Hi,

I was just curious if anyone had any opinions about diet supplements

I am a month into my "diet". I started out trying to be very strict, no starchy foods of any kind and no added sugars in anything. Only protein, dairy, fruits and vegetables. I have added in brown rice and potatoes as my starches. So far I have lost 7 lbs. that I have kept track of, and I am pretty sure I lost an additional 5. I wasn't counting the first five just because I'm not totally certain of the starting weight.

The reason for my post is last time I went shopping I browsed the diet section and was looking at all the teas, pills, and shakes. I was thinking about trying one of these to help my continued weight loss and cravings. Lately I really seem to be craving fried foods, such as french fries and wontons and fried chicken. THere's hoodia, trimspa, dexatrim, senna tea, etc. etc. Does any of this stuff help or is it all pretty much just a waste of time and just hurt your body?

A friend recommended I try some senna tea, but I hate the taste and it doesn't seem to do much (it's just a laxative right?)

Any thoughts or recommendations?

Senna is a laxative and, in my opinion, it should only be taken if you don't go often/regularly enough. I fail to see how it can help with weightloss other than a very temporary fix (as in, until your next meal): it does not prevent the actual digestion of the food, which is when your body transformes the food into energy. If anything, it would put you at risk of dehydration and slowly deplete your body of minerals.

The supplements I take are fiber (I supplement with 5 grams a day in addition to the rather fiber-rich diet I am on) under the form of psyllium husk capsules - it helps me feel fuller and help clean the intestines (sorry if I'm being too graphic...). I am also using a lot of teas, in rotation, such as green tea, white tea, rooibos (loads of antioxidants), and various detox teas - they help me reach my liquid intake target and, again, help me feel fuller in between meals. Finally, I also take chromium to help me balance the sugar levels.

I would suggest that you take the time and make a thorough analysis of your diet: are you getting enough carbs and fiber? Nutrition.com - your nutrition resource has all the tools you need, just add into the pantry everything you eat in a given day and see what the result is. You may be eating a bit too much protein, dairy and sugars (from the fruits) and that's what causing your cravings.

To conclude, I wouldn't think there's much value in so-called 'diet pills' or diet shakes etc.
Try to evaluate your food intake and see where it needs to be balanced, as in my opinion this is the key to beat the cravings. I've tried unbalanced diets (low fat, low carbs, low this low that) and they all failed because at some point I just couldn't deal with the cravings, usually for sweets and fried food. I'm now on a very balanced diet with wholegrains, white meat and veggies and I finally feel I can beat the cravings and not think of food all the time. It takes a bit to get to that point though, and some willpower... so don't give up too soon and don't put your hopes in all sort of miracle pills, shakes, bars.

Good luck

I have had a weight problem my entire life and am currently needing to lose over 200lbs. I do think vitamin and herbal supplements for health and nutrition like Bridget talked about are great. The difference is normally the good ones aren't making fantastic claims of weight loss. I think if its anything along the lines of a "diet pill" like dexatrim and other stuff you were listing it's pretty much a waste of money and some of that stuff can make you pretty sick.

almost every weight loss remedy out there is going to say somewhere in the instructions that the plan works in conjunction with a sensible diet and exercise.

news flash.

Sensible diet and exercise will work - save your money for a new wardrobe...

Consistency will get you the results you want - not a pill.

Fiber supplements i'm not a big fan of -it's really not difficult to get appropriate amounts of fiber in your diet from food sources... spend some time trackinh your food intake and see where your carbs/protein/fats add up and make adjustments via food -

Thanks for the info everyone. I have actually been using Fitday and entering everything there and it helps keep me on track with nutrition info, calories from fat, protein, carbs, etc. I'm still adjusting my diet daily, and trying to eat a variety of foods to keep it interesting and not get into a rut.

I don't think I'm eating too much fruit, is 2-3 pieces a day too much. And as far as dairy and meat, I have about 2 servings each a day (3 oz. of meat) or less. Some days I eat completely vegetarian, beans and nuts as my protein sources. I eat a ton of veggies and a one or two servings of rice, potatoes, or oatmeal.

What I'm doing is working quite well so far. I'm starting to notice a difference. I don't need the fried foods. I just felt especially weak yesterday walking down the beach on the Fourth of July past the hot dog, funnel cake, and unlimited daiquiri vendors. The smell of barbecues, fries, and boiling grease was having an intoxicating aroma. It felt downright unpatriotic to skip all that and go home and have a salad.

As far as long term, I do want to eventually cut out all fried foods, processed foods, junk foods, etc. I haven't had a soda in more than a month, and I took a swig from my husbands a few days ago and was surprised at how chemically it tasted. Eventually I would like to move to a more organic diet, in hopes of trying to only put healthy things into my body.

Take whole supplements Nutrilite is the top brand in North America and you can order "double x" to start or even "carb blocker 2" you can look these up on google or youtube you will be very surprised at the quality you can order them at LINK DELETED or feel free to research more at LINK DELETED. One more word of advice pill and weight loss fads only work for 30-60 days before your body build and emunity to it. Nutrilite doesn't sell weight loss pills but if you do so happen to order any or buy anything like hydroxycut from your local store keep this in mind and be careful most of them are just after money.

I don't know if this will help, but someone recommended JuicePlus to me at a weight loss bootcamp, and I loved it. I take the shakes, but there are wafers, pills, etc. I was having trouble dropping lbs even though I was exercising, dieting, etc, so I started drinking a shake for breakfast every day and I lost about 6 pounds in a couple of weeks. I don't take them all the time now, I go through on and off periods. Maybe it will help someone else.

I agree with the previous posts to stay away from diet pills. Maleficent’s right on with saving your money for new clothes. With diet pills, you may lose some weight, but the weight is more likely to come back. Eating healthy and exercise is the way to go to keep the weight off and to improve your health. Good work with cutting back on fried foods. It’s soooooo hard to fight the temptation at times. To help you feel more empowered, remind yourself that you don’t need that greasy junk because you choose to be healthier.

Best wishes on your continuing weight loss progress!!

Hi there, it really depends on the individual when it comes to things like supplements and pills etc.

It's the same with different kinds of diets, one works great for one person and not for another.

There are some safe supplements out there. But i do beleive that if you take them or not it is all about dedication.

If you want something bad enough you will make it happen.

Goodluck

Also i think you missed out the best product out there - Proactol. Made from cactus leaves.

If you eat a fair diet ( not all healthy food as your body needs a little fat) and take proactol, your weight will go down gradually.

I asked my doctor one time about all the diet pills/supplements, etc. that are available to purchase and he told me if one of the worked there would only be one available and not the 100's/1000's. I am new here and would like to lose the 15 lbs I gained since quitting smoking plus about another 20 that I had to lose before that, but would not consider any diet pills to help me. I have lots of reading to do here but am fully aware that a good diet and plenty of exercise (leads to a complete lifestyle change) is what will help with the weight loss and help keep off any further weight gain.

Be Careful!! weight loss pills arent for everyone... talk to your doctor first when you find one you like!

Do excercise daily or weekly basis with a few minutes suggested 30 min above and avoid take high carbohydrate foods after 8pm...

Also..drink herb tea also can help..

Thanks