Are appetite suppressants always a bad thing?

wellthenwhat
wellthenwhat Posts: 526 Member
edited November 17 in Food and Nutrition
Obviously it wouldn't be sustainable to take them forever. But is it really bad to use them moderately to help get over a hump?
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Replies

  • wellthenwhat
    wellthenwhat Posts: 526 Member
    Good point, it's not hunger, but when I feel physically stuffed, it's easier not to binge. I have eating disorder tendecies.
  • Theo166
    Theo166 Posts: 2,564 Member
    That all depends on what it is, and how it works.
    It should be something healthy that you can rely upon for the rest of your years.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    Good point, it's not hunger, but when I feel physically stuffed, it's easier not to binge. I have eating disorder tendecies.

    I built up a routine where I drink 16 oz of water 30 mins before meal time. This works for me and gets me out of the false hunger signs. This also helps my workouts a lot as I'm looking to increase endurance and sweat a ton in a session.
  • jessicapk
    jessicapk Posts: 574 Member
    I've wondered the same thing, especially for that good ol' time of the month. It's amazing how you can do so well on eating and seriously just want to stuff your face for a few days out of the month. And it never seems to end when it should. Has anyone else used them just during these times? Or maybe even during stressful times, vacations, etc.?
  • wellthenwhat
    wellthenwhat Posts: 526 Member
    jessicapk wrote: »
    I've wondered the same thing, especially for that good ol' time of the month. It's amazing how you can do so well on eating and seriously just want to stuff your face for a few days out of the month. And it never seems to end when it should. Has anyone else used them just during these times? Or maybe even during stressful times, vacations, etc.?

    Exactly. Not as a daily thing, just as a back up kind of like laxatives, lol
  • jessicapk
    jessicapk Posts: 574 Member
    jessicapk wrote: »
    I've wondered the same thing, especially for that good ol' time of the month. It's amazing how you can do so well on eating and seriously just want to stuff your face for a few days out of the month. And it never seems to end when it should. Has anyone else used them just during these times? Or maybe even during stressful times, vacations, etc.?

    Exactly. Not as a daily thing, just as a back up kind of like laxatives, lol

    Or even like an aspirin! I'm not a big fan of taking medications to help lose weight but an appetite suppressant on a rough day seems about equal to taking an aspirin when you have a headache. Yeah, you can tough it through both of them but, if you could take a pill once every so often to avoid derailing an entire day (or more), wouldn't that be better than not taking it at all? Most of us who have binge behaviors know that one binge tends to lead to more so stopping yourself from screwing up one day could possibly save a whole week, which could equal out to a whole pound or more of loss instead of potential gain.
  • Sunna_W
    Sunna_W Posts: 744 Member
    What if your manner of eating made you full and you didn't have any humps?

    I just looked at your diary for this morning and IMO sugar / carbs are the devil! Have you thought about eschewing all sugar and going low carb / high protein and fat?

    Paleo / Ketogenic diets tend to be more satisfying because of the higher fat and emphasis of lots of low carb high fiber vegetables. I am a recovering anorexic myself and this diet requires quite a lot of attention to detail to get ratios right - which makes my OCD-self happy.

    Check out these websites for more information: http://paleoiq.com/best-paleo-diet-blogs/
  • Seant456
    Seant456 Posts: 70 Member
    I would avoid them at all cost, and wouldn't start using them like that...
  • buffinlovin
    buffinlovin Posts: 100 Member
    not a pill, but I will use tea and coffee, both of which have a mild appetite suppressant from the caffeine. It does help curb the edge if I'm hungry, and hold off the munchies when I'm bored. I lean more towards tea because I can drink that without any additions, but coffee I need to use cream and sugar.
  • liftorgohome
    liftorgohome Posts: 25,455 Member
    There are pills out there that have a thermogenic effect that increases the heart rate and thus helps in weight loss. The bad part is the sides. Shaky hands, sweats out of nowhere, jitters, high BP, etc. Not worth it IMO. Clen and Albuterol both gave me these sides. Good old fashion water, carrots, no fat yogurt, etc. and HIIT is the key.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited April 2017
    Seant456 wrote: »
    I would avoid them at all cost, and wouldn't start using them like that...

    Same here.

    I think learning that hunger isn't that big a deal, assuming one is not actually suffering from absence of food, of course, and controlling the tendency to read other things as hunger is important. I wouldn't use a pill to avoid that.

    If the problem (not for OP, but in general) is eating in a way that doesn't promote satiating, understanding that and fixing it is also important.
  • yellingkimber
    yellingkimber Posts: 229 Member
    Are we including natural appetite suppressants like coffee, green tea, and dark chocolate? Because I love those things and they make me noticeably not hungry after consuming them. In which case, no, I don't think things that suppress your appetite are always bad. I wouldn't take a pill, though.
  • gen39
    gen39 Posts: 36 Member
    edited April 2017
    If you already know how to diet properly, and don't have a history of blood pressure / heart issues, I don't see what's wrong with taking certain appetite suppressants, such as EC (which is only unsafe if overdosed stupidly... like any drug).

