Why I quit my herbal supplement drink
Confession time: I did it. I gave in and tried (an expensive!) herbal supplement drink to help with weight loss.
I’ve been a Trim Healthy Mama for over four years (since the original book came out). I found THM when my 4th baby was about ten months old, and after three and a half months I was at my lowest weight ever.
After a wonderful surprise of baby #5, I found that the weight wasn’t coming off as easily, even though I was sticking to THM 100%. I had some hormonal healing to do, which I found was definitely hindering my weight loss. Instead of waiting it out, or seeking nutritional healing first, I felt a bit impatient and wanted a quick fix.
Enter herbal supplements. I had gotten quite a few sales emails and Facebook messages from brand representatives for a few herbal weight loss supplements, and I thought that maybe this would help me break through my stall. I continued to eat the THM way, and I tried supplements for a full three months to give them a fair try. Some herbal remedy experts I really trust had recommended these drinks and supplements, so even though I knew it wasn’t necessary with THM, I wanted to give it a chance.
If you heard that a woman with 10 pounds left to lose tried a weight loss supplement for 3 months, what kind of results would you expect for her?
I’ll tell you what happened to me….my wallet got lighter, and that was it.
Not one pound of weight loss. Not one ounce more energy. Not any health benefits at all that I could see, and I had blood tests several times with my naturopath during this time period.
I know, I know – I probably shouldn’t have tried it. I know THM talks about falling into the traps of diet drinks and pills. But now that I have tried it, I have to say that I don’t think these supplements helped me in the slightest bit.
I did find a way to break through my weight loss stall, without the expensive supplements, and here’s what I did:
- I re-read Trim Healthy Mama. Of all of the weight loss books and programs I’ve tried over the years, this is the only one that has worked and continued to work well over time. Re-reading the book reminded me of the basics, and helped me to make sure I wasn't mixing up any of the details (believe it or not, after all this time, I still accidentally crossover sometimes without thinking about it).
- I started a chromium supplement. This, I believe, is one of the active ingredients in many herbal supplements that can help to stabilize your blood sugar.
- I started eating more. I realized I’d been functioning on about 1400 calories a day, which is not what I needed! Trim Healthy Mama is very clear on this, and I was just (to put it simply) doing it wrong. I increased my food consumption by quite a bit, but made sure I was following the Trim Healthy Mama guidelines.
- I started drinking more. I think I’ve been a state of semi-dehydration for quite some time and drinking a lot more has helped a lot.
Going back to the basics and reviewing Trim Healthy Mama with fresh eyes did more to get me through a weight loss stall in a few weeks than herbal supplement drinks did in several months. I just wanted to share my experience – I know everyone is different. For me, this was just a waste of time and money.
Quick Disclaimer: I know that many people love their special drinks, and claim to benefit from them, and that’s fine! It’s just not for me. I’d also like to add that I’m not a medical professional of any kind. You should ask your doctor before starting or stopping supplements, not me! 🙂
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Hi Jen,
I was wondering what chromium supplement you use?
Thanks,
Cathy
Hi Cathy! I just use NOW brand. I feel compelled to add again that I’m not a doctor or medical health expert, this is just what I use. 🙂 Here’s my referral link to the one I use; hope that helps!
Love the honest review! I also started THM back in 2012 and got down to my all-time lowest weight within months of starting it…and I’ve recently found out that I’ve drifted pretty far from the THM basics and have had to rethink how I’m following the plan! Tortilla chips keep getting me! 🙂
I understand, Angie! I like to throw a few Tostitos baked tortilla chips in with an E burrito bowl every once in awhile to help with the cravings. 🙂