I need to lose about 120 lbs. A couple years ago I lost 55 lbs, but put it all back on. I was wondering what ya'll thought about diet supplement stuff. In the late 80's I drank this tea mix that really did curb my appetite, but it is no longer available. I was doing a lot of looking on the web, and it is so very confusing and you don't know what to believe. Anyway, I was wondering if ya'll have had success with any kind of diet supplements or if the best way to lose weight (and keep it off) is just to not use them in the first place?

Anyway, I lost the 55 lbs a couple years ago by cutting down on the amount of food and also by cutting out high fat foods.

Maybe I'm asking this question in the wrong forum, but it sure seems hard to lose weight. I think half the battle is just getting started though.

Regards,
Craig

Welcome, Craig.

Getting started is half the battle. I have tried and failed so many times but now I am finally getting some results.

There is a simple but brutal fact. If you take in more calories than you need, you gain weight. If you take in less, you lose weight. That's it. It's a simple equation and entirely non-negotiable. It has taken me a long time to really understand this.

So far I have been successful by eating only at meal times, eating two meals a day, eating reasonable portions, cutting out all sweets, and doing moderate exercise. I got impressive results right off the bat from cutting out snacks between meals. I think I must have been eating the caloric equivalent of four or five meals a day.

Sounds like a good plan, and I hope you continue to stick with it. I was just thinking tonight that I'm going to have to cut out candy altogether. Another thing I gave up when I lost the 55 lbs was pizza. I might suggest that if you do have a very bad craving for a snack inbetween meals, that unsalted pretzels worked very well for me. I would eat Sturgis brand unsalted pretzels. I would eat about 9 or 10 of them. They are low calorie and very low fat. Keep up the good work, and thanks for your reply.

I used to put away an awful lot of pizza. Mmmm.

Go ahead and cut out candy! It's not really food, afterall. It is entirely unncessary. At this point I look at it like a poison.

The pretzels sound good. I love pretzels too but so far I have been pretty good about not eating between meals. I don't want to compromise. It is so easy for me to start telling myself little stories about why it is OK to eat this and that. When I adopted the no snacking rule, the arguments I had with myself became very short:

"Should I eat snack X?"

"No. Wait until your next meal."

The answer to the question is always "no."

Hi, Craig_in_Texas! Welcome!

I've never been much on diet supplements. Most of them give me either acid reflux or diarrhea. I have 120 pounds to lose also, and I'm just trying to eat better foods, watch my portion sizes, not eat out quite so much, eliminating junk food, and getting some exercise into my day (walking, weight exercises). I'm a secretary, so I pretty much sit at a desk all day. Getting out and moving with some exercise each day will be critical to my weight loss program.

Glad to have you on the forums! Good luck!

Almost every supplement has green tea in it, honestly. Its the best, and most proven. It contains a chemical called EGCG, that taken with a little caffine boosts metabolic rates quite a bit. So when you buy "ultra fat burn" or whatever, you are paying 90% for a motivation placebo, and 10% for green tea extract. I would just find some green tea extract with a little caffine. Its easy to find at any walmart or drug store, and cheap, like $3 for 100 capsules. I would suggest about 35mg of caffine per capsule. That enough to help the EGCG but not make you a jittery caffine head.

But there's no magic potion out there. Its a lot of eating the right stuff, and sweat.

Don't forget your fruits and vegetables. It will help increase you metabolism and you need 5-10 portions a day. They make a great snack or desert.

I am honestly afraid of the harmful effects that supplements could have, given that they do not have to go through clinical trials, and diet supplements were chock full of ephedra until they found out it could kill you. That being said, I had about 100 pounds to lose when I started out, and I really believe the best thing you can do is make healthy changes you can stick to for a lifetime. Take it one small step at a time and make commitments you can live with! Good luck!!!

have to agree.. I am against supliments. They just aren't safe as good old healthy food and exercise. And water.. lotsa water. Which reminds me.. I better.

Thank you all for your responses. I may just try to get some green tea at walmart or Kroger. FatGuyTri your weight scale thing looks almost identical to mine. I'm currently 330 and would like to go to 210. When I was a senior in high school I weighed 195, but I was in great shape and played football. I'm 5'11". I see you've already lost quite a bit of weight, and you must be feeling much better.