Phase II Carb Blocker

[goretex1]

Hi, I wondered if anyone has used the new product that has come out for blocking starches. I recently read an article in a magazine about it. I am on the Atkins diet and want to start adding fruit and more veggies that contain more carbs. I also have been craving milk and cereal with a passion. I have been good so far, but I don't know how much longer the cereal craving can be warded off. The product I am referring to is a white kidney bean extract and is supposed to block the enzyme in your pancreas that is supposed to turn your starches into glucose. It is all natural. I just wondered if anyone has tried it, what success they had if any, and if it had any side effects other than gas like what they say in the articles. Thanks.

[mrfreddy]

I have no idea if this stuff works, and I must admit I am quite dubious, but anyway, it sounds like their claims apply only to starches - bread, potatoes, pasta,etc. but NOT fruit....

[GaryW]

Ditto the previous post that this doesn't help at all for sugars. Some of them admit as much in the fine print. It believe I saw this "phase II" at my store and it sure wasn't clear where the marketing folks justify it being some new-and-improved version, since it's using the same white kidney bean extract that's been used as the primary ingredient in these pills since they've been overhyped into the market for the past 2 or 3 years. I've noticed some brands also include stimulants, which I found suspicious in that hey - if it's truly a good carb (or even just starch) blocker, then why the need to pepper it up with stimulants to boot? Which ingredient is having the more pronounced effect?

Back to the white kidney bean starch "blocker" - only variety:

Those that claim it's helped warn that it only helps a bit, so it's not a license to go starch hog-wild (heh-heh). I've heard some have successfully used it to just partially moderate the effects for an *infrequent* occasional meal with a bit more starches... don't remember the exact amount it helps filter down, but vaguely recall something like 10 to 30 grams at best. I suppose that's better than nothing for some that keep in mind its use vs. abuse.
The point was that one shouldn't imagine they can get away with taking it daily as an attempted mask for reverting to chronic daily bad eating habits - it will backfire (it will "catch up" to you and not consistently block those consecutive daily back to back starchy meals).
My favorite brand to laugh at though is one I saw labeled as a doctthat has several grams of sugar in the nutrition label... a "carb blocker" with several grams of sugar in it - seems darn ironic to me. They're also expensive. This isn't meant to totally discourage you from having a few on hand for that rare wedding reception or such where you think you might blow it, but it's not something to take each day Monday through Friday so you can revert to junky high sugar cereal (sorry 'bout that).

I tried it a couple times awhile back and couldn't much tell if it helped. YMMV.

[cc48510]

Phase II is the brand name for the Kidney Bean Extract. It isn't some new, improved extract. I tried it (no stimulants, etc...added). Ate 90g (net) or so of Pasta, Rice, and Potatoes (Virtually No Sugar) within 30 minutes of taking two. From my experience:

1) I normally get heart burn for days after a starchy meal. I got no heart burn after 90g of pure hi-glycemic starches.

2) When I ate alot of carbs (pre-Atkins), I normally was hungry (blood sugar drop ???) a few hours later. I didn't have that problem after this meal. But, I also ate plenty of fat and protein (unlike my pre-atkin days, when I ate very LF/LP)...so, that may have effected it.

3) I experienced neither weight gain, nor loss the day after. This only occured yesterday...so, I have yet to see whether it will effect my losses for the week or not.

[yellowman]

Hmm, might have to try that out! Here's one from vitacost.com:

http://www.vitacost.com/store/products/ProductSearch.cfm?searchby=PN&SearchText=carb+blocker

And vitaglo.com

http://store.yahoo.com/vitaglo/carbblockers.html
http://store.yahoo.com/vitaglo/ph2stne.html

I seem to have the occasional cheat myself. I've been countering the extra carbs by 1)Burning off the extra carb calories (and hopefully the extra carbs) by intense exercise within 24 hours, and 2) Limiting carb intake for a day or two after (or even before if it is a planned cheat).

Thus far, when cheating for only a meal or two here and there, I have no weight gain. However, my 3 day weekend long cheat gained me 6lbs, of which I lost again in about 4 days (going back to 20gm carb level of intake).

So, I guess my hypothesis would be: Combining carb blockers with adequate (enough to burn off the extra carbs) exercise and decreasing carb intake on the day(s) post cheat could yield no weight gain while possibly temporaily increasing metabolism (due to short term increased caloric intake and additional exercise), depending on age, sex, activity level and metabolic resistance.

Dang, guess I'll have to try that out and post some results=)

[btdude]

Id have to say (if on Atkins) Why bother with the product? Here's why. If you are truly doing the plan, there should not be the cravings you speak of. The cravings for the foods you mention are loaded with sugar, regardless of whether the carbs would be "blocked", or not. And putting that much sugar back into your body, would not be good. I might suggest reading up on what the Doc has said about vita nutrients. There is not fast track method or getting around the rules of any of the low carb plans. It is a way of life, and you cannot block part of life.