Hello, I'm currently taking 2 products: Hydroxycut Hardcore and GNC brand Fish Body Oils. I feel that these products are working fine for me as I have lost 12 pounds in 2 weeks and am more dedicated than I have ever been to losing weight. The problem is that I am almost constantly hungry. For someone who is used to being able to eat whatever they want, this is a big problem. I am looking for an appetite suppressant to supplement what I am already taking. I came across Hoodia.

Using Google as my search engine, I was looking through list after list of the supposedly "Top Hoodia products". The problem is that each site seems to have different products that they claim are "the best". They obviously can't all be the best and it's become obvious to me that I'm not getting all of the information on these sites. If someone could please help me either with their personal experiences or their own research, I would greatly appreciate it.

I have looked into brands like Hoodielite, Hoodia911, Desert Burn, and Hoodithin, among others. Someone please help.

Hello, I'm currently taking 2 products: Hydroxycut Hardcore and GNC brand Fish Body Oils. I feel that these products are working fine for me as I have lost 12 pounds in 2 weeks and am more dedicated than I have ever been to losing weight. The problem is that I am almost constantly hungry. For someone who is used to being able to eat whatever they want, this is a big problem. I am looking for an appetite suppressant to supplement what I am already taking. I came across Hoodia.

Hype is right, there is not enough valid published research (as in research any trained scientist wouldn't laugh their heads off at) on claims that Hoodia does what it does, and Pfizer is keeping everything under tight cover.

Hoodia is tightly controlled by the agreements between the San People and Pfizer. (the drug with the purported antisuppresant effect is named P57). Anything you buy on the market now--anything--is a fake. Pfizer and other companies stand to gain billions of dollars once they complete clinical trials and get actual FDA approval. There are very few hoodia cactii around South Africa, so all the supposed Hoodia pills being marketed are fakes with who-knows-what in them (or maybe a itsy bitsy tiny fraction of hoodia is there to make the claim, but nothing that would be clinically relevant). Mostly, these fake hoodia pills work based on "placebo effect", which about 30% of people get when they take any pill thinking it will do something. More sinisterly, the appetite suppresant effect in these fake hoodia pills are being caused by other substances, but who knows what the manufacturers have put in there? No one regulates the market, so who knows how much rat poop fell into those pill vats.

These "supplement" companies go to the bank on our dreams of losing weight without doing anything different (mentally, physically, emotionally, behaviorally). We all want to believe that a small pill taken once or twice a day will change who we are (I certainly want to!), but in the back of our heads, we all know it's not the pill making the change, but US.

BigJohn, it sounds like you are doing a lot more than popping pills to get in shape. You must be working out and restricting your calories. And this required a lot of mental, physical, emotional and behavioral change to do--congrats!!! Maybe if you figure out why you are still hungry and change that, you will get more lifelong reward for it, without depending on a pill to do it for you. Are you cutting too many calories (you're probably building muscle that needs more energy than fat)? Are you using the calories you do eat wisely (filling up on fiber, protein & fresh fruits and veggies)? Are you spreading your calories throughout the day & not eating the same thing over and over? Are you getting bored at any time? Are you sleeping enough (being tired makes me ravenous)?

Sorry for the long winded post, but BigJohn, you've made so much change that I am hoping to accomplish as well, and I hope you realize it is YOU, not the pills, that are doing this!!! :mus:

PS I'm not against natural sources of remedies... Many OTC and prescription drugs are originated from plants (e.g., aspirin, quinine, vinblastine). I even use many natural remedies myself (e.g., coffee and black tea to wake up, mint tea to revive, clove for a sore throat, etc). At the same time, some of the substances extracted from plants are dangerous or deadly if incorrectly used (morphine, cocaine, digitalis for congestive heart failure, nicotine).

"Supplements" are a clever marketing scheme to bypass rigorous (and expensive) safety testing on all the plant substances that lie somewhere between innocuous and deadly... Look at all we learned about the dangerous interactions of St John's Wort, and for the dangerous changes in the heart (which were fatal for a few) that can happen for some people who take Ephedra products.

