Elite Physique

QUESTION: Dan, I’ve recently picked up a bottle of ThermaBurn from a local supplement shop. He had it hidden behind the counter and said it was the strongest fat burner he sold. What do you think of it?

ANSWER: If it’s hidden behind the counter it has to good, right? Well, listen here! The Canadian supplement marketplace is flooded with illegal fat burners such as Methyldrene and ThermaLean. In the industry this class of supplements are called "underground supplements" and yes they are considered a no-no by Health Canada. Why are they illegal? Well in Canada ephedrine can only be sold as a nasal decongestant. It cannot be sold as a fat burner. I know what you’re thinking. “But I can get ephedrine over the counter at pretty much any supplement shop.” Yes, this is true but the retailer is not supposed to claim that it can be used to aid in fat loss (although most people who purchase ephedrine will use it for this purpose). Also, Health Canada sets limits for ephedrine for a maximum of 8mg per pill and 50 pills per bottle. If you look at the label of your fat burner I’m certain there is more than 8mg. Furthermore, Health Canada knows that people use ephedrine for fat loss so it can’t be sold in combination with caffeine. Look at your label again and I’m positive you’ll see caffeine. A closer look at the label will sometimes reveal Yohimbe. In Canada, Yohimbe is a prescription drug despite the fact that it is in pretty much every American fat burner - legally. Now that I’ve touched on why these under-the-counter fat burners are under the counter I want to discuss the actually potency issue. Since these products are being made in the shadows (maybe after hours in a reputable manufacturing facility…hmmm) you really have to be suspect of what is actually in each capsule. A typical formula contains several ingredients (did I hear someone say “pixie dusting”?) but are they all really in there? What you see on the label may not be what you get in the capsule. Hell, at one point a very popular Hoodia product actually contained zero Hoodia – can you believe that? And this product sat on the shelves of many Canadian supplement shops. Can you really be positive that under-the-counter products actually contain everything listed on the label? Probably not. However, if you take the product and you get great results then you actually may have a good product. This will be the only way of truly knowing (unless you want to get it tested). Remember that the product has to work not feel like it works. Look in the mirror and on your scale for true feedback. But why spend all that money for a product when there are more reliable alternatives. I’ve seen under-the-counter burners retail anywhere from $60 and up. You could easily save your cash and just pick up the simple ECA stack. Purchasing ephedrine, caffeine and aspirin separately will only set you back about $20 and I’m willing to bet my last serving of Geranium 20 that you would be better off spending the difference on chicken breasts. Speaking of Geranium 20, you can add that to the stack and you’ll amplify the fat burning effects!

THE ECA STACK

The ECA stack that is commonly used now is 8-24mg ephedrine, 200mg caffeine and 81mg baby aspirin (just bite a piece off a regular 325mg aspirin and save more cash!) taken 2-3 times daily. Some will even suggest omitting the aspirin in effect making a EC stack. It is interesting to note that the ECA stack has been around since the 1990’s (if my memory serves me correctly) and some gurus originally dosed with 50mg of ephedrine not 24mg per serving! Which one do I recommend? Well I don’t. I only recommend ephedrine as a nasal decongestant...thank you very much Health Canada!