Dr. Oz recommended 3 items as “Must Haves for Weight Loss”:
First was a Halsa Mat, which is some sort of kinder and gentler “bed of nails”, which works by stimulating the body’s accupressure points with thousands of little spikes. As the accupressure points are stimulated, cortisol levels in the body decrease, which results in less body fat. Cost: $40 online.
Second up was a fiber supplement with the name PGX. Looks a bit similar to the latest infomercial making the rounds, P90X, doesn’t it? PGX stands for PolyGlypopleX. Dr. Oz thinks that adding fiber via the PGX soft-gels or “granule stix” (think Pixie Stix…) will help prevent weight gain. He said the average fiber intake for a woman is 12 grams per day, and that 25-35 grams a day would be better. PGX soft-gels cost $20 for a month’s supply (actually, he meant half a month’s supply, since 2 soft-gels is a daily serving), while 30 days worth of the “granule stix” will put you back $30.
Curious, I went online to see what kind of fiber (and how much!) was in PGX. It’s a combination of konjac-mannan (root), sodium alginate (a thickener derived from seaweed), and xanthan gum (a thickener derived from the bacterial coat of Xanthomonas campestris, the bacteria responsible for black rot on broccoli and cauliflower)
Each soft-gel contains 0.75 gram of fiber. That means 2 soft-gels (the recommended daily serving) contain a whopping 1.5 grams of fiber, of which 1 gram is soluble. The cost for 1.5 grams of fiber? 50¢
If you want the “granule stix”, then expect to pay about $1 a piece for the stix containing 2.5 grams of fiber each.
So, the soft-gels will cost you $1 to get 3 grams of fiber, while the “granule stix” will cost you $1 to get 2.5 grams of fiber.
Does something smell fishy here??????
According to Dr. Oz’s own statements, to bump your fiber from the average 12 grams to a better 25 grams, you would have to spend at least $4.33 a day! That’s $130/month. And even that assumes you got a good deal on the internet (which I did, at 25% off compared to the $20 for 30 soft-gels that Dr. Oz quoted).
If you are interested in a fiber supplement, you can’t do better than psyllium. I posted on it HERE.
Compared to paying $1 for 3 grams of fiber with PGX, psyllium will give you 3 grams of fiber for less than 9¢. And if you buy the psyllium at Trader Joe’s (not organic, but about 40% cheaper than the Whole Food’s Organic Psyllium), you’ll pay less than 6¢ for 3 grams of fiber.
Put another way, getting your fiber with PGX is 10 times more costly than getting it with psyllium.
The last thing Dr. Oz recommends for weight loss is something he calls a “miraculous invention,” but it’s really only a modified crock pot. It’s the T-Fal Actifry, which Dr. Oz claims will enable you to “have your favorite junk food for a fraction of the calories.” It retails for $250.
Dr. Oz put in 1/2 Tablespoon of olive oil, then added a couple of handfuls of potato sticks (french fry cut). The Actifry cooks while continuously stirring the potatoes, resulting in a lower fat version of french fries.
Incidently, these are really easy to prepare in your oven. They’re called “Oven-Baked Fries.” Save the $250 and go old-school…
Dr. Oz stated that the “low-fat fries” he just made had 200 calories, and that an “equivalent amount of regular fries” would have had a whopping 1400 calories and 75 grams of fat.
I know Dr. Oz graduated from medical school, but he must have had some help with his math courses.
Allowing for about 60 calories for the 1/2 Tablespoon of olive oil, that means 140 calories were provided by the potato. This is about 5 ounces of raw potato.
In order to get 1400 calories from a serving of regular french fries (I used french fries from McDonald’s), you would need 15 ounces of french fries. Dr. Oz’s serving was barely over 5 ounces. So Dr. Oz is comparing the calorie count of his small 5 ounce serving of low-fat fries (Actifries?) to a mammoth 15 ounce serving of regular fries? Dr. Oz, you’re off by a factor of 3!
That doesn’t surprise me, since when Dr. Oz was telling the calorie counts and sugar content of movie theatre soda and fruit punch, he made another “factor of 3 goof.”
He said a large soda had 500 calories, and 33 Tablespoons of sugar, while a large fruit punch had 840 calories and 49 Tablespoons of sugar.
Well, Dr. Oz’s fact checkers must have been napping, because any self-respecting calorie-counter knows that a Tablespoon of sugar has 45 calories, while a teaspoon has 15 calories. 49 Tablespoons of sugar would have 2,205 calories, not 840!.
Dr. Oz should have said “Teaspoons, not Tablespoons.”
Am I splitting hairs? Perhaps, but this guy is a physician with a wildly popular show, and I’d say accuracy is important.
By the way, I sent the Dr. Oz show a letter bringing this and other errors to light, and I am currently awaiting a job offer as a fact checker (or at least an e-mailed response back before 2015…)
Have you noticed mistakes on the Dr. Oz show? Tell me about them!
