Losing weight can be a pain in the butt — literally and figuratively. If you're trying to shed some weight, you know how hard this process can be. 

Unfortunately, stubborn fat is, well, stubborn, and sometimes we need an extra hand. In addition to regular exercise and a healthy diet, taking thermogenic supplements (fat burners) can help get rid of stubborn fat.  

If you are considering using a fat burner, keep reading. We’ll cover what fat burners are, the difference between stimulant-free and stimulant fat burners, the ingredients that you should look for in a fat burner, and how to choose one that works specifically for you.

What Are Fat Burner Supplements?

Fat burners typically work by speeding up your metabolism, suppressing your appetite, and burning body fat more effectively.Fat burners are typically designed with male physiology in mind, but some are primarily intended for women. The difference usually lies in their formulation – fat burners for men are typically more “aggressive” than fat burners for women. 

For instance, many for-men fat burners consist of effective stimulants such as caffeine. On the other hand, womens fat burners formulations often emphasize stimulant-free ingredients. However, you might find small doses of caffeine in fat burners for women. 

Stimulant-Free Fat Burners vs. Stimulant-Based Fat Burning Supplements

That there are two types of fat burners around: “stim-free” fat burners and stimulant fat burners. So, what’s the difference?

To sum it up, stim-free fat burners do not use stimulants. In contrast, stimulant fat burners use, well, stimulants.

The key difference between the two is their potential effectiveness: Stimulant fat burners tend to be more (or are perceived to be more) effective than stim-free fat burners. But that’s not exactly the whole picture.

Stimulant fat burners actively help your body both burn more fat directly and indirectly. An example of such a stimulant is caffeine. Aside from improving your energy levels, caffeine can increase your metabolism and your body’s fat-burning mechanism. Caffeine can boost one’s energy, so you can use it to improve your exercise performance.

The downside of stimulant fat burners is that they can cause side effects that some people cannot handle well. A good example is caffeine: if you have a low tolerance and sensitivity to caffeine, it’s likely you will experience side effects such as palpitations, jittering, and anxiety.

On the other hand, stim-free fat burners use ingredients that mildly increase your body’s fat-burning mechanisms. Stim-free stimulants are suitable for those who cannot or don’t want to take stimulants.

Do Fat Burners Work? 

Heck yes! 

Fat burners are dietary supplements that work to increase your metabolic rate through thermogenesis without the need for dieting. Thermogenesis is a process that burns calories in order to produce heat, raising body temperature. Instead of looking at calories and carbohydrates for energy, this process drives your body to target fat cells instead. 

AKA you lose fat quicker, which, let's be honest, is a win.

In order for this process to work effectively, look for supplements that include thermogenic ingredients. Luckily these ingredients are pretty common — let’s go over some of them. 

Ingredients to Look for in Fat Burners for Women

When looking for a fat burner, always look at its label and see what ingredients are used. Of course, you don’t need every ingredient on the following list for a product to be a top fat burner, but if you find one or more of these ingredients on the label, it means the fat burner could be effective for getting you to your weight loss goals.

Let's go over a few of the most effective fat burner ingredients! 

1. Green Tea Extract

Green tea is trendy in health and fitness circles for various reasons, but for good reason! Not only is it therapeutic, but it can help prevent weight gain and increase fat loss. Some studies show that green tea can boost your metabolism to the point that you can burn calories without working out.

Green tea and coffee both include chlorogenic acid, which is a powerful, antioxidant phytochemical. While chlorogenic acid is a good fat burner in and of itself, green tea also contains another potent antioxidant called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and small amounts of caffeine. 

EGCG is an antioxidant polyphenol found in tea such as green tea. Studies show that EGCG helps burn fat by inhibiting the breakdown of the hormone norepinephrine. Norepinephrine is an important hormone. This supports your mood and concentration levels, but it induces fat breakdown. Once norepinephrine breakdown is inhibited, norepinephrine activity increases, which in turn promotes fat breakdown and curbs food cravings.

If you don’t tolerate caffeine well, look for decaffeinated green tea extract (found Cira Shine stim-free fat burner). 

It's common for green tea to be paired with Garcinia cambogia, 5-HTP, or green coffee bean extract. These ingredients work well together to create a boost of energy for an elevated and powerful workout.

2. Garcinia Cambogia

Garcinia cambogia, also known as Malabar tamarind, is a tropical fruit known for its fat-burning effect. Some studies show that Garcinia cambogia can aid in fat loss and work as a metabolism booster in conjunction with regular exercise and a proper diet. 

Hydroxycitric acid (HCA), a major constituent of Garcinia cambogia, appears to target visceral body fat by blocking an enzyme in cells that synthesizes fatty acids. In simpler terms, HCA reduces the likelihood of your body creating new fat tissue.

