Weight Loss With Medications and Supplements

abnerchiang5574

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.

neanderthin

Yeah, you fell for that one. Eat a chili, that will probably work better.

abnerchiang5574

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?

COGypsy

A good rule of thumb for weight loss supplements: if it works, it’s not legal and if it’s legal it doesn’t work.

wm3796

Supplements do not work or more people would take them and we would not have an obesity epidemic.

Corina1143

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

abnerchiang5574 wrote: »

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:

abnerchiang5574 wrote: »

(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

nicotine increases daily calorie burn. smoking a pack of cigarettes per day burns approx 250 calories.

paperpudding

^^ 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

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

paperpudding wrote: »

^^ 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

paperpudding

I stand by my post.

Not funny. And Irelevant to thread topic.

peggy_polenta

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

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

paperpudding wrote: »

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

peggy_polenta 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.

ddsb1111

snowflake954 wrote: »

peggy_polenta 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.

frhaberl

OP, since you asked for feedback or insights on your perspective, I'd like to share my perspective on your perspective.

I'll preface by saying that I have personally chosen not to pursue any weight loss drugs or supplements. I also would say I am uncomfortable with the level of judgement and arrogance I can find myself indulging in when I compare my success with that of people who have opted for weight loss surgery/medications/supplements.

I know people who have "resorted to" weight loss medications, surgery, and/or supplements. I know that the statistics for regaining the weight are not in their favor, especially if they don't do the work to address the issues behind the lifestyle that brought them to an unhealthy weight and make the changes that will keep them from getting back into that lifestyle. Heck, the statistics for the slow and steady, patient and enduring commitment path can be depressing. Here's where I check myself - some of the people who have taken weight loss medication or had weight loss surgery HAD tried to lose weight without them. They reached a point where the risks of not losing the weight outweighed the risks of the side effects and they needed that medical intervention to get to a point where they could start the longer journey of learning to continue the weight loss and maintain the lifestyle changes.

So I would challenge one of your perspectives - Engaging in medical intervention to lose weight is the "easy way out" and will inevitably lead to regaining the weight with a bonus of all kinds of side effects. I think a more balanced perspective would be to acknowledge that medical intervention often comes with side effects and those should be considered and compared to the detrimental effects of continuing at an unhealthy weight. I agree that "natural" weight loss is preferable to more drastic measures, but think it wise to concede that not everyone has the same ability to achieve "natural" weight loss. I think it's more analogous to mental health where some people might need long term medication to maintain a functional mental health level, some people may need short term medication to get to a point of mental clarity where they can start to learn coping/adaptive behaviors that will minimize/eliminate the need for medication, and some may be able to manage their mental health issues through behavioral adaptation.

Another perspective that you might want to challenge yourself on is the idea that taking "health" supplements for the purpose of faster weight loss is better than taking weight loss medications. There are some exceptions, but in general supplement use does not have data to show the efficacy, even in the short term, for weight loss. They are also (generally) uncontrolled and used under no/minimal medical supervision. So if you are conceding that it's okay to take something to speed weight loss, but that taking an uncontrolled, unproven substance with little or no medical supervision is preferable to taking something that has been through controlled studies to prove efficacy, and has regulated dosage levels and is being managed under medical supervision.....

Ultimately, I have no problem with your perspective that medical intervention is not something you would choose FOR YOURSELF and that you feel comfortable trying health supplements to speed your weight loss. I think there is some risk of being perceived as hypocritical by implying that anyone who takes the "short cut" of medical intervention, while you are pursuing the "short cut" of supplements.

cwolfman13

ddsb1111 wrote: »

snowflake954 wrote: »

peggy_polenta 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

peggy_polenta 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.

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

peggy_polenta wrote: »

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.