Weight loss pills for men, fat blockers, carb blockers or fat burners?

First of all, let’s celebrate the fact that men and diets are no longer considered an oxymoron. For decades, weight loss has been strictly aimed at women, which made one wonder if men actually suffered from weight problems.

However, Cancer Research UK revealed in 2009 that a study by the Men’s Health Forum concluded that 1 in 2 men in the UK are overweight. This statistic is repeated in the US, the country with the worst obesity record currently on the planet.

Still, it’s refreshing that a market seems to be opening up for men who are able to voice their concerns about their weight and take those initial but important first steps.

However, men approach women very differently when it comes to losing weight with the initial term “dieting” not being very popular in male circles. “Dieting” implies femininity, so men embrace the term “exercise” as it seems so much more positive and life-changing.

Instead of going for a curvier butt or shapelier butt, men opt to transfer body fat to body mass with the goal of eradicating that tummy flab and chiseling out firmer, stronger features.

As a means of accelerating this physical transformation, men often opt for fat or carbohydrate blockers in combination with an exercise plan. However, many men wonder if both a fat and carb blocker will enhance rapid weight loss.

To define how a fat blocker works, Xenical is probably the best example. Sold over the counter in the form of Alli, Xenical restricts the breakdown of fatty acids in the intestine, according to the manufacturers, by up to 27%.

It’s clear that Alli can potentially help people on high-fat diets, but for those who eat a lot of carbs, Xenical is essentially useless.

However, if you are on a high-fat diet, because this prescription drug blocks the breakdown of certain enzymes, it unfortunately restricts the absorption of vitamins A, B, E, and K, so taking a multivitamin is recommended.

Alli also offers considerably annoying side effects if you are on a high-fat diet, including bloating and diarrhea, so restricting your fat intake to avoid these side effects somewhat defeats the purpose.

Carb blockers, on the other hand, have yet to receive the CE seal of approval from the FDA, and doctors are very much in doubt as to whether these pills really work.

These supplements extract their main ingredient (phaseolamine) found in white kidney beans that interferes with the enzymes that digest starch in the intestine. Unfortunately, carb blockers give the same effects as eating a lot of beans, thus bloating and the gastric system contains too many enzymes that a pill can block, so the prospects for weight loss are poor.

The important point to remember is that the body requires the 3 main macronutrients to function in its healthiest way: fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. Trying to block 2 of the top 3 just isn’t worth it physically.

To have the best chance of losing weight using weight loss pills for men, it would be to exercise and use a natural fat “burner” at the same time.