Not to say that the regulated drug industry is very ethical either. They like us to believe that THEIR pill is "safe" and will change our lives (and some do, allowing us to live normal healthy lives), and go through some very shady, quasi-ethical maneuvers to get us to use their patented (and very expensive) formulations.

OK enough diatribe. Sorry, I'm tired, jet lagged, and hung over from nature's most wondrous supplement of all... ethanol. :-)

I too did a study on Hoodia products.

Your have a pretty good bet going with a hoodia product that is 20:1 concentrate and at least 300 MG - I prefer 400 mg.

I will tell you this, in my opinion this stuff does take away your hunger pains, BUT it will not stop you from over eating. As in if you want to eat, it will not make you feel so full that you can't eat.

Also I do not buy mine online, I go to my local supplement/vit store and get mine from well known companies - the name brand I use is NOW.

So then you say "well then why are you still over weight". I am HORRIBLE beyond understanding about remembering to take the pills............grrrrrrrrrr - when I remember I have a great day.

Hope this helps you :D

This is something I posted on another thread. Hope it helps :)

Hoodia is a succulent native to South Africa that resembles a flowering cactus, though it is actually of the genus Apocynaceae. The plant grows about three feet (1 meter) in height and has large colorful flowers that emit a pungent odor. In the hoodia family, the species hoodia gordinii has purportedly been used by African bushmen for nearly 20,000 years as an appetite suppressant while on long hunts. Chewing on hoodia meat (cucumber) and rind is said to quench the thirst, create feelings of satiation, and provide energy. The tribemens will live for days on just a singe cucumber sucking on it several times a day.

Ok so sucking on the cucumber warded off hunger and thirst, but here's the thing. Many products out there are not acutally made from the meat (cucumber) , but from others parts of the hoodia plant so therefore they can say there is hoodia in their product. In otherwords you may not always be getting what you are paying for.
In order to get the ingredient in Hoodia that is suppose to help you, they need to be putting the meat (cumcumber) in the product, not part of the stem or a leave. It all comes down to knowing how to read a label to ensure that you are getting the Hoodia meat.

Here is a web site that will help you pick out a product that has the Hoodia meat in it.
http://www.bestratedhoodia.com/
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Thank you all for your advice and help. I definitely understand what you are saying Jezebel, about willpower and attitude being a lot more important than any pill you can take. The fact is that I have tried at least 20 diets over the last three years and only one has had any success beyond the first week or so.

I have wanted to try diet pills for a while now because I realize that I am the type of person that will quit something and not give it my all unless I have something/someone there monitoring me and keeping me motivated. If taking these pills does nothing more than keep me motivated to succeed, then it will be money well spent. This is already the longest diet I have every been on (2.5 weeks, sad, I know) and I have no intention of stopping.

Anyways, I was at GNC today for some more Fish Oils, and I ended up buying DEX-L10 Hoodia Gordonii brand Hoodia. It was on sale and it was kind of an impulse purchase. The guy at GNC said it was by far their best selling brand. I was reading some people's reviews of it and it seemed very hit or miss with people. About 50% of them said it was great, the other 50% hated it with a passion. I'll give it a shot and see how it works for me. Almost every person that had success with it said that they had to take at least twice the recommended dosage to get an effect, so we'll see how it goes.

LadyWendy, the link you posted is not working for me, it says server not found.

Thank you all for your advice and help. I definitely understand what you are saying Jezebel, about willpower and attitude being a lot more important than any pill you can take. The fact is that I have tried at least 20 diets over the last three years and only one has had any success beyond the first week or so.

I didn't mean it was about willpower at all (of which I have none, if there's sweets around, I'm eating them)--it is as you mention later, about support and motivation to help you see the power you do have in yourself. All these other things, the pills, the trainers, the bulletin boards, the gizmos, are to help us see that it really is us who are making the change in ourselves!

You're doing great John for 2.5 weeks, I never made a change that long until this current try either! This time, I found that joining a workout group that actually supports each other was the trick for me. We all need something else, I hope in addition to the supplements, you will look into a trainer, or perhaps a workout group, or a workout buddy, or friends & family to help support you in this most difficult and painful change we are all here trying to make. If nothing else, we're here on diettalk!! :D

sorry - I fixed the link and it works now :)