Anyone ever take Hoodia?

[LynneSin]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/11/18/60minutes/main656458.shtml

Supposedly this stuff, which is a natural ingredient found in cactus growing in South Africa/Namibia is a non-stimulant appetite suppressant. The Bushmen who live where this cactus can be found have taken used this stuff for years to stave off hunger. I've done a little bit of research and found that it isn't a stimulant, it just makes your brain think you're full thus minimizing your cravings for food (which is my biggest problem with dieting).

I bought a bottle of it from Vitamin Shoppe but I'm trying to figure out if I want to try it. I've been eating healthier and exercising but I still fricking crave food like I haven't eaten in the past 10 days even though I snacked 10 minutes ago. I'm as bad as a smoker trying to quite - if I can curb my cravings I'd probably be very successful at finally taking the weight off (I'd like to lose about 40lbs but I would be happy just to start off with 10).

Anyone have any experience with Hoodia?

Here's another more recent article
http://kyw.com/special/local_story_186175642.html

[Kelvin Mace]

1. Actually, nobody has

The stuff peddled in this country either doesn't contain Hoodia or only contains trace amounts, far below the effective dose.

Hoodia has promise, but it is a rare plant that has defied synthesis, and is a protected plant that takes years to grow.

Hoodia in the US is a scam.

[LynneSin]

2. They worked a deal out with the bushmen to sell the stuff in the US

I bought the Vitamine Shoppe brand because I trust that company when it comes to their product (plus at one of the NYC anti-war protest, a local store handed out free bottles of their water to the protestors).

The lady at the store said that Hoodia is actually now available and from what I've read, the Bushman stand to profit big time off of this (which is good because from what I've read their life pretty much sucks with high unemployment and alcoholism rates)

[Kelvin Mace]

11. Not according to the folks

who own the patent for Hoodia as a weight loss product.

http://iafrica.com/news/sa/222007.htm

They signed the deal with the San in 2003. At that point, they estimated that it would take 7-10 years to develope, test and market it.

According to their web site (last updated Jan 2005):

The current supply of genuine hoodia gordonii is very limited, and is considered rare. The South African government has chosen to protect hoodia gordonii as an endangered plant. In October, 2004, CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) provided added protection. Hoodia gordonii cannot be exported as a weight loss product. Limited amounts of the plant can be exported, but only as herbarium collections. The extent of illegal trade is unknown.

...

The potential impact of illegal trade is considered to be very high because of the threat of over-exploitation after the patenting of compound P57 by the CSIR, in South Africa. Hoodia products are widely advertised on websites and all the material used to manufacture these products is thought to be derived from wild-harvested plants. There are at least ten companies offering Hoodia products for sale on their websites. Very high actual and potential impacts of trade can be expected, since some pharmaceutical companies require wild material for extraction of the active compound.

The plantings in South Africa and Namibia have not yet reached a stage where harvesting is possible, so all material currently in trade is probably from wild sources.

Therefore, the hoodia gordonii products you purchase on the internet may not be actual hoodia gordonii, may contain little to no P57, and are probably exported illegally and are encouraging the extinction of this plant.

Though the article refers to the Internet, health food stores have gone crazy on this as well.

[Dogmudgeon]

3. No, but it's not likely to hurt you

In a few years, the "gastric pacemaker" will be approved and available. The device radically curtails hunger and eating by passing a very weak electrical signal through the stomach. Early tests show it to be as effective as a full Roux-en-Y gastric resection, but the stomach is unaltered and the surgery is minor.

If you're healthy and you exercise regularly, I wouldn't be upset about the weight. As if it was possible -- every day we're told that being overweight is a moral failing and a personal disaster. Even on DU.

--p!

[LynneSin]

4. Anyone who knows me knows I'm overweight

I'm not trying to lose 5-10lbs. When I moved to Delaware I put a ton of weight on because of stress and depression. And it's just be so fricking difficult to get that weight back off. I'd just like to get back to my original weight of 169lbs which for someone who is a healthy & active 5'10 gal that was a great weight for me!

[gmoney]

8. Your original weight...

...was 169 pounds? Oh, your poor mother... must have been a HELLUVA birth!

:hi:

[LynneSin]

9. 10.5lbs

I was like 115 in college but I was way too think and had incredible metabolism to keep the junk food off my ass.

But that poor diet caught up to me. I think I found myself most attractive at that weight because I had muscle and curves.

[sui generis]

5. no exp with hoodia

but I drink lots and lots of green tea - loose leaf and bbbbbbitter, de caff in the afternoon.

I do know there are a couple of rules of thumb for how you eat, more than "what" you eat.

Your body generally can only use about 300 calories of what you eat in the short term - and not just of the meal you just ate. The rest, depending on your metabolism and age is prepped for storage or rapid use, depending on your daily activity habits. The idea is that eating more meals a day, but smaller portions means you are keeping your intake under 300 calories in any one sitting helps you use what you eat instead of storing it, and keeps your "craving" down, even when you are cutting calories.

The other thing to help with weight (girth) loss if you don't want to do the multi-meal-snack thing, is to move your sensible meal to the midday, no sugar or sweets after about 2:00 -ish, and soup or a very light meal (less than 300 calories again!) before turning in. Also, don't eat and go straight to bed - you should be up and reasonably active for another 1 - 2 hours after dinner.

Give it a try for a couple of weeks - you won't be starving yourself, those ten pounds will start to come off and you won't feel food "cravings" as much.

