The Fat Burner Shake

• Yield:1 serving
• Difficulty:Easy
• Time:15 minutes

The way this shake tasted was a pleasant surprise! I half expected it to taste like a mild form of Chinese torture, but I was wrong! Thighs everywhere can rejoice! Honestly, it tasted great. The only thing I had to get used to was the spiciness or the ‘heat’ paired with the sweet yumminess of it. I got used to it really quickly, imagining my fat cells getting up and running away…

Of course, this won’t be some kind of magic bullet to make you lose ten pounds in thirty seconds. But, paired with a healthy nutrition plan and a well put together workout routine, this will be better than just a plain protein shake. These ingredients have a cumulative effect over time.

On the ingredients list is: 1) grapefruit; 2) whey protein; 3) green tea; 4) cayenne pepper; 5) berries; 6) non-GMO stevia sweetener; 7) chia seeds, and 8) blueberries. Every ingredient has its place, and it’s my civic duty to explain why each ingredient is there.

Grapefruit is the quintessential diet food of the ‘80’s—it makes you picture girls with big hair in leotards doing aerobics, right? Things have evolved a lot since then—with both the nutrition world and the hairstyles (thank God). Grapefruit slightly lowers insulin, which is the hormone that causes sugars to be stored as fat and creates the feeling of hunger. Grapefruit is also low in calories and high in fiber, which causes the body to burn calories during digestion. One other way it aids in weight loss is that it contains a compound called nootkatone, which activates an enzyme in the body called AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) that helps boost metabolism. AMPK is usually activated during exercise and helps muscles use stored fat and sugar, thus boosting physical performance.

Whey protein helps maintain lean muscle mass, which burns a few more calories at rest than fat does—sorry, not the 50 calories per hour as many bros would have you believe. A pound of muscle burns about 6 calories per day vs. fat, which only burns 2 calories a day. Maintaining lean mass also makes you more sensitive to insulin—the polar opposite of diabetes! You will handle blood sugar better and less of it will be converted into fat. Awesome!

Green tea contains a catechin called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which inhibits an enzyme that degrades one of the body’s main fat burning hormones: norepinephrine. Green tea also contains caffeine, which also increases the body’s resting metabolic rate as well as sports performance.

Studies done on cayenne pepper show that a reasonable amount of cayenne pepper consumed at a meal (.3-1.8 grams) helps manage appetite and boost the metabolism by increasing core body temperature. Some studies found that actually tasting cayenne pepper had the largest effect rather than just taking it in capsules. In this shake—you will taste it. The effect of cayenne pepper on appetite works better for those (like me) who don’t normally use it. Once someone becomes more familiar with it, it loses its effects. The more it burns the more effect it has—the burn in the mouth is responsible for the effect.

Stevia doesn’t actually burn fat, but it sweetens naturally and without calories. What could be better than not taking in as many calories in the first place and having your food still taste good? Try to get the non-GMO type; you can find this in any health food store or organic section in the supermarket.

Chia seeds are loaded with fiber which encourages weight loss as well as being packed with beneficial nutrients. This seed can absorb up to ten times its own weight in water, which contributes to feeling fuller for longer. Berries also contain water, fiber, and tons of antioxidants to add to the effect! The heavy hitting reason for the berries is that catechins found in blueberries activate fat-burning genes in abdominal fat cells. Oh yeah!

Ingredients:

• 1 scoop of vanilla EFX Sports Isolate
• ½ grapefruit with peel removed (first—take a deep whiff of the peel—I’m not kidding! That alone boosts your metabolism by stimulating your nervous system)
• 1 cup of pre-prepared green tea
• ¼ cup frozen blueberries
• 1 tbsp. chia seeds
• ¼- ½ tsp. cayenne pepper (as much as you can take—I used ¼ tsp.)
• I packet of stevia sweetener
• Ice cubes

Directions:

Remove the grapefruit rind, make sure the tea is cold and put it all in the blender and—that is all! Be sure to drink this shortly after you make it because it will separate into pretty layers—it’s still drinkable, but it’s better when you drink it sooner. Take a serving of EFX Sports Lean Fix capsules a short time before you drink this and ‘Feel the burn’!

Nutrition: