SS 162 – Are There Any Good Supplements for Fat Loss?

 

Grant and Heavey discuss their top 5 supplements for fat loss and why they’re effective. But are they really effective in the first place? Listen in to find out. They also cap the show off with a review on Johnnie Walker Green Label.

 

[00:45] About Health IQ

 

This show is brought to you by Health IQ. They help you get the best rates available on life insurance, particularly by putting together plans intended for athletes.

 

If you lift, you end up having more mass than other people in general. This can push you on a BMI basis into the obesity range or the unhealthy weight range. Health IQ is able to filter this out in their survey.

 

[02:42] How Long Should Sex Last?

 

Grant mentions an article about a study done about how long sex should last. This is a survey conducted by SaucyDates of 3,836 men and women. They were asked how long they wanted to have sex for. Men and women, on average, answered almost the same  – women averaged out at 25 minutes and 51 seconds, while men averaged out to 25 minutes and 43 seconds. Grant thinks this is a very long time.

 

Another research published on PubMed was done as a multinational population survey that took a look at 500 couples from five different countries, The Netherlands, Spain, Turkey, UK, and the U.S. They’re over 18 years old and have been in a relationship for at least 6 months. They looked at sex over a four-week period and every session was measured by doctors. They found that the average was 5.4 minutes for the longest lasting countries (including the U.S.) while the shortest lasting countries averaged at 3.7 minutes (Turkey). Grant admits his desire for sex overcomes his self-consciousness because he feels fat.

 

[10:00] Diet Supplements: How Safe Are These?

 

Disclaimer: Grant and Heavey are not doctors so none of this is meant to be taken as advice. If you’re listening to this and if you’re going to take a product, consult with your doctor.

 

Grant is curious whether there is a way to expedite fat loss through diet pills.

 

One product is Fen-Phen (Fenfluramine/Phentermine), where Fenfluramine has been shown to cause potentially fatal pulmonary hypertension and heart problems. This product has been pulled from the market in the late 90s to the early 2000s. Since then, there have been many large class action suits against the maker of this drug. Phentermine was then later repackaged with another compound and is in a diet prescription product available today. Nevertheless, Fen-Phen is a no-no.

 

Another widely popular product was ephedrine. It has been implicated in causing heart attack, strokes, etc. It worked to increase the amount of fat available for fuel in your body. Research even showed an increase in human metabolic rate by 5%. Although it is effective in increasing metabolic rate, it’s also effective at causing heart attacks and killing people. Therefore, this product was also taken off the market. Other similar compounds might still be available in the U.S. but be very careful and do not consider using any without your doctor’s supervision.

 

Ephedrine was also coupled with a supplement stack, which is a combination of products. They usually combine ephedrine with caffeine and aspirin. However, caffeine can also increase your blood pressure. Thus, combining these two things are not so good. The idea of the aspirin was to combat the effect of ephedrine that could lead to blood clots. But the aspirin also enhances the effect of ephedrine on the body.

 

Both products are off the market for a while now.

 

[15:55] Ask for Forgiveness versus Ask for Permission

 

Heavey explains that most diet supplements available today don’t work. You don’t have to have any research to back up a dietary supplement and advertise it for a specific cause like you do for a prescription medication, where you can’t advertise it for a specific disease unless you back it up. For dietary supplements, this is not a requirement.

 

Therefore, Heavey sees the dietary supplementation industry as like the Wild, Wild West so there should be more regulation on it.

 

The whole idea is that it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission. The problem is when we’re asking for forgiveness, Heavey adds that it might be for killing people.

 

However, Heavey clarifies that there are some supplements that can help you with fat loss. So he did his research and compiled his top 5 supplements for fat loss.

 

[18:28] Fat Loss Supplement #1: Protein

 

Protein is more filling than carbs or fat. The digestion of protein burns more calories than that of carbs or fat. It’s not converted as efficiently into fat storage in the body as other nutrients. Having a protein-dominant diet is effective for fat loss but it can’t be the only nutrient that you’re consuming. Heavey stresses that you still need to have a balanced meal or a balanced set of intake.

 

Another great thing to pair protein with is fiber. Have some nice veggies to go with your protein and you’ve got yourself a powerful combination.

 

[20:52] Fat Loss Supplement #2: 5-HTP

 

5-HTP is an intermediate to serotonin, which helps regulate the mood, appetite, and sleep. This product helps improve serotonin signaling and reduces carbohydrate cravings. For most people, this translates to lower overall intake.

