Garcinia Cambogia Extract
 

A friend of mine was tooting Dr. Oz's horn this morning about this stuff. I usually don't buy into quick fixes, but this looks like its just a natural plant derivative. She's going to give it a go, but I'm wondering if its safe.

Any one ever try it?

First thing I'd say is if Dr Oz recommends it, be wary of it.

Honestly, a lot of the benefits aren't supported by current studes and the dangers are unknown.

WebMd says the following:
A study using Garcinia Cambrogia (GCE here) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21936892
Here is a study of studies where basically they went through all known studies to determine the effectiveness of common dietary supplements.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20847896

Dr Oz has a new diet product every day or at least every week.

LOL but yes.

http://www.slate.com/articles/health...t_science.html

Yeah, this is the same girl that believed Dr. Oz when he said sucking on raspberry candy will make you lose a lb a day. :dizzy:

I don't watch him, but she swears by his advice, most of which is comical.

Your google skills are awesome LOL.

I'm going to show her this and maybe she'll listen to studies instead of my skepticism. She'll try it anyways likely, but hey, her money to waste. I'm just concerned it may end up harming her like all the other diet fad pills out there eventually do.

The candy thing, OMG. I was like, are you even listening to what you are saying???

Well there is no conclusive evidence in humans and Dr Oz generally isn't one to be trusted.

WebMD is generally a good place to read about supplements:
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supple...tName=GARCINIA

My guess is whatever pill you are taking may be mixed with either laxatives, diuretics or maybe both. Or perhaps just a general change of diet.

Ubee,

I will say that I used to like Dr. Oz and he seemed level headed but then things changed. Having a show where you feel you need to provide new products and solutions on a regular basis changed him. Now he seems to back every product with some slight promise. It has nothing to do with big pharma. It has to do with the age old scientific method that works if applied correctly and he ignores that. I've looked into the studies he references and there are often issues or they are preliminary at best.

PubMed is a good place to look into studies and get some of the real information as long as you understand that a single study doesn't prove anything as it should be measurable and repeatable.

Hi Nelie,

Thanks for giving me a new site to cross reference other findings with.

I must admit I have only watched Dr. Oz about 5 times.

I do think that nature provides us with answers to our health problems. I do use big $ pharmacy however, I don't always trust them. I also struggle with the lack of funding to study natural remedies. There is no money to be made so why would companies want people to know about natural remedies.

As you can tell I am very frustrated by this.

Thanks, Ubee

Ubee - I think nature provides us many answers but I think the best answer we've ever been given for weight loss is move more, eat less.

And companies do invest in natural remedies when they do work such as a big company (can't remember who now) bought out the rights to exclusively use hoodia in their products because it was something that worked in it's natural leafy state. The problem is that they couldn't replicate the appetite suppressant effects out of its natural state despite trying for years. That didn't stop other diet companies from claiming they contained hoodia or marketing it. Green tea was also something to shown to have a slight effect in tea form but never in pill form but doesn't stop diet pill companies from marketing it based on studies of green tea you drink. If you think big pharma is bad, you should see the diet industry, it is the worst which is why I'd be more wary of any diet pills than any big pharma medicine.

Most likely you lost water weight. I was 210 when I started eating healthy but I don't even count the first 10 lbs, I lost those literally within a day or two, it was just water weight.

I think it would be awesome if they made a magic pill that made fat go away, and it is very tempting to try the things they come up with...I had a friend talk me into some that were 'all natural' blah blah blah, she lost about 80 lbs on them and they are just great. It wasn't until AFTER I was taking them that I did research and I found out they were essentially meth...No one ever puts that on the label, do they?

I don't think this is a new thing?... I swear I seen garcinia products around for years now, I think even 10 years ago the home shopping network channel had a product with it in it for weight loss...I guess they are running out of ideas so use old ones and make them look new. green coffee, red raspberry, etc aren't working anymore.

@FickleHearts - Did your friend ever try Garcinia Cambogia?

Now I know why garcinia sounded so familiar!!... it also goes by the name citrimax which has been around forever... think it's been around as long as CLA. funny they are trying to market it as something new and just discovered.

I have it. I don't take it religiously, just on days I'm feeling extra hungry or stressed out, or know I'll be tempted to over-eat. It's an appetite suppressant. I definitely wouldn't rely upon it as a sole method of dieting, but it does help to curb hunger.

My friend tried it. She has tried just about every diet pill or diet known to man, so when I told her about this she rushed to the health food shop and bought it. The one she took contained no potassium, which you apparently need for it to be absorbed properly. She is a moderately big woman, with a good appetite and she took twice the dosage and said it was staving off her hunger (could have been wishful thinking too) but if she lost any weight it was nothing major. My other friend took it after hearing about friend 1's experience. Friend 2 said it was not even worth spending money on it and she stopped taking it. I was afraid to take it after reading some of the online reviews and the side effects experienced, nausea, cramps, possible liver damage. There is no quick weight loss fix, unfortunately.

