Has anyone tried SENSA sprinkles for weightloss?

[vsc]

Hi jaysonsmom,

You might want to try adding more weight training - maybe doing 10-15 min on the cardio machines and weights the rest of the time. Your gym probably has some information as to how to best do it, the proper form, etc. Things like squats, lunges and deadlifts will engage many muscles at once and get you toned all around (yes, even your abs!) - lots of bang for your workout buck, if you will. The fat loss will help make your arms and abs look better, too!

I think a lot of women are afraid that weight training would make them bulk up, but it takes intensive training, a genetic predisposition and some illegal substances for women to get man-muscles . Worst case scenario, if you don't like it, you can go back to your normal routine

Good luck!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Tristan, you have convinced me to buy some apples!

 

[Haven]

Does your appetite ever fluctuate? I find that certain behaviors make me *feel* like I have a much larger appetite, while others make me nearly forget about food altogether.

For example, I am the most hungry after doing a lot of cardio-based activities, either bicycling outdoors or in the gym for example. I'm also the most hungry after I haven't slept well, for some reason.

I'm rarely hungry while traveling, and I think it's because I don't think about food when I'm experiencing new things. SO, now I know I should pursue certain engrossing interests if my appetite gets out of hand. I'm also rarely hungry when I'm doing artistic things like creating a new piece of art or writing, which I suppose also falls under the "engrossing interests" category.

 

[Pandora II]

My husband has always had a problem with his weight, a very sweet tooth and a terrible habit of endlessly snacking.

In January I got fed up of the constant moaning about his weight and the constant having to buy new and bigger clothes. So I convinced him to give up his 'eat less, exercise more' , 'eat brown rice, pasta, bread', 'eat less fats' diets that he'd been trying for as long as I have known him and to try a low carb, low GI diet.

So far he has lost over 30lbs, dropped 2 suit sizes and over 6 inches off his waist. His cholestrol levels are great as is his blood pressure. He no longer feels tired all the time, has loads more energy and no interest in snacking or eating sweet things. I NEVER imagined that my cake loving husband could do this and even he is shocked - his colleagues are calling him the Incredible Shrinking Man.

The best part is that you don't feel hungry and the food you eat is way, way healthier. Pasta is really great at raising your blood sugar levels and that is about it, ditto most bread and rice. Cereals have almost zero nutritional value - they are basically fodder.

Now we eat loads of vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, cabbage, onions, avocados etc , lots of fish and seafood and plenty of meat. He can eat as many eggs as he likes, cheese in moderation, cream, proper butter, mayonnaise etc. We can still have Indian take-out - I make cauliflower rice (grated and cooked in microwave with butter for 5 minutes) which is really nice and I don't like cauliflower much, and Italian - I make cabbage pasta.

It's not a diet though, it really is a change in eating habits. You do feel like hell for the first week though especially if you turn out to have a wheat intolerance (if you crave something all the time like bread or pasta, it's pretty likely that you are addicted to it as a result of an intolerance).

Anyway, just thought I'd mention it as someone who has seen the results in 7 months - after watching the lack of for the last 6 years!

 

[Miss Sparkly]

I haven't read all the replies yet - but what are the chances of you being in the early stages of menopause? That could defiantly increase hunger while making it more difficult to lose weight

 

[jaysonsmom]

I haven't read all the replies yet - but what are the chances of you being in the early stages of menopause? That could defiantly increase hunger while making it more difficult to lose weight

Could it be? That would mean SUPER early menopause, which I don't think is possible. My mom and her sisters all went into menopause in their mid-50's so assuming that it's hereditary, I'm a good 15 years away! I do have some other symptoms such as isommnia...

I'm 38 BTW....almost 39

Anyways, I've always had a big appetite, nothing new. It's just catching up with me now that metabolism is slowing down.

UPDATE: today is day 4 of SENSA. I do find myself eating less, don't know if it's psychological. I have been sprinkling half of my food only, and after I finish the first half, I find that I don't have the desire to dig into the other half. For those people who think it's flavorless (on the infomercials etc) I beg to differ. Don't know if I have a sensative snse of smell or/tastebuds, but there's definitely a faint aniseseed taste to my food (licorice) which I can pick out.

