What is the gelatin trick for weight loss? Understanding the definition,mechanism, and effectiveness

Weight loss has been a hot topic for ages, with many women trying to drop extra pounds and actively seeking new and effective tricks that work. One of the latest ones out there is gelatin weight loss.

What is the gelatin trick for weight loss? It’s a new major weight-loss trend that emerged on social media. The idea is simple – dissolve 1 tablespoon of gelatin in a cup of hot liquid and consume 15 to 30 minutes before your meals. The mixture can be consumed as a drink or in the form of gelatin cubes after it gels. The benefits of such a weight-loss approach include:

• Increased fullness
• Appetite suppression
• Replacement for unhealthy snacks
• Potential collagen-like health benefits

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Weight loss has always been a big and rather sensitive topic for women. As of 2024, surveys show that 61% of women in the US wanted to lose weight. The reasons are different for everyone. Some women are looking to meet their own beauty standards. Others hop on the weight-loss journey for health and medical reasons. But the challenge is the same for everyone – losing weight is not always easy.

Whether you need a major body glow-up or just want to drop a few extra pounds, achieving the goal requires a holistic approach. The general weight-loss mechanism is well familiar to everyone. In order to drop weight, you need to create a calorie deficit. That is, you need to spend more calories than you consume.

However, what if traditional approaches don’t seem to work and you’re not losing weight on a calorie deficit? This can happen for a variety of reasons, from a miscalculated calorie need to hormonal fluctuations. Besides, studies present growing evidence of additional behavioral, physiological, and environmental factors affecting weight loss. So, when you don’t see a result of your effort, it’s natural to start seeking tricks that can help.

In this article, we are going to talk about one of such tricks – gelatin weight loss. We’re going to answer the big question: “What is the gelatin trick for weight loss,” and delve into the specs of this method.

What Is the Gelatin Trick for Weight Loss?

Gelatin weight loss is a new approach to dieting that has been trending on TikTok, YouTube, and other social media lately. It also goes by gelatin diet and Jell-O weight loss trick names. And if you’re spending a lot of time on social media, chances are that you’ve come across it too.

The idea behind this trend is very simple. The gelatin diet implies consuming gelatin mixed with hot water before each meal. It can be consumed in the form of a drink or as gelatin cubes (when it gels).

How Does Gelatin Weight Loss Work?

The gelatin diet adepts praise this method for its simplicity, accessibility, and effectiveness. According to numerous videos on social media, consuming gelatin 15 to 30 minutes before each meal can help optimize your daily calorie intake, while offering several collagen-borrowed health benefits.

But how does it actually work? Let’s break down the primary supposed effects of this method:

The Basic Effect

Even though a gelatin weight loss trick may sound odd, it actually can have a few positive effects backed by science:

• Increased fullness – Gelatin is a protein-rich product. It contains very few calories, but provides your body with a significant amount of protein that takes up space in your stomach. Respectively, when you consume it, your brain receives a signal that it has already received food, which can make you consume fewer calories during the actual meal. Studies confirm this hypothesis. According to one study, people who consumed gelatin-based breakfasts ate about 20% fewer calories at lunch.
• Appetite suppression – Thanks to protein content, gelatin directly impacts your hunger hormones. Studies show that a single gelatin meal boosts the level of GLP-1 in plasma and insulin levels. This boost maximizes satiety and helps control hunger pangs and cravings.
• Mindful ritual and snack substitution – This is a less obvious benefit. However, once preparing and consuming gelatin becomes a habit, this pre-meal ritual can also have a psychological effect. It can turn into a calming routine that can help you become more mindful about your diet in general. It can help you prepare your meals more thoughtfully (especially when you feel somewhat full even before eating). It can also promote slower, more deliberate eating, which has been shown to benefit weight loss. Besides, gelatin can become a great, low-calorie substitute for your typical snacks. This can also help control your calorie intake.

The Collagen’s Health Halo Borrowing

Apart from increased fullness and appetite suppression, the gelatin diet is also thought to bring some of the benefits offered by collagen.

Collagen represents 30% of a human’s body dry weight. That is, it's the most abundant type of protein in your body. It’s the building block of your skin, muscles, bones, and other tissues, which means that consuming it can help improve skin and joint health, support gut health, and provide a few other health benefits.

Gelatin is known to have a very similar nutritional profile to collagen. It contains the same amount of protein (12 g) with fewer calories. It is also easier to digest compared to pure collagen, though most modern collagen supplements are completely made of collagen peptides (hydrolyzed form of collagen), which makes them easier to digest than gelatin.

