Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

Hey there,

Congrats on getting back into your exercise routine - that's great.
I have always had a bad feeling about those weight loss and fat burning supplements that are advertised, but a few months back I started to wonder if maybe it was worth trying. I have been working with a nutritionist for a while now and she has a PhD in nutrition and specialises in both digestive issues as well as sports nutrition (including weight loss/gain). When I mentioned the idea of taking a supplement, she shut it down right away. She said that for a person without IBS, she wouldn't even recommend them because there is no "magic ingredient" that will make you lose weight and none of them have any real proven results in making it easier to lose weight in the long term. She said that sometimes people will go on dangerous supplements that will help them but they only work for a short period of time, have pretty nasty side effects, and as soon as you stop taking them will put the weight right back on.
For someone WITH any digestive problems (especially if you are IBS-D), it is definitely not worth the risk as they are likely to cause gastrointestinal symptoms. My feeling is, if you take something that makes you feel so crappy that you stop being able to eat a variety of healthy foods and exercise than the supplements might even work against your weight loss/fat burning goals. It's not just the caffiene in the pills that are bad for you, there are loads of artificial fillers and things that you shouldn't be taking.

Also, if you notice a lot of them will guaruntee weight loss, if combined with a healthy diet and exercise program. If you are a sedentary person (which I'm not saying you are personally) and start exercising, eating healthy AND taking a supplement you'll lose weight... but if you left out the supplement, you'd still lose weight. It's very misleading.

Lots of women in my family and my friends have tried different herbal weight loss supplements and other quick fixes and none have been effective and my aunt has actually gained weight on some of them.

I would stay far, far away and just make sure you are eating a balanced diet with enough protein and healthy veggies and make sure you are getting lots of cardio and some strength training.

Good luck!

Steph

--------------------
~~I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell-I know right now you can't tell~~Matchbox 20
IBS-D,pain.

Print Remind Me Notify Moderator