I have also decreased bad carbs (sugar, white flour etc) and started doing more resistance rather than cardio. I don't know if it's a combination of all these changes, but I feel less hungry, and my clothes are not as "snug" only after 4-5 days.

 

[CJ2008]

low carb, low GI diet.

Pandora, what's low GI? I eat way too many carbs, I know it. I am totally addicted to white rice, bread, bagels, etc. I can't imagine my life without them! But your DH's story is inspiring me...

Do you know of any books that have specific diets in it with easy, quick meals?

(sorry for the threadjack jaysonsmom - I was going to start my own thread yesterday about diets and counting calories - I haven't counted calories in decades and I KNOW I'm overeating. But I want the easiest way possible to keep track - if it takes too much work, I won't do it!)

 

[mayachel]

Low GI= Low glycemic index (sugar/carb level of foods)

I wanted to chime in to say I had looked into sensa a year ago or so prior to my wedding. At the end of the day, the reviews from within the industry seemed to say that it was basically like sprinkling a ton of salt on top of your food, and that the reason you eat less is because it makes the food taste off. Personally, I'd rather work on portion sizing and exercise than "ruin" the food I was eating.

(Love the apple idea)

 

[Aoife]

jaysonsmom: I'll be interested to see how well this works for you in the long-run. Anything that adds a noticeable off flavor to food would not work for me, that's for sure. I'd rather eat small portions are absolutely fresh, well-seasoned and emotionally and psychologically satisfying than larger portions that have an anise or fennel aftertaste--unless those are seasoning components of the dish.

About the cereal/grain thing: It's really, really important to differentiate between refined grains and cereals, and unrefined or minimally processed grains. Unrefined grains such as farro, rye-berries, barley, millet, spelt, teff, oat groats, bulgar, wheat berries, quinoa, black rice, etc. are nutritionally dense, satiating, and provide a host of other health benefits, such as dramatically improving triglyceride and cholesterol levels. They can also help regulate diabetic swings. So if you eliminate refined grains from your diet and substitute whole or minimally processed grains, you get a bunch of health benefits without sacrificing anything in terms of flavor and satisfaction.

 

[Pandora II]

low carb, low GI diet.

Pandora, what's low GI? I eat way too many carbs, I know it. I am totally addicted to white rice, bread, bagels, etc. I can't imagine my life without them! But your DH's story is inspiring me...

Do you know of any books that have specific diets in it with easy, quick meals?

(sorry for the threadjack jaysonsmom - I was going to start my own thread yesterday about diets and counting calories - I haven't counted calories in decades and I KNOW I'm overeating. But I want the easiest way possible to keep track - if it takes too much work, I won't do it!)

The book I like was 'Waist Disposal' by Dr Briffa. It's an easy read and his advice really does work.

One of the things he explains is that we really aren't evolved to eat cereals etc - if you divide modern man's existence into 365 days then we started eating cereals on day 364 so they really are a very new thing in our diet.

Regarding recipes, I tend to cook a lot of stirfries, roasts, salads, curries etc. We have cauliflower rice instead of normal rice (MIL emailed me today to say that they tried it last night and loved it), extra green vegetables instead of root vegetables (baked potatoes are sadly one of the highest scorers on the glycemic index and so on the banned list).

The bulkers like bread, rice, pasta and potatoes make you more hungry in the long run (ever had loads of chinese food and then been starving hungry 2 hours later?) but it's still weird at the beginning to get your head round not eating them and still being full.

To thicken sauces I use cream not flour. You can have sucralose instead of sugar. One problem you may find is that so much stuff in the USA has corn syrup in it - we don't have it in Europe so you really have to watch the ingredients. Also steer clear of anything described as low fat or anything that is a butter substitute (unless you can't eat dairy).

If I get stuck on what to substitute then I ask on somewhere like the Atkins forum.

