Fat loss and
weight loss but
at what cost?
With annual
sales of weight
loss supplements
averaging
between 15 and
20 billion
dollars, it
doesn?t take a
rocket scientist
to figure out
that losing
weight is not
just on the
minds of
bodybuilders.
Dropping a few
pounds is
probably the
number one, New
Year?s
resolution, and
it seems just
about everyone
has fat loss on
their minds at
some point in
their lives.
For the
average person
on the street,
losing weight
usually refers
to what that
infernal weight
scales is
telling them.
But for
bodybuilders ?
especially those
involved in
competitive
bodybuilding ?
losing weight is
more specific
and refers to
eliminating body
fat. All things
being equal the
bodybuilder with
the lowest body
fat percentage
is usually the
one who wins
contests these
days. The terms
?ripped?,
?sliced?, ?cut?,
and ?shredded?
are frequently
used to describe
bodybuilders who
have that
magical
combination of
size and
fat-free
muscularity.
Although diet
and exercise
play a major
role in weight
loss,
bodybuilders
have other
little tricks to
drop their body
fat percentages
down to 2 or 3
percent. For
most the trick
is to use a fat
burner, and at
the center of
their magician's
bag is
ephedrine.
Ephedra,
Ephedrine, Ma
Huang ? the fat
loss name game
All three of
these terms are
commonly used to
refer to the
active compound
derived from the
Ephedra plant.
Ephedra is a
shrub-like plant
that is
primarily found
in desert
regions of
central Asia and
other parts of
the world. The
primary
ingredient in
Ephedra is a
stimulant called
ephedrine - an
FDA-regulated
drug that is a
primary
ingredient in
numerous
over-the-counter
asthma and cold
medications, and
at one time the
largest
constituent in
most
bodybuilding fat
loss products.
Pharmacologically
ephedra is known
as a beta
agonist.
This means that
it stimulates
the
beta-receptors
located in the
sympathetic
nervous system
(the
flight-fight
system).
Bodybuilders
useit for two
primary reasons:
fat burning
through a
process known as
thermogenesis,
and as a
stimulant.
Thermogenesis
is the process
of fat loss
whereby the
body's
temperature is
elevated
slightly. Al
it takes is a
slight elevation
in body
temperature and
fat deposits
become more
susceptible to
burning as a
fuel source
during periods
of aerobic
activity.
On the
stimulant scale,
ephedrine ranks
somewhere
between caffeine
and amphetamine.
But unlike most
over-the-counter
supplements that
claim to boost
energy, but
usually fail, it
is highly
effective. In
fact, it?s so
efficient at
boosting
performance,
that most
sports?
organizations
have banned its
use. Even its
milder cousin,
pseudoephedrine,
commonly found
in flu
medications is
also banned.
The ECA Stack
Bodybuilders
and other
athletes have
discovered that
when combined
with caffeine
and aspirin,
ephedrine is
probably the
most effective
over-the-counter
fat loss drug
available.
Although not
fully
understood, it
is believed that
by combining all
three drugs
together, a
synergistic
effect is
created. For
those not
familiar with
the term,
synergism occurs
when two or more
compounds are
combined
together and
boost or magnify
one another?s
effects. This is
much the same
thing that
happens with the
popular
bodybuilding
drugs, steroids,
growth hormone,
and insulin.
Separately they
produce amazing
effects, but
when all three
are stacked
together, the
end result is a
280-pound super
bodybuilder with
2 percent
bodyfat. Over
the years
bodybuilders
have discovered
that the
following
dosages seem to
work best for
weight loss:
Ephedra: 25mg
Caffeine: 200mg
Aspirin: 1
tablet
Ephedra, how
dangerous?
Over the past
few years there
has been a media
and political
assault on
ephedra-based
products for fat
loss. Most
this hysteria is
based on a few
individual cases
where people who
used the
supplement died.
However, in
virtually all
the cases, the
person either
had heart
problems or was
taking
megadosages of
the drug. Thanks
to a combination
of media
overkill and
politics,
manufacturers
had to modify
their ephedrine
weight loss
products so that
they don't
contain more
than 8mg per
tablet. This
hasn't really
created much of
an inconvenience
in bodybuilding
circles as they
simply take
three tablets to
get virtually
the same dosage
as the old 25mg
tablets. There
is currently a
movement under
way to have
ephedra banned
completely in
the United
States and as of
April, 2006,
eight out of ten
Canadian
provinces have
removed ephedra
products from
direct over the
counter sale.
While you still
don't need a
prescription,
you will have to
ask the
pharmacist for
them.