Lipovarin... does anyone know anything about this product
 

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Hi all,
This is the first time I am posting so I hope I am doing it right. I was surfing the net and on Consumer Health digest they were reviewing trimspa. The reviews were just okay, and Consumer Health reccommend ********* as a good dietary pill.I am thinking about getting it but I am wondering if anyone has had an success with the product. Thanks

http://consumerhealthdigest.com/trimspa49.htm
here is the website for the reviews of trimspa and *********

http://liposlimsystems.com/
and here is the website for *********

Originally Posted by Dolphin413:
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Consumer Health reccommend ********* as a good dietary pill.

The recommendation from the consumers (public) that they asked to rate the products, as compared to other similar products. These are not based on medical reviews, clinical tests, or anything with substance. The review that they posted recommending it says

Originally Posted by :
In January, the nutrition consultant at my gym told me about *********. He told me it is the best weight loss product on the market. It was real inexpensive for a nutraceutical quality product. I love it!!!! I have lost 12lbs. so far.

Do you think that going to a gym might have contributed to her weight loss? :dizzy:

These types of reviews or testimonials really aren't helpful. None of them make any mention at all of what diet and exercise plan they are following. To lose weight you must burn more than you take in. Period. If you take these pills, you still have to reduce your food intake and preferably include more exercise as well. The "consumers" that said they didn't lose any weight on the pills were probably just taking the pills without attempting to diet, and assumed the pills would just cause the weight to magically come off. Those that did lose weight were probably following a diet or exercise plan, as evidenced by the quote above.

I think consumer reviews are perfect for toasters or cd players. But for anything health related, they are virtually useless for showing the effectiveness of a product. For that, we need detailed studies from independent clinics or universities that can document everything from caloric intake and expenditure, to blood tests and body fat percentage and more.

Instead, we go to a website such as the Liposlim site and what do we get? Warning sign after warning sign. For example. look at the ********* page at http://www.liposlimsystems.com/prod.itml/icOid/57 Take a good look at the before and after photos. The before photos are the classic slouch, forced protruding stomach, sad expression (most diet products before shots follow the same method, as it is very deceiving) and they even have used a filter to dull the images. The after photos have vibrant color, the models are standing up straight with tummies tucked in, and they are smiling. They probably spent a few weeks at a gym and a tanning bed. (one of their models, Justin, obviously spent a LOT of time at the gym to achieve his after photo - no pill in the world can create that.)

Look at their website's impossible claims that I'm sure the FTC will take a closer look at..

Melt the Fat Eat Happy! Why even try to resist all those foods we love to eat...lasagna, loaded baked potatoes, delicious blueberry pie a la mode…
Actually, you can eat these foods with any diet and still lose weight, if you practice portion control and common sense, and limit overall calories without avoiding the healthier foods at the same time, AND exercise so you burn more than you take in. However, they attempt to make us believe that we can eat those foods in abundance and it won't matter a bit, as long as we take their little pill. Hogwash.

They also tell a blatant lie, stating that the product is stimulant free. However, they publish the ingredient panel at the bottom of the page which does indeed show a variety of stimulants, and it even says not to take it after 5pm to avoid sleep deprivation. I notice they include Coral Calcium which is a famous scam-type product and has been practically named as such by the FTC. If you have an allergy to shellfish, this product could create serious reactions, yet there are no warnings on the site. I also don't see any warnings for heart patients or those with high blood pressure, when it clearly contains products that I can't take.

It contains citrus aurantium which is also known as Citrus Aurantium, also known as synephrine, an herbal stimulant similar to ephedra. Health officials are concerned because of synephrine's structural similarity to ephedra. It hasn't been tested or proven to cause weight loss in humans. We did find one study of the effects of citrus aurantium on weight loss in rats. Repeated dosages of this supplement did in fact result in weight loss. It also resulted in death. "Our data indicate that, in the rat, antiobesity effects of C. aurantium are accompanied by toxic effects probably due to cardiovascular toxicity."

