# Has anyone heard of Sensa? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 9, 2012, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-heard-of-sensa/634162 "2012-09-09T04:57:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-heard-of-sensa/634162/1 "2012-09-09T04:57:08Z")
So I’ve been seeing these commercials for this product that you sprinkle on your food and it mysteriously makes you lose weight. No need to alter anything, just shake [this stuff](http://www.reinventingaging.org/diet/sensa/sensa/) on your food and let the magic happen…🆒 Sounds _preeeety_ fuckin’ awesome to me. ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-heard-of-sensa/634162/2 "2012-09-09T05:13:08Z")
I’ve seen it with my pretty morbidly obsese family a few times. FWIW, I used to weigh about 270 in high school, hit my goal weight of 190 this past spring. The rest of the family has tried every got dang gimmick under the sun to try and lose weight, short of eating less and exercising. Magic scented pens, subliminal tapes, boiled vegetable soup, etc. etc. I would assume that Sensa, based on how it’s described in the commercial, works in one of three ways: 1. It gives your food a pungent aftertaste, meaning you don’t want to eat anymore. You ate food without Sensa on it so it didn’t taste gross? WELL THAT’S WHY IT DIDN’T WORK! 2. Super hard laxative. You be taking big shits after that -single- slice of pizza that obviously fit guy slowly eats in front of the TV watching football. 3. South Bronx Parasite diet. Anything else just sounds like the magic of mail order to me! I remember there was that one where you were supposed to lather your food in this “insoluble fibre” coating that let you eat whatever you wanted, except supposedly your body couldn’t digest it… ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-heard-of-sensa/634162/3 "2012-09-09T05:22:31Z")
The [reviews on Amazon](http://www.amazon.com/Sensa-Starter-Weight-Months-Instructional/dp/B003UE0XM8/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&qid=1347168052&sr=8-24&keywords=sensa) are informative. ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-heard-of-sensa/634162/4 "2012-09-09T05:33:23Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > The [reviews on Amazon](http://www.amazon.com/Sensa-Starter-Weight-Months-Instructional/dp/B003UE0XM8/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&qid=1347168052&sr=8-24&keywords=sensa) are informative. [http://www.amazon.com/review/R1OLJNJE9JYYDU/ref=cm\_cr\_pr\_viewpnt#R1OLJNJE9JYYDU](http://www.amazon.com/review/R1OLJNJE9JYYDU/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R1OLJNJE9JYYDU) My favorite of the lot: > [@](#): > > Why this review sounds fake? I don’t know anyone reviewing a product would put a “®” next to the product name, unless you work for Sensa and had formed a habit of adding that little sign when you correspond with other Sensa customers. Did I ever tell you guys how awesome the Luxor hotel is? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-heard-of-sensa/634162/5 "2012-09-09T17:14:48Z")
haha. I like how that website linked in the OP goes from debunking right into their own sales pitch. “Sensa is just a gimmick…but, wait…our saffron extract gimmick REALLY WORKS!” It is really kind of sad that people keep falling for these gimmicks. If there was a safe, easy, and reliable way to lose weight, WE’D ALL ALREADY BE USING IT. And vanity aside, considering the death toll of obesity, I think the person who discovered it would probably have won a Nobel Prize instead of showing up on freaking Dr. Oz. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-heard-of-sensa/634162/6 "2012-09-09T18:09:14Z")
No personal experience with Sensa®, but I hear Sensa® works pretty good for awhile, but becomes less effective after awhile. I’m not sure what the cause is of Sensa® losing steam. I always assumed Sensa® bulked up in your stomach. I have never heard Sensa® has a bad taste. 😃 I’ll cut it out. Isn’t it also semi-pricy? One thing I know about saffron is that it’s one of the most expensive things on earth by weight, hate to see how much their product costs. That’s why I flavor everything with kakapo extract and black-footed ferret shavings. ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-heard-of-sensa/634162/7 "2012-09-09T19:49:29Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > No personal experience with Sensa®, but I hear Sensa® works pretty good for awhile, but becomes less effective after awhile. I’m not sure what the cause is of Sensa® losing steam. > > I always assumed Sensa® bulked up in your stomach. I have never heard Sensa® has a bad taste. > > 😃 I’ll cut it out. > > Isn’t it also semi-pricy? One thing I know about saffron is that it’s one of the most expensive things on earth by weight, hate to see how much their product costs. That’s why I flavor everything with kakapo extract and black-footed ferret shavings. None of that fancy WholeFoods crap for me! Sea water and barber hair, thank you very much. