# Sensa for weight loss. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 27, 2012, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensa-for-weight-loss/645238 "2012-12-27T00:57:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2012, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensa-for-weight-loss/645238/1 "2012-12-27T00:57:51Z")
This is a product you sprinkle on your first bites of a meal. Apparently it works " By enhancing smell, SENSA® Tastants were designed to help speed up the process and trigger your “I feel full” signal, so you eat less and feel more satisfied." [www.sensa.com](http://www.sensa.com) Anybody tried it? Any thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2012, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensa-for-weight-loss/645238/2 "2012-12-27T02:47:17Z")
> [@GaryM](#): > > This is a product you sprinkle on your first bites of a meal. Apparently it works " By enhancing smell, SENSA®Tastants were designed to help speed up the process and trigger your “I feel full” signal, so you eat less and feel more satisfied." [www.sensa.com](http://www.sensa.com) > > Anybody tried it? Any thoughts? Doesn’t look too promising per note here. [http://www.health-actually.com/reviews/sensa-review-is-it-a-scam-or-does-it-really-help-you-lose-weight/](http://www.health-actually.com/reviews/sensa-review-is-it-a-scam-or-does-it-really-help-you-lose-weight/) Satiation in trying to diet is a fairly complex topic and one I’m pretty familiar with being a life long dieter. The main issue with satiation is getting the “enough” signal from your brain. While this “that’s enough” feedback signal is almost instantaneous in non-overeaters it can be significantly delayed in overweight people by 1 - 10 minutes by which point you have consumed vastly more calories than you need. One strategy if you have delayed satiation signals (as most overweight people do) is to slow the consumption process way down (which is not easy if you are hungry) and allow the satiation mechanism and brain signals to catch up to what you have actually eaten . In this context I can see how the act of using a “tastant” might act as a reinforcing mechanism of sorts to make you aware of what you are eating and to slow down, but the notion that maltodextrin which is the main ingredient in Sensa is going to significantly impact satiation by “enhancing” taste is just silly and scientific babble speak. Plus it seems insanely expensive for what it is. ---
**Author:** ![cougar58](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@cougar58](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cougar58)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2012, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensa-for-weight-loss/645238/3 "2012-12-27T03:07:49Z")
> [@astro](#): > > One strategy if you have delayed satiation signals (as most overweight people do) is to slow the consumption process way down (which is not easy if you are hungry) and allow the satiation mechanism and brain signals to catch up to what you have actually eaten . > > . Dang. Score one more for my ex (who weighed 90 lbs and looked like a 25 yr old at 44)..she always chewed every fork full, 32 times…“chew your food 32 times before swallowing” she kept telling me. I had my entire meal consumed in 32-64 bites. 128 at the most. Done in 5-10 minutes, it took her an hour. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2012, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensa-for-weight-loss/645238/4 "2012-12-27T03:10:31Z")
[Has anyone heard of Sensa? - Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=664910). This thread was posted a while back about the subject matter. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2012, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensa-for-weight-loss/645238/5 "2012-12-27T04:24:12Z")
> [@cougar58](#): > > Dang. Score one more for my ex (who weighed 90 lbs and looked like a 25 yr old at 44)..she always chewed every fork full, 32 times…“chew your food 32 times before swallowing” she kept telling me. > > I had my entire meal consumed in 32-64 bites. 128 at the most. Done in 5-10 minutes, it took her an hour. I think one of the problems is here in the US at least our school system encourages bad eating habits - I don’t ever remember when in public school having more than half an hour total to get to the cafeteria, get through the line, eat and get back to class. Several generations of us have been trained to snarf down our meals in as fast as possible, who can get a satiation signal when you have to shove your food down in 10 minutes?:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2012, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensa-for-weight-loss/645238/6 "2012-12-27T05:38:31Z")
Thanks for the input. I searched and didn’t find the other thread. Maybe I’ll just try chewing more and slower! ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2012, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensa-for-weight-loss/645238/7 "2012-12-27T15:25:19Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > I think one of the problems is here in the US at least our school system encourages bad eating habits - I don’t ever remember when in public school having more than half an hour total to get to the cafeteria, get through the line, eat and get back to class. Several generations of us have been trained to snarf down our meals in as fast as possible, who can get a satiation signal when you have to shove your food down in 10 minutes?:rolleyes: This is so true! Unless reminded to do otherwise, my son bolts down his food for this very reason. ---
**Author:** ![Cats\_pajamas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Cats\_pajamas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cats_pajamas)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2012, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensa-for-weight-loss/645238/8 "2012-12-27T15:31:06Z")
When I first saw the Sensa TV commercial in the US [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqBLRydcfIM) I knew immediately that this was essentially a fraud. All of those perfect bodies dancing on a beach, and the offer of a “free trial” told me that Sensa did not work. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2012, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensa-for-weight-loss/645238/9 "2012-12-27T18:59:22Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > This is so true! Unless reminded to do otherwise, my son bolts down his food for this very reason. Someone told off mrAru and myself for sitting in a diner and reading while eating, and we tried to tell them it was to make ourselves eat slower. _sigh_ I have retaught myself to eat slower but he still sort of vacuums up his food unless I remind him to slow down. ---
**Author:** ![chargerrich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chargerrich/32/5399_2.png) [@chargerrich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chargerrich)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2012, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensa-for-weight-loss/645238/10 "2012-12-27T20:37:00Z")
People will always fall for the allure of an easy way to lose weight but there will NEVER be a substitute for getting off ones ass and burning more calories than you take in. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2012, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensa-for-weight-loss/645238/11 "2012-12-27T21:44:04Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Someone told off mrAru and myself for sitting in a diner and reading while eating, and we tried to tell them it was to make ourselves eat slower. _sigh_ I have retaught myself to eat slower but he still sort of vacuums up his food unless I remind him to slow down. Not to hijack (but I’m gonna), some stranger did this? Walked up to you as you were quietly reading and eating, and told you that you shouldn’t do that? I hope you told this dick to MYOFB.[\hijack] Roddy