for most fat burners and you’ll see a recurring theme of macho branding and stimulant filled supplements.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with that, but let’s be honest – as a woman looking to lose weight, you’re probably wanting something less masculine.

If that’s the case, Powher is built with you in mind.

This fat burner is tailored to the female physiology, delivering a refined blend of glucomannan, vitamins, and caffeine to help you reach your weight loss goals.

This pill also helps you supplement your iron intake. The reason being that Iron deficiency occurs in women more than men and can lead to lethargy and a lack of energy.

The Powher Fat Burner for Women also stacks well with two other supplements in the Powher range: A pre-workout and sleep supplement work in tandem with this product to help you optimize your body goals.

As a woman looking to lose weight, what more can you ask for?

Key Ingredients

Glucomannan

Powher includes the same daily dose as Leanbean – 3x1g servings per day. The same amount noted by health safety authorities as clinically-proven for weight loss.

Natural caffeine

Caffeine is incredibly powerful. It’s linked to boosted endurance, motivation, focus, and energy levels: Four key things you need when you’re bringing the thunder at the gym.

When you can work out harder and for longer, you’re more likely to achieve a calorie deficit, meaning you’ll burn more than you take in, and lose weight as a result.

Iron

Women are more prone to be deficient in iron than men, we’re sad to say. Powher looks to prevent this energy-sapping deficiency by pumping up your iron levels through daily supplementation.

Powher Pros:

  • Uses super-fiber glucomannan and in sufficient doses too.
  • Includes safe amounts of caffeine to boost fat burning.
  • Tailored specifically for female physiology.
  • Stack with other Powher supplements to help you meet your lifestyle objectives.
  • Healthy discounts available when you buy multiple packs.

Buy the Powher Fat Burner here

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3. littledrops – Natural CBD Supplement to Curb Cravings 

What are littledrops?

If you’re expecting another capsule-based supplement packed with natural ingredients, vitamins, and minerals, take a deep breath now.

Because the third product in this guide is nothing of the sort.

It’s a CBD gummy. Yep, gummy as in the sweet. And CBD as in the popular cannabis extract linked with all sorts of positive effects around sleep, stress, and anxiety.

And, linked by an increasing amount of research to appetite suppression.

Let’s face it: A lot of weight loss supplements, fat burners especially, have a certain aesthetic. They encourage an active lifestyle, there’s loads of imagery of people being super-active on their website…

That’s great, but not everyone is looking for exercise motivation.

Some people are looking for alternative remedies to help them relax and enjoy a more restful night’s sleep.

And guess what?

Both of those things are linked to reductions in over-eating. And reductions in over-eating mean fewer calories consumed, and less likelihood of gaining weight.

So, while a CBD gummy is probably the last thing you expected to see in this list, products like littledrops are becoming more popular with those looking to burn fat and lose weight.

Key Ingredients

20mg broad-spectrum CBD extract

Each littledrops gummy contains 20mg broad-spectrum CBD, from US-grown hemp harvests This is a generous dose but not too high to overwhelm new users. If you want more than 20mg per dose then you can up the dose to a maximum of 2 gummies daily.

Pros:

  • A nice alternative to all the fat burner supplements on the market.
  • Flexible dosing means that you get to control how much you take.
  • An increasing body of research links CBD with reductions in appetite.
  • May help to reduce stress and anxiety, and to give you a better sleep. All of which may help reduce overeating.

Buy littledrops from their Official Website

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4.   ShredFIERCE – Best Fat Burner for Men

What is ShredFIERCE?

As you can tell from the name, ShredFIERCE doesn’t pull any punches. It’s a high-powered fat burner designed to help you bulk up and get shredded. Its scientifically-backed formula is designed to provide 3-in-1 fat-burning by boosting your metabolism, reducing hunger pangs, and increasing your energy levels.

ShredFIERCE boasts a formula designed in line with scientific recommendations, deploying proven fat-burner ingredients, it sets itself apart by dosing in line with the latest scientific studies.

ShredFIERCE is confident in its formula and doesn’t hide its ingredients behind a proprietary formula. Its 11 ingredients are free of gluten and dairy, so it’s perfect for users on restricted diets.

Taking ShredFIERCE is simple and convenient. Simply take 5 single capsules throughout the day with water, before eating. You should take your last capsule over 5 hours before going to bed. Each bottle comes with 150 capsules, lasting you 30 days.

ShredFIERCE also comes with a 100% money-back guarantee, so you can try the product for 90 days. If it’s not working for you, you can get your money back. As each person’s body is different, this is a great way to try a new fat-burner without wasting money.

Key Ingredients

Glucomannan

This natural dietary fiber is considered a bit of a wonder ingredient when it comes to weight loss. ShredFierce contains a chunky 2g dose in order to support you in your battle against irritating sugar cravings.

Chromium

Chromium is a mineral popular in fat-burner supplements. In small doses, chromium is essential for human health, and helps to manage blood sugar and reduce cholesterol.