I used it for about 2 weeks hoping it would decrease my appetite. I was not expecting a miracle pill in terms of weight loss, but a lot of the reviews on amazon (where I ordered it) claimed my appetite would decrease dramatically. Well, it didn't. For 2 weeks, not only did I not lose any weight, my appetite was exactly the same as it was when I didn't take it. Thus, I basically wasted $30. I think I've come to realize that over the counter weight loss pills/supplements are mostly scams and a waste of money.

I have taken it and as someone with blood sugar issues who was a carb addict, it did help but minimally. My understanding of it, it will help you if you are eating a high carb diet. No, it is not a magic pill but if you are eating a low fat, higher carb diet and need a little help or are trying to break through a plateau, this might be for you. Just don't go into it expecting a miracle!

My husband was on Garcinia. His doctor checked it out before he permitted him to use it. He is a credited internist . My husband is a diabetic and had very serious health problems and this doctor pretty much brought him back to normal conditions. He approved for him to take it after he looked at the research, the studies. He also said though "Dr oz is a great cardiologist he can promote propaganda he does not believe in all the time."
My husband lost 75 lbs where I lost 50 on my own. It is a bit expensive about 50.00 /30 day supply.

im currently taking it
 

I was in Alaska this summer visiting a friend and I saw a facebook post about garcinia, i was speaking with my friend about it and she handed me a bottle she was given and never used so i figured, "eh, im not out anything by trying" i lost 15 lbs with that bottle.

so i bought another one. but im not using it as a cure all. i just add it in with my normal supplements and vitamins. for me, it really does help curb my snacking. but whatever weight i lose, i know it wont be from only the garcinia.

About three months ago, a family member gifted hubby and I with a 5 month supply.

Hubby tried it, but it upset his stomach. I initially had no interest in trying it, but this month's PMS hunger has been especially intense, and when I found myself eating everything in sight, I got a little desperate.

I've only been on it a few days, but so far I'm impressed. I take one capsule at around 3pm and another around 8pm, and it seems to be taming the pms hunger. I still want to eat, but I don't feel my normal pms hunger, an urgent and overwhelming sense that I need to eat and keep eating.

It also seems to be keeping my blood sugar more stable. I've noticed that I can go longer between meals without feeling hungry or experiencing any low blood sugar symptoms like weak, wobbly knees or light headedness.

I haven't yet decided if I'm going to take it every day, or just during the 7-10 days of my monthly pms hungies.

Miracle is the brand I'm using, but when I run out I'll buy whichever brand I can find cheapest that contains 1000mg garcinia cambogia with 60% HCA, and potassium (50mg).

Miracle also contains chromium and calcium, but those are both in my daily vitamin.

I've been on stimulant appetite suppressants, and the garcinia effects are not like that at all. It doesn't eliminate hunger or make me forget to eat, but it does seem to strengthen my resovle to stay on plan. It somehow makes it easier and less stressful to stick to my plan. For me, it's more a willpower booster than a true appetite suppressant.

Usually I gain several pounds during pms/tom week. This week I stayed on plan, and rapidly gained and then rapidly lost 2 lbs of water gain. My "normal" is to gain 5-10 lbs quickly, which requires the rest of the month to lose. Having a no-gain hunger week does feel a bot like a miracle.

Thanks Kaplods. I think I might give it a try. I work out five to six days a week and have not lost weight, so I know it is my eating. I just need a little something to help give me a boost.

Bought a bottle and took it for a week, but didn't feel any different while taking it. While I was taking it I felt like I retained water (not sure why that would be). I gained two pounds the five days I was on it and lost them when I stopped. Probably water weight (again not sure why they would make me retain water). Anyways, just thought I would share my experience.

I'm trying not to get excited, because I haven't ruled out placebo (and I don't want wishful thinking to trigger or magnify placebo effects).

The effects seem to be much less dramatic now that pms/tom is over. I expected that, because at this time in my cycle my hunger/appetite is always at its lowest and my willpower at its strongest. There's less room for improvement.

I have experienced a few bouts of mild nausea, and it may have been from waiting too long to eat. The supplement does seem to mess with my ability to assess my blood sugar levels. The symptoms of low-blood sugar are a little different, so it's like relearning a new set.

My plan, at this point, is to 1. continue daily use for a few months, and then for a few month I'll try only 2. using only when I need the help, such as pms/tom week and family gatherings. Then I'll repeat experiments 1 & 2 a couple times.

It could easily take me a year or more to evaluate side effects; decide whether the effects are real and cost-effective; and how/whether to use it.