I could go on and on. In a nutshell, all of these products are the same. They are not regulated by the FDA so they can make a lot of claims to their effectiveness without any proof whatsoever. Also, when they DO provide testimonials or cite research studies, this information is often fabricated. As an example, read this Q&A from Shape:

Originally Posted by :
Q. I feel like I've tried every dietary supplement known to man,
including Hydroxycut, chromium picolinate, and chitosan, but nothing works, despite all the promises. Is there any dietary supplement that actually has been proven to help with safe weight loss?

A. "The answer is no" says David Levitsky, Ph.D., professor of nutrition and psychology at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. In the doses recommended, no supplement has been found to be effective for losing weight, Levitsky adds. "When a dose becomes effective in terms of increasing metabolic rate, it becomes dangerous. You can run into heart, blood pressure and other medical problems." Even the risky supplements that actually may promote weight loss, such as ephedra, don't
help take off more than a couple of pounds - and even then, they work only in the short term.

Levitsky surveyed 150 web sites advertising weight-loss supplements and then reviewed all the published research on the active ingredients found in the supplements. Not a single ingredient lived up to the weight-loss claims advertised. In all cases, either the research cited could not be located in any journal or database, or the studies did not actually prove weight loss.

"Everyone's looking for a magic bullet," Levitsky says, "but there is just no substitute for calorie control."

With the ban of Ephedra, we are being bombarded with so called "stimulant free" diet products, which are useless. Even ephedra wasn't what it was touted as, aside from the dangers, that is. I'll have to search through my bookmarks to find it, but I read that several studies showed that ephedra was only effective for a 5% increase in fat loss. If you needed to lose 100 lbs, only 5 lbs could be attributed to the ephedra, while 95 lbs were lost due to diet and exercise. I don't see how that is much of an incentive to take a product that has the potential to be so dangerous. The same can be said for all other diet pills. People are easily swayed by the word "natural" when this can sometimes be more dangerous than anything from a pharmacy, because it is not regulated, you can't verify potency, and you don't know what the long term side effects are. The manufacturers are quick to fill their ads with claims that do not have to be proven.

If you have a problem with your appetite, see your physician for suggestions or a prescription, and go back regulary for monitoring to make sure your health is not adversely affected.

In the end, you have to consider your food intake and how you burn excess calories, through a balanced and safe diet and exercise plan. This is the only proven safe way to lose weight, and keep it off.

As you can see, I get a little wound up when I see advertisements such as those :lol: But we've received thousands of email from visitors that have shared their experiences, good and bad, and we've seen too many people burned. Their wallets get thinner, their health suffers, and in the end they say they wish they had just done it the diet and exercise way.

My two cents...

I just checked that Consumer Health Digest site, and despite its claims of being 'nonprofit' it IS an advertising-based site, which means that it is biased IMO - notice on the bottom of the page they have a link where you can buy the products being reviewed - that means they get $$$$ for that.

A lot of these websites are piggybacking off the reputation of Consumer Reports which is TRULY nonbiased and does not accept advertising in either its website or magazine (which has been published for 60 years or so now). This "Consumer Health Digest" bottom line is just another sales site IMO. Caveat emptor.

Not to mention the fact that all these new diet pills are all pretty much the same anyway...

And speaking of those before-and-after photos...

Here's a portion of an article from Testosterone Magazine that pretty much sums THAT up.

Originally Posted by :
We've all been hooked in my sensational before and after pictures in supplement ads...the question that was posed was whether or not these pictures are phony and doctored. Certainly, with today's computer graphics technology, doctoring photos would be a snap for someone with just basic PC skills, but it's not really necessary. There are enough sneaky tricks to employ without even having to resort to messing with the picture.

First of all, notice the things that almost all of the before pictures have in common. Nobody has a tan. The men all have their body hair. Everyone is slouching and looking glum. They might even have a big baggy pair of shorts on that makes their waist look even wider. Yes, life really sucks sweaty a-- in the 'before' picture.

