Don't ask me about that, if you're not doing this...

Every so often, okay just often, clients, friends, and acquaintances approach me with questions. More often than not, these questions start with "What do you think about..." and usually involve some sort of diet pill, fat-busting pill, muscle-building pill, or miracle powder. I listen intently, and give the same advice: Don't worry about that, because I know you're not doing this.

I know, that seems overly simplified, so I'll take some time to explain. I'll start anecdotally: I held a seminar for prospective clients. A short, informal discussion with a handful of individuals who had either reached out to Fit2You, or who were referred by existing Fit2You clients. I spoke in generalities, about the importance of diet and fitness, about the importance of health habits like taking the stairs, and the importance of consistent, intense, and varied exercise.

Midway through the seminar, a pleasant young woman raised her hand. She was skittish, and overweight. I called on her, and she asked a simple question: "I've been considering a Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) supplement, I hear it helps burn belly fat...what are your thoughts?" Now, these questions tend to frustrate me; but I can't expose that frustration to clients. So I steadied myself, tamping down my frustration, and addressed the question calmly. I simply responded by asking "how many calories are you consuming each day?". She didn't know the answer.

I knew she didn't know. I knew she didn't know before she asked. I knew she didn't know because she was looking for the easy way out. She was searching for a pill, or a powder, or a potion of some sort, that would magically melt away belly fat. They don't exist. This article isn't about the benefits of CLA, but generally speaking...nothing, aside from clean eating and exercise, exists to melt away fat.

So there we all sat. As I explained to her that she shouldn't be asking about fat burning supplements, she should be asking about fat-burning diets and workouts. I explained that a pill that may, possibly, reduce belly-fat by a percentage or two, is nothing compared to calorie reduction, and consumption of functional foods.

My point is this: gimmicks are gimmicks, they have never worked and they will never work. Those who grace the covers of magazines, swim-suits ads, and shirtless ads for beer, work hard for what they have. Sure they may take supplements that, again may possible, help melt fat away. But they also eat well, work hard, and pay attention to what goes in their bodies.

In the future, don't ask about creatine if you don't know how much protein you're eating. Don't ask about electrolytes if you're not drinking enough water. Don't ask about a miracle pill if you're not eating fruit and vegetables every day. In other words - don't ask me about that, if you're not doing this...and you all know what "this" is.