# Costa Rican Tea and other weight-loss "miracles" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [December 22, 2022, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costa-rican-tea-and-other-weight-loss-miracles/976940 "2022-12-22T02:41:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costa-rican-tea-and-other-weight-loss-miracles/976940/1 "2022-12-22T02:41:28Z")
No, no currently known drug is going to magically overturn the basic formula of calories in vs. calories out. But that said, can some supplements truly make a difference? Like giving you more energy so you stay more active? Suppressing appetite? Decreasing anxiety-based overeating? Replacing food addiction with a more manageable substitute? ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costa-rican-tea-and-other-weight-loss-miracles/976940/2 "2022-12-22T03:49:23Z")
They can make a lot of difference. [Don’t] try taking some 2,4-dinitrophenol, methamphetamine, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costa-rican-tea-and-other-weight-loss-miracles/976940/3 "2022-12-22T06:31:31Z")
Meth and its ilk don’t really qualify as “a more manageable substitute” for food addiction, though. Sure, consuming caffeinated liquids can make you feel less empty and more energetic than not consuming caffeinated liquids. If you get in the habit of consuming something that’s replacing something else you consume that is less healthy for you, then it can have weight-loss benefits. But if it’s not directly replacing a less healthy food/drink that you currently consume, it’s unlikely to have any effect. Deliberately choosing to drink some (unsweetened/unfattened or lightly so) Costa Rican Tea or some such instead of your morning sugary Big Gulp or whipped-cream mocha frappucino or whatever will definitely make a difference. But just drinking the tea without consciously changing your other consumption habits will not. ISTM. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costa-rican-tea-and-other-weight-loss-miracles/976940/4 "2022-12-22T12:59:08Z")
If the pop up ads that infest my brainless on-line arcade games are any indication, all you need is Oprah’s Magical Gummies! Lose 45# in 15 days!!! It must be true - I saw it on the intrarwebz!! What’s even more amazing beyond the mere weight loss is that the users of these gummies go from overweight to hardbody in the same 15 days!! Nary a stretch mark! And their hair grows 6" or more, too!! Granted, it’s just anecdotal, but after close to half a century of dealing with weight, the only miracle is eating reasonable portions of the right types of food and being more active. As if a true weight loss miracle pill or drink or whatever would not make headlines the world over… ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costa-rican-tea-and-other-weight-loss-miracles/976940/5 "2022-12-22T13:23:30Z")
I’ve struggled with an extra 30 lbs. or so for many years. The only thing that seemed to work for me was when, back in the first quarter of 2019, I went on a strict keto diet. I lost the 30 lbs. and was in the best shape I’d been in since maybe my early 30s. Unfortunately, I missed making risottos and pasta dishes and went back to the carb side (and eventually gained the 30 lbs. back). When I did the keto diet I also kept to a strict (net) 1600 calories a day and got plenty of exercise, so it wasn’t all just the keto. But I had tried just calorie-counting and exercise in the past without the same results. I’m debating if, when January 2 comes around, I start a keto diet again or just watch the calories carefully and get the exercise and see how well I do. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costa-rican-tea-and-other-weight-loss-miracles/976940/6 "2022-12-22T18:07:39Z")
How can you doubt Dr. Oz when he extols [weight loss miracles](http://theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/06/magic-weight-loss-pills-may-not-exist/372958/a)? "“You may think magic is make-believe, but this little bean has scientists saying they’ve found the magic weight loss cure for every body type: It’s green coffee extract.” “I’ve got the number-one miracle in a bottle to burn your fat: It’s raspberry ketone.” “Garcinia cambogia: It may be the simple solution you’ve been looking for to bust your body fat for good.” With the failure of his Senate campaign, maybe Oz will concentrate on promoting other can’t-miss weight loss supplements. One of them _has_ to be right for you! ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costa-rican-tea-and-other-weight-loss-miracles/976940/7 "2022-12-22T18:11:27Z")
Oz’s endorsment of snake oil featured heavily in opposition tv ads. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costa-rican-tea-and-other-weight-loss-miracles/976940/8 "2022-12-22T18:36:54Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > 2,4-dinitrophenol Just looked that up; fascinating, a chemical that _literally_ burns body fat. I wonder if tiny judicious doses of this would be useful in survival situations when trying to stave off hypothermia. ETA: " 2,4-dinitrophenol was widely used by Red Army soldiers to make them more resilient to the cold during World War II" -Wikipedia. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costa-rican-tea-and-other-weight-loss-miracles/976940/9 "2022-12-22T18:44:45Z")