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-heard-of-sensa/634162/8 "2012-09-09T21:53:13Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > The [reviews on Amazon](http://www.amazon.com/Sensa-Starter-Weight-Months-Instructional/dp/B003UE0XM8/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&qid=1347168052&sr=8-24&keywords=sensa) are informative. A lot of the bad reviews, at least the first ones displayed, seem to be over Sensa’s purported MSG content and how it is so evil and will kill your brain cells. Never mind that most protein containing foods have glutamate, and while they seem to emphasize “free” glutamate, your body breaks down proteins into free amino acids so there is absolutely no difference in the end (I am tempted to post a review saying just this, then see how many of them try to go on a protein-free diet). ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-heard-of-sensa/634162/9 "2012-09-09T23:18:47Z")
I do not know why they tell you to sprinkle it on things–it is great right from the jar. I do not care much for the Tuna Sensa, though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-heard-of-sensa/634162/10 "2012-09-10T00:05:16Z")
I thought this was going to be another _Game of Thrones_ thread. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-heard-of-sensa/634162/11 "2012-09-10T18:07:30Z")
You know how it works? You gotta dance around and excercise while you use it, like the people in the commercial. I used to drink beer while riding an excercise bike and managed to lose a few pounds. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-heard-of-sensa/634162/12 "2012-09-10T18:11:26Z")
If you sprinkle it through the gas-filler pipe in your car, you’ll get 800 miles per gallon. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-heard-of-sensa/634162/13 "2012-09-10T18:23:49Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I used to drink beer while riding an excercise bike and managed to lose a few pounds. This “beer” you speak of-where might I acquire it, and how much should I ingest for best results? ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-heard-of-sensa/634162/14 "2012-09-11T00:44:15Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > This “beer” you speak of-where might I acquire it, and how much should I ingest for best results? I propose an experiment. For science. I own an exercise bike. And I ordered a kegerator yesterday. -D/a ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-heard-of-sensa/634162/15 "2012-09-11T03:29:16Z")
I wouldn’t be surprised if you can lose weight drinking beer - if you consume less calories than you burn - although it wouldn’t be very nutritious (which can also cause weight loss from malnutrition). ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-heard-of-sensa/634162/16 "2012-09-11T03:50:53Z")
> [@Michael63129](#): > > I wouldn’t be surprised if you can lose weight drinking beer - if you consume less calories than you burn - although it wouldn’t be very nutritious (which can also cause weight loss from malnutrition). But then you get a big belly. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-heard-of-sensa/634162/17 "2012-09-11T04:22:04Z")
I suspect beer has at least as much nourishment as those weight-loss shakes. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-heard-of-sensa/634162/18 "2012-09-11T04:28:04Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > But then you get a big belly. Urban legend. Where fat goes is mostly genetics. I hear (maybe also UL) that Guinness can provide a good deal of nutrients. Maybe Cecil looked at it, but I can’t find it by searching. IIRC I think it was said that you’d still need to drink many pints to reach a loaf of bread or similar. But bottoms up! ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-heard-of-sensa/634162/19 "2012-09-12T05:07:40Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Urban legend. Where fat goes is mostly genetics. > > I hear (maybe also UL) that Guinness can provide a good deal of nutrients. Maybe Cecil looked at it, but I can’t find it by searching. IIRC I think it was said that you’d still need to drink many pints to reach a loaf of bread or similar. But bottoms up! My organ teacher, a very British man, extolled the virtues of iron in Guinness to me. Apparently a doctor told him to drink a pint of stout a day because of it. Apparently that’s not true, but I still think it’s solid advice!