Weight loss is one of the most common fitness goals out there but, for many people, it can be a formidable challenge.

So, an effective supplement is a pretty valuable and sought-after thing.

Of course, different supplements work in different ways and a variety of biological factors effect weight loss and gain.

Building a stack – or combination of supplements – that can attack the problem from several angles, then, is a useful strategy. But what actually works?

What is the best supplement stack for weight loss and what is just a waste? And what’s even more important, which will help you retail lean muscle, or even gain muscle?

What Works

The following supplements are those that have been proven via solid science to aid in weight loss through thermogenesis or increase the rate at which your body burns fat.

A few of them also help to suppress appetite.

These supplements have also been chosen based on their availability; You should be able to pick most of these up just about anywhere that sells supplements.

Some of these options might not work for you but they can all work together so, within this list, you have the ability to mix-and-match.

• Caffeine – Because it’s both cheap and readily available, caffeine is an extremely common supplement.
  
  Not only has caffeine been shown to increase mental focus and athletic performance, but it also acts as an appetite suppressant and fat burner.
  
  The problem is that your body will likely form a tolerance to caffeine within a week or so – if you don’t already have a tolerance.For fat reduction purposes, it seems like 200mg of caffeine (found in about 16oz of coffee) daily works great for a short period.
  
  The trick, then, is to keep your standard caffeine dosage at or under 100mg per day since this seems to be the tolerance treshhold for most people.
  
  That way, you can increase your intake for brief stints to reap the benefits.
  
  Caffeine is usually paired with either ephedrine or synphedrine.Coffee is an acceptable source of caffeine but everything from your brewing method to the age and type of beans can affect the actual caffeine content in your cup.
  
  If you want to be more scientific about the endeavor, and are not concerned about the other healthful aspects of coffee, purchase caffeine tablets or powder.

  Check Out Instant Knockout fat burner. It’s packed with ton’s of caffeine that can be used to help as a pre workout supplement, as well as a fat burner.

• Ephedrine – Because of it’s high-potency, this stimulant has gained a fairly negative reputation in many circles.
  
  Along with acting as an over-all stimulant, ephedrine increases the amount of fat released and used as fuel during exercise and has been shown to increase the metabolic rate in humans by as much as 5 percent.This effect is increased when taken with caffeine.
  
  Depending on your tolerance, the dosage ranges anywhere from 20-50mg taken three times a day.
  
  Isolated ephedrine can be hard to find because of its potential risks, so some resourceful users find it in nasal decongestants.
  
  While this is possible, it also means that you would be introducing other chemicals to your system which could result in negative interactions, so its not totally advisable.

• Synphedrine – Taken from Bitter Orange, and sometimes marketed under that name, synphedrine is extremely similar to ephedrine in both structure and mechanism.
  
  The major difference, though, is that synphedrine is far less potent.
  
  This can be a good thing, however, for people that cannot tolerate ephedrine.
  
  The usual dosage used here ranges between 10-20mg three times each day.
  
  Like ephedrine, synphedrine is enhanced by caffeine.

• Green Tea – In addition to a modest dosage of caffeine (between 24-45mg per 8oz), green tea contains other substances that can increase alertness and mental focus.
  
  As far as fat burn goes, green tea also offers several catechins – including EGCG – which increase fat metabolism.
  
  The effectiveness of these substances, though, is directly affected by your caffeine tolerance.
  
  If you are tolerant to caffeine, green tea will have little-to-no effect.
  
  Still, green tea can work in the short-term and can easily be brewed at home.
  
  Despite what marketers would like you to believe, there is little difference between store-bought green tea supplements and a simple cup of tea.

• Yohimbine – Extracted from the bark of the yohimbe tree, this substance is an extremely powerful stimulant fat-burner.
  
  Specifically speaking, yohimbine increases your levels of adrenaline which speeds up your metabolism while increasing your use of fat for fuel.
  
  As is common with stimulants, though, there is a risk of anxiety and several other side effects with yohimbine supplementation.Fortunately, it seems to work at surprisingly low dosages, especially when stacked with some of the above products.
  
  The typical recommendation is .2mg/kg of body weight.
  
  Yohimbine does seem to work better when taken on an empty stomach.

It should also be noted that caffeine and ephedrine (or synphedrine) are frequently stacked with aspirin, which increases the effectiveness of those stimulants.

In theory, this could help to reduce your tolerance and keep your body reacting to the stimulants more effectively for a longer period.

What Doesn’t Work

If you’ve ever looked at the label of a commercial weight loss supplement, you might notice that the above list is pretty small compared to what goes into a lot of these products.

Unfortunately, that’s because many ingredients in these supplements have little or no scientific evidence to back up their use.

Here are some of the more common ingredients that you can pass on when building your custom stack.

• Conjugated Linoleic Acid – Usually billed as CLA, this group of fatty acids directly effects a biological system called PPAR fat burning, steroid hormone production and glucose metabolism.
  
  Unfortunately, there just is not enough evidence to support the reputation that CLA has gained in the industry.The studies are frustratingly mixed and, while CLA does have an impact on body composition, it is incredibly small.
  
  That being said, CLA is overall a healthy fat and won’t do any harm if it’s included in a supplement you happen to pick up.One common CLA supplement we get alot of questions about is Cis (C9)-T11.
• Raspberry ketones – Despite all of the positive press this substance has received, raspberry ketones probably won’t do anything more than make your breath smell like raspberries.
  
  The hype seems to be based on the fact that these ketones increased fat burn in a test tube and later in rats.
  
  Unfortunately, these results have never been reproduced in a human body and, based on the dosages used in the animal studies, would take an incredibly high dose.

• Green coffee extract – Having been promoted as a magic pill for weight loss, green coffee extract experienced a short burst of popularity.
  
  As happens with many supplements, though, the claims about these benefits were based on low-quality, preliminary research.A few studies suggest that green coffee extract might have the ability to cause very small amounts of weight loss in overweight and obese individuals by influencing the way that carbs are absorbed, but these results have never been duplicated in other demographics.

• Garcinia cambogia – Also called tamarind, garcinia cambogia, does seem to have some potential when it comes to appetite control – when used as a whole fruit.
  
  Some animal studies did show that garcinia cambogia could prevent the formation of body fat but these findings haven’t been reproduced in humans.

Final Thoughts

The truth is that there really aren’t that many substances out there that are proven to work as weight loss supplements.

Many common ingredients that are touted as magic bullets simply aren’t.

While this can be frustrating, it does mean that you can fairly easily – and cheaply – build a weight loss stack that will work for you.

What supplement stack have you used for weight loss? Leave your comment below!

Ask A Question

User Questions and Answers

No Questions Have Been Answered For This Article.

Author: Rob Miller

Rob Miller founded SupplementCritique.com over 7 years ago, and has been the chief editor ever since. He has a diploma in Advanced Dietary Supplements Advisor, and worked at GNC for 3 years. He KNOWS supplements, both inside and out. Rob currently resides in Jupiter, FL, with his wife of 4 years.  Learn more about him in his Bio here. Follow him on Twitter , Facebook, LinkedIn, or find him on Google +. View all posts by Rob Miller