I came across some research on weight loss supplements recently and thought it would make an interesting post for those of you who have either tried weight loss supplements or are thinking about using them. As I mentioned in my post last week How to spot a diet scam, I have had first hand experience with weight loss supplements because I used to work in a health food shop. The owners very generously allowed us to buy our supplements at just above wholesale prices, so I ended up trying quite a few. None of them worked, not a single one. I tried ones that blocked fat absorption, ones that blocked carbohydrate absorption and ones that were supposed to suppress your appetite. Most of the weight loss supplements that I tried 20 years ago no longer exist, but every year a whole new range of magical supplements from the fruit of the rainforests is introduced.
The truth about weight loss supplements
After reviewing the evidence on hundreds of weight loss supplements, Linda Manore, a professor of nutrition and exercise sciences at the Oregan State University, concluded that none of them lived up to the claims that they made. She concluded that none of the supplements contained the “Magic Pill” formula, and the only way for people to lose weight was through the normal channels: changing the diet and moderate exercise.
It annoys me when I see all the weight loss supplements hype in the full page ads in our state newspaper every Sunday and the photos of the svelte bodies that used to be dozens of pounds overweight. What the adverts don’t mention is that the people who were successful were more than likely on a calorie restricted diet. Well doh, of course the supplements are going to “work”.
Four categories of weight loss supplements
Manore discovered that weight loss supplements fall into four categories:
- Stimulants such as caffeine that increase your metabolism
- Products such as chitosan that are supposed to block fat absorption and which is supposed to block carbohydrate absorption
- Products containing conjugated linoleic acid claiming to help you lose fat and change the composition of your body and
- Appetite suppressants such as soluble fibres
There were no properly run clinical trials to test any of these products and if there were any weight loss victories, these were most likely achieved through the low calorie diet. As well as being ineffective, the weight loss supplements also had some very unpleasant side effects such as gas, bloating and some serious cardiovascular effects.
So next time that you are browsing the weight loss supplements in your health food shop or chemist, resist, because you are only going to be parted from your hard earned money and will have nothing to show for it.
As a dietician and researcher, Linda came to the conclusion that you do have to make some lifestyle changes to lose weight. You need to cut out the junk food and drinks, eat healthily, do some moderate exercise and ditch the weight loss supplements.
Source:
Melinda M. Manore. Dietary Supplements for Improving Body Composition and Reducing Body Weight: Where is the evidence? International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 2012
What weight loss supplements have you used?
Further reading:
More about weight loss supplements and diet scams
Lose weight with Weight Watchers
Kick start your metabolism with The Diet Solution
I’m impressed, I must say. Rarely do I encounter a blog that’s equally educative and engaging, and without a doubt, you’ve hit the nail on the head. The issue is something too few folks are speaking intelligently about. I am very happy I came across this during my hunt for something regarding this.
I think when it comes to weight loss, most of us are so desperate that we are prepared to try anything at some time or another.
jan recently posted..How to spot a diet scam
I don’t think weight loss suppliments are useful at all. I have tried them in the past but the only way I have lost weight is through eating less and doing a lot of extra exercise!
Harriet recently posted..Sony Ericsson Xperia X8
Yep, that really is the only way to do it. You don’t have to starve yourself but you do need to cut back and mainly cut out the junk stuff.
jan recently posted..Do we need to stop eating fruit to quit sugar?
The best weight loss supplement is a healthy diet and exercise! Nothing new, I know. But it truly is the only sure-fire way to stay fit. Supplements are generally a waste of money. I’m pretty sure they’re not FDA approved so I wouldn’t ever trust them. You should focus on putting good stuff in your body, not stuff that will trick your body into “thinking it’s full.” It’s just not healthy!
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Hi Brian
You are right, healthy eating and moderate exercise is the way to go. I have tried many supplements and they absolutely do not work if you still eat the same diet – first hand experience!
jan recently posted..Hormones and weight gain – are your hormones making you fat?
I must admit that I was desperate enough to lose weight and I ended up buying some weight loss supplements. I remember it was a brand called Hydroxycut. Healthy lifestyle and discipline on food is what’s lacking in my life right now, and maybe that’s because I work long hours in front of the computer.
