This or That

With the rise of social media use in this day and age, there’s also a substantial rise in the popularity of the “latest trends”. Whether it’s the new aesthetic, the new ‘best’ diet, or the ‘must’ have product, it’s constantly being posted and updated to the world through accessible social media platforms. Mid-way through September of 2023, I set a goal to go a full month without TikTok as I felt as though it was holding me back. Throughout that month, I wrote a list of things that I noticed improve since having it gone, with one of these being how I was no longer influenced by what I was consuming online. I wasn’t seeing the ‘next best thing’.

Diet culture has always been a worldwide issue, particularly in the late 90s and early 2000s. Recently, I believe TikTok and Instagram have been so heavily monetised, that every fitness influencer is constantly marketing all the ‘essential’ food and supplements that you MUST be trying in order to have prime health, alongside telling you all the things you have to cut out in order to get results you want. Personally, I’ve had to get into the habit of scrolling straight past these types of posts, because all it does is make me feel like what I’m doing isn’t enough.

This is where the ‘Knowledge is Power’ aspect of my recent post comes into play. Thermogenic fat burners and greens powders are the main supplements that I see almost every fitness influencer promoting online. Yes, each to their own, and there’s no wrong in what people choose to include in their own diet, but I believe the issue arises when people start listing these unrealistic and extraordinary results they gained from these alone. When you begin to really look into the science behind these things, it becomes apparent how there’s simple tricks to get the same benefit, without breaking your bank for them.

No. 1 Thermogenic Fat Burners

These supplements often claim to ‘boost your metabolism and burn fat’ to help you lose weight, which theoretically is true, but it is often interpreted wrongly. The main ingredient in these is caffeine. Caffeine works by blocking adenosine receptors, which promotes wakefulness, and replicates the body’s sympathetic nervous system (SNS). In turn, when the SNS is activated, the body releases adrenaline which: increases oxygen intake through bronchodilation, suppresses hunger, increases heart rate and cardiac output, and promotes the conversion of glycogen (stored energy) to glucose (usable energy). So technically, increasing metabolic rate aka thermogenesis. Fat Burners such as ‘Oxyshred’ have been proven to increase the resting energy expenditure (REE) over time, although not by much. A recent experiment had subjects consume Oxyshred to analyse the effect on their REE, which showed that there was a mean increase of 121 to 166 kcal/d, observed at 30-, 60-, and 180 min post-ingestion (Prather et al., 2023).

In order to burn fat, you have to be in a calorie deficit. First you have to work out your daily total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), which can be done here. You then have to gradually reduce your caloric intake over a gradual period of time in a sustainable manner (not exceeding more than a 500 calorie deficit as this can disrupt your basic metabolic function). So yes, Oxyshred may be useful in conjunction with a calorie deficit to increase your energy expenditure, but if you’re looking to save money, it’s really not necessary. Basic exercise and cleaning up your diet is more than enough to lose weight, and since the ‘appetite suppressant’ aspect is derived from the caffeine inside, a basic cup of coffee will serve the same effect.

No. 2 Greens Powders

Greens powders have been promoted so heavily lately that I believe it’s going to come back with negative effects further down the track. They claim to have the power to ‘boost energy, reduce bloating, support gut health, and improve your immune system’ yet there’s a lack of evidence to support so. They give the effect of making someone FEEL accomplished, like it’s immediately improving their health, but nothing can replace a balanced, whole-food diet. Greens powders are usually dehydrated fruit and vegetables that are meant to contain vitamins, minerals and probiotics to achieve all the benefits i’ve listed, but in reality, dehydrating the fruit and vegetables can also remove some of the fibre and nutrients throughout production (Gastman, 2023).

For example, carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for the body, so low calorie powders mixed with water isn’t going to give you a magic ‘boost’ in energy (unless it contains caffeine). A nutrient-dense meal with carbs, fats and proteins will. If you’re already consuming a highly processed diet, a serving of greens powder a day is not going to cure malnourishment, and if you maintain a balanced diet that has sufficient servings of fruit, vegetables, good fats and protein sources, then there’s no need for a greens powder as the food already offers the same benefits. In fact, if you’re having a greens powder alongside a good diet just for ‘extra benefits’, it’s probably just wasting your money as excess vitamins and minerals are excreted in urine anyway (PMC, 2020).