 

It’s been shown to be effective for obese and diabetic individuals but there is a lack of evidence for regular healthy population as to its role in fat loss.

 

To know if this product is effective, try to observe whether your cravings have reduced or whether your sleep has improved. Sleep has a big impact on body composition so this can really help you.

 

[22:47] Fat Loss Supplement #3: Caffeine

 

Caffeine triggers the release of adrenaline and dopamine, which helps with mood, energy, and fat loss. The problem, however, is that people have developed a tolerance to it and the response diminishes over time.

 

What really makes caffeine enhancing fat loss is primarily its thermogenic effect. which means it increases heat production in the body. Also to a lesser degree, it has a lipolipid effect that liberates fat from storage.

 

[23:40] Fat Loss Supplement #4: EGCG

 

This is a phytochemical which means it’s a plant chemical that contains antioxidant properties. It’s found in tea that’s lightly fermented or not fermented at all (ex. white tea and green tea).

 

EGCG inhibits an enzyme called CaMTi which helps degrades these hormones like dopamine, adrenaline, etc. As a result, it draws out the amount of time that these compounds will break down fat in the body.

 

Tea contains both EGCG and caffeine, which means it has a powerful effect when it comes to fat loss. A study showed that there’s an increase of between 1.4 and 5.5 extra pounds of fat loss over a 12-week period when compared to a placebo.

 

[26:18] Fat Loss Supplement #5: Yohimbine

 

Yohimbine is found in the bark of yohimbe tree found in Africa. It works to increase adrenaline and it inhibits this process in the body that normally suppresses fat usage. Unlike the others mentioned above, this seems to work in young, athletic individuals.

 

This product targets these receptors found in greater concentrations around your abs. Potentially, it has a possible enhanced effect on fat reduction in love handle areas.

 

Grant points out, however, that rule number one of fat loss is you can’t pick and choose which spots. This said, the research is very preliminary and Heavey is not recommending any of these things to anybody. But the little bit of research that supports things is an interesting thing to look at down the road.

 

Additionally, Yohimbine has been shown to elevate heart rate and anxiety. In fact, in research where they’re studying people that are especially anxious, they give them Yohimbine to make them anxious.

 

[28:55] The Verdict

 

The point is all these things have low effect on fat loss but you won’t have to worry about potential downsides. By and large, Heavey believes it’s all about having a solid exercise program and burning more than you eat in a day.

 

[30:13]  A Walk Through Johnnie Walker Green Label

 

Grant and Heavey take a look and sip on Johnnie Walker Green Label. They have previously featured four different bottles of Johnnie Walker, and this one being the fifth. They’ve done Black, Double Black, Blue, and Red.

 

First, Heavey shares this story of him going to this Johnnie Walker event in LA back in 2008, where they got to do vertical tasting. Basically, you get two drink tickets and they’d mix you something with Red Label, or they’d give you a finger-pour of Black Label. Then you’d have to go into this marketing presentation and they’d bring out little bits of each. Having tasted all the Johnnie Walker products, Green Label was Heavey’s favorite. (He had Red, Black, Gold, Green, and Blue.)

 

Second story, Heavey had totally forgotten about that story. And so now that he’s with Grant, they went over to Grant’s sister’s house for a holiday party. Grant noticed one of the guests gifted a Green Label. Heavey then recounted to Grant about how he liked Green Label. Grant apparently opened the Green Label and the three of them drank three quarters of the bottle. This was at the end of the night, after they had already taken plenty of shots and beers.

 

What Heavey likes about the Green Label is its most distinctive flavor profile of any of the Johnnie Walker’s. Grant, however, clarifies that in 2012, the Green Label was discontinued. It didn’t come back until 2016. It was so hard to find that the only place it was still sold was in Taiwan. What’s cool too is Costco now carries the bottle for $38!

 

On the other hand, Grant has always been a fan of the Black Label. He had never had Green Label until that night of the Christmas party. Now that they’re having another bottle, he realized he really does like it.

 

Particularly, what he likes about the Green bottle is its richer, fuller taste. It also has an age statement of 15 years while Black Label is 12 years. Blue doesn’t have an age statement. Ultimately, Grant recommends the Green bottle for its less smoky, full-bodied taste.

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Article: How Long Should Sex Last?