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Weight Loss With Medications and Supplements

Having been active on MFP over the past few days, I can sense a vibrant community of individuals dedicated to improving their fitness and overall health, with a focus on weight loss.

Losing weight is undoubtedly a challenging and enduring journey. It requires patience, a steady pace, and a steadfast commitment. However, I've noticed that some individuals are seeking quick fixes through weight loss medications and supplements.

1. Weight Loss Medications:
When it comes to medications, there is a wide array of weight loss drugs available. Demand and supply are interconnected, meaning there are individuals who turn to these medications as a shortcut to shedding pounds. In my opinion, this approach contradicts the very purpose of weight loss, which is to achieve better health and well-being without relying on drugs. It's disheartening to see people resorting to medication from the very start of their journey. For me, achieving weight loss should always be a drug-free process. Using weight loss drugs often comes with a host of side effects, which is why I have never, and will never, consider them as an option for losing weight.

2. Health Supplements:
However, I must confess that my patience wore thin recently, and I started taking green tea extract as a supplement to boost my metabolism, in an attempt to expedite my weight loss journey. I've begun to have second thoughts about this choice and am concerned that I might be veering off the right path. I'm now contemplating discontinuing its use.

I would greatly appreciate any feedback or insights you can provide on my perspective.

Replies

  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,261 Member
    edited October 2023
    :) Yeah, you fell for that one. Eat a chili, that will probably work better. :)
  • abnerchiang5574
    abnerchiang5574 Posts: 24 Member
    Thanks for the useful suggestion.

    My body cannot tolerate spicy food, unfortunately. Would taking capsaicin supplements be an equally bad idea?

    Does anyone drink green tea, instead of taking green tea extract, to boost metabolism and lose weight?

    Is anyone actually in support of weight loss using supplements?
  • wm3796
    wm3796 Posts: 100 Member
    Supplements do not work or more people would take them and we would not have an obesity epidemic.
  • Corina1143
    Corina1143 Posts: 3,802 Member
    I think some supplements work a little bit for certain things. Maybe not like they're supposed to. Like a hot pepper. What it would do for me is make me want water, more water, and then a big ice water. That would make me full so I wouldn't overeat. Whatever works, however it works.
    I have never taken green tea pills, can't imagine taking capsaicin pills for weight loss, but I did take chromium for a few days to help me quit sugar cold turkey. It helped. I used to eat fiber--an apple, not a pill, but it might work the same--on my way home from work to fill my Hangry spot so I could slow down and cook supper instead of blindly reaching for a candy bar and some cookies while looking for supper.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,600 Member
    Thanks for the useful suggestion.

    My body cannot tolerate spicy food, unfortunately. Would taking capsaicin supplements be an equally bad idea?

    Does anyone drink green tea, instead of taking green tea extract, to boost metabolism and lose weight?

    Is anyone actually in support of weight loss using supplements?

    There is no safe, legal supplement that will materially "increase metabolism" or speed up weight loss. Caffeine is about the closest, but we habituate to the amount we consume so have to keep consuming more to get the same effect, loosely speaking.

    I drank a bunch of green tea and matcha while losing weight, and while maintaining post-loss. As far as I can tell, it doesn't do anything for appetite or weight loss. It tastes good, though. And it's hydrating. (Yes, coffee and tea are hydrating. Slightly diuretic, but not enough so that we don't benefit from the fluid.)

    You said it all in your OP:
    (snip)

    Losing weight is undoubtedly a challenging and enduring journey. It requires patience, a steady pace, and a steadfast commitment.

    (snip)
    .

    Focus on finding a nutritious combination of foods you enjoy eating that add up to good nutrition and appropriate calories, plus are affordable and practical for you to buy and prepare. Add fun (or at least tolerable and practical) exercise that you can see yourself continuing long term. Think about non-annoying ways to increase movement in your daily life.

    Summation: Find new habits you can happily continue almost on autopilot forever to stay at a healthy weight once you get there. Think about how to make weight loss easier, not faster.

    Staying at a healthy weight - weight management - is a forever endeavor. Easier is good.

    If you need supplements to achieve reasonable well-rounded nutrition, to treat deficiencies or other health problems, or your doctor suggests you take them for other reasons, take them. Otherwise, skip them: All they do is lighten the wallet.

  • peggy_polenta
    peggy_polenta Posts: 325 Member
    edited October 2023
    nicotine increases daily calorie burn. smoking a pack of cigarettes per day burns approx 250 calories.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,302 Member
    ^^ I'm sure that is supossed to be a joke but IMO not a very good one

    and given there are some misguided people who do smoke partly not to gain weight, a very silly suggestion, even as a joke.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,302 Member
    OP - drinking green tea might have an indirect effect on weight loss if you are drinking it instead of a high calorie drink - the same way diet sodas as an alternative to regular ones works

    But that's all - it has no real effect in itself on weight loss - and in tablet form can't see it having any effect at all, even indirectly
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,261 Member
    edited October 2023
    ^^ I'm sure that is supossed to be a joke but IMO not a very good one

    and given there are some misguided people who do smoke partly not to gain weight, a very silly suggestion, even as a joke.

    That's just simple data on nicotine. Nicotine burns around 10 calories per cigarette, so if it's a 25 pack a day that's 250 calories a day.