Hi Felicia
Working long hours makes life extremely tough – it’s hard to fit in the healthy, home cooked meals and a bit of exercise. I think most of us who have struggled with our weight would have tried weight loss supplements at some time or another though. It’s hard not to get sucked in once in a while!
jan recently posted..Coping with Easter for the chocoholic
hi jan
glad to meet with you, in my opinion about weight loss supplements are the pills do not always give a good effect, for example, a friend of mine. he’s got a fat body, and to lose weight pill he was taking weight loss pills. He complained that he often suffered from abdominal pain and often went to the bathroom. And now he has excess abdominal skin due to effects from the drugs he was taking.
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Hi Win
I have read about the really bad side effects from many of these supplements, I guess the best advice is just to stay away from them altogether.
jan recently posted..Coping with Easter for the chocoholic
Nice post! I learned a lot of information from this post. But before jumping on into some weight loss program, you need to evaluate yourself if you really need to lose few more extra pounds. Remember, a healthy body doesn’t mean you should have a thin body. Never get the wrong impression of being healthy by getting thin or else, you will find yourself face to face with further problems like anorexia and other weight diseases problems.
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Hi Aaron
Good point there, you don’t have to be super thin to be healthy.
jan recently posted..How to spot a diet scam
From my personal opinion I think weight loss supplements are amazing. I have used them for over 9 months now and i have dropped dramatic weight. It’s safe and a low cost solution for losing weight.
Which ones did you use?
jan recently posted..Coping with Easter for the chocoholic
The main supplement that i take is HCG Diet drops. They seem to work really well for me.
This is exactly the sort of scam I am writing about. Considering a sedentary person requires 2,000-2,500 daily calories, no wonder you lose weight on 500 calories a day! It is nothing more than a starvation diet.
jan recently posted..Do we need to stop eating fruit to quit sugar?
Before choosing any weight loss supplements or any program regarding weight loss, you must have to control on your diet. I know many ladies who choose some weight loss supplements and also some programs as well as also regularly visit some professionals but still they not getting an effective results due to their diets.
For sure, you still need to watch what you eat.
jan recently posted..How to spot a diet scam
And I use hcg drops and I think they are the best in my case I don`t know for other.
hcg pellets recently posted..HCG Ban
I think one of the big things for HCG is that you are on a starvation diet of 500 calories a day – a sedentary female would be on about 2,000 a day, no wonder you lose weight!!
jan recently posted..Stand up to avoid ill health
The Burn supplement from the Dr Max Powers brand really works. Detoxifies the body and gives you good energy without staining your teeth (it has caffeine, it give you the energy but doesn’t make you feel sluggish and doesn’t stain your teeth like coffee does). The grapefruit powder suppresses your appetite which makes your eating portions smaller. You start craving vegetables, soups and salads. I love it. I am losing weight by the day and I eat five to six little meals during the day. If you combine this stuff with your usual 20 mn workout a day, you will be amazed with the results. The beauty about this is that you MAINTAIN the weight loss! I love it!
Hi Charita
It is great that you have had success with your weight loss. There is a study published in PubMed that shows a small weight loss in a group of people taking grapefruit supplements – but only .8 kg more than the control group and only a total of 1.1 kg over 12 weeks which is not a great deal. You will probably find that you have actually cut back significantly on what you were eating and that is why you have had the weight loss.
jan recently posted.. Walking for weight loss – move it or lose it
Talk about the Wild West Jan. After reading this post, I am more convinced then ever that this industry needs to reigned in. While they are at it, they can tighten up food labels on claims like “organic”, “whole” and “low fat”
I probably cost myself months if not more than a year treading water with fitness buying into the various hypes.
I know this is a few days old, but I am curious if anyone has read “Primal Blueprint” by Mark Sisson?
Cheryl
Cheryl Boswell recently posted..Does Bender Ball Exercise Ball Give You a Legit Effective Workout for Abs?
Totally agree Cheryl – we need truth in labelling without the language manipulation they indulge in at the moment and hiding what ingredients are behind numbers! I haven’t read The Primal Blueprint:
but it looks interesting.
jan recently posted..Why you need a pedometer
Jan,
What I liked about the book was that it totally simplified eating. It got me thinking about the importance of content v. quantity. Some foods are awesome and you can eat all you want with the concept of “calories” being of minimal importance. Some other foods have a tendency to change the fat burning and storing process in our bodies even just eating a bite or two. Fascinating in that book and a real game changer for me. The website is called Marks Daily Apple if anyone wants to add it to their bookmarks. If nothing else there are some really good nutritious recipes on there.
Thanks again Jan.
Cheryl
Cheryl Boswell recently posted..Does Bender Ball Exercise Ball Give You a Legit Effective Workout for Abs?
