Three years ago, actress Pimpan Chalayanacupt topped the scales at 65 kilograms. Now, she's a svelte 49kg, and she hopes the excess weight will never come back again even though she enjoys eating.

"I take a carbohydrate block capsule on the morning of a party or if I know I'm going to be eating a big meal," says Pimpan, who stands almost 170 centimetres tall.

"It's the only way I can enjoy eating as much as I want and still stay slim."

Many celebrities in Thailand feel they have to starve themselves or mind every calorie they take in so they appear svelte in front of the cameras.

Pimpan is one of those celebrities, but she also happens to be the brand ambassador for a carb-blocking product, which is being sold through direct sales on TV. She prefers to keep her weight below 50kg but, thanks to the product, doesn't have to starve herself and feels she can indulge in several of her favourite dishes.

Pimpan's daily meal includes a normal portion of rice and the usual side dishes. When she's out, she'll eat carbohydrate- and fat-heavy dishes such as pasta and Caesar salads topped with lots of cheese.

Her carb blocker is the latest in a long series of supplements that are claiming to prevent weight gain.

As with similar brands on the market, the maker claims that this product binds itself to the carbohydrates consumed, thereby stopping them from being absorbed by the body.

Over the past few years, scores of celebrities have tried fat blockers, chlorophyll drinks and vitamin E to keep them bright, healthy and, of course, slim.

Supanee, a Bangkok resident who asked not to be identified, tried both fat and carb blockers last year when she was trying to lose weight. At 67kg, the 32-year-old was facing a major battle with her penchant for sweets.

"I still wanted to eat cakes an desserts, but I didn't want the sugar and carbohydrates to be left unburned in my body," says Supanee, who took one or two capsules of both products every day for a few months.

However, the Public Health Ministry's Sa-nga Damapong worries about this cavalier attitude to supplements and the general lack of understanding as to their function.

Taking a supplement is rarely the solution, he says. He's also concerned at the tendency to copy stars who are overly concerned with their weight and are often too skinny.

"I don't endorse any unnatural way of losing weight," says Sa-nga.

The only proper way of losing weight, he says, is by going on a proper diet and consuming the right amount of all nutrients needed by the body each day, along with exercise and determination to keep healthy and fit.

Some of the supplements make the digestive system work in a different way, Sa-nga explains. Adding that once you stop taking them, the body doesn't return to its normal functions.

Siwaporn P, another local consumer, followed the natural way of dieting suggested by the ministry and lost three kilograms in one month. She takes a packed lunch to work everyday and keeps a close watch on what she eats.

That means brown rice, lots of fruits and vegetables, and other high-fibre foods.

"I'm not sure of the products they advertise on TV. They work well for others but no research or studies have been published so far," says Siwaporn.

Not knowing what's been added to those capsules, she prefers to prepare her own meals.

Food supplement manufacturers only play on people's beliefs that carbohydrates makes you fat, says Assoc Prof Kallaya Kijboonchoo, head of physiological nutrition at Mahidol University's Nutrition Institute.

"They're only blocking carbs in your mind, not your body.

"The amount of carbohydrates consumed each day is not a problem as long as you burn them off. You gain weight if you consume too many calories."

Siwaporn adds, "If you take a capsule, you still have to watch your diet anyway, so why bother? You're better off watching your appetite."

After one year, Wannee, who also asked for her first name to be used, has finally managed to lose 17kg.

But the weight loss is not the result of fat or carb blockers.

"I've watched my diet seriously," she says. Instead of "bad" carbohydrates like white bread and rice, she's been having wholewheat bread and brown rice, plus more vegetables and fruits. She's also avoided sugar.

Actress Pimpan knows the rules but still prefers her way of staying slim.

"I've successfully kept myself in shape for the past several months without torturing myself and by eating what I like."

The supplement only stabilises your weight, Supanee says, adding that she didn't lose or gain any weight during her months on the two blockers.

"It depends on your purpose. If you want to lose weight, the only way to go is diet properly and seriously."

Sirinya Wattanasukchai

The Nation