    Obviously there are other, actually illegal, drugs as well, which have higher risks of usage. I wouldn't touch those.

    If someone is using them as a crutch for weight loss and has no idea how to actually lose weight properly or in a sustainable way, it's a terrible idea and they should not be used. Also, people with the 'more is always better' mindset need to stay away from them in general.

    OP, if you are already abusing laxatives for losing weight, then I'd say yes, you should probably not think about using suppressants and probably fix your existing issue first. No offense.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
    Sunna_W wrote: »
    What if your manner of eating made you full and you didn't have any humps?

    I just looked at your diary for this morning and IMO sugar / carbs are the devil! Have you thought about eschewing all sugar and going low carb / high protein and fat?

    Paleo / Ketogenic diets tend to be more satisfying because of the higher fat and emphasis of lots of low carb high fiber vegetables. I am a recovering anorexic myself and this diet requires quite a lot of attention to detail to get ratios right - which makes my OCD-self happy.

    Check out these websites for more information: http://paleoiq.com/best-paleo-diet-blogs/

    Carbs are not the devil.

    In fact fibre is the most filling thing to me.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Are we including natural appetite suppressants like coffee, green tea, and dark chocolate? Because I love those things and they make me noticeably not hungry after consuming them. In which case, no, I don't think things that suppress your appetite are always bad. I wouldn't take a pill, though.

    I wouldn't consider them the same thing, in part because you usually aren't consuming them to kill the appetite, but for other pleasures. I don't even notice coffee diminishing my appetite, if it does, I just love it. I am pretty sure dark chocolate does nothing for my appetite, but if it reduced it beyond the calories I suppose that would be a nice side effect. (I don't care for green tea, so am not going to drink it, including as a supposed appetite suppressant.)
  • panda4153
    panda4153 Posts: 418 Member
    I kind of agree with the headache analogy. I would not suggest anyone take them every day. I know there are some prescription ones out there, and I would hope that anyone taking them are under close supervision of a doctor, and that the health benefits far outweigh the risks. However in regards to some of the OTC ones available, and the mention of TOM for the ladies, I can see how it might be helpful in not allowing yourself to completely derail. I know when I get a headache I take Advil and drink a red bull, so me it seems like the same thing. I will however, say that I only agree for those who already have solid approach to nutrition and no disordered eating habits or thoughts. I think it could be a very slippery slope for someone who already had disordered eating habits.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    What kind of appetite suppressants are we talking here? I don't think any of those over the counter tablets work, been there, done that.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    What kind of appetite suppressants are we talking here? I don't think any of those over the counter tablets work, been there, done that.

    EC works famously for a couple of months, but as the body adapts, most of the "side effects" (reduced hunger, increased heart rate, increased energy) tend to fall off. It's a big part of the reason it gets cycled, even though the thermogenic effect remains.

    Anything else? Ehh, all of the good stuff is pretty much impossible to get without a prescription anymore.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Aah ok. I was thinking garcinia cambogia, green tea extract and it's ilk.

  • jpoehls9025
    jpoehls9025 Posts: 471 Member
    Obviously it wouldn't be sustainable to take them forever. But is it really bad to use them moderately to help get over a hump?


    I totally think they are good but to be utilized as a "Dietary Supplement" as stated on the bottle not as your primary weapon in your arsenal, that is and will always be reserved for your nutrition (diet).
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Obviously it wouldn't be sustainable to take them forever. But is it really bad to use them moderately to help get over a hump?

    To me, yes it's a bad idea. "Moderate" use is a lot of pills that can mess you up for no reason.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    When I took the Appetite Stimulants out of my macro then my body's own Appetite Suppressants got back in control of my brain and the weight loss came naturally when cravings left going on three years ago. This has enabled me to lose weight and maintain it for the first time in 40 years yet never going hungry as long as I eat the macro that works for my body to self manage my calories since I stop eating when I get full now.
  • WindSparrow
    WindSparrow Posts: 224 Member
    Appetite supressants must be good for you, or why would it take me no time at all to find doctors willing to prescribe them whereas it took two decades to find a doctor willing to test thyroid function by testing thyroid function. (By which I mean I've had doctors offer appetite suppressants to me without asking for them whereas the "standard" thyroid function test actually measures a pituitary gland hormone; why that is the standard rather than directly testing thyoid hormones, I cannot begin to guess.)

    That's just my bitterness talking.

    I won't tell you they are harmless. But I also won't tell you that they are horrible. I did not like how I felt when I took them, and then about 11 o'clock at night when they wore off, I would be very hungry and end up bingeing. Clearly some people have gotten some good out of them, or they'd be done away with. No one else can weigh the potential for harm against the possible benefits for you except you. If you want validation that it is ok to use them, you will ignore people warning against.
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