rcburto

Has anyone had success with diet pills? I had lost 10 lbs. over 2 months using portion control and some exercise. Then I added Alli thinking I would lose faster. Instead, I gained 4 lbs in a week so I quit that. Then I tried Phenphedrine which I have been on almost a week now and it looks like I have gained about 2 lbs and I am ready to quit. Am I giving these things enough time to work? Do they work better over a longer period of time or do they not work at all? Anyone know?

VitoVino

I've had success with Fish Oil (supplement), Choline-Inositol tabs (supplement), and a generic brand of Capsimax (weight loss pill; only $12 per 30 tabs and it's a great thermogenic). Diet pills work great IF you're exercising regularly as well as tracking your calories.

Green tea also burns about 80 calories a day. Doesn't sound like much but after a week it adds up to a nice little "extra workout" that you've snuck into the equation. And it has other heath benefits as well!

As for appetite suppression, if you're getting enough fiber and protein and drinking a lot of water/green tea, you really don't need a pill to suppress your hunger...

Check into a thermogenic pill and get exercising more if you can.

This may be of help as well:

http://www.fitday.com/fitness/forums...s%20pills.html

mecompco

To lose weight you need to maintain a calorie deficit. If pills/supplements help you do this, I guess it's OK. But, you need to consider what's going to happen once you lose the weight and discontinue their use. Just my .02.

Regards,
Michael

VitoVino

Good point. Weight loss "supplements" are different than "weight loss pills" and I think I've had more success with the supplements (fish oil, choline-inositol).

LOL when I first started with my new lifestyle I though 25 grams of fiber a day was way too high and too difficult to achieve. I've found ways to easily get 90 grams in a day if I want, and most days I now average around 35. And the fiber has not only helped with the hunger, but it also helps to lower cholesterol. Can't beat that combination.

rcburto

Waht are some good ways to get fiber? I could use a little movement in that area of my body
I got some fish oil and choline inositol yesterday so will see if that helps. Thanks for the tips.

VitoVino

Excellent. I think you'll be happy with the results using those supplements. I take about 4-5 500 mg. of Choline-Inositol a day, and for the fish oil I take 5, 1K mg on days I'm not working out, 3 on days I'm working out. I take 2 less fish oil on workout days because I don't take any before my workout. When the workout is finished I actually want the insulin to work more effectively by using a Chromium supplement ("Chromium is the cell's receptor for insulin. The nutritional side of your recovery plan needs to include the right amount of chromium so that the insulin can open the muscle cells and allow the BCCAs and carbs to do their work"), which then feeds the muscles better with carbs and protein for recovery (within 2 hours of the workout).

For fiber, bananas and carrots are a good choice. I eat about 2-3 bananas a day and along with the bananas, that does a good job. For extra fiber on days I'm watching calories I may eat a fiber bar (which can be found at Wally world and are equivalent to "Fiber One" bars.

An amazing source of fiber are Ole brand High Fiber Low Carb Tortilla Wraps, also from Wally world. One wrap has an amazing 12 g. of fiber, so add some veggies in that for a lunch and you're good to go!

I also eat air popped popcorn almost every night as my only snack of the day. It adds added fiber and is low calorie and really satisfies the snack urge later in the day.

I'll probably make a thread soon with my recommendations for good fiber sources.

Let me know how you make out with the supplements. And give green tea (your own brewed ice tea) a shot. That's also a "supplement" in it's own right. Many people, including myself, attest to the fact that it helps suppress hunger. Plus it's just really good for you in many ways!

Here's what Armstrong's site says about Choline-Inositol:

I'm sure it's worked for me because when I've stopped taking it I've noticed my weight loss is slower.

dysonsphere

You were successful to begin with, why not keep doing that? The pills won't work, you have seen that. It seems you are looking for a magic pill to rid you of the need to watch your diet. Bad mews I am afraid... not going to happen.

helveticat

I've become a bit of a supplement-popper, I'm afraid, contrary to a whole life of telling people they're unnecessary. I've been taking L-Carnitine, green tea & a 100% multivitamin with fish oil for the last 3 months. I also take creatine but not for weight loss and I'm cycled off it at the moment.

So Vito, I'm interested in the Choline-Inositol you're using. I noticed you can get these straight or, at considerably greater expense, stacked with an amino acid called Methionine. There's a bit of info about it here, Google "The Effects Of Methionine On Weight Loss."

As with L-Carnitine and green tea it seems the scientific evidence is pretty thin, and it may not really do anything useful from a weight loss perspective. But if anyone has any tales to tell about it (incl any side effects) I'd be interested.

VitoVino

Helveticat, funny we are taking pretty much the same things. I've tried L-Carnitine and really gave it a go, but as far as a weight loss supplement I've found it to give minimal results. No side effects and I was taking 1500 mg./day. They say the minimal for weight loss is that amount, but the stuff is so expensive I was limiting it.

The Carnitine seems too demanding when it comes to it's requirements as well. When you take it important, as well as having to keep your carb intake below 50%.

The fish oil is a proven winner, not just from a standpoint of being a diet supplement.

The green tea (my own brewed) I am pretty sure is helping boost my metabolism because since I've been drinking it in earnest the pounds have been melting off. Plus it's helped with my hunger.

I'm fairly confident in the Choline-Inositol. I use Swanson brand because they offer a great price. It's also where I got their generic brand of Capsimax (which is now just labeled as Cayenne). A few friends who take a lot of supplements (because they are battling Lyme Disease) turned me on to the site because of the value. Just google it.

I've heard methionine also helps with weight loss, but I don't see any reason to stack it with the C-I. I've found the C-I to be so effective that I can't imagine how stacking could improve it. I think the fish oil + C-I combo is really a great combo.

helveticat

Vito -- belatedly, thanks for this. With the L-C I've been taking 1000mg a day (the bottle recommends 500!) and not limiting my carbs that much so possibly I'm not really giving it a chance.

But I'm definitely going to grab some C-I and see how that goes