Product: Thermolean Power Up
Best Price: £9.99 for 90 capsules if you’re happy shopping off eBAY or £24.99 for 90 capsules if you’re not (Boots)
What does the PR say: “Need to get to a competitive weight or just need some help burning fat then Thermolean ‘s unique formula is the perfect daily supplement for you.”
Reviewed by: Stephen Morrison.
Belly Fat: The final frontier. Despite having lost over 160lbs, I am painfully aware of the excess baggage deposited around my middle. No amount of sit-ups or planks can spot reduce it and I will consider anything that might help.
So, when MAN v FAT asked me trial some Thermolean Power Up Fat Burners, I hoped that I had found the answer. Thermolean is a mix of Green Tea and Coffee, Cinnamon, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Raspberry Ketones and numerous other compounds last heard about on Dr Oz.
The idea is that these ingredients will fire up your metabolism and help you burn fat, more effectively. Sounds great and if it works, then a month’s supply for around £25 will be money well spent.
Did it work?
For three weeks I took two Thermolean tablets before food each morning. I half expected the caffeine and ketones to supercharge my metabolism and give me an endless amount of energy. I waited to feel my body powering up. And I waited. And waited. Nothing happened.
Yes, over the three weeks I lost weight. But, I lost similar weight in the preceding three weeks using sensible eating and an active lifestyle to create a manageable calorific deficit. Thermodynamics at work.
In my opinion, supplementing my diet with Thermolean added no benefits. However I knew the members of MAN v FAT would want more than my gut instinct about why my gut was still so distinct. So, I went to Examine.com to find out more about its key ingredients.
60g of ALA is significantly lower than the dosage shown in a clinical trial showing it to reduce fat while there is no reliable evidence that raspberry ketones have any impact, regardless of what Dr Oz and others celebs say. Other ingredients such as Choline, which has properties that seemingly help limit the accumulation of fatty acids and Green Coffee Extract, which has genuine health benefits are also significantly lower than used in trials. In short, the science is distinctly iffy.
I also quizzed Dr Gary Mendoza, a leading nutritionist and fat loss expert, who asked me a simple question. If any fat burning supplement worked, then wouldn’t the medical profession be prescribing it to solve our obesity epidemic? He also commented on caffeine, one of the primary ingredients of many fat burners. He advised that while it has proven endurance increasing properties, the average person consumes it so habitually that we have become more tolerant to its effects (other than keeping us awake).
Would I buy it again?
Thermolean is a nicely packaged and marketed composition of popular and sometimes mythical fat loss enhancing ingredients. However, in my opinion, these fat burners simply prey on those seeking quick fixes. Most of us took several years to pile on the weight and as difficult as it is to accept, our journeys to healthier lives will not be overnight. Instead of buying a fat burning supplement, I would suggest using the money to invest in a good pedometer to help you increase steps. Or, if like me, you are looking to shed those final pounds, then get a stopwatch and do hill sprints. Now, that’s what I call a real fat burner.