If I had to make a decision today, with only my experience so far (and if I had to buy the product and hadn't been given a 5 month supply by MIL) I would probably choose to only take it during pms/tom.

Although, if I had had to buy the product myself, I would never have tried it at all.

Garcinia Cambogia?
 

Has anyone tried Garcinia Cambrogia? I am curious to know if it really helps. The web says it is suppose to double your weight loss with out changing anything? If you have any information to share let me know please.

If you search, you'll find previous thread discussions, including my posts on my experiences.

In my experience, Garcinia Cambogia is mildly helpful, but not miraculous and definitely not effective on it's own, and there can be unpleasant side effects (nausea and stomach discomfort).

For hubby the side effects were severe, and for me they start out mild, but get more severe the longer I take it. I can only tolerate the side effects for about a week.

Because of the side effects, I only take it during pms week, when my hunger is most out of control.

I think it's officially the latest 'thing', I keep seeing it everywhere!

I just got off of hCG drops. I believe they have something to do with garcinia cambogia. They caused me to have diarrhea, extreme fatigue, disorientation, and made me feel so weak and sick. I quickly discarded them, and have decided to lose weight the healthy way. It will be harder, but it beats risking my health! :)

Actually, hcg has absolutely nothing to do with garcinia cambogia.

Hcg, or human chorionic gonadotropin is a hormone produced in pregnancy by the chorion (part of which becomes the placenta). Hcg is called "the pregnancy hormone."

Hcg can be derived from the urine of pregnant women or the placenta after birth. As I understand it, urine is the more common source, but at least one Japanese pharmaceutical company uses human placenta. It has to come from a human source or it isn't hcg.



Garcinia cambogia is a citrus fruit (tamarind) extract. Tamarind is commonly used in eastern food and medicine. As a food ingredient, it adds a sweet and sour flavor to foods such as pad thai.

The concentration of garcinia cambogia in supplements are no higher than that found in a tamarind-based broth Indonesian women commonly eat to curb hunger before meals to lose weight.




It just dawned on me, that you are probably confusing hcg with HCA, the active component of garcinia cambogia, hydroxycitric acid, which is a derivative of citric acid (plain old orange juice type citric acid, only coming from a tamarind fruit not an orange).

The only thing hcg and HCA have in common are two initials.

Does Garcinia Cambogia really work?
 

Definitely interested in hearing more on this myself. Thinking about trying Garcinia for the first time.

Honestly? It's different for different people. Some people feel NOTHING and see nothing. Some say they feel an appetite suppressant reaction, others say they lose weight. I'm told others feel nauseated, stressed, shaky, and ill. My personal opinion (from experience) don't take the pills. It's not worth it, it's pricey, they are short fixes and may not even be fixes. People have died taking some of the pills people have recommended, people have had liver issues, kidney issues. Just... why risk your health on a possible few extra pounds quickly when when you do it by diet and exercise and it's more sustainable and can be done correctly?

I did try it, because I've been desperate before. I will no longer ever turn to pills that I see in the media. I've had bad reactions to them, and when the scale didn't move for this particular pill, I realized I just wasted a ton of money for a giant placebo. I'm happier doing it on my own, and the numbers fall off at the same rate.

Not only that, but supplements are not regulated like normal drugs. You may purchase a bottle and not even get the main ingredient in the bottle. The labels are often wrongfully printed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA0wKeokWUU#t=631

Just my opinion.

I agree with everything kurisitaru said :)

I would not recommend it. It's gathered a lot of attention since it was mentioned on Dr. Oz, but it has also been argued since then that he spread false information about the product. A study published by JAMA showed that it was no more effective than a placebo. Save your money :)

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what pills (placebo or otherwise) that you take. It's all about the food you eat and how much energy you expend. It would be nice to think that weight loss could be as simple as taking a pill, but to realistically and safely lose body fat and become healthier is a little more complex. It takes more effort to lose it than it did to gain it :p But once you find the right diet and exercise plan for your body, it will be easier than you think :)

When I was buy Garcinia cambogia for burning my fat. It was very surprisingly my body looks very slim and smart. Buy at **edited by admin to remove spam link**

All those diet pills are scams, imagine they would actually work nobody would be overweight anymore...

I actually bought some of the Garcinia Cambogia with Green Coffee Bean extract from walmart about 2 weeks ago..and started taking it. I follow the directions perfectly. I did notice that my appetite was smaller (i don't have a large one anyway) and I did notice that my belly has been shrinking while on this. I think it works for some people and maybe not for others...I don't know, but it does work for me, and Im about the most unmotivated person when it comes to exercise ever....

Hi CarolNEmily

Have you continued with the Garcinia supplement? How much weight did you lose and have you kept it off? (I realise it's been a while so you may not post on here anymore - worth a try though for someone who has just heard of this supplement).