Caffeine Anhydrous

As with other fat-burners on this list, ShredFIERCE includes caffeine to boost the metabolism, increase energy levels, and allow you to work out for longer.

5-HTP

5-HTP forms the building blocks for the hormone serotonin, which promotes feelings of well-being in the brain. A positive mental state can suppress comfort eating, and an elevated mood can also help you achieve more in a day—which is great for those with a high-energy workout routine.

Vitamins B6 and B12

ShredFIERCE contains a dose of Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12, designed to promote general well-being and the building of muscle to replace burned fat.

Pros

  • Great choice for men
  • Ramps up fat burning
  • 100% money-back guarantee
  • Made in the US

Buy ShredFIERCE here

law logo2x b5.  Burn-XT – Amazon Choice

What is Burn-XT?

Burn-XT is a high-powered fat burner structured around a minimal list of five ingredients: Acetyl L-Carnitine, Green tea extract, caffeine anhydrous, Capsimax cayenne pepper extract, and BioPerine.

Suitable for both men and women, Burn-XT offers thermogenic fat-burning technology in convenient capsules. The ingredients are balanced to suppress appetite and boost metabolism without causing jitters. By keeping a lid on food cravings, Burn-XT helps you control your calorie intake as it gets to work burning fat, leading to more impressive weight loss results when paired with a suitable diet and exercise regimen.

As its name and branding suggest, this fat burner is a heavy-duty mixture of metabolism-stimulating ingredients that will boost your perceived energy levels, heart rate, and thermogenic processes. Together, these allow you to work out harder for longer and promote fat-burning processes in the body.

Burn-XT is designed for one or two doses per day of 2 capsules each dose, either before or with meals. You should avoid taking Burn-XT within 4 hours of your bedtime. The directions further recommend a tolerance-assessment period beginning with 1 capsule per day for 3 days and gradually increasing the dosage. You should drink plenty of water when taking Burn-XT regularly to experience its full benefits.

Burn-XT is vegetarian-friendly, so it’s perfect for those who are meat-free for dietary, moral, or eco reasons.

Key Ingredients

Acetyl L-Carnitine

Acetyl L-Carnitine is a naturally-occurring amino acid found in the body, which may increase metabolic rate and improve muscle function.

Caffeine Anhydrous

Caffeine anhydrous is a natural stimulant that improves cognitive function and perceived energy levels.

Capsimax Cayenne Pepper Extract

This cayenne pepper extract offers strong thermogenic properties, stimulating the metabolism to burn stored fats.

BioPerine

BioPerine is a patented extract of black pepper fruits containing piperine, an ingredient that contributes to the hotness of pepper. BioPerine enhances bioavailability and has been in use for over 20 years as a supplement.

Pros

  • Proven ingredients included
  • Keto and vegetarian friendly
  • No filler ingredients

Buy Burn-XT Thermogenic Fat Burner here

Buying A Fat Burner Supplement: Five Key Things to Consider

How to choose

Health Claims

By definition, fat burners claim to help you burn fat and as a result lose weight.

The point of taking such supplements is that you’ll see greater reductions in bodyweight overtime than if you weren’t taking anything at all. The problem is that the market is awash with ineffective diet pills all promising great results.

So how do you protect yourself from making a bad purchase?

Here’s a useful checklist:

  • Watch out for fat burners that are vague about dosages
  • Avoid supplements that claim to work like prescription drugs
  • Be aware that very few natural ingredients come with valid claims
  • Ingredients like Glucomannan do work but not many products contain the right dose

If you’re looking to assess the efficacy of a certain ingredient, then regulatory bodies like the EFSA are responsible for legally ratifying claims…

A 3g daily dose of glucomannan has been approved for weight loss but only when used in three separate 1 gram servings.

82.5mg dose of choline has been shown to support normal fat metabolism.

What Are The Best Fat Burner Ingredients?

Hundreds of ingredients have links to fat loss. These claims sit on a spectrum of clinically proven to wildly speculative. When choosing a fat burner, you want to be sure that its ingredients fit firmly into the first category.

AND this ties into what we said before. Some of the more unscrupulous manufacturers just want to sell as much product as possible, so they’ll prioritise cheaper ingredients over effective ones.

And even if they do include the best fat burning ingredients, it’s very unlikely they’ll include them in large enough doses to work.

Here are a few of the better supported fat burner ingredients:

  • Glucomannan (3g per day)
  • Choline (82.5mg per day)
  • Vitamin B
  • L-Carnitine
  • Iron

Doses

Understanding whether a fat burner ingredient has any credible science behind it is the first step. The next step is understanding whether the dose in question is enough to cause the desired effect.

Take glucomannan, for example. This dietary fibre is extracted from the root of the konjac plant. It expands when it absorbs water and is a popular appetite suppressant as a result. You’ll find glucomannan in the formulas of many fat burners.

