Plentity FDA weight loss drug vs Fiber Supplements

FiberousJ

I know there's a lot of doubters when it comes to weight loss supplements. You can probably dismiss this thread. I've seen some ads on Plentity. Supposedly it expands in your stomach and can absorb 100x its weight. I've also read that Glucomannan fiber can absorb 50x its weight. So that means if you doubled up, you'd get the same strength?

Plentity is an FDA-approved drug. Does it offer any benefit (in theory) that Glucomannan or Psyllium Seed Husk doesn't? It sure costs much more. What's the benefit of consuming citric acid and cellulose over fiber?

FiberousJ

What do you think about this statement? I got a reply from a rep.

Plenity is not a fiber, it’s an FDA-cleared prescription weight management tool used in combination with diet and exercise for adults who are overweight or obese and have a body mass index BMI of 25-40 kg/m^2.

The structures and properties of our superabsorbent hydrogel, Plenity, are very different from fiber. Plenity particles have a three-dimensional structure, which when hydrated create thousands of small individual, solid gel pieces, which are very similar in their size and firmness to solid ingested vegetables and fruits (but without any calories or nutrient content). Dietary fibers, on the other hand, have linear structure and when hydrated they carry water only on their surface. Watch this video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9YcRANVUQc, to see it in action.

AnnPT77

Personally, I prefer to consume mostly things that humans have consumed for centuries/millennia, and thrived. I found ways to do that, and manage my satiation and body weight, after previous decades of obesity. It took some experimenting, though.

YMMV.

FiberousJ

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Personally, I prefer to consume mostly things that humans have consumed for centuries/millennia, and thrived. I found ways to do that, and manage my satiation and body weight, after previous decades of obesity. It took some experimenting, though.

YMMV.

What kinda ways? Care to share?

L1zardQueen

It sounds like a good way to get stopped up, it reminds of cement. I like apples better.

AnnPT77

FiberousJ wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Personally, I prefer to consume mostly things that humans have consumed for centuries/millennia, and thrived. I found ways to do that, and manage my satiation and body weight, after previous decades of obesity. It took some experimenting, though.

YMMV.

What kinda ways? Care to share?

*What* in what kinda ways?

It's fairly obvious what humans have eaten for centuries and thrived, I think. It's mostly what some people would call whole foods (veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, relatively low-processed dairy in some cultures, eggs, etc.), plus traditional-ish "processed" foods (stuff like yogurt, fermented foods, reasonable bread, pasta, etc.). I don't personally eat meat/fish (for reasons having nothing to do with health), but I'd include meat/fish/seafood in the canon. (Diets without animal foods can be healthful, but healthful diets including them are slightly simpler to manage.)

For me, though, a lot of that is taste preference: Most of the so-called hyperpalatable modern processed foods are things I don't particularly like, haven't liked for decades if ever.

What I *really* think is most important is well-rounded, balanced nutrition: Enough of the essential macronutrients (fat and protein), plus a boatload of veggies/fruits for micronutrients and fiber, at appropriate calories. IMO it matters relatively little which food choices the essential macros come from.

Most people, IMO, would be better off focusing on getting the right nutrients *into* their eating, and worrying less about eliminating supposedly bad things, chasing individual supposed "superfoods", demonizing particular macros (fats or carbs, usually) or foods, and that sort of things. Those are a red herring, a distraction, a pointless tangent to the important stuff (basic, science-based, overall good nutrition). Also, those things often seem to lead to posturing and dramatics . . . I hate drama, personally.

This thread encapsulates how I'd suggest going about it:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm/p1

The things about experimenting, managing satiation, etc., are discussed more in that thread.

Satiation, practicality, taste preference are all individual and flexible. My preference (or leaning, maybe more accurately) toward foods human have eaten for centuries is more of a bet hedge: It seems natural-selection-tested, to me. I think overall good nutrition is more important than whether someone gets protein from a hamburger patty or tofu or lentils.

Again, YMMV.

penguinmama87

I think the thing that weirds me out about many (not necessarily all) weight loss supplements is that they work by disrupting how the system is supposed to work. It's not restoring health or improving function, but circumventing it, introducing inefficiencies on purpose. Maybe sometimes circumstances warrant it, or drastic measures are needed. But something feels very off about it to me.

MaggieGirl135

It sounds like the inside of a diaper (a brand new one, lol, not one filled by a baby).

Speakeasy76

Ugh. At one point in my life I would've wanted to take a pill like this, even though I was probably about 20 pounds from a healthy BMI. What I have learned, though, that it takes more than a pill, diet and exercise to MAINTAIN weight loss. It's behavioral changes and mindset shifts that have to happen (or had to happen for me, anyway) for weight loss to become permanent. This pill just sounds like another quick-fix. Obesity has become an epidemic in this country, and this is one of Big Pharma's solutions.

Having said that, I can understand that there may be a subset of people who are overweight or obese who really can't sense when they're full and frequently eat to the point of discomfort. Maybe this drug would help initially, but then what? Are they supposed to take it forever? What happens if they stop?

Like others have said, I think a much better strategy is to find foods that are more satiating and getting fiber from food (even though I guess this is not absorbed like regular food). If people are to use this, I think it's very important that they're also taught how to make the dietary AND behavioral changes necessary to lose and maintain weight loss without the use of the drug.

neanderthin

My knee jerk reaction was the OP is a rep for plenity.

plzfeedmecookies

neanderthin wrote: »

My knee jerk reaction was the OP is a rep for plenity.

Same.