Robert J. Stone
I stumbled upon this report because while I am not an avid watcher of Dr. Oz I did catch this episode and thought of trying his “fiber” recommendation. Thank you for clearing this up, I like less expensive as my pockets are rather short!
Thanks for stopping by Karen! If you try the psyllium, please let me know how it works for you. I have a group of 3 people (myself and two friends) who have had great success with it, and I’d love to hear how you do with it. Good luck!
Thx for the post. Very helpful. I immediately went to Trader Joe’s and got the psyllium. Never heard of it before.
You’re welcome, and thank you for stopping by. I hope you are happy with the psyllium!
Thanks for your advice I’m going to try psyllium seems as if yours is better than OZs
Paulette- You are quite welcome. Please let me know how it works for you!
Pingback: Me and Dr. Oz « Lea's World
Hi!! I stumbled upon this website while I was searching for yesterday’s Dr. Oz show tips on how to lose weight and the wonderful thing he was going to mention to suppress appetite, anyways, I didn’t find it but I found this website and the mention of “psyllium” Do you know where else can I find it..? I don’t have TJ or WF where I live, I have Wegmans, and also, what section of your grocer should I look? One more thing, I am an avid calorie counter and love your math in here and ask myself the same questions about where he gets the information. And yes I have one example of how much or how often the info presented in that show changes: He said pickled cabbage was good ( I think he said it was recommended for Alzheimer) but then the next day he said is was one of the “foods” to produce stomach cancer. Anyways.. let us know if he offers you a job..
Hello Janette, thanks so much for stopping by! I would think pretty much any health food store should have plain psyllium (preferable to the kind with added sweeteners/flavors), and any drugstore will carry sweetened/flavored psyllium. Perhaps the “natural food” section of a grocery store might have plain old psyllium husks in those bulk bins…
Also, you may have luck looking online…
There is a blog called “Dr. Oz Fans” that does a daily recap of the show, they usually have accurate info that you might find useful.
Take care!
Robert
I buy “Psyllium Husks Powder” (12 oz.) at the Vitamin Shoppe for $6-7 bucks. Just plain old psyllium for “intestinal health and colon care.” Mix a tsp into my green smoothies 2-3 times/week and things are fine. [Note: remember, all things in moderation.]
(Good luck with the “fact-checking” position. Oz reminds me of infomercials.)
Hello Bill, sounds like you have a routine that works! Keep it up. Yes, all things in moderation…a very useful tip! Thanks for your comment…Robert
Hi Robert: Found your website when searching for the name of the fiber supplement Dr. Oz was pushing last week on one of his shows. I like your site and I’m going to try the Psyllium supplement. We don’t have Trader Joe’s here but I will check Target and if I can’t find it there or CVS, I’ll go to Whole Foods. What is the difference between Psyllium and Metamucil? I did read some reviews from folks that had negative effects such as gas pains and stomach discomfort. I hope that doesn’t happen to me! Thanks so much for the site and yes, good luck with the job offer. I too think Dr. Oz’s show is much like an infomercial.
Hi Lori- Metamucil typically has additives like sugar/artificial sweeteners, and costs more per gram of fiber than psyllium. If you are concerned about the gas/abdominal discomfort start will a little and increase the dose bit by bit. I never had any negative issues with it, nor have my friends. There is one brand of psyllium (Konsyl) sold at some drug stores but it tastes horrible. Your best bet is pure psyllium. Good luck, and thanks for stopping by! Robert
Hi, a cheaper way to get psyllium husks is probably online. I just got my 1 lb pack (brand-now foods) (vs. Trader Joe’s 12 oz pack at $6+) thru drugstore.com at $6.99 (usual price- $8.99). I have shoprunner, so my 2 day shipping is free.
Thought I’d share this esp to ppl with no good old Trader Joe’s. Many health/holistic stores overprice simple stuff like this.
Well put Shwu, thanks for the info! The internet is indeed a great way to comparison shop…
Great info Robert!
I’ve been using the Konsyl you mentioned as tasting horrible. It is bad by itself, but I add a few strawberries and greek yogurt and it becomes delicious. I hadn’t thought about it for weight loss, but it does wonders to keep things regular. I do the Weight Watchers program to controll my weight and I LOVE it.
I’ll try the Trader Joes variety next.
Thanks for the input. I have heard good things about Weight Watchers…it sounds like you’re making it work for you, great job! Keep up the good work. Thanks for reading.
I’m always suspicious of claims of someone who sells product… but I did listen to him say that a good thing to add to the diets was flax seed – I buy it already ground. and by taking 4 tablespoons of that and my “regular” diet – today my fiber was 23 grams…. What is recommended? I am 72, short and fat, can’t change the short, but working on the fat! and so far, so good!
