Some Background:
For those of you who don’t know, the ECA stack is, it consists of Ephedrine, Caffeine and Aspirin. It speeds up your heart rate throughout all times of the day to increase Calories burned and helps with long term endurance. At the moment it is the only thermogenic that has been proven to work. Along with raising your heart rate, it raises your temperature and suppresses hunger.

The Ephedrine is the key component in this stack. Ephedrine causes you to sweat and pee a lot, it is a strong diuretic. Most of the side effects or deaths associated with Ephedrine have been due to people not staying hydrated and/or taking A LOT of it in hopes of losing weight faster(which it will not!!!). The usual dosage is 25mg of Ephedrine, 200 MG of caffeine and a 5grain aspirin.

During the first week, it is recommend that you take it once a day in the morning and then the following weeks twice a day, once in the morning and once before 2pm. Taken any later can cause you to have insomnia. This does increase your energy level a lot. If you do decide to go on this, I would recommend you cycle it, do it for a month, take two weeks off… etc…

This is only to be taken supplementary with exercising. Taking this alone will not help you lose weight. This is not any kind fat burning miracle pill, if order for it to actually be effective you must WORK HARD. This is only to aid you. If you decide to do this you must be drinking water constantly. AT LEAST 3L of water a day, if not more. This will make you pee and sweat a ton!

You should only do this if you are exercising w/ the goal of losing weight and do not have any pre-existing heart conditions or blood pressure problems, this WILL raise your blood pressure.

I would also read this

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ECA_stack



I just wanted to post my experience with the low carbing and this stack and exercising. I have been on this for about a month now and I honestly can say it has helped a lot. It gives a major energy boost while running, and has helped me burn a lot of fat. The first week on this I lost about 8 pounds, which im sure was water weight as this stack will squeeze it out of you. The following weeks I have lost about 3 to 4 pounds, which was an improvement over the 1 to 2 pounds I was losing. I have been jogging/running every day for 30 minutes to an hour. It is really easy to get your heart rate up when being on this and I found that I needed to keep monitoring my heart rate to make sure I didn’t go into dangerous levels. Its scary because you honestly feel like you have limitless energy.
Either way, im off of it for now, will be off for the next two weeks to let my body rest. I thought my experience and information may be beneficial to this forum.

-Jonathan S.

actually, pills/stacks like this that increase your metabolism can help you lose fat without exercises really. Increasing your metabolism in any case can potentially accelerate your fat loss. Exercising combined with a fat burner obviously works better and I have yet to find any fat burner that is a magic bullet. Personally, i just like them for the appetite suppressant qualities.

I would love to find out more about the eca stack that you speak of, however I was under the impression that ephedra had been made illegal. Please tell me more, I am willing to try anything to shed these lbs! Thanks and congrats on your loss.

you should eat better, that usually works good for sheading pounds. You begin by losing fat in the kitchen, after that cardio and supplements can only help a proper diet along. If you aren't making any progress currently without supps, your diet isn't proper.

I am on atkins induction, clean, no cheating. I run 45-60 min 4-6 days/week. I quit smoking 6 weeks ago and can't shed a single pound. What ECA stack do you take and where do you get it? I am at my wits end! Thanks

Try going to bodybuilder.com. You cannot buy plain ephedra anymore, but you can buy, vasotec. It is a combo product with ephedrine and guaifenesin. You'll have to add your own aspirin and caffeine to get the stack.

That's also in Primatene tablets.

ephedra is banned for a reason, I was taking it until My heart felt like it was trying to jump out of my chest one day, not a good feeling.

Thanks Galatia, I didn't realize it was also in primatine tablets.

you can't drop a single pound for one of two reasons. 1) You are eating too much (while atkins preaches unrestricted eated as long as carbs are kept down this isn't reality) or 2) you eat or exercise (prob. not in your case) too much and you metabolism has gone down the crapper. Smoking has nothing to do with it and a ECA stack won't make an appreciable difference if you not losing some amount of fat already. These products just accelerate fatloss. You are wasting you money if you start taking these before you figure out what is wrong with your diet and start making some gradual progress without a fat burner.

I do think that your post was a little harsh. Smoking does increase metabolic rate. I do agree that diet is very important, but I'm losing like a turtle. I have tried the ECA stack and it did help me drop a few additional pounds. I cycle it and use it safely.

Ideal, try checking out this thread:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=32311

E is bad! It is addicting, and can cause bad mood swings.
Eating a very good diet and regular exercise is the best way to go.

I don't think I was being harsh as in being mean. I'm just saying what needs to be said...what is the truth that so many aren't willing to accept. Many think their case is special when in reality its not that special at all. I'm not out to hurt anyones feeling, but I am out to tell them what they need to do to lose the fat they need. My statement breaks through the junk mentality that a thermogenic aid is going to be the tweak their program needed to start them from losing weight.

