Metamucil is a great product with tremendous health benefits. From lowering cholesterol to controlling one blood sugar levels, Metamucil is much more than a supplement for helping bowel movements. But the one area where Metamucil is not great at is weight loss.
Because of the many benefits that Metamucil brings to the table, the natural inclination would be to think that it would also be good as a weight loss supplement. Certainly, it could be no worse than some of the pills and fads out there. But to understand whether Metamucil would work as a weight loss supplement, one must first look what its main intent is.
The FDA’s recommended total dietary fiber intake is around 25 grams daily. Cup of broccoli has about 2.5 grams. A medium banana has bit more than 3 grams. A cup of split pea soup has about 16 grams. Lentils are also high fiber. But truthfully, for the “average,” overweight American, getting enough fiber is a task.
And why is fiber important? In a word (or two), it’s all about digestive health. Fiber moves stuff along. When waste builds in your digestive infrastructure, nothing good can come of it. It could increase your risk of colon cancer, and certainly leave you constipated. Fiber goes a long way in keeping your digestive track clean.
It feeds good bacteria to your gut. fiber also slows digestion. Which is particularly important when it comes to the subject of sugar. By slowing sugar’s absorption, fiber can help in achieving and maintaining healthy blood sugar levels.
So, how does Metamucil work? First, its fiber from psyllium husks. When digested, these psyllium husks will expand in your digestive tracts and become a gelatinous “blob”. This causes your intestine to contract and start pushing this blob through. Metamucil began its life as a laxative, to stimulate bowel movements and to reduce symptoms of constipation, and maybe diarrhea.
Along the way, FDA concluded that a healthy diet that was low in saturated fats, cholesterol, and high fiber could reduce the risk of heart disease. Additionally, some tests showed fiber to have a positive effect on control blood sugar levels. It was and is good. Because Metamucil is fiber, Metamucil reaped the benefits of this good news.
But the segue to weight loss is not as concrete as some would have you believe. The notion that Metamucil can be an effective weight loss supplements comes in two parts. First, taken before a meal will give one a sense of fullness. After all, the psyllium husk will expand in your stomach. And this sense of fullness translates to eating less. In that regard, Metamucil can be a great to gain some control of one’s appetite. And it goes without saying, to one cannot begin to lose weight until one can control one’s appetite.
Second, Metamucil moves things along. It hinders the absorption of sugars and moves waste out. As side note, not only does Metamucil hinder the absorption of sugars, but it can also block the absorption of several things such as medications and other supplements. Metamucil recommends taking medicines 2 hours before or after drinking Metamucil or see your doctor.
This is important in that the less is absorbed, the less goes to your belly fat. But Metamucil slow the absorption. It’s not like Orlistat that decreases the amount of fat absorbed in the intestines. Fiber works in a general sense. In a way, Fiber is more about balance.
So really, Metamucil is tool. To lose weight, the overarching principle is simple. It is to achieve a caloric deficit on a sustained basis. To lose weight smartly, that is in a healthy way, the objective is to eat clean combined with aerobic exercise to strengthen your cardiovascular system and resistance training to maintain muscle mass.
Metamucil is a great tool to help control appetite. It bridges the fiber gap when the diet may be lacking. It promotes great digestive health. While taking Metamucil is clearly good for your health, Metamucil in and of itself is not going to help shed those pounds.