Now for the magical 'after' photo. White, pasty skin that looked like soft dough is now bronze and tight. The hair has been waxed or shaved off. Muscles are flexed or tensed, and look at that Colgate smile! Now they might even have a tight pair of Lycra shorts or posing trunks on to show off their slimmed down waist and hips. What has actually happened to their bodies in this time span? In many cases...all they did was lose fat. They may give credit to some super product, but the truth is that anyone can lose a huge amount of bodyfat just by dieting right and doing cardio.

If they actually added a lot of muscle too, one of three things is happening. Either they're a beginner, they were rebuilding previously existing muscle mass after a layoff, or they were jacked up on some good anabolics. Sorry to say, but nobondy outside of these three categories puts on '20 pounds of solid muscle in 10 weeks' or any other such ridiculous figure.

The best before and afters to entice the bodybuilding market use bodybuilders. This is because any bodybuilder looks 1,000% better when they diet down to contest condition from their off-season weight....Then you could even get into lighting issues, which are more significant than most people realize. The before picture might be taken with a flash or under 'flat' lighting conditions. If the person had any cuts or muscle separations, you wouldn't see them. The after picture is often taken by a professional photographer who knows how to sculpt light with key, fill, and back lighting to make all the details in a physique pop out. Every little vein and straition can now be seen.

So are these before and after pictures "real"? They are indeed, but as I have tried to show you, the perception of reality can be dramatically altered to fit various goals.

I am new to this site, so please forgive me. I am very impressed with your progress, MrsJim. How did you do it and how long has it taken?

Thank you in advance for your reply.

Originally Posted by MrsJim:
And speaking of those before-and-after photos...

Here's a portion of an article from Testosterone Magazine that pretty much sums THAT up.

Thank you for the compliments!

I do have a personal website - if you click on my name on the left and go to my profile, the link is in there :) although I haven't had the time to update it for a couple years now...one of these days...life gets in the way!

Wow Mrs Jim
 

I am so impressed by your story (just looked at your link). I know I am way off the original subject of this message, but did you have a lot of saggy skin after losing all of that weight? I currently weigh 266 (max was 271) and I am a little afraid to succeed because I don't want baggy skin or the surgery to deal with it.

Txchick...

We have received SO many questions about loose skin that Meg (the moderator of our Maintainers' Forum) has written a "Loose Skin FAQ" sticky thread that you can find here...

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36040

I think you would find it quite interesting. One thing I would like to say is PLEASE do not let the possibility of loose skin keep you from losing weight. Even if you DO end up with loose skin, and you can't or won't have surgery, still I would NEVER go back to 265 pounds...

Ordering Lipovarin
 

Be careful about ordering from Lipo Slim Systems. I did, and the product did not arrive as agreed. They have not answered my three emails.

JRW - if you used a credit card to pay for the product - call the issuer ASAP and request that a chargeback be filed right away.

Don't call Visa or Mastercard directly - call the bank that issued your card.

You DO have rights.

and don't hesitate to file a complaint with the bank!!!! i had a problem with a return from some wackos who insisted that they NEVER gave refunds. i got the credit card company involved, and TRUST ME... they paid up!!!!

Originally Posted by jiffypop:
and don't hesitate to file a complaint with the bank!!!! i had a problem with a return from some wackos who insisted that they NEVER gave refunds. i got the credit card company involved, and TRUST ME... they paid up!!!!

Yup - it's all part of the securities built into the payment card system. Doesn't matter if it's a credit or debit transaction...if you have the Visa logo on your card, you still have the right to file a chargeback.

From the Visa website:

Originally Posted by :
Cardholders have long relied on Visa to guarantee their satisfaction whenever they make a purchase. When a vendor fails to provide satisfactory product or services, cardholders know that they have recourse for getting their money back. They also know that if their cards are ever stolen or their card numbers compromised in any way, they only have to notify their Issuers to have any fraudulent charges removed from their statement. The right of the cardholder to dispute charges is part of what makes Visa a globally trusted brand.