    As far as taking that as a joke, well, a person would need to understand the incongruity of the multiple interpretations of a perceived joke, and of course there's the old saying that facts don't care about your feelings. Personally I found it quite funny and relieved a little stress if, just for that moment. Cheers :)
  • peggy_polenta
    peggy_polenta Posts: 325 Member
    it wasnt a joke an relevant to the thread. nicotine does increase calorie burn. that was the question op posed. everyone was saying no such supplement exits. as stated above...facts don't care about your feelings. and neither do i.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,302 Member
    I disagree.

    Nothing to do with my feelings though but about posting responsibly.

    Am not further engaging on this - point has been made and will let it return to original intention if anyone has anything new to add.
  • peggy_polenta
    peggy_polenta Posts: 325 Member
    I disagree.

    Nothing to do with my feelings though but about posting responsibly.

    Am not further engaging on this - point has been made and will let it return to original intention if anyone has anything new to add.

    gaslighting
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    edited November 2023
    it wasnt a joke an relevant to the thread. nicotine does increase calorie burn. that was the question op posed. everyone was saying no such supplement exits. as stated above...facts don't care about your feelings. and neither do i.

    I've always understood that nicotine suppresses appetite. Therefore eating less=weight loss.
    There's no special calorie burn.
  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 885 Member
    it wasnt a joke an relevant to the thread. nicotine does increase calorie burn. that was the question op posed. everyone was saying no such supplement exits. as stated above...facts don't care about your feelings. and neither do i.

    I've always understood that nicotine suppresses appetite. Therefore eating less=weight loss.
    There's no special calorie burn.

    I was just going to ask about this. I wonder if it’s the increased heart rate, the lack of calories, or both? 🤔 Off to google.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    ddsb1111 wrote: »
    it wasnt a joke an relevant to the thread. nicotine does increase calorie burn. that was the question op posed. everyone was saying no such supplement exits. as stated above...facts don't care about your feelings. and neither do i.

    I've always understood that nicotine suppresses appetite. Therefore eating less=weight loss.
    There's no special calorie burn.

    I was just going to ask about this. I wonder if it’s the increased heart rate, the lack of calories, or both? 🤔 Off to google.

    It's a combination of both. Regular nicotine use has shown to increase resting metabolism by about 10% and slightly more with exercise or with nicotine use after a meal vs being just at rest and watching TV or whatever. Smoking and the like, while not necessarily suppressing appetite (studies are a pretty mixed bag), can often act as a "behavior deterrent"...ie, reach for a smoke instead of a cookie. In more recent times, I suppose you could also throw in additional NEAT with needing to walk to some far flung area of a deserted parking lot to smoke.

    Not that I recommend it, but the studies do support it...and really, a 10% increase in resting metabolism isn't particularly significant, certainly not significant enough to take on the added health risks of regular nicotine use. It's basically the same thing as going for a 30-40 minute walk everyday, and the walk is going to be much better for you...though if I'm being 100% honest, I've been known to go out for a walk and smoke a cigar from time to time.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,600 Member
    edited November 2023
    it wasnt a joke an relevant to the thread. nicotine does increase calorie burn. that was the question op posed. everyone was saying no such supplement exits. as stated above...facts don't care about your feelings. and neither do i.

    In my PP, I said "nothing safe and legal". It's pretty clear by now that cigarette smoking isn't safe. Objectively, nicotine in pretty small doses is a poison, and that's not the sole health down-side of smoking.

    Are you suggesting that someone poison themselves to achieve slightly faster weight loss? I assume not, because that would be cruel.

    And it's not responsive to the OP, which is clearly health-focused.
  • sloth3toes
    sloth3toes Posts: 2,212 Member
    edited November 2023
    nicotine increases daily calorie burn. smoking a pack of cigarettes per day burns approx 250 calories.

    When my Doctor offered me Ozempic in January, 2023, it freaked me out so much, I decided I had to do 'something.' I have been doing my personal version of AD fasting since then, and am down about 35 lbs. But, there's been a few hiccups on the way, and when I've been losing motivation and not being assiduous enough, I've turned to Nicorette. I've been addicted on and off to Nicorette since I quit smoking over 30 years ago. I've gone for years and years off the stuff... Then, I'll go through a rough patch in life and there I am in the drugstore, getting hooked again.

    Anecdotally, I can say that it decreases my appetite. I don't feel as hungry or inclined to eat when I'm huffing the ole Nicorette spray. I didn't really realize it may increase metabolism and actually have a weight loss effect. Either way, it has gotten me over the hump once or twice.

    I do realize this is not the most intelligent way to lose weight, and I am NOT recommending anyone else try the same thing. I can, and have quit Nicorette numerous times, and I can quit it again. I simply decided, back in January, that losing weight was my first priority.

    So irregardless of any science behind it, it's my crutch.

    wvxt95ezh9i9.jpg
  • sloth3toes
    sloth3toes Posts: 2,212 Member
    edited November 2023
    *** Duplicate post. Please delete. ***
  • jeri30
    jeri30 Posts: 88 Member
    You might want to watch this video. It's only 17 minutes and Abbey Sharp is a licensed registered dietician:

    https://youtu.be/Fl9JiBQ0MYY?si=e8GIUHHKId_swYaz

    She talks about supplements and their "effects" on your calorie burn/metabolism according to research at the beginning (most of the video) and what helps at the end.