IT Works Fat Fighter Review – 1 BIG Reason to Beware
By: Rob MillerFact Checked On: 3-23-2020
Update (8-31-2018): We’re looking for one health volunteer to test out IT Works Fat Fighter!
The product will be provided free of charge, all we ask for is a detailed review of your personal results.
Click Here to learn more!
Contents
What Is IT Works Fat Fighter
IT Works Fat Fighter Ingredients
How To Use IT Works Fat Fighter
What is IT Works
How Is IT Works Rated as a Company
My Personal Results
Where to Buy
IT Works Fat Fighter Pros and Cons
The Bottom Line
In our quest to find the most effective supplements providing the best value for us and our readers, we’ve had to weed through a lot of products – some have turned out to be amazing while some are pure duds. It can be a frustrating process to be sure, and no category is more frustrating than weight loss.
There are trends and fads and cycle upon cycle of supplements hitting the market of all shapes and sizes and most importantly, quality.
The market for weight loss products has been a huge money maker for decades, which is why there are new supplements claiming new breakthroughs all the time.
There’s pills. There’s slimming sprays. There’s even weight loss drops.
The target audience has proven itself willing to try new idea after new idea in effort to win the battle of the bulge once and for all. And as long as that’s the case, supplement manufacturers will continue putting out new products in effort to capture their share of the fortune people are spending.
A couple weeks ago, one of our visitors asked us to check out a product that had recently popped up on her radar. She wanted to know if it was legitimate or just another waste of time, hopes, and money.
That product is IT Works Fat Fighter.
Click Hereto jump to my personal results.
Watch My Video Review Or Scroll Down To Read More
What Is IT Works Fat Fighter?
IT Works Fat Fighter is not a traditional fat burner.
In fact, it’s not a fat burner at all.
It’s more like a fat absorber. Taken AFTER a meal, it absorbs the fat you’ve just consumed, not allowing it to be stored in your body. Fat gets swept up with the special fiber in the supplement and eliminated as waste.
It’s the idea of no more guilt. You want that tempting dessert? Go ahead. IT Works Fat Fighter makes it possible to indulge, without the worry of consequences. You don’t need to take it on a regular basis, but you can if you choose to. If you’ve just eaten a fatty or carb loaded meal, take 1 or 2 pills anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour after the meal, and you’ve negated a portion of the fat and carbs you’ve just eaten. Or you could take it regularly, twice a day, after your two largest meals.
IT Works Fat Fighter is promoted is as a product you carry around with you, so it’s available when you need it, especially when you’re eating out and it’s difficult to stick to your healthy eating plan.
Looking To REALLY Get Ripped?Click Here to download my FREE "How To Get Ripped Quickly" eBook!! |
I have to admit, this is a great benefit… if “it works”. So let’s dive into the ingredient profile and find out if it does.
IT Works Fat Fighter Ingredients
The primary ingredient in focus is called NeOpuntia. It’s a fiber that comes from the Prickly Pear Cactus, which has been given the nickname of “fat-fighting cactus” because of its ability to bind to fat and carry it away, not allowing it to be absorbed by the body.
In 2014, a small double-blind placebo controlled study showed that subjects taking cactus fiber after meals showed significantly more fecal fat excretion than their placebo taking counterparts. Essentially, subjects taking the cactus fiber pooped out more fat that those who weren’t taking it. The conclusion then is that this particular cactus fiber prevents the absorption of fat, which leads to weight loss.
When comparing studies to actual supplements, it’s important to note the amount of ingredient used. In this study, subjects took 2 500mg pills 3 times a day after meals. That’s a total of 3 grams of cactus fiber a day.
Each IT Works Fat Fighter pill contains 250mg of NeOpuntia. With a serving size of 2 tablets, that’s 500mg after each meal as opposed to the 1,000mg after each meal in the study. Additionally, subjects in the study took it 3 times a day. The recommendation for IT Works Fat Fighter is twice a day or even “as needed”.
These differences in context are important to note when we look to scientific studies to prove or disprove a product’s effectiveness. In this case, while the study is encouraging regarding the active ingredient, it says less about the ability of IT Works Fat Fighter to do what it claims.