And while you're at it, make sure to file a complaint with the BBB:

http://www.bbbonline.org/consumer/complaint.asp

Lipovarin worked for me
 

i read what all of you are saying but the bottom line wasthat the product wokrked for me. I have tried Xendarine and Zantrex and they didnt do much. ********* looked new and unique so i gave it a shot. they have a 30 trial period so what i got to lose. I only needed to lose 10 pounds. I lost 8 pounds in 3 weeks and didnt really change things around. I mean i work out 3-4 per week and eat pretty good. I felt this did something that other products didnt. Made me less hungry i felt and gave me good energy for my workouts. You ladies seem to bash all the webpages but the bottom line is does the product work? All other products say the same thing and have same before and afters anyway so its all a moot point. BUt you are right in one regard, 90% of people lose weight with diet and exercise. People shouldnt hopefully realize this but i guess others dont. All i can say is ********* helped me reach my goals so I say give it a try. :) :)

Originally Posted by nutritiongirl:
You ladies seem to bash all the webpages but the bottom line is does the product work?

Well according to the FTC, Harvard Medical School, University of California, countless other universities and medical organizations, thousands of people that emailed us last year in response to a report we did on weight loss products, and a nice chunk of 3FC forum members,... no, they don't. They contain questionable ingredients, are potentially dangerous, useless, expensive, and distort consumers perception of healthy weight loss. All you need is diet and exercise. Period. As you yourself have shown, working out at the gym and eating properly can have a positive effect on the body. That's all we need. And it WORKS. Why risk your health? The majority of our visitors are around 100 lbs overweight and need to be concerned about their overall health, in a way that only proper nutrition and exercise can address. These companies make weight loss seem as easy as popping a pill, when it is not that at all. They use clever names such as "lipo slim" to associate the results of their product with liposuction, as an example. This is shady, cheap marketing, but then what else can you say about a product that intentionally preys on vulnerable people, which is true for the vast majority of similar companies. There's a lot of money to be made in this business, and dieters are a prime target for scammers and shady practices.

We can never say this enough.. if these products REALLY worked, we'd read about it in the newspapers, see it on CNN, our health insurance companies would be pushing us to take them, and our doctors would be waiting with baited breath to tell us. If these products really worked, obesity wouldn't exist.

Originally Posted by nutritiongirl:
I only needed to lose 10 pounds.

That's all I needed to read.


There is no magic pill. I don't know how many times I can say that.

I agree with NutritionGirl in a way
 

Well, you ladies have been saying about how the positive reviews of these pills fail to disclose the diet or exercise program of the person taking the pills so that means it MUST be something else they are doing to lose the weight not the pills. Saying that, could one not argue that the negative reviews of the pills also do not disclose the diet and exercise habits of the taker and thus misrepresent the non-effectiveness of the pill? You much admit if I, for example, take trimspa, sit sedentary on the couch all day and survive on a diet of chicken wings and potato chips, I may not experience any positive results with a product? As far as I am concerned it is common sense that a pill won't make you lose weight while you sit on your butt and gorge yourself.

Yes, that is common sense. The question that comes up is, if watching food intake and being active are responsible for the weight loss, why take a supplement at all?

For me (I am using CortiSlim), the answer is "because it helps me stay with my plan." That could be just mental--I can't "prove" it to the satisfaction of any of the moderators on 3FC.

The moderators here all seem to be anti-supplement unless there is an FDA seal of approval stamped on it. But given that the moderators are people who have lost a lot of weight and have no doubt tried many, many different ways to lose, you can see where they are coming from. It's worth listening to their opinions, and Suzanne 3FC does a lot of research to back up what she says.

But it's still just opinions, and you know what they say about those... ;)

Our website is based around weight loss with a healthy diet and exercise, without the use of diet products such as weight-loss supplements. It didn't start out that way. Well it did, sort of, but the purpose was to encourage weight loss in a healthy and cost efficient way, which meant spending your money on enough healthy foods to support your diet, or a treadmill, etc, and not on unproven or gimmicky products.

