Natasha
Contributor
What's the scoop with these? Good or bad?
Anyone know?
Anyone know?
Carb Blasters and Fat Blasters..
- Thread starter Natasha
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The general consensus is "useless". There is no herb or mineral that can keep your body from absorbing carbohydrates (or anything else) and using them as needed. There is also no substance that will keep the body from converting excess fuel to fat. Weight loss is really very simple- calories in have to be less than calories expended.
CD - are you telling me that there is no "magic pill" out there that is going to let me lose weight just by sitting around on my butt and not changing anything....I mean what kind of marketing department are you in anyway..."reality" 
Seriously though...I've never been a fan of the "miracle pill". I've always stood by the though that "if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is", and that seems to be the case with these pills.
-T
Seriously though...I've never been a fan of the "miracle pill". I've always stood by the though that "if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is", and that seems to be the case with these pills.
-T
I think my husband tried something at one point that was ephedra-free but it still jacked his blood pressure through the roof. CD is right, monitor your portion sizes and calorie intake, increase activity to burn calories and build muscle. Adding muscle will help burn even more calories. A lot of women worry about "bulking up" but most don't have the necessary genes to end up looking like a body builder. Weight training is a good thing to have in your fitness routine. Remember that most activities are going to cause you to burn calories, have you ever noticed that a lot of people who tend to "fidget" or move constantly are thin? If you don't want to take up "squirming in your seat" try replacing your computer chair or any other chair with an exercise ball. Make sure you get one that's tall enough to let you comfortably reach your keyboard. It's a really good way to help strengthen your core.
Ber :lilbunny:
Ber :lilbunny:
CameronMartz
Fitness Instructor
The FDA recently sent notice to companies selling these and other weight loss products:
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/2004/NEW01045.html
Unfortunately, every pill (over-the-counter or prescription) ever devised for weight loss that actually works has come with serious side effects and health risks. At best, you are merely wasting your money on a sham product, such as the fat/carb blockers. At worst, you end up with a stimulant that increases metabolism, but also increases blood pressure, risk of stroke and heart attack, and at depth, there is a potential increase in oxygen toxicity. From DAN's website (http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/articles/article.asp?articleid=51):
"In 1962, none other than DAN's Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Peter Bennett, while working as a research physiologist at the Royal Navy Physiological Laboratory in England, published a paper (Life Sciences; 12:721-727, 1962) testing the hypothesis that oxygen toxicity and nitrogen narcosis were caused by similar mechanisms.
He found that in rats, sympathomimetics seemed to enhance oxygen toxicity. Pseudoephedrine was not tested specifically, but it is a sympathomimetic, so we might infer that it has a similar effect. In addition, our current understanding of the mechanisms which produce oxygen convulsions would predict that sympathomimetic drugs might enhance susceptibility to oxygen convulsions. It has been shown that drugs which inhibit sympathetic stimulation seem to reduce the likelihood of oxygen convulsions in animals. No human studies have ever been done. Thus, at least a theoretical reason exists why pseudoephedrine should be avoided while diving on high PO2 dives."
Note that ephedra and pseudoephedrine (e.g., Sudafed) are pharmacologically the same thing. Bitter orange and other ingredients have now replaced ephedra in many weight loss supplements, but they all work the same way with the same risks. These are on the FDA short list for future bans, but it is a long, laborious process since legislation ties their hands.
Unfortunately, fitness doesn't come in a bottle, and it's a long, laborious process to acheive. <g> There is much more to fitness than fat loss, and you can only get those benefits from regular exercise and a nutritious diet.
Cameron
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/2004/NEW01045.html
Unfortunately, every pill (over-the-counter or prescription) ever devised for weight loss that actually works has come with serious side effects and health risks. At best, you are merely wasting your money on a sham product, such as the fat/carb blockers. At worst, you end up with a stimulant that increases metabolism, but also increases blood pressure, risk of stroke and heart attack, and at depth, there is a potential increase in oxygen toxicity. From DAN's website (http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/articles/article.asp?articleid=51):
"In 1962, none other than DAN's Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Peter Bennett, while working as a research physiologist at the Royal Navy Physiological Laboratory in England, published a paper (Life Sciences; 12:721-727, 1962) testing the hypothesis that oxygen toxicity and nitrogen narcosis were caused by similar mechanisms.
He found that in rats, sympathomimetics seemed to enhance oxygen toxicity. Pseudoephedrine was not tested specifically, but it is a sympathomimetic, so we might infer that it has a similar effect. In addition, our current understanding of the mechanisms which produce oxygen convulsions would predict that sympathomimetic drugs might enhance susceptibility to oxygen convulsions. It has been shown that drugs which inhibit sympathetic stimulation seem to reduce the likelihood of oxygen convulsions in animals. No human studies have ever been done. Thus, at least a theoretical reason exists why pseudoephedrine should be avoided while diving on high PO2 dives."
Note that ephedra and pseudoephedrine (e.g., Sudafed) are pharmacologically the same thing. Bitter orange and other ingredients have now replaced ephedra in many weight loss supplements, but they all work the same way with the same risks. These are on the FDA short list for future bans, but it is a long, laborious process since legislation ties their hands.
Unfortunately, fitness doesn't come in a bottle, and it's a long, laborious process to acheive. <g> There is much more to fitness than fat loss, and you can only get those benefits from regular exercise and a nutritious diet.
Cameron
OP
Natasha
Contributor
Thank you everyone. I know someone that lost 25 pounds on these pills and still ate what she wanted. She is a stong believer in these pills.
I'll send her this link.
I'll send her this link.