But NeOpuntia isn’t the only ingredient in the profile. There’s also Chromium (150 mcg per serving), which can help control blood sugar and is often used as a supplement to help manage diabetes.
You can find Chromium in literally HUNDREDS of other supplements, including the GOLO weight loss system and Regenify.
The rest of the ingredients are all included in a 510mg per serving Proprietary Blend. We don’t know how much of each is used, but with a total of only 510mg to go around for the 8 components to the blend, it’s safe to say it’s not much. Here are the eight:
- Garcinia Cambogia which is a very popular weight loss ingredient these days. It contains Hydroxycitric Acid (HCA) which is said to work in a few different ways. It suppresses appetite, it increases metabolism, and most importantly in this formula, it prevents carbohydrates from being stored as fat. Studies of Garcinia’s effectiveness when it comes to weight loss are inconclusive.
- Green Tea Leaf Extract which contains caffeine and EGCG which is a polyphenol that may increase metabolism and fat loss.
- Phaseolamin (White Kidney Bean Extract) which is the carbohydrate blocking ingredient in the mix. The way it works is by blocking the enzyme that digests carbs. If you can’t digest them, they must instead be eliminated. The only study I’ve seen of Phaseolamin was small, not particular conclusive, and in it the subjects took 3 grams of it a day, far more than what’s possible within the 510mg proprietary blend.
- Bitter Melon Fruit Extract which may increase fat burning and decrease in fat gain. There really aren’t any relevant human studies, but at high doses, rats have been shown to resist weight gain while using Bitter Melon Fruit extract.
- Banaba Leaf Extract contains Corosolic Acid which may decrease insulin production and improve glucose transport, having the effect of balancing blood sugar. Minimizing blood sugar fluctuations can be beneficial to maintaining a healthy weight.
- Gymnema Sylvestre Leaf Extract which may also regulate blood sugar by decreasing absorption of sugar while increasing insulin. According to WebMD, a study of the use of Gymnema Sylvestre in combination with Hydroxycitris Acid and Niacin, can lead to weight loss in overweight or obese subjects. IT Works Fat Fighter contains all three.
- Wheat Amylase Inhibitor which blocks carbohydrate absorption.
- Vanadium which may reduce blood sugar in a similar way to insulin. Research on this, however, is slim.
To summarize what we’ve found by looking at the formula, I’d say IT Works Fat Fighter does contain some potentially effective ingredients, but almost all are present at levels too low to have results approaching what we’ve seen in the scholarly research.
How To Use IT Works Fat Fighter
To recap the dosing instructions, IT Works recommends you keep Fat Fighter with you at all times, and there are two ways to approach using this product.
- You have the option of taking 2 tablets twice a day, about 15-60 minutes after each of your two biggest meals.
- Alternatively, you can keep it on hand for those times when you need it most. In this case, 15-60 minutes after a particularly fat or carb heavy meal, pop 2 tablets to prevent the extra fat and carbs from staying with you.
IT Works Fat Fighter Side Effects
In general, we would not expect IT Works Fat Fighter to cause side effects other than what you might expect on occasion with any supplement – headache, gastrointestinal discomfort, etc.
Several of the ingredients attempt to lower blood sugar, but at such low doses of each, it’s reasonable to assume this won’t reach unwanted levels.
What is IT Works?
With the explosion of social media over the last decade, there has been a resurgence of products sold using the framework of Multilevel Marketing, or MLM. I won’t get into the minute details, but if you’re familiar with the idea of a pyramid scheme, then you’re close. In a nutshell, within a Multil
evel Marketing company, there is a hierarchy of sellers that not only distribute products, but also recruit additional sellers. A marketer receives commissions not only on their own sales and enrollees, but also on the sales and enrollees of their recruits, and their recruits, and so on down the line. The best way to earn money as a member of an MLM organization is by recruiting distributors into your network.
MLM organizations are legal, but pyramid schemes are not, and there’s a very simple distinction between the two. In an MLM program, there is an actual product being sold, whereas in a pyramid scheme, there’s no product at all.