But to be effective, you need a daily dose of 3g glucomannan. And this 3g needs to be split out into three 1g doses. This is set out in the official published opinion of the European Health Safety Authority – experts in the field of nutrition and food safety.

The reverse is true for other ingredients: Sometimes there’s too much included in a daily dose, and the amount can trigger negative side effects.

90mg of caffeine is the amount generally required to have a physiological effect, but many manufacturers go overboard and include up to three times that amount.

And here’s why…

The logic is that by including large amounts of stimulants you will sweat more during exercise and burn more fat as a result. Sounds great right?

In reality there is no evidence that higher levels of caffeine will help you lose more weight, and moreover this stimulant can be dangerous if used in too large amounts.

Price

Some fat burners carry a higher price tag than others. Some of these are worth the extra money, and some, not so much. As the buyer, it’s up to you to weigh up the cost versus the credibility of the claims to see whether you’re happy paying the asking price.

As we’ve mentioned previously a larger dose of certain ingredients is critical to a product’s results, so you might find the better products are not cheap.

One thing to be aware of is that many supplement manufacturers offer multibuy discounts which present a real opportunity to save a lot of money. It’s not unusual to get a month free when you buy three month’s worth, for example.

Also, Amazon lets you subscribe to some supplements, meaning you get a discount if you agree to have it delivered automatically each month. For a supplement you’re planning to take for a long time, this can add up to some good savings.

Reviews

Supplement manufacturers have pretty free reign with what they can say on their websites. Because the FDA does not monitor supplements, there are less strict requirements on the claims that can be made.

With this in mind, be aware that you’re only reading one side of the story. To get the other side, you need to look to third party reviews. Places like Facebook, Amazon, Google, etc.

Try to find what real people are saying about the fat burner you’re thinking of trying. Do frequent themes pop up, either positive or negative? Are people broadly happy with the results, or does consensus seem to be that the product isn’t worthwhile?

Gauging popular opinion on products you’re thinking of trying is a great way to give yourself the best chance of getting something good.

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How Do Fat Burners Work?

Fat burners rely on being integrated into a healthy lifestyle to have a chance of working.

They’re designed to supplement results you’d see from a healthy diet not to burn fat regardless of what you’re eating.

If you’re willing to make lifestyle changes conducive to weight loss, fat burners have a good chance of working for you. These can be big or small changes.

It’s important to know however that “Fat burner” is a broad umbrella term . It covers a number of supplements designed to help you lose weight and includes metabolism boosters, appetite suppressants, and thermogenics.

Some products combine two or more of these mechanisms to achieve their claims, too.

Knowing what each term means is a key step in choosing a fat burner. As is identifying a product that uses only the mechanisms you’re comfortable with.

So here’s a quick rundown of the main ones…

Metabolism boosters:

  • Stimulate your body’s natural metabolic processes
  • Streamline the processes by which fats are processed and stored by the body
  • Aid the breakdown of fats as fuel rather than storage in fatty deposits

Appetite suppressants:

  • Reduce how many calories you take in
  • Reduce the physical amount of food you eat, meaning fewer calories entering your body
  • Or, reduce the number of calories absorbed from the food you eat

Thermogenics:

  • Raise your body temperature
  • Increase the number of calories that are burned at rest.
  • Help your body to burn more calories during the day exercise

Do Fat Burners Have Side Effects?

Some ingredients found in fat burners do have the potential to lead to side effects. However, most fat burners are formulated so that taking them as directed will not trigger these effects.

These are the types of side effects you might see on a fat burner label –

  • Gastrointestinal discomfort
  • Diarrhea
  • Jitters
  • Dehydration
  • Nausea
  • Restlessness
  • Sweating

Used as directed, supplements are unlikely to trigger such effects. There is a risk in combining supplements, though.

Taking glucomannan as an example: If you have 3g per day from one supplement, that’s great. That’s clinically proven to be effective.

If you have 3g per day from one supplement and another 3g from another supplement, though, that’s 6g total per day. Way above what’s necessary, and closer to what’s linked with gastrointestinal upset.

Be careful if you decide to mix supplements. Generally, we’d recommend just taking one, unless you take ones that are specifically designed to stack with each other.

Also be observant about how much caffeine your fat burner includes. As we said earlier, some supplements include caffeine doses above what you may be comfortable with, and too much of this ingredient can trigger anxiety, jitters, and other undesirable side effects.

If you’re unsure about side effects, chat with your doctor. They’ll be able to offer solid advice.

Closing Recommendations

Fat burners are a huge swathe of the weight loss supplement marketplace, and doing your research puts you in good stead to find the best fat burner for you.

By building an understanding of several key criteria, you can identify the products most likely to work. This guide explained the benefits of knowing what claims a fat burner makes, the ingredients it contains, the doses of each ingredient, the methods of action in use, the price, and the sentiment expressed in user reviews.

With these metrics in mind, Leanbean, Powher and littledrops are three of the most popular fat burners in 2020.

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