30Quest, My Personal Quest to Lose 30 Pounds

I am overweight.  It fluctuates up and down, but in the last couple years I have blimped up over 200 pounds and would really like to get down to my target range of about 175. (or lower is even better)

Last year I started a regular walking program and have lost about 10 pounds in that time. But, overweight is a big risk factor for type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease and a lot of other conditions. So, I have been planning a more determined effort to lose 30 pounds this year.

This will be based mainly on standard diet (based somewhat on the American Diabetes Association recommendations which I used successfully 20 years ago), regular exercise, and smarter food selections, especially drinking more water and less soda.

So, when an offer popped up in my inbox from a newsletter I subscribe to that stated


30 lbs. Overweight? Try Sensa(R) Free!  

I was intrigued. In fact it pressed one of my Hot Buttons. I had to check it out.

So, what is Sensa?

According to their website, 

SENSA^® contains a patented blend of scented sprinkles - also known as Tastants - that are designed to help you feel full faster without changing the taste of your food. All ingredients in SENSA^® are 100% FDA GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) and can be found in foods you commonly keep in your kitchen or pantry.

Specifically, it includes maltodextrin, tricalcium phosphate and silica. They also brag about no drugs, no pills, no stimulants, no diuretics. That's OK, but does it work  and how much does it cost?

So, I looked for an independent evaluation and got a hit from WebMD, which is a generally accurate and useful source of medical information.

WebMD about Sensa

and got this information.

What's the Evidence for Sensa?

The company's weight loss evidence is based on a few company-sponsored "clinical" studies (not to be confused with a clinical trial, which is the gold standard for research) done by Hirsch. These studies have not been published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

 

The lack of published scientific evidence on Sensa, along with a lack of diet and fitness guidelines to accompany the product, raise a red flag for some nutrition experts. 

"This is not a magic bullet. There is no magic sprinkle. This isn’t even a diet," says diet and fitness expert, Pamela Peeke, MD. "It oversimplifies the complex physiology and psychology associated with appetite."

She adds that there is nothing unique about the list of ingredients in the tastants.

and Sensa doesn't promise results that can't be achieved with a traditional diet.

Educating yourself about healthy eating and making simple, sustainable changes to your lifestyle are the keys to lasting weight loss. If you step up your activity to burn 250 additional calories per day while cutting 250 calories per day from your diet, you can shed 50 pounds in a year, Peeke says.

And then there's the cost.

A one-month Sensa starter kit costing $59, and a 6-month kit at an introductory rate of $235, are available on the Sensa web site.  (The Consumer Affairs web site cautions dieters that the free trial is associated with an automatic enrollment plan, and incurs an additional charge of $89.99 if you don't send all of the product back within 30 days.)

 I was able to lose weight without signing up for another monthly expense and I plan to do so again.

A loss of 30 pounds in the next six months would only require losing a little over a pound a week. I've done that before and know I can do it again.

That doesn't make it easy, but I will keep posting updates and suggestions.

Suggestion 1 (which I have been doing this week)

Cut up some non-starchy vegetables (like broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers) into bite-sized strips or chunks and keep them in a plastic container in the refrigerator along with a container of low calorie ranch dressing to dip them in.

 It will give you a quick and convenient alternative to grabbing some salt and starch from a potato chip bag when you get a little hungry for a snack.