The whole thing exists to be a money-making scam.
IT Works clearly fits into a multilevel marketing company framework, selling weight loss and healthy lifestyle type products.
The Company was started in 2001 by Mark Pentecost when he was looking for his next entrepreneurial venture. It started with body toning wraps he found being manufactured in Mexico. He quickly scooped up the rights to the products and began selling them to the network of associates he’d amassed from earlier enterprises.
It took a while to catch on, but by 2008, IT Works was well on its way to global success. Having begun in Michigan, they are now headquartered on the Gulf coast in Florida.
The company focuses on recruiting young college graduates, and uses the notion of paying off college loans as a way of getting their attention.
How Is IT Works Rated as a Company?
IT Works currently has a Better Business Bureau rating of C+. A big reason for the mediocre score is the number of negative reviews and complaints it has received. At the time of this writing, the file indicates 104 positive reviews, 35 negative reviews, and 321 Customer Complaints.
We drilled down to see what some of the unhappy customers were saying, and most of the issues seem to stem from customer service and billing problems. In many cases, customers were not happy with the products they purchased, attempted to either get a refund, cancel future shipments, or both, and were met with the inability to do so.
A frequent problem occurred when customers signed up for the Loyal Customer program were shocked by an unexpected $50 “cancellation fee”. Here’s what happens:
Customers are enticed to sign up for the Loyal Customer program because it allows them to pay a significantly lower price for each product (usually more than 40%). To get this low price, the Loyal Customer must sign up for automatic shipping every month. Apparently,not all customers are aware that this is what they’re signing up for, and they certainly don’t know that they are required to stick with the automatic shipping program for at least 3 months, and if they cancel before that time, they will be charged a $50 “Membership Fee”.
It’s easy to miss this small detail. Take a look at what you see when you’re almost done with the ordering process.
Ah the old “Certain Restrictions May Apply” game. But you’ll never know what those “certain restrictions” are unless you find find this tiny disclaimer:
Here’s the operative wording you need to see within that long and complicated Terms and Conditions document:
Some complaints stem from the IT Works return policy, which is basically that there is none… sort of.
They don’t offer a guarantee on results. You can only return unopened, unused product, and if you don’t do it just right, you won’t get anything back. They attempt to explain how the $50 membership fee factors into returns, but frankly I don’t think they explain it very well.
I read through pages of complaints, and most are upset about the company not handling the situation in an acceptable way when the customer wasn’t happy about the product and wanted to discontinue using it. But this brings up a very important point:
Lots of customers are trying to return these products because they don’t think they work. Now this applies to all the products, not just the IT Works Fat Fighter. But it’s certainly worth noting.
As for customer opinion of the Fat Fighter itself, I couldn’t find much feedback that doesn’t come from distributor websites, who’s main goal is not to research the product but to sell it. Of course they’ll say IT Works Fat Fighter works. Their livelihood depends on it.
My Personal Results
So as far as my personal results, I got a chance to try IT Works Fat Fighters out for about 2 weeks, and I have to say I’m actually very impressed.
I really didn’t have a ton of weight to lose, but I noticed my portion sizes were getting a bit out of control.
As a result, I definitely felt (and even noticed on the scale) that I was gaining a few pounds over the last month or so.
I basically went in to this experiment to test out it’s appetite suppressing qualities, rather than it’s fat burning qualities.
The directions on the label state that you should take 2 tablets within 60 minutes of eating the largest meal of the day.
They don’t really specify, at least on the label, whether you should take it before or after your meal, but I figured it would probably make more sense to take it before.
On the first day I could definitely tell that it as working.
Usually my largest meal of the day is dinner, which I tend to eat ridiculously late in the day, like 10 oclock at night sometimes.
I took the 2 capsules like an hour or so before I ate, and after like 5 or 6 bites I was already starting to feel kind of full.
I ended up eating only like half of my plate and felt like I was gonna pass out I was so full.
I continued taking 2 capsules everyday for like the next 7 days and it was literally the same result every time.
I would eat just a little bit and be full super quick.
