Does this make any Sensa?

Earlier this week, HSN was promoting a diet aid as their “Today’s Special”. For a payment of $74.95 (and FREE SHIPPING!) for a two-month starter kit, Sensa promises to curb our appetites and help us to lose weight while continuing to eat exactly the way we always have. You know, all that junk food that got us overweight in the first place. No need to change our eating habits. No sirree, Bob.

Sounds like a bunch of crap. So I set off to research so that I could properly rip on it – and then a funny thing happened. I got interested. Dammit; they hooked me.

I am not a fan of diet products. Most, if not all, are useless. I can look at them, laugh at their claims and Photoshopped “before and after pictures” and pass them right by. And I fully intended to laugh and pass this one by as well. But something about it really appealed to the sucker in me.

The “science” behind the product: Created by Dr. Alan Hirsch, a neurologist, Sensa is supposed to work with your sense of smell to send signals to your brain that you are full. Does that make sense to you? Me either. Here’s the description from HSN’s website:

Dr. Hirsch believes as you eat, smell and taste receptors send messages to your brain, which releases hormones that tell your body it's time to stop eating. Based on his research, he developed Sensa Tastants, and believes these Tastants help speed up the sensory specific satiety process, thereby helping you eat less and take in fewer calories so you can lose weight. Smell has a profound influence on taste, and taste has an influence on appetite. Dr. Hirsch believes Sensa works solely with your sense of smell.

How you use it: The Sensa “Tastants” come in a two-sided dual shaker – one side to use on sweet foods and the other to use on salty. You are supposed to change up the shakers every month to get new Tastants because, you know, your brain could become immune to the smell. You need to shake things up (no pun intended) to keep it working.

They also recommend you use it for six months to see results. I would imagine that is for the person who doesn’t want to make any changes to their eating habits – and didn’t read the small print about using Sensa in conjunction with a diet and exercise program. I would further imagine it will put a ton more money in the good doctor's pocket.

The cost: $58.95 per month (since we missed the “Today’s Special”). Yikes.

Yes, it still annoys me that they promote it by saying, “eat whatever you want and lose weight” but they do suggest (again, in the small print) you begin a healthier diet when you start using the product. Now, for someone like me with portion control issues, this could be helpful. If it works. I don’t have a lot of weight to lose, but I would really love to be able to get back on track – and I’ve been having problems with that lately.

Since one of my biggest pet peeves is people who write disparaging things about a product without trying it, I’m plunking down my $60 and giving it a whirl. Just for you guys. Because I’m thoughtful like that. What do I have to lose? One of the nice things about ordering from HSN or QVC is their “no questions asked” return policy. If you don’t like it, you send it back within 30 days and you get a refund. Even if you’ve used it all.

Stay tuned for sucker updates.