One way or another, gelatin and collagen are similar (though not exactly the same). That is, they may share some health benefits, including:

• Skin hydration and structural improvement.
• Bone health.
• Gut health.
• Bone health.
• Antioxidant properties, etc.

Despite these possible benefits, if we address one of the primary marketing messages of the gelatin trick, its skin-toning property, we have to admit that this effect is somewhat far-fetched. Yes, consuming gelatin can modestly improve your skin’s hydration, structure, and elasticity. But it can’t make your skin toned overnight. In reality, the toning effect becomes visible mainly due to fat loss.

Gelatin Trick Recipe

So, you’ve decided to give the gelatin weight loss approach a try. What’s next? You can find plenty of variations of this diet on social media. Yet, if you want the most straightforward and low-calorie option, here’s the standard gelatin trick recipe to try:

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon gelatin
• 1 cup hot water

The steps:

1. Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of cold water onto the gelatin and leave it for roughly 5 minutes. This helps ensure the smooth dissolving of gelatin in water.
2. When gelatin gets thicker, add a cup of hot water and actively stir until it fully dissolves.
3. Consume as a drink or put the mixture into the refrigerator for 2-3 hours to let it gel, then cut into the same-sized cubes.

If you don’t like it plain like this, there are several ways to customize your gelatin trick recipe for a better taste:

• Experiment with liquids. Some people prefer to dissolve gelatin in green tea, herbal tea, coffee, or juice for a more delicious taste.
• Add some flavorings of your choice. Depending on your taste, you can add a bit of apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, salt, or other additives.

Gelatin Diet Trick Reviews

If we look back at science, we can say that the gelatin diet can actually bring the desired weight-loss results. People who have tried it often emphasize increased fullness and more controlled food cravings. However, the real gelatin diet trick reviews are somewhat mixed. Some users report unsustainable results. And some official doctor portals claim that their names were used unlawfully to advertise the method.

Given the mixed opinions, experts emphasize the importance of treating this approach only as a helpful tool and not a magic pill. It’s important to remember that weight loss requires a holistic approach and lifestyle changes to bring sustainable and healthy results.

FAQ

Why is gelatin weight loss so trending?

The popularity of the gelatin trick spread fast on social media. Its rapid surge can be explained by a few factors. Firstly, it sounds like a quick fix to a major weight-loss problem. Influencers and bloggers promise fast and shocking weight-loss results from a simple pre-meal ritual. And, of course, many people want to try the “magic pill.”  Another cause of its popularity is accessibility. Compared to many other weight-loss approaches, tricks, and supplements, using gelatin is cheap and easy. Anyone can try it. And then, there is a promise that gelatin (similarly to collagen) also has a skin-firming effect, which sounds like a pleasant bonus.

Does gelatin really make your skin toned?

It’s no secret that collagen, which is the most abundant protein in the body, is responsible for the structure and strength of your skin, muscles, bones, and other tissues. Due to this reason, it’s considered that consuming collagen can generally help support skin health and beauty. Gelatin and collagen indeed have a similar nutritional profile. That’s why a big part of gelatin weight loss popularization focuses on its collagen-alike properties on the skin. However, while consuming gelatin may modestly improve the hydration, structure, and elasticity of your skin, it can’t magically tone it. A visible skin toning result may not be due to gelatin consumption, but rather due to fat loss and an improved muscle-fat ratio.

Does the gelatin diet really work?

According to studies, gelatin consumption can indeed promote fullness and make it easier to control your daily calorie consumption. That is, this weight-loss trick can actually work. However, it requires a wise approach. For maximum weight-loss benefits, it’s also recommended to choose unflavored or flavored but sugar-free gelatin options. It’s important to watch for the additives in your gelatin to prevent consuming too many calories. And for safety, it’s also recommended to avoid treating gelatin as a meal replacement. The best approach is to combine the gelatin trick with a healthy and nutritious diet.

Conclusion

So, what is the gelatin trick for weight loss? Is it a real deal or just a scam?

As you now know, this trend has some scientific grounding. Consuming gelatin can indeed give you a feeling of fullness and stimulate weight loss by helping you control your appetite, cravings, and calorie consumption. However, it’s not a magic pill. Gelatin weight loss shouldn’t be treated as a magic solution to all your body problems. So, if you decide to give it a try, be sure to do it thoughtfully and combine this approach with healthy eating and sufficient physical activity.

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