Over the years, though, we've received thousands of email from people that shared their experiences with these products, and that's when we started to research them. The email we've received have been shocking, scary, sad, and disturbing. This is probably the number one topic of email we receive.

We are upset with the government for basically turning their backs on the public. I know that legally, their hands are tied, and they can't just stop these products from being produced, unless they fit a certain criteria. Uselessness isn't on that list. Proving the claims on their labels also is not required, unless it claims to actually cure a disease, such as cancer. Therefore, they can claim weight loss success all they want, and don't have to prove it. They can sell sugar pills and tell you it will cause weight loss, and it's legal. Even when they do have grounds for taking action, it takes ages due to all the red tape! How many people lose their money in the meantime?

Providing the listed amount of ingredients also isn't required. No one is monitoring them. They can tell you one pill contains xx units of xxxx but it can contain ZERO, or even dangerously high levels! No one ever knows, and they usually are not accurate. Plus, they frequently contain contaminants such as lead.

Something else they do that is a method of tricking the consumer is to make claims that their product is so "revolutionary" that it is patented. Yet if you actually take the time to look up the patent, you'll find otherwise. Yes, a patent exists, but it's patented for doing something else. PLUS, a patent on a weight loss product does not mean that it works, or is safe. Consider the man that patented e-coli as a weight loss method! I've read the patent. He claims that you can take a certain amount of e-coli and crap your weight away. You'll be dehydrated and you'll lose your appetite. He does go further to explain that if you take too much, that it could mutate or have dangerous effects.

Many OTC diet supplements, however, don't bother to warn you of any side effects. Many of these pills, marketed as "all natural", can have serious side effects if you take too much, or if you use them while taking prescription medications, or even if you have health problems such as heart disease or kidney problems. No one is giving you a physical exam before suggesting you take their product.

We've heard from women that became very sick from these products, some of which were hospitalized. They had no recourse, no one to turn to. Why does it take something serious for people to realize that all they need are a healthy diet plan and exercise?

Another thing to consider is that some people have a psychological dependence on them, even when the product has been proven not to work. They still believe they work, so subconsciously, they eat less. This can be argued as a good or bad thing. On the one hand, we want to think that anything that gets a person to eat less is good. On the other hand, what is the true price of this behavior? Money is just part of it. It doesn't help in the long term, as we must be able to naturally control our behavior and eating habits, if we want to be successful in keeping the weight off.

Regarding deecanadiana's comment about taking trimspa while pigging out, I don't see where you get that. True, you can take trimspa and pig out and it won't help you lose weight. But, you can take trimspa while eating healthy and it still won't help you lose weight. It isn't the trimspa that is doing it, it's the healthy eating. If you eat right, you don't need the pills.

Perhaps you are taking something that works as a stimulant and makes you a nervous wreck, and you get that lack of appetite and nausea that comes with stimulants. Of course at the same time, the rest of your body is suffering the effects, such as your heart. This leads me to another false claim - no stimulants. Just because a product does not contain ephedra, doesn't mean it doesn't contain stimulants. The marjority of the labels we've read with that claim DO contain them. Caffeine is a stimulant. Guarana is a stimulant. There are a lot of "natural" ingredients on their lists that are actually stimulants.

Bitter Orange, or Citrus aurantium, is another stimulant and this one appears to be very dangerous. Consumer reports has it on their Dirty Dozen list of most dangerous supplements, but you see it in so many weight loss mixtures, with claims that it's safe and natural. I fully expect this to be the next item banned by the FDA. Of course that kind of action takes forever. In the meantime, they do warn people not to take it. We are working on a very detailed report on this item, which will appear in our diet guide to supplements in the near future. I'll also post it here, in Buyer Beware, when it's done.

The above is just an example of why we take a strong stand against weight loss products. Some might even say our website as a whole is anti-weight loss supplement. I don't dispute that. We know that healthy diet and exercise really works. Why take unnecessary risks with products that have never been proven to be safe or effective? Is it really worth it?

Eat less, move more :)