Okay, I have to flap my wings in here and put my two cents in
I have come across some people who claim that products with Hoodia really do work for them.....but you know what else is in the listed ingredients ----> fiber. Proof? Here is pasted text from a Miracleburn website:
"MiracleBurn® Contains Glucomannan to Make You Feel Full:
Glucomannan’s role as a weight loss aid is well-recognized. It is a water soluble dietary fiber that can absorb a great deal of water. It acts as a bulking agent, essentially filling the stomach, providing the feeling of being full and thus reducing the amount of food eaten."
Lots of other "Hoodia" products also contain fiber, in fact I'd be willing to bet every single one of them does. So people get hoodia products, and think they work, when actually it's the fiber that is doing the trick. Not to mention it also contains caffeine and other stimulants. So my best advice to you is, to brew yourself up some strong coffee and down it with some fiber pills, and you will get the same effect.
It's our own individual decisions to take whatever flim flams are out there, myself included, but it is also important to try to find a healthy alternative whenever possible and not put ourselves at risk for adverse reactions. Factories that produce are in no way governed, managed, or ruled by the FDA, so really, we can't guarantee that what it says on the box is really what's in the pill. That is the real danger and risk in trying out the latest magic bullet; you just don't know what you're getting. So my best advice to you is: get some metamucil fiber capsules, and pop some with a full glass of water before a meal. Eat a light meal, and within an hour, you will be so stuffed. How do I know? That's my trick, and how I've stayed within 1200-1600 cals a day, and lost 3 lbs in the last week.