[LynneSin]

6. I've been doing that for months

you have to imagine I'm a "2-pack" a day smoker and I'm trying to quit. I'm doing everything I should be doing but the cravings are just overwhelming. If this Hoodia can help me get through the cravings then hopefully my small healthy meals will start to work

[sui generis]

7. did you ever see these in NYC?

and



these always got a chuckle out of me! Probably not the best weight/size reduction plan though.

Seriously though, if you know you're a little obsessive with cigs & cravings, then transfer those "cravings" to some other activity.

Don't let food or cig anxiety rule you - that's just the clever clever hindbrain coming up with strategy after strategy to get you to smoke another cig, or to give yourself a food endorphin rush.

I used to think "I'll only have a cigarette when I drink". Wow that was a fast way to turn into an alcoholic (I exaggerate), but I did find myself suddenly remarkably more social (let's meet and have a cocktail before we head over to . . .) when I was stressed and needed an excuse to smoke.

All other things aside, pick up your activity level too. If you really really are serious about losing weight you have to get your heart rate up for an hour a day to the point where you are just barely out of breath (not gasping and clawing at the air!). As you get more back into condition, you will find that you actually have to work harder to get your heart rate up and into the "burn", AND it has the benefit of making you crave the destructive things less because you get an endorphin high from the physical activity.

You'll get there - have faith that you'll find the right mix of choices and things will get easier. And, play to win against your clever hindbrain.

[LynneSin]

10. First, I'm not a smoker

I'm using smoking to equate the cravings that someone in my situation gets when they crave sugar. Second, if what you said worked I probably wouldn't be here in the first place making this post and asking questions. Because if hopes were reality I would have lost this weight ages ago. But hopes give way to extremely low self-esteem which looks in the mirror and is fricking tired of trying everything in the book only to gain weight and believe me I'm not one for fad diets or funny pills.

So before you get all high & mighty judgemental with this "Oh, just put your mind to it and it will all work out" please recongize that obseity would be cured in this country if only it was that simple. But here are the facts - when you're weight is out of control, your blood sugar is all out of wack. And when you sit here and crave sugar (just like a smoker craves a cigerette) the bullcrap you just gave is the most useless crap in the world. At least with a smoker they have alternatives such a Zyban, patches & gum. But weight lost people have bad-ass advice from people who never had a problem with losing weight. All us people trying to lose weight has a market of overpriced pills, weightloss gizmos and bad diet advice books which in a nutshell - rarely work.

I am not taking this Hoodia lightly. Hell 60 minutes and BBC did a POSITIVE report on this stuff which leads me to believe that there could be some merit behind the use of Hoodia added to my diet. If I can crack the junk food cravings, then the healthy eating that I force myself to do will start working and provide me the energy & motiviation I need to improve my exercize.

I was not asking for advice on how to lose weight - I was merely asking if anyone had used Hoodia.

[sui generis]

12. wow -

that's all I can say is wow. Who killed the LynneSin I know and love and replaced her with this demon spawn from the ninth level of hell?

Believe it or not people lose weight so SOMETHING must be working. It's not magic. It's not the universe singling you out for misery.

Be happy. You'll have a happier life.

AND ANOTHER THING

I was NOT being "high and mighty". I am around people who are working on weight issues all the time, so I just expect that what I see working for some of them might be helpful. I wasn't preaching. I wasn't being high and mighty - I'm not like that to my friends. I'm sorry you thought so.

[pitohui]

13. ephedra

safe and effective and does not give the bad karma of using a pill made from an endangered plant

i am concerned about the promotion of herbal products that end in threat to the plant, ginseng, goldenseal etc.

ephedra is a common weed and i think they are selling it again

consider it if you have no risk factors

doesn't seem to work much beyond 3 weeks but no appetite suppressant seems to work much beyond 3 weeks, even drugs like benzedrine

could be a way to get over the hump with the cravings

[LynneSin]

15. Ephedra does work but...

...keeps me up all night. I'm easily affected by stimulants which is why I only drink my tea first thing in the morning and even then I make it pretty weak.

I'm such a sorry state, if I drank a caffeine beverage now (or took Ephedra) I would be awake the rest of the night and jittery as hell.

I agree with you though. I know many people who, if they follow the instructions, have successfuly used the stuff.

[LastKnight]

14. i would say give it a shot. you already bought the stuff.

i would follow the reccommended dosage and other label instructions to the letter, though... just to be on the safe side. and who knows, even if it has very little scientific effect due to one reason or another, it may give you the placebo effect and tell your brain that it shouldnt be craving anymore.

all this being said... ive never used the stuff.

just my uninformed 2 cents.

[LynneSin]

16. But it does have human studies.....

..according to both 60 minutes & BBC, the Bushman who live in the desert have taken in for centuries. The cactus was used before hunting expeditions so they could hunt for a few days without having to worry about food.

And I haven't broken the seal yet so I can always return stuff back to Vitamin Shoppe.

[KamaAina]

17. Lynne, if you lost 40 lbs., you would blow off the street in a high wind

Trust me. My first thought when you walked into Rudy's that afternoon was NOT "Gee, that woman could stand to lose 40 pounds"! (Actually, my first thought at that moment was "My, this kamikaze is rather strong", but I digress...)

Please do not let the constant bombardment of images of skinny (verging on emaciated) women in the MSM drive you nuts. FInd the body image that works for you; it'll work for us, too.

[LynneSin]

18. Thank you much appreciated but

I'm tall and therefore I hide my weight much better than someone even a few inches shorter. Plus my cholestol just popped over the bad line (I'm now 203). 40lbs would not put me at a health risk - it's simply the weight I gained moving to DE.

At this point even 10lbs would be a tremdous boost to my health and my self-esteem - but this post helped a hell of alot too :D