At the end of the week I stepped on the scale and noticed that I lost about 2 pounds, which is an average amount of weight loss if you ask me.
One thing I noticed was I felt like I was getting really bad dry mouth with this stuff.
I’m not actually sure if it was this supplement that gave me the dry mouth, but I was sucking down water at a rate that I don’t normally do and it was like no matter how much I drank I felt real thirsty.
I’m not sure if others have gotten this same response, but I figured I would throw it out there.
Where to Buy
If you’re interested in trying IT Works Fat Fighter, you can go online to the IT Works main website, or you can find a local or online distributor to buy through. The MLM system is designed to have you working through a distributor, so if you don’t have one going into the order process, you will be required to sign up with one they choose for you.
To buy as a one time retail customer, a 60-count bottle costs $42. If you take 2 pills after each of 2 meals a day for a total of 4 pills a day, the bottle will last half a month. If you sign up for the loyalty autoship program, you’ll pay $25 for the same bottle.
It’s difficult to avoid signing up for the Loyal Customer program, as ordering this way is the default. If you want to pay full retail price with no obligation, you have to search pretty hard and navigate through several screens to get to that possibility.
IT Works Fat Fighter Pros and Cons
We’ve laid out all the significant details about IT Works Fat Fighter, how it works, and what it’s all about. Now, as we wrap up our discussion, it’s time to summarize our findings into positives and negatives.
Advantages of IT Works Fat Fighter
- The ingredients are largely backed by research.
- Deep discounts are available
- The ingredients are all natural.
Disadvantages of IT Works Fat Fighter
- The ingredients in the formula are underdosed as compared with the relevant research findings.
- The way the company is set up encourages confusing contracts and monthly billings.
- The Better Business Bureau file is filled with complaints from customers about these confusing contracts and monthly billings.
- There are no customer reviews regarding the actual product and how it works for the customers using it.
The Bottom Line
IT Works Fat Fighter may have the potential to be a decent weight loss supplement. But even if it does work, it wouldn’t be wise to count on it as your go-to weight loss product. It’s better situated as a “supplemental supplement” for when you need something to counterbalance your occasional overeating.
The biggest problem with the product itself is the low dosing of clinically studied ingredients. This could squash most of the potential for effectiveness.
Clinical studies can go a long way in selling me on a product or at least getting me to dip my toe in the water.
More than that, I’d caution you to be wary of getting involved with the company because of its reputation for confusing contracts which lead to unexpected one time fees and ongoing charges. All MLM companies are based on a core product or group of products, and ideally the products are good and effective. But the predominant focus is placed the marketing network and distributors making money.
Take a look at any IT Works distributor’s Facebook page. There’s at least as much push to get you to sign up as a distributor as there is for you to use the product. This doesn’t mean the product is garbage, but it does make you wonder what the company’s priorities are.
Have You Used IT Works Fat Fighter? Leave Your Review Below!
Top 3 Weight LossAffiliate Disclosure
Instant Knockout is actually a new fat burning supplement I just came across, and got great results.
HourGlass Fit is the BEST fat burner for women we’ve ever tested. Read our review here.
Biohacks your body into instant ketosis to burn fat instead of carbs. Weight loss, energy, focus, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging.
Ask A Question
User Questions and Answers
Is the Fat Fighter safe to take? Is there bad side effects in your skin or your body? -Brandi
As far as I know they're safe. I haven't heard of side effects with their products, though I'm not as familiar with these as I am with many others.- Rob
12 out of 15 people found this question helpful.
Is it best to take Fat Fighter before or after your meal? -SEDATRIOUS
Take it either with your meal or up to an hour after.- Rob
3 out of 3 people found this question helpful.
I have some bottles one of them being the fat burner but it says it expired in June of 2017. Is it still safe to use them? -Christine
Usually expiration dates are about how long supplements are at peak effectiveness. They don't generally become unsafe. But it's your call whether or not you want to risk it.- Rob
2 out of 2 people found this question helpful.
It is MLM and business builder. I got sucked into it by someone on facebook that I knew and the products are just okay.