Your case is exactly what I'm talking about. You were losing like a turtle (whatver that might be in your opinion) and the ECA stack accelerated it a bit more. Thermogenics get metablism off the ground a bit more, but IMO they are more important for mobilizing fat stores for use as energy. You still have to burn those mobilized fatty acids else they are redeposited.

I will repeat my statement that no dieter should waste their money on a thermogenic aid when they aren't reaching their goals already. Not losing 1-2 a week (or more for a larger individual) is a good range here. You should be able to do this without a thermogenic aid or you need to change your diet (or you are just really really lean already and you shouldn't be whining). If you are reaching you goals that means your diet is in check and you can consider supplements to help the process along. I'm just trying to save many dieters and their pocketbooks some inevitable grief, not be a pompous a$$.

Edit: Oh and any smoking weight gain loss is not due to the change in metabolic rate from not smoking any more as much as it is due to simply using food as a replacment for the habbit. A diet like Atkins which preaches unresrticted amounts of carb free foods is a recipe for disaster in this case as many will overeat and gain fat or stall.

Edit: Oh and any smoking weight gain loss is not due to the change in metabolic rate from not smoking any more as much as it is due to simply using food as a replacment for the habbit. A diet like Atkins which preaches unresrticted amounts of carb free foods is a recipe for disaster in this case as many will overeat and gain fat or stall.[/QUOTE]

Shame on you msundi83!
Unless you have dealt with the heartbreaking and frustrating pain of gaining weight, despite excersise and healthy diet, and not being able to control it, I suggest you stop handing out advise! I quit smoking do not eat to replace cigarettes and am a very serious runner, yet I was still gaining weight. Numerous credible sources say this is a DIRECT result of the way nicotine, sugar, insulin and my pancreas all behave with eachother. Until you have exercised yourself to death, half starved yourself or any other things ex-smokers do to lose weight you should not preach. The meat and egg diet, along with an ECA stack finally helped me lose 5 lbs. I have included links to and quotes from reputable web sites refuting your irresponsible and insensitive claims that smoking has nothing to do with metabolism. Please do your research first, then pass out advise. This is a web site for support and you were not very supportive and, in fact, could be counter productive to anyone trying to quit. I consulted my family care practicioner who also agreed that often times our bodies go to what they would be weight wise if we had never been smokers, and am choosing to go with what he tells me. To all of you who are struggling to lose pounds that seem to come from nowhere, I feel your pain and encourage you to stay strong. Your metabolism will stablize in 3-6 months and the weight will come off. Good luck to anyone trying to quit!

.
http://www.annecollins.com/weight-l...gain-weight.htm
If I Quit Smoking Will I Gain Weight?
Yes, probably, at least in the short term. Current health and weight research seems to suggest that the average weight gain for both men and women who quit smoking is about 6-8 pounds. The more you smoke, the higher the risk of weight gain when you quit.
This weight gain is due to the decrease in metabolic rate and the increase in appetite experienced when you quit smoking


Quitting Smoking and Weight Gain
From Terry Martin,
Your Guide to Smoking Cessation.
http://quitsmoking.about.com/od/wei...ghtgainquit.htm
How to Minimize Weight Gain When You Quit Smoking
Most people who quit smoking worry about gaining weight. It seems to go with the territory. While a small gain is normal, excessive weight gain when you quit smoking can create new health problems and erode your determination to stay off cigarettes. Learn what you can do to keep your weight under control as you go through the process of recovery from nicotine addiction.

Why do people gain weight when they quit smoking?
Smoking effects a person's metabolism and also burns calories:
Smoking burns up to 200 calories a day in a heavy smoker
Because smoking burns calories, metabolism is boosted (increased) slightly
Nicotine is an appetite suppressant
When you quit smoking, a gain of between 5 and 10 pounds during the first few months of cessation is normal. If your eating habits have remained the same as they were when you smoked, you can easily shed this small gain with a brisk, 30 minute walk daily.
Why do I want to eat more?
Smoking cessation throws our bodies into shock initially. Increased appetite is a side effect of quitting tobacco for most people. One or more of the following reasons may be at play:
Cigarettes as an appetite suppressant - Smokers often avoid between meal snacking by lighting up. Nicotine is a stimulant, and may also interfere with the release of the hormone insulin. Insulin controls glucose levels in the blood. When this function is blocked, a person will become slightly hyperglycemic, and as a result, the body and brain may slow down the hormones and other signals that trigger feelings of hunger.
Food as a replacement for smoking - early on in a person's quit, the urge to smoke is frequent and uncomfortable. It's natural to look for something to ease the discomfort, and food is often used as a replacement. Not only does it fill the void left by the cigarette, food can be an emotional comfort, easing the pain of withdrawal