Hi Lois- Women should be getting at least 25 grams of fiber per day. Keep up the good work!
came across this searching for pgx….does your psyllium turn to that solid in the stomach to help absorb stuff and make you feel fuller??? cause if it does ill try that next…
Hello Carol,
The psyllium doesn’t turn into a solid, but does sort of “gel up” and does make you feel a bit fuller. It is also quite effective at lowering LDL cholesterol, in many cases as effective as medications. Can’t hurt to give it a try!
I really appreciate your sober review of the products that are “must haves” for these diets that are being packaged and marketed. I agree that psyllium is a perfectly good source of fiber with the same benefits as the more expensive PGX. Trader Joe’s does sell psyllium but not in caps only in a jar with the powder–atleast in my area. I do prefer the convenience of the caps and haven’t found a really pleasant way to use the powder as it thickens so quickly.
Hello Cassandra,
Yes, the “loose” psyllium does thicken pretty fast, and the only way I have found to tolerate it is to just mix it quickly in water and gulp it down. Not especially pleasant, but it’s much more economical than capsules. Can’t beat Trader Joe’s price either…
I also wrote Dr. Oz a letter this year….about the yoga routine he recommended for seniors in the AARP magazine. Completely and totally inappropriate for 90% of seniors, if not downright dangerous. There is so much good info out there….why spread disinformation?
Couldn’t agree more Claire…did you hear back from Mehmet?
Found you by accident: thanks for your info. i too think that oz is a little over rated, I try my best to live a very healthy lifestyle, do you have any suggestion for me I have Polycythimia Vera and have to see Hematologist monthly to have my blood scores tested. I am a big juicer and works great for me. However am planning on the psyllium next time. I also do a big protein drink in the morning using frozen (fresh) veggies with some frozen fruit with coconut milk gets me started…..
loved your site.
thanks je
Thanks so much for stopping by Judy- Unfortunately my knowledge regarding polycythemia is lacking. That sounds like MD territory. I hope you get the information you are looking for, and I’d love to hear an update if you don’t mind sharing. Good luck!
I just finished reading “The Blood Sugar Solution,” Dr. Hyman recommended PGX as well. While at my local natural food store I noticed psyllium husks in the bulk bins and it was labeled as having no dietary value since it’s not absorbed by the body. I had a little divine ephipany thinking I could substitute it for PGX, googled it, and found your advice! Thank the Lord for the internet and people like you who are as curious/budget conscious as I am! One thing I am concerned about is if the trace minerals/vitamins in the PGX are really important, but I suppose that fiber is the main idea anyway. Thank you for posting this!
Hello Terina, thanks so much for visiting and sharing your thoughts. It’s amazing what you can do with a bit of motivation and the power of the internet. Take care!
I’ve watched Dr Oz yesterday (in Australia) and was also struck by his promoting unnecessarily expensive products. Having searched the Internet for PGX I came across Robert’s comments and can’t agree more. I’ve been using Psyllium Husks for over a year now as a fiber supplement and as aid against constipation and I find it very effective. The easiest way to ingest it is to add a tablespoon to your smoothie while blending it. It can be a no-fat smoothie if you are trying to lose weight (using, for instance, frozen strawberries and non-fat milk or yogurt) and the Psyllium acts as a thickener which makes the smoothie more filling.
Hello Hila, thanks for your comments. I agree, psyllium is hard to beat for effectiveness and is inexpensive. Best of luck to you!
I have come to the conclusion that I am not willing to use anything that Dr. Oz recommends. It seems that the newest of the newest is the next thing to be promoted. I think he has gotten so big he does not know what he is promoting and as long as it is bringing in money and more name recognition, he is going to promote it. I feel confident that at one time whatever he said he tried , he truly believed in. Unfortunately as with so many, there comes a time when it becomes overwhelming and there is no way to personally do it all. So, you begin hiring out and the personal integrity gets lost. It is just my opinion and I am very into health and would not trust mine to Dr. Oz. There are too many dangers in some of his recommended products or systems and I do not sell my health to the most recognizable name out there.
Hello Heshie- Yes, you are right in that his show seems to have taken on a life of it’s own in some respects. Perhaps he is being pressured by sponsors/owners to keep recommending “new” products. Thanks so much for your input!
I bought equate capsule psyllium fiber approx 0.52g of fiber per capsule. To lose weight I have read you should take 5-7 capsules before meals. However the bottle I bought says not to take that dose for more than 7 days, why is that? What happens if you take it for more than 7 days for weightloss? Thanks for any info.
Hello Robyn, thanks for stopping by.
The only reason I can think of why you shouldn’t take it for more than 7 days is if you were taking it as a laxative. If it didn’t work in 7 days I assume you’d have a problem that might require medical attention. But for weight loss, I don’t know. I’m not familiar with that product. They might have a toll free number you could call. Good luck!
What is your opinion of the bed of nails?
As for the bed of nails, it’s probably best for people who’ve worked in the circus, preferably the freak show. Seems like quite a bit of money and effort just to stimulate a few accupressure points. What do you think?