However,more research is needed to see how effective Garcinia cambogia is a weight-loss supplement.That being said, Garcinia cambogia does support normal serotonin and cholesterol levels, which is good for your overall health.

3. Cayenne Pepper (Capsicum)

Aside from being a spice, cayenne pepper also has some fat loss benefits.

Cayenne pepper can help you burn fat thanks to its compound called capsaicin, which produces what is called its “warming effect.” Cayenne pepper is shown to help burn calories. It also has positive effects on our blood circulation.

This is often paired with other natural ingredients like black pepper, turmeric, or ginger.

4. Choline

Choline is a compound that can help you burn fat by improving your body’s metabolism of cholesterol and fat. Aside from that, choline is essential for our body as it is a component of acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter) and phospholipids that comprise cell membranes.

5. Acetyl-L-Carnitine

L-carnitine is one of the most famous ingredients when it comes to burning fat. Studies show that L-carnitine burns fat by helping transport fatty acids (from triglycerides) into mitochondria where they are used for energy. 

Triglycerides are lipids found in your bloodstream and stored in fat cells. When you consume food, calories that your body doesn’t need may be used to create triglycerides and stored. A buildup of triglycerides in your blood is not healthy, which is why L-carnitine can be so beneficial.

Aside from burning fat, L-carnitine can also improve one’s physical performance, translating to better workouts at the gym and more fat burning.Since L-carnitine stimulates your body to burn more triglycerides, it can also benefit your heart as too many triglycerides are not suitable for heart health.

6. Coleus Forskohlii Extract

Coleus forskohlii can aid in fat-burning thanks to a compound called forskolin. That stimulates the production of fat-burning enzymes, notably lipase and adenylate cyclase. 

Lipase is necessary for breaking down triglycerides into free fatty acids that are ready to be burned during physical activity.

7. Grains of Paradise Extract

Certain studies have found that grains of paradise extract can aid in weight loss by helping convert white adipose tissue into brown adipose tissue. Brown adipose tissue increases our body’s overall energy expenditure, and that happens, it can lead to improved weight and fat loss.

8. Glucomannan

This ingredient comes from the root of the konjac plant, which works as a gel and thickener. It's been long-used in Chinese medicine to aid with detoxification, and cleansing of the body. Studies show that it not only works as a thickener but as an appetite suppressant. This is because of it’s gel-like properties, and its ability to delay stomach emptying. 

This is oftentimes paired with vitamin B6, which helps the body use fat as fuel, better absorb amino acids, and process carbs faster. 

9. Chromium Picolinate 

Last but certainly not least, chromium picolinate is a common ingredient used in fat burners. This supplement ranges in its benefits from balancing blood sugar levels to appetite suppression. 

The effect of appetite suppression can help promote fat loss and speed up weight loss.

How to Choose the Best Thermogenic Fat Burner to Burn Belly Fat

There are many fat burners on the market, but as you may already know, not all fat burners are made equal. Some are good, and some are just downright bad. 

So, how can you tell if a fat burner is trustworthy?Here are some tips and guidelines to follow when choosing your fat burner:

Check the Ingredients

We shared a variety of ingredients that you can look for in weight loss pills. If a few of the ingredients are included in a supplement, it is a good indicator that the fat burner could be effective.

Check Ingredient Quality

The key to finding a high-quality fat burner is identifying high-quality ingredients. High-quality ingredients mean that their effects are more effective compared to regular ones.

Some supplement brands will lead third-party testing to ensure that the supplements are clean and do not contain toxins. Some of these tests include NSF International, US Pharmacopeia (USP), International Fish Oil Standards (IFOS), and International Krill Oil Standards (IKOS), or Consumer Lab, all of which test supplement quality. Some will be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) but it’s rare due to their strict ingredient guidelines. 

Check the Dosage

Dosages will tell if the ingredient is overdosed, under-dosed, or optimally dosed. While too low of dosage is not effective, too high of a dosage can do harm. 

The ideal dosage depends on the ingredient – the optimal or perfect dosage varies from ingredient to ingredient.

Buy Only From Reputable Companies

If a company has great customer reviews and is open about its ingredients, practices, and such, it's often a good sign. If a company is vague or shady, avoid their products. 

Kick Your Weight Loss Into Motion With Fat Burning Pills

So we've talked about what you need to know before adding a weight loss supplement to your diet — now it’s time to decide if it's right for you! 

An effective fat burner can help boost metabolism, curb cravings, burn body fat, and help you reach your #goals. Whether you are looking for a fat burner or a stim-free fat burner, we got you. 

Shine is our stim-free fat burner. This means you can drop it, squat it, and late-night lift without the caffeine. It supports effective fat burning, energy levels, and a healthy metabolism.

Flare is our specially crafted fat burner. You can tone it, own it, and feel good in your body with our fat burner. Not only does it raise your fat metabolism, but it also provides you with an energy boost and helps you ditch extra water weight.