Where do you buy your chia seeds?

I could not find them locally either.

nutsonline.com

Unless you live in a really small town you might want to ask at your local health food store. Even if they don't have them most places will order them in. And it should save you shipping costs.

What is the point of them?

Vitacost.com

If you do a quick "pubmed" search you'll find that chia seeds are just the next big diet fad. There is no scientific evidence that they promote weight loss. This is just one scientific journal article but there are many more like it:

Nutr Res. 2009 Jun;29(6):414-8.
Chia seed does not promote weight loss or alter disease risk factors in overweight adults.

Nieman DC, Cayea EJ, Austin MD, Henson DA, McAnulty SR, Jin F.

Department of Health, Leisure, and Exercise Science Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608, USA. niemandc@appstate.edu
Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of chia seed (Salvia hispanica L) in promoting weight loss and altering disease risk factors in overweight adults. The hypothesis was that the high dietary fiber and alpha-linolenic (ALA) contents of chia seed would induce a small but significant decrease in body weight and fat and improve disease risk factors. Subjects were randomized to chia seed (CS) and placebo (P) groups, and under single-blinded procedures, ingested 25 g CS or P supplements mixed in 0.25 L water twice daily before the first and last meal for 12 weeks. Ninety nondiseased, overweight/obese men and women between the ages of 20 and 70 years were recruited into the study, with 76 subjects (n = 39 CS, n = 37 P) completing all phases of the study. Pre- and poststudy measures included body mass and composition (dual energy x-ray absorptiometry), inflammation markers from fasting blood samples (C-reactive protein, interleukin 6, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, and tumor necrosis factor alpha), oxidative stress markers (trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity and plasma nitrite), blood pressure, and a serum lipid profile. Plasma ALA increased 24.4% compared to a 2.8% decrease in CS and P, respectively (interaction effect, P = .012). No group differences were measured for changes in plasma eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (interaction effects, P = .420 and .980, respectively). Pre-to-post measures of body composition, inflammation, oxidative stress, blood pressure, and lipoproteins did not differ between CS and P for both sexes. In conclusion, ingestion of 50 g/d CS vs P for 12 weeks by overweight/obese men and women had no influence on body mass or composition, or various disease risk factor measures.

If you do a quick "pubmed" search you'll find that chia seeds are just the next big diet fad. There is no scientific evidence that they promote weight loss. This is just one scientific journal article but there are many more like it:

Nutr Res. 2009 Jun;29(6):414-8.
Chia seed does not promote weight loss or alter disease risk factors in overweight adults.

Nieman DC, Cayea EJ, Austin MD, Henson DA, McAnulty SR, Jin F.

Department of Health, Leisure, and Exercise Science Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608, USA. niemandc@appstate.edu
Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of chia seed (Salvia hispanica L) in promoting weight loss and altering disease risk factors in overweight adults. The hypothesis was that the high dietary fiber and alpha-linolenic (ALA) contents of chia seed would induce a small but significant decrease in body weight and fat and improve disease risk factors. Subjects were randomized to chia seed (CS) and placebo (P) groups, and under single-blinded procedures, ingested 25 g CS or P supplements mixed in 0.25 L water twice daily before the first and last meal for 12 weeks. Ninety nondiseased, overweight/obese men and women between the ages of 20 and 70 years were recruited into the study, with 76 subjects (n = 39 CS, n = 37 P) completing all phases of the study. Pre- and poststudy measures included body mass and composition (dual energy x-ray absorptiometry), inflammation markers from fasting blood samples (C-reactive protein, interleukin 6, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, and tumor necrosis factor alpha), oxidative stress markers (trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity and plasma nitrite), blood pressure, and a serum lipid profile. Plasma ALA increased 24.4% compared to a 2.8% decrease in CS and P, respectively (interaction effect, P = .012). No group differences were measured for changes in plasma eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (interaction effects, P = .420 and .980, respectively). Pre-to-post measures of body composition, inflammation, oxidative stress, blood pressure, and lipoproteins did not differ between CS and P for both sexes. In conclusion, ingestion of 50 g/d CS vs P for 12 weeks by overweight/obese men and women had no influence on body mass or composition, or various disease risk factor measures.

I have no idea about the weight loss claims, but to discard them because they "don't help weight loss" or "they are the latest fad" would be to ignore a very healthy high fiber food. They have lots of Omega 3s, more than flax seed IIRC, lots of fiber, and various things like that. Also, unlike flax seeds, you don't have to grind them first for your body to digest them. All that translates into a healthy natural way to increase your Omega 3s that does not require eating fish.

I find they really help keep me feeling full. While they may not directly help me lose weight, that extra fiber certainly does help. Of course you could eat beans for the fiber, and they would help as well. I find chia seeds convenient and they serving size I use provides about 6 grams of fiber. For most North Americans that is more than half the fiber they eat in a day (something I find hard to believe) and it contributes to the 40 plus grams of fiber I eat every day in an easy to consume manner.

All the other claims are hype, but for an easy source of fiber and Omega 3s, they are my choice over flax seeds.