The ‘Four Horsemen of Fat Loss’?

In the 4 Hour Body there is a chapter entitled ‘The 4 Horsemen of  Fat Loss’ that recommends a (stimulant free) supplement stack  to support rapid fat loss. I think the stimulant free part is important because a number of the products I have used previously that are high in caffeine and Epehedrine Hydrochloride can make you (do make me) feel awful and there are side effects.

What is the PAGG Stack? P is for Policosanol, A is for Alpha lipoic acid (ALA),  G is for Garlic extract and G is for  Green tea flavanols, all taken 3 times daily with meals (as AGG) and once at bed time (as PAG, no Green tea!).

So what are the claims?

Policosanol is an extract of plant waxes and Tim Ferriss acknowledges it as the most controversial element of the stack, it is thought to reduce LDL cholesterol but has been found (by Ferriss)  to produce a significant fat loss at the same time.

ALA is an antioxidant that has an impact on glucose and nutrient uptake and reduces triglyceride production. Ferriss tells us “…ALA helps you store carbohydrates you eat in muscle or in your liver as opposed to in fat” .

Garlic we all know, well recognised for its cholestrol management properties, the book suggests supplements with high quantities of Allicin are most effective particularly in conjunction with S-Allyl cysteine.

Green tea flavanols (EGCG) are known to increase GLUT-4 (glucose transporter) recruitment to the surface of skeletal muscle cells and inhibits GLUT-4 recruitment in fat cells so it effectively prevents the storage of excess carbohydrates as body fat and diverts them to muscle cells.

The big question for me now is does it work? I have started taking PAGG in conjunction with the Slow Carb diet and will monitor progress and weight loss over the next 3 weeks or so.

Tomorrow I will post my measurements and weight after the first week of the diet; to be honest I am  pretty impressed so far.