Take a Pill…
Paul sent me an e-mail yesterday that was both extremely funny…and sad. Apparently he has a cyberstalker whose most recent stunt involved posting a wiki “review” slamming ultimatefatburner.com – he sent me the link in his message. The review was a two-parter: the initial attack – which apparently was posted about a year ago – was on Paul alone. The author couldn’t let it end there, however. Since Paul recently revised the ultimatefatburner.com “about us” page to include me, Amie and Lisa, the smear was updated to trash us too. In particular, I was described as “…a steroid junkie who used so much that she looks like an ugly man with a wig.”
To be perfectly honest, I thought the “steroid junkie” comment was hilarious: I stand exactly 5′ 3 1/2″ tall, and weigh in at a mighty 122 pounds. I’m pretty strong for my size and age, but this is to be expected – I’ve spent a fair number of years hauling ass in the gym. I’m not large at all, however. I look muscular because I’m lean. Over the years, I’ve built up some muscle mass and lost some body fat – but my total weight isn’t radically different from what it’s been over most of my adult life (115 – 118 lbs.). Only an ignoramus would assume these basic adjustments in body composition would be impossible to accomplish without drugs.
Then again, if this person had any brains to begin with, he/she wouldn’t be stalking us. Being petty and vindictive is a serious waste of time and energy (that’s the sad part).
Nonetheless, it did get me to thinking about steroids, and popular misperceptions about what drugs – and supplements – actually can accomplish. After all, pharmaceuticals can work wonders for various diseases and even minor maladies like headaches, so why shouldn’t we be able to just “take a pill” to get into good physical shape?
Anabolic steroids represent the ultimate “miracle pill” (even though most don’t come in pill form at all). Thanks to the media, there are people (just like our stalker) who believe the athletes/bodybuilders who use them got to where they are via steroids alone. This is nonsense. I’ve seen plenty of fat, bloated juicers. Steroids can certainly provide a significant boost to mass gains, but even they can’t perform miracles in the absence of a solid diet and training program.
So I have to ask: if this is true for powerful drugs with well-characterized modes of action, then what does this say about some diet supp composed of poorly defined blends of herbal compounds, vitamins and/or minerals? Is it even remotely logical to believe such products can really help you “lose 30 pounds in 30 days?” Even “Big Pharma” hasn’t been able to come up with drugs capable of accomplishing that.
I think you can see where I’m going with this: there are no miracle pills. At best, a supplement can provide a modest boost to a solid diet and workout program. This site is dedicated to supplement reviews, and hopefully they’re helping you get better value for your money. This central point, however, cannot be forgotten: even the best fat burners won’t help much if you don’t have your diet and workout under control.
