Kate says it could work as well as weight loss jabs
Kate Donohoe says the pill works as well as weight loss jabs
A nutrition coach says a ‘game-changing’ 45p daily supplement eradicates sugar cravings and could reduce people’s need for weight loss jabs. Kate Donohoe, 44, is a personal trainer and loves to try out new supplements that could make life easier for people.
She came across glucomannan – a natural water-soluble fibre compound sold in pill form, marketed for its appetite-suppressing qualities to aid weight loss. She ordered a £13.50 tub from Amazon, which lasts 30 days, and decided she would take it every day for a month to see if it would help her get her diet back on track after lots of “wine and chocolates” in December.
She described how normally, she’d experience sugar withdrawals after a month of indulgence – but Kate said that didn’t happen at all. Not only that, but she lost 3cm around her waist – bringing her body back to its pre-Christmas shape – without any additional effort, or feeling like she’d made a sacrifice.
Nutrition coach Kate, from New Forest, Hampshire, feels a lot of people should try glucomannan before ordering weight loss injections – as it suppresses appetite and controls blood sugar for a fraction of the price. She said: “I started on a small dose and gave it a go, and within two days I had no cravings.
“It just made it really easy to get back on track with a healthy routine, and I didn’t have an ‘afternoon slump’. Now, it’s become my crutch – I keep a massive tub of them in the cupboard to take whenever I find it hard to keep on track with my meal plan.
“As a PT, I can’t officially recommend it, but personally, I found them useful. For anyone struggling with cravings, it’s worth investigating.”
Kate, who runs Boom Weight Loss and Fitness, ordered herself a tub of the supplement after a friend tried glucomannan and recommended it as an alternative to GLP1 medications. Glucomannan helps to reduce food cravings by maintaining a feeling of fullness – when taken before meals, it forms a ‘gel’ in the stomach and slows the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates.
Kate began taking the supplements as recommended, before each meal. She said: “I noticed the effect within a couple of days, normally the first few days of January feel like ripping a plaster off a hairy arm. There was nothing I hankered for, I could eat a balanced diet and I wasn’t obsessed or thinking about food.”
After a full month on the supplements, she was back on track and stopped taking them as she felt they were no longer needed. But after eating a healthy amount of chocolate Easter eggs, she decided to go back to taking them, to help her get on track again.
Kate said: “I just wanted to make that week after Easter easier for myself – it’s just a good product, and cheap too. GLP1s will not make you lose weight on their own, but they reduce hunger and cravings and make you feel more full, because digestion is slowed down.
“The bottom line is the same with glucomannan, albeit less extreme – it is something that can make a weight loss journey easier.”
Kate added: “If I were someone who had weight to lose, glucomannan would be my first port of all before trying weight loss jabs.”
Glucomannan is extracted from the root of the konjac plant (Amorphophallus konjac), also known as “elephant yam,” which is native to Southeast Asia. It is a unique fibre because it is exceptionally viscous; it can absorb up to 50 times its weight in water. This property allows it to turn into a thick, gel-like substance in your stomach, which is the basis for its supposed health benefits.
Several clinical trials have found that taking glucomannan before meals can lead to modest weight loss. One study showed that participants who took 1g of glucomannan three times a day (without other dietary changes) lost an average of 5.5 lbs (2.5 kg) over 8 weeks.