Thanks again Cheryl I have subscribed to the newsletter – it looks a bit like the Paleo Diet which is basically trying to eat as we used to in our hunter/gatherer days – the recipes do look yummy!
jan recently posted..Why you need a pedometer
Jan,
Some of the snacks particularly are interesting. If there is one area I fall down a lot it is snacking. There seems like there is either boring where you get sick of it and on the extreme other end is tasty but bad for you.
The nut and honey based snack recipes are a little bit of a chore to prepare but worth it. Glad you liked the site. Mr. Sisson is definitely onto something. Changed my nutritional life actually.
Cheryl
Cheryl Boswell recently posted..Your P90X2 DVDs: Are They Destined To Get Returned Because You Can’t Get Into the Workout?
Had to share my thoughts. Actually I think you have done an awesome job designing as well as sharing valuable information on your site.
Not many people seem to do so online today.
All the best to you.
Health is your greatest wealth,
Roy
Thanks Roy. I certainly agree with you that health is your greatest wealth – and we should never take it for granted!
jan recently posted..Should we really be on a sugar free diet?
I find that any diet plan claiming you can lose weight at a rate greater than a few pounds a month to be a scam. Human bodies are designed to resist starvation, which means we bulk up whenever there’s food around. That also means we don’t lose weight easily. Our bodies aren’t adapted to the stupid weight standards some people have set for “beauty” we’re adapted for survival and continuation of the species.
Crescent recently posted..Basic Herbalism: The Use of Medicinal Herbs
That’s for sure, we are beautifully adapted for survival, but unfortunately when that was happening we didn’t have such an abundance of food and junk food like we have now!
jan recently posted..Office exercises and exercise at work
This is great site on weight loss and i will like anyone with weight loss issue to come here.
Thanks Aborigho
jan recently posted.. Why do I always feel hungry?
I think as far as supplements go, having your body saturated with vitamins and minerals is a good thing. Eating them naturally is better, but if you have a diet lacking in something vitamins can help. I know a lot of us are low in Vitamin D3. we don’t get out in the sun enough and when we do we put sunscreen on.
Taking vitamin D3 may help those that are low in the vitamin.
As far as weight loss goes, the best answer is lower amount of calories and exercise, we don’t like the answer and probably never will.
Corey recently posted..Brazil Butt Lift Versus Yoga Booty Ballet
I agree with that last bit Corey! With vitamins I take a supplement because I think that our food chain is so depleted nowadays, but I always have one or two days off a week – no routine but just to give the body a break from processing concentrated nutrients.
jan recently posted..Just looking at food can make you fat! And sleep deprivation leads to poor food choices
On the topic of weight loss, this came out Friday. Really stresses the importance of keeping a journal. I don’t know where I stand on that. I lost weight effectively without it. I truthfully think people will tend not to look back at it anyways.
However the point about eating out is a good one. I have been a big proponent of making eating out a special occasion thing where once a week, biweekly or once a month, you go out and you don’t worry one bit about calories, fat or anything else. Where eating out tended to get me was when I was doing it regularly at quick food joints.
I thought you and your readers would enjoy this article and study.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/weight-loss-techniques-work/story?id=16762211
Cheryl Boswell recently posted..Some Thoughts on What Has Made the 6 Week Body Makeover Book and Program Popular
That’s a great link Cheryl. Tracking what you eat is a really big thing with Weight Watchers and it really does work. It’s not really meant to ever look back on but just to keep track day to day. It is so easy to “forget” a lolly here, a biscuit there, a bit of this here and there. When you have to write it all down it really makes you mindful and you definitely can’t cheat because it is there in black and white. Also with WW because you add up the points as you go you can really see how you are travelling for the day.
Having a weekly special occasion is also a great idea, we humans are largely social creatures and you can’t stay at home just because you are on a diet! Thankfully the best diets now recognise that and incorporate treats and special occasions and you can still lose weight.
You would be amazed at how many people who lose weight with WW still track every day to maintain their weight.
jan recently posted..When is a blueberry not a blueberry?
Like your article because i really hate all those supplements/diet pills scams you can find everywhere because they are really scammers trying to hit on peoples soft spot – The problem with their weight.
morten recently posted..How to Lose Fat by Setting a Goal And Lose 10%
Impressive article. I never knew that most of theses supplements are not clinically tested. That’s the reason why people never actually lose weight on supplements. Tssk. What a waste of money and time.
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