> [@solost](#): > > The only thing that seemed to work for me was when, back in the first quarter of 2019, I went on a strict keto diet. > When I did the keto diet I also kept to a strict (net) 1600 calories a day and got plenty of exercise, so it wasn’t all just the keto. But I had tried just calorie-counting and exercise in the past without the same results. I’m debating if, when January 2 comes around, I start a keto diet again or just watch the calories carefully and get the exercise and see how well I do. Keto used to work great for me when I was able to combine it with exercise, which I can’t do anymore due to infirmity. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2022, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costa-rican-tea-and-other-weight-loss-miracles/976940/10 "2022-12-23T04:36:32Z")
It’s going to sound like I’m lying, but in the last two months I’ve lost twenty pounds on a weight loss drug. It was prescribed by my doctor, and is called mounjaro (or in its civilian identity, tirzepatide). It’s an injection that you administer to yourself once a week. My doc recommended it highly, describing it as ‘a gastric bypass in a bottle’. The claim is that this stuff alters how you digest things so that you absorb less nutrients and also food stays in your stomach longer before going into your intestine so you feel full longer. I don’t know about _that_, but I can say with confidence that if you overeat while on this stuff you will live to regret it, on an explosive diarrhea front. So you’re incentivized to be at least a little cautious. I’ll add that it destabilizes your digestion a little in general. To give you the complete picture, the doc started me at 2.5mg a week, and will keep gradually upping it until I reach the recommended limit or beg him to ramp it back lest my innards turn inside out. So it’s not exactly a party and is certainly doing _something_ in there. Anyway, long story short, there is in fact a weight-loss “miracle” that doesn’t require any deliberate dieting (unless you were stuffing yourself before) and doesn’t require exercise either, unless you count the occasional sprint to the bathroom. Strange times we live in, eh? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2022, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costa-rican-tea-and-other-weight-loss-miracles/976940/11 "2022-12-23T04:42:08Z")
Several anti-diabetic medications seem to be effective for weight loss. Unfortunately, they’re being touted on TikTok and by influencers foe this which has created a worldwide shortage for people with type 2 diabetes, metabolic dysregulation, and obesity. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2022, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costa-rican-tea-and-other-weight-loss-miracles/976940/12 "2022-12-23T04:44:05Z")
I can’t speak to that. I certainly _do_ have type 2 diabetes, and do not know whether my doctor does or not. He does claim to be taking this drug though. (Apparently if you actually bother to exercise it works even better!) I was just commenting that there really are weight loss drugs now…if you don’t mind your innards being stirred. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2022, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costa-rican-tea-and-other-weight-loss-miracles/976940/13 "2022-12-23T04:55:47Z")
I’m not confronting you, just agreeing that yeah, these meds do often lead to weight loss. Their primary purpose, which is being thwarted by the likes of Kim Kardasian, is the treatment of type 2 diabetes. I’m taking Ozempic because metformin, exercise, and diet choices no longer keep my A1c in range. Ozempic is getting very hard to find in many locations, as are Mounjaro, Trulicity, and others. I can’t increase my dose as is clinically indicated because we’re trying to stretch any coverage as long as possible. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2022, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costa-rican-tea-and-other-weight-loss-miracles/976940/14 "2022-12-23T05:03:28Z")
I would much rather that people who only need to lose twenty pounds (if you can even call that “need”) stick to kale and heroin, or whatever is being touted nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2022, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costa-rican-tea-and-other-weight-loss-miracles/976940/15 "2022-12-23T05:08:01Z")
Sounds like a winning combination! ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2022, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costa-rican-tea-and-other-weight-loss-miracles/976940/16 "2022-12-23T19:31:13Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > I don’t know about _that_, but I can say with confidence that if you overeat while on this stuff you will live to regret it, on an explosive diarrhea front. So you’re incentivized to be at least a little cautious. I can definitely see how that would conduce to weight loss, no “miracle” required. But there have always been (well, for nearly a century, at least) drugs that facilitated weight loss by disrupting normal bodily workings in some way (e.g., amphetamines), producing unwanted side effects. [New versions of weight-loss drugs, including tirzepatide, are aiming for more consistent benefits with milder side effects.](https://cen.acs.org/pharmaceuticals/drug-development/Weight-loss-drugs-wegovy/99/i38) But people still have the problem of weight regain when they stop taking the drugs. And as noted, demand for such drugs as weight-loss aids can make them harder to get for other people who need them to treat other medical conditions.