STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Hermes

RE: Diet/ Weight Loss Pills?

Teresa · Kate Spade

How much was the slim form hoodia? Is it working for you?

Hermes

collegegirl5858 wrote:

How much was the slim form hoodia? Is it working for you?

it was something like $33 for 150 tablets - again, that was at costco. each pill contains 500 mg. of hoodia gordonii (whole plant/less roots) and they do help suppress your appetite. I have not been taking them lately as my appetite hasn't been too out of hand lately, but they did take away hunger cravings when I took them.

jen · Kate Spade

Boo to diet pills!

Hermes

jen wrote:

Boo to diet pills!

why? not all of us have the metabolism or the will power to lose weight otherwise.

Teresa · Kate Spade

Well, I certainly sparked some interest with this topic. I feel like I should just say we are all beautiful and unique and perfectly imperfect. I've been trying to find beauty in my imperfections lately...Bobbi Brown approach if you will :)

Hermes

collegegirl5858 wrote:

Well, I certainly sparked some interest with this topic. I feel like I should just say we are all beautiful and unique and perfectly imperfect. I've been trying to find beauty in my imperfections lately...Bobbi Brown approach if you will :)

typically, when someone posts about using diet aids they get a bunch of responses from people who tell them to eat right and exercise and those of us who do take diet aids on occasion keep it secret. since what I'm taking is all natural, I don't feel a need to hide it... I also feel that there is a stigma against all diet aids as many have been shown to be harmful in the past. With all the FDA regulations out there, the diet pills these days are pretty lame. none will work on their own, you still have to eat less and exercise, the pills just help decrease your appetite and in some cases possibly increase your metabolism.

-- Edited by D at 23:55, 2006-11-28

jen · Kate Spade

Just my opinion, everyone can do whatever they want but personally, I don't believe that they work not matter what study they come out with. If they did work, I would believe them to be unhealthy or harmful. Lastly, putting a substance into my body to turn off a natural physical response (such as feeling hungary) does not sound appealing in the first place.

Hermes

jen wrote:

I don't believe that they work

how can you say this if you have never tried them?

Hermes

jen wrote:

If they did work, I would believe them to be unhealthy or harmful.

I guess they are just as unhealthy and harmful as being overweight. six to one, half dozen to another.

jen · Kate Spade

I can't say I know for sure. I just said I don't believe (but don't know for a fact) that there is a pill out there that can do this. I think the world would be going nutso for a pill that could do this in a safe and effective way. How can you know that they work? Maybe it's your diet, exercise, or placebo effect that's doing it. I'm no expert though-do what you want, if it helps you personally (and it's safe because not all things natural are), more power to you! What's right for me may not be what's right for you.

Hermes

jen wrote:

I can't say I know for sure. I just said I don't believe (but don't know for a fact) that there is a pill out there that can do this. I think the world would be going nutso for a pill that could do this in a safe and effective way. How can you know that they work? Maybe it's your diet, exercise, or placebo effect that's doing it. I'm no expert though-do what you want, if it helps you personally (and it's safe because not all things natural are), more power to you! What's right for me may not be what's right for you.

the diet pills that are out there now are so lame, I often wonder if they just have a placebo effect. I'm not currently taking them, but I do have a bottle in the cupboard for when I want to take them.

the diet pills of the past with ephadrine and ephedra most certainly without a doubt work, but they have been proven harmful.

I'm just debating the subject and trying to explain the side of those who do take them - nothing personal, jen , and there is validity in your argument

just for informational reference, I thought I would paste info from wikipedia:

Hoodia

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iHoodia

Hoodia gordonii

Scientific classification

Kingdom:
Plantae

Division:
Magnoliophyta

Class:
Magnoliopsida

Order:
Gentianales

Family:
Apocynaceae

Subfamily:
Asclepiadoideae

Tribe:
Stapeliae

Genus:
Hoodia
Sweet ex Decne.

Species

See text

Hoodia (IPA: 'hʊdiːə) is a genus of 13 species in the flowering plant family Apocynaceae, under the subfamily Asclepiadoideae.[1] They are stem succulents, described as "cactiform" because of their remarkable similarity to the unrelated cactus family. They can reach up to 1 m high and have large flowers, often with flesh colour and strong smell.

Many Hoodia species are protected plants, typical of the Namib Desert, ranging from Central Namibia to southern Angola, especially in plains and rocky areas. Common names include "Bushman's Hat" and "Queen of the Namib". The indigenous Bushmen call this plant Xhoba (IPA: 'ɡəʊbə).

Several species are grown as garden plants, and one species, Hoodia gordonii, is being investigated for use as an appetite suppressant.

Contents[hide]

//

[edit] Species

Hoodia alstonii
Hoodia currorii (syn. H. lugardii, H. macrantha
Hoodia dregei
Hoodia flava
Hoodia gordonii (syn. Stapelia gordonii, H. barklyi, H. burkei, H