I was involved in a medical study of the Atkins diet about 4 years ago. L-Carnatine was used during the study to improve the ability of people to actually get into ketosis on the low carb diet and test strips were used daily to measure if this occurred. Periodic blood tests were run and no ill effects were found.
How effective it was on it's own in terms of promoting weight loss was not determined as the study was designed to see if the atkins diet as advertised was safe and effective. There were no control or experimental groups specifically for L-carnatine.
I lost 50 pounds and lowered my cholesterol by 90 points over the course of the 6 month study. But my compliance with the diet and excercise requirements were very good and the diet seemed to suit me metabolically. Other people's results were not as good and in some cases were non existant. The physicians conducting the study ultimatelty concluded the diet works well for some people but not for others and theorized that there were possibly some diet related genetic differences involved.
The idea of a "Fat Blocker" is a bad one. "Cal Ban 3000" (a name ideally suited for cheesey infomercials) was the product of choice about 20 years ago and worked really well if you discounted the large number of people who devleoped serious kidney problems.
Weight loss effects from diet pills occur from an increase in metabolic rate and can cause serious cardiac, blood pressure, and psychological problems in some individuals. I would not advise anyone to even think of using one without being under a doctors supervision.
How effective it was on it's own in terms of promoting weight loss was not determined as the study was designed to see if the atkins diet as advertised was safe and effective. There were no control or experimental groups specifically for L-carnatine.
I lost 50 pounds and lowered my cholesterol by 90 points over the course of the 6 month study. But my compliance with the diet and excercise requirements were very good and the diet seemed to suit me metabolically. Other people's results were not as good and in some cases were non existant. The physicians conducting the study ultimatelty concluded the diet works well for some people but not for others and theorized that there were possibly some diet related genetic differences involved.
The idea of a "Fat Blocker" is a bad one. "Cal Ban 3000" (a name ideally suited for cheesey infomercials) was the product of choice about 20 years ago and worked really well if you discounted the large number of people who devleoped serious kidney problems.
Weight loss effects from diet pills occur from an increase in metabolic rate and can cause serious cardiac, blood pressure, and psychological problems in some individuals. I would not advise anyone to even think of using one without being under a doctors supervision.
CameronMartz
Fitness Instructor
Cal Ban 3000 resulting in more than kidney problems. A quick google of "Cal Ban 3000" will give you much reading, including the judgements levied against the marketers of the product for "conducting a scheme or device for obtaining money or property through the mail by means of materially false representations in violation of 39 U.S.C. § 3005."
You will also read about the GI obstructions cause by Cal Ban 3000 in the abstract found at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1329494&dopt=Abstract .
Though this product was pulled from the market in 1992, it is one of many examples of the risks of taking nutritional supplements unregulated by the FDA.
Natasha, while your friend may have indeed lost that much weight from taking a pill marketed as a fat blocker, I'd suspect the product also/actually contained stimulants. This is not a rare tactic with some nutritional supplement manufacturers. Prescription meds have also been found in some products.
Go to http://consumerlabs.org/ to learn more about this industry. They are the "Consumer Reports" of nutritional supplements. While I continue to be skeptical of the value and warry of the safety of these products, this is where I would go before swallowing anything not prescribed by my physician.
Cameron
You will also read about the GI obstructions cause by Cal Ban 3000 in the abstract found at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1329494&dopt=Abstract .
Though this product was pulled from the market in 1992, it is one of many examples of the risks of taking nutritional supplements unregulated by the FDA.
Natasha, while your friend may have indeed lost that much weight from taking a pill marketed as a fat blocker, I'd suspect the product also/actually contained stimulants. This is not a rare tactic with some nutritional supplement manufacturers. Prescription meds have also been found in some products.
Go to http://consumerlabs.org/ to learn more about this industry. They are the "Consumer Reports" of nutritional supplements. While I continue to be skeptical of the value and warry of the safety of these products, this is where I would go before swallowing anything not prescribed by my physician.
Cameron
A relative sells "Nutritional Supplements" (I won't name them) and is always pestering us to buy some. Hubby and I finally gave in and heard the sales pitch just to shut her up (his relative, not mine) and hubby bought some of the "Nutritional Supplement Drink Mix" just to try it. The couple went on and on about how much "perkier" they felt and how much more energy they had. I questioned her as to why she was only allowed to drink one a day (according to her doctor) since she was pregnant and this stuff was supposed so doggone good for you. Hmmm, let's look at the box and see what's in the stuff. Lots of vitamin B as well as some other vitamins and minerals oh wait, here's 120mg of caffeine bet that's what makes you "perky" there's also a warning on the side of the box for people who are sensitive to choline (500mg of that in here). My husband tried using the stuff for the recommended week and it gave him nasty stomach cramps.
I have the worst time believing anyone who wants to sell me something like that. They always sound like they've been brain washed by whatever company makes the product.
Let the buyer beware!
Ber :lilbunny:
I have the worst time believing anyone who wants to sell me something like that. They always sound like they've been brain washed by whatever company makes the product.
Let the buyer beware!
Ber :lilbunny:
OP
Natasha
Contributor
There is no caffeine listed on her bottle. Just white kidney bean extract.
She has been taking these for some time and really likes them!
It says it 'inhibits the naturally occurring digestive enzyme alpha-amylase that converts starch to sugar during normal digestion.'
That was the carb blaster bottle.
She has been taking these for some time and really likes them!
It says it 'inhibits the naturally occurring digestive enzyme alpha-amylase that converts starch to sugar during normal digestion.'
That was the carb blaster bottle.
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