Making An Ephedra Stack Work For You

If you have ever tried to lose weight, or if you have ever spoken about weight loss with a body builder, you have most likely heard of an ephedra stack. Ephedra is the source of ephedrine, a very potent stimulant found in the Ma huang plant and in the heartleaf plant known as Sida cordifolia. The “stack” in an ephedra stack most often consists of some caffeine and a dose of aspirin.

Caffeine as we all know, is also a strong stimulant found in coffee, tea, chocolate and many soft drinks. If you see a weight loss supplement that indicates it increases energy and helps with fat loss, there is a very real chance it’s got caffeine in it. When caffeine is stacked with ephedra, it increases the effects of the ephedrine and causes a thermogenic effect thus speeding up the metabolic rate and helping you burn fat and lose weight.

Aspirin is another component usually included in the ephedra stack, although it is optional. Aspirin is generally used to offset the affects of the caffeine and ephedrine. Also, there has been some indication that aspirin reduces the loss of ephedrine through urination allowing it to stay in the blood for a longer length of time and prolonging its effects. Once again, this is optional. Recently, several products are removing the aspirin from their formulas.

The ECA Stack (ephedrine, caffeine and aspirin) has several effects on your body. By stimulating the nervous system through an increase in neurotransmitters like norepinephrine, a stress response is triggered. This response increases the heart rate and blood pressure, expands airways and increases the resting metabolic rate. It may increase energy and alertness and decrease feelings of lethargy. Also, this ephedra stack will suppress your appetite. This has both positive and negative ramifications. On the up side, eating less often increases weight loss. However, if you are maintaining a workout regimen, it is vitally important to eat several small meals per day. If your body does not receive proper nutrition, it cannot heal itself after a hard workout. Make sure that you are eating 5 or 6 small meals per day. Even if you don’t feel like it, adequate nutrition can make or break your fitness regimen. Also, feeding your body several times a day helps keep your metabolism up. If you don’t eat your metabolism slows down. After a couple of weeks, you will cancel out the use of the ephedra stack by countering its effects on your metabolic rate.

There are risks to the ephedra stack that must be taken into account before adding it to your weight loss plan.

· Ephedrine will speed up your heart rate and when combined with caffeine, can cause serious injury to those with a heart condition and high blood pressure.

· If you do not keep up a proper regimen of diet and exercise, ephedrine will not only burn fat, it will also burn muscle. As stated above, maintaining proper nutrition and an exercise routine will only add to the weight loss effects of the ephedra stack.

· Some people have experienced insomnia, nervousness, headaches, seizures , heart attacks, strokes and in a few rare cases, death from the use of ephedrine. It is essential to follow the dosing indications listed on the supplements you take and heed your doctor’s recommendations on taking an ephedra stack.

· Avoid the ephedra stack in you suffer from heart disease, thyroid disease, depression, difficulty urinating, enlarged prostate or a seizure disorder. Also do not use if you take an MAOI or any OTC product containing ephedrine.

· Various athletic organizations have banned the use of ephedra products including the NCAA. Athletes should be cognizant of their particular sports association regulations to avoid disqualification from events.

· Because caffeine is a diuretic, it is essential to get enough water to avoid dehydration. Shoot for at 1 ½ ounces per lean body weight.

The ephedra stack can work to help you shed pounds. In fact, for the first two weeks or so, you may believe you have discovered a magic formula that melts fat away with minimal effort from you. Do not kid yourself. To achieve any consistent weight loss and help maintain the loss, you must include diet and exercise. Make sure you know your tolerance to ephedrine, caffeine and aspirin before you take an ephedra stack because people respond differently to these products.

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