I’m still on the search for a diet that I can stick to for five days and lose weight without losing my mind.
This past week I decided to use Sensa – also called the sprinkle diet — for my experiment. Unlike most diets I try for just five days, I have the unusual situation of having tried this diet before for a whopping six months.
That’s right. About two years ago, around the time Sensa first hit the market, I purchased the six month supply of .7-ounce Sensa shakers. I spread the “magic sprinkles” on everything I ate for six months.
Sensa was created by Dr. Alan Hirsch, the founder and neurological director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago. Hirsch conducted studies on the effect of smell on weight loss. His theory is certain scents trigger the “I am full” signal in the brain.
I received two shakers for each month – one shaker for keeping and home and one shaker for keeping in the purse for eating out. Every month is a different “Tastant” crystal formula. The crystals are scented but flavorless so they don’t change the taste of the food. The texture is no different than salt.
Right off the bat, I’ll confess I did not lose weight while on Sensa for six months. In fact, I gained weight – 11 pounds to be exact. But this past week,
I wanted to give Sensa a fair shake. After all, I made a few major mistakes during my initial six months on the program.
If you are going to buy Sensa, don’t fall into the same traps as me.
No. 1: Using Sensa does not give you an excuse to eat anything you want. Even though the info-commercials may claim you can eat anything and still lose weight on Sensa, reckless abandon did not work for me. I found myself justifying eating pasta and high-fat foods I would not normally eat. I’d tell myself Sensa would make me eat less so I would not gain weight. Not true.
No. 2: Don’t think you can drink soda or caloric beverages and still lose weight on Sensa. I gave into the temptation to drink high-fructose corn syrup sweetened fizzy drinks and it made me fat, period. Now I only drink Zevia, a soda sweetened with stevia plant. Unlike artificial sweeteners, stevia seems to keep my blood sugar stabilized so I don’t feel hungry.
No. 3: Don’t be too embarrassed to get your face in your food and smell it. That’s right. Part of the reason Sensa works when it works is because your brain responds to what it smells. As you may already know, taste and smell are intertwined.
No. 4: Don’t expect every month of the so-called tasteless but scented “Tastant” crystals to be as effective. For me, some months worked better than other months. The fact that I had less of an appetite when using some scents as opposed to others confirmed there is something to Sensa. You just have to use more self control and work harder on months when Sensa does not dull your appetite as much.
No. 5: Don’t stop weighing yourself every single day. I know it can be irritating when the scale fluctuates but you need to keep yourself honest, especially with something as “magical” as Sensa!
In terms of cost, Sensa may cost more than $200 for a six-month supply. Depending on sales or specials, they may sell at a variety of prices including about $50 for one month starter kits.
Sensa allegedly uses the sense of smell to trigger what Dr. Hirsch calls “Sensory Specific Satiety.” He studied 1,436 people over a six month period. His subjects lost an average of 30.5 pounds or nearly 15 percent of their total body weight.
After about a week re-visiting the Sensa diet, I’m happy to report I lost 2 pounds. It was not hard to get back in the habit of sprinkling Sensa on my meals. You can’t sprinkle Sensa on liquid soups, drinks or smoothies. Make sure to be generous and sprinkle all over the food on your plate. Also, eat the food right away. Re-sprinkle your leftovers before eating. And remember to sniff it good!
Bottom line: Some of the Sensa six formulas decreased my appetite but some did not. If you decide to try it yourself, just heed my warnings because nothing stinks more than gaining weight when you are trying to lose it.
