I've lost 32 pounds in 14 months (very slow weight loss, but I'm happy to take it slow and steady) and I'm still in an obese BMI category and have quite a ways to go to get to goal. I've been seeing an acupuncturist b/c I have ovarian cysts which cause amenorrhea so have been trying to resolve that. Anyway, my weight loss has pretty much stalled - been stuck between 203 and 205 or so since pretty much January - despite continued efforts with strength training, running/cross training, and eating (limiting calories, balancing carb w/ protein, not eating after dinner, eating less food but more frequently, etc). I went to see my acupuncturist on Monday and expressed disappointment that the scale is 'stuck' - especially since I'm so close to onederland - and she talked to me about some different herbs.

She recommended that I start with hoodia - which both suppresses appetite and helps the body to balance blood sugars, she said. Now, the only thing I have ever heard about hoodia is from spammy emails trying to sell it to me - which gives me an impression that it is some faddish thing not to be trusted. My acupuncturist is trained and certified, and she is also a registered nurse, so unless she had recommended it I wouldn't even consider it. I have insulin resistance so she said it would be particularly helpful to me in stabilizing my blood sugar. I started yesterday with a low dose - one pill before lunch, and one pill before dinner. It definitely reduced my appetite, and helped me to eat lower calories but not be hungry. No side effects that I could tell. She doesn't think I should take it long term, maybe for a few months to 'kick start' my body back into weight loss mode.

What are people's thoughts on this? In some ways it feels like 'cheating' to use pills, but I feel like I can't do any more on my own in terms of exercise and calorie restriction. I definitely don't want to take risks with my health - is this safe? I'm all about long term health and wellness, not into fitting into a smaller pair of jeans. Anyone out there had experience with hoodia? And specifically with insulin resistance?

What brand of Hoodia are you using? I once used Hoodia. I think it was about $60 a bottle? It did reduce my appetite to the point of feeling nausiated at the thought of food. But I dont remember losing any weight. I have also read somewhere that it is difficult to buy an authentic Hoodia because when processed most of the benefits go away. So what you get is a bit of Hoodia mixed with other stimulants.

It's called leantain. Yeah, I did some googling and it looks like a lot of varieties have other additives and things included. My acupuncturist tends to be pretty strict about things being natural and organic and all the rest, and she sold me the bottle: $20 for 60 tabs. On the label it doesn't say that anything else in included - at least I think so, I don't have it in front of me right this second. No nausea at all, for me. At least so far.

You might want to read over our link about Hoodia.

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/does...test-scam.html

Apparently "hoodia" has not been able to be manufactured as of yet as the only real way to get the effect of true hoodia is to eat the actual leaf.

I mean the pills may have things in them, may even have some type of african cactus plant in them but as far as I know, no one has figured out how to harness the appetite suppressant effects of the famous plant.