New Diet Pill: The Expanding Blob

this class of material is also used in diapers and feminine napkins".

Yummy.

Oh, man. Makes my stomach feel weird just thinking about that gel ball expanding in there.

:-(

Brian

Yes, uh... Readng about that may be a good way of killing one's appetite without even having to swallow the thing.

That's kind of disturbing. I'd be worried about how it comes out, looks like it could be painful.

i'm sorry, a gel ball? is that what that says? i'll stick to my veggie sub on wheat and run an extra 30 minutes for all that nonsense.

This sounds as promising as the diet "bread" that used to be around in the early 80's. You made a loaf of this "bread" (and I use that term loosely)and you ate two thin slices with your meal. After one hour, it was supposed to expand in your stomach and make you feel full and keep you full for 4-6 hours.

The problem--getting the "bread" past your nose. It smelled and tasted like glue! Oh wait...maybe THAT was the secret filling ingredient?! :)

When will people tire of these gimmicks and just buckle down and lose weight the old-fashioned way?
BTW, Shirataki tofu noodles work the exact same way, absorbing many times their weight in water. They're 40 calories a package so theoretically you could eat a package of those and get the same effect.

Eww, it is pretty gross, But, I agree with Dott. Ambrosio. It's true that this is a "gimmick" and controlling what you eat combined with exercise is the best way to go. But, this is aimed at people who are considering bariatric surgery. Which is less invasive?

On the other hand, it better take a long time to expand - the idea of this thing swelling in your esophagus gives me the creeps.

Good point, Quito, I didn't even think about the esophagus issues.

I can't even swallow big vitamins, I can't imagine what a tennis ball in the throat would feel like!

I really hope this is only aimed at people who are morbidly obese and used as a last resort. The whole idea of the expanding gel ball just sounds too freaky and dangerous.

Clair S. is correct. Glucomannan, or Konjac root does the same thing, and have been used in Japan for a long time.

I just wrote about this on my blog last night, too. Among my concerns, which were many, is what if this gel blob starts expanding while you swallow? Can you choke on it? I don't like the idea of this pill.

Oh my god. Someone at my work got a sample of something like this in the mail for some reason. He soaked it in water and left the resulting blob on a plate in the break room. EEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWW... I would not swallow that junk if you paid me!!!

I imagine this would be even more *comfortable* than mockalate bars and malitol pudding.

All I could do when I read this article was shake my head. Words were beyond me. I love that the creators site a visit to the U.S. and our ever expanding waist size as their inspiration.

The thought of it makes me want to gag - and yes, the thought of it opening half way down is horrifying. I didn't like the feeling of swallowing a lifesaver hole and sitting in my throat. This is way to sci-fi for me!

I would rather walk a marathon than swallow that - UGH!