 

[Aoife]

low carb, low GI diet.

Pandora, what's low GI? I eat way too many carbs, I know it. I am totally addicted to white rice, bread, bagels, etc. I can't imagine my life without them! But your DH's story is inspiring me...

Do you know of any books that have specific diets in it with easy, quick meals?

(sorry for the threadjack jaysonsmom - I was going to start my own thread yesterday about diets and counting calories - I haven't counted calories in decades and I KNOW I'm overeating. But I want the easiest way possible to keep track - if it takes too much work, I won't do it!)

The book I like was 'Waist Disposal' by Dr Briffa. It's an easy read and his advice really does work.

One of the things he explains is that we really aren't evolved to eat cereals etc - if you divide modern man's existence into 365 days then we started eating cereals on day 364 so they really are a very new thing in our diet.

Regarding recipes, I tend to cook a lot of stirfries, roasts, salads, curries etc. We have cauliflower rice instead of normal rice (MIL emailed me today to say that they tried it last night and loved it), extra green vegetables instead of root vegetables (baked potatoes are sadly one of the highest scorers on the glycemic index and so on the banned list).

The bulkers like bread, rice, pasta and potatoes make you more hungry in the long run (ever had loads of chinese food and then been starving hungry 2 hours later?) but it's still weird at the beginning to get your head round not eating them and still being full.

To thicken sauces I use cream not flour. You can have sucralose instead of sugar. One problem you may find is that so much stuff in the USA has corn syrup in it - we don't have it in Europe so you really have to watch the ingredients. Also steer clear of anything described as low fat or anything that is a butter substitute (unless you can't eat dairy).

If I get stuck on what to substitute then I ask on somewhere like the Atkins forum.

I did a search for Dr. Briffa's book, and it should be relatively easy to find in the US, at least from Amazon. It sounds as though he has some good advice. The only thing I take issue with is the whole "Paleo diet", because if you are going to be a purist about that, we really shouldn't be eating any dairy either, especially since the majority of the world's population is mildly to severely lactose intolerant. Dairy animals (goats, sheep, and cows) are also a late addition to human diet, which would eliminate cheese, milk, yoghurt, butter, etc. If we assume that early humans were primarily foragers, then we should, by rights, be eating a lot more in the way of grubs and insects than we currently are, too. And since early man was lucky to live longer than his early 20's, assuming disease or misadventure didn't get him first, I don't think we should consider ourselves bound too rigidly by what people living in caves consumed if we are wanting to maximize health and longevity! Whole or minimally processed grains such as the ones I listed are known to have beneficial effects on your health, like anything else, in moderation. Short of medication, there is really no quicker or easier way to lower blood cholesterol, (EDTA: assuming one is eating a large variety of fruits and veggies, too) and it is certainly without the scary side effects. It's the refined (white) grains that really sabotage health and well-being--and contribute to obesity.

 

[TristanC]

Tristan, you have convinced me to buy some apples!

I'm glad someones giving it a try. It turned around one friends diet decline. It's really cheap and easy too.

Even at his hungriest he couldn't do the third portion. I had him simply eat one apple immediately before lunch and dinner, followed by a glass of water before anything else. And each serving was only 70% of his usual. Then an apple before seconds, another before thirds. Only once did he try to get to thirds. But he just couldn't finish that third apple and still have an interest in food.

He's paced himself now without the apple crutches. But it's a good start point. And they are natural and not complicated at all.

Tell me how you get on?

 

[amc80]

Tristan, you have convinced me to buy some apples!

I'm glad someones giving it a try. It turned around one friends diet decline. It's really cheap and easy too.

Even at his hungriest he couldn't do the third portion. I had him simply eat one apple immediately before lunch and dinner, followed by a glass of water before anything else. And each serving was only 70% of his usual.

I usually eat lunch and then have an apple for dessert...but I think eating the apple first would net fewer calories...since doing it my way I eat my whole meal + an apple and then I'm still munchie. Doing it your way, I think I'd be full and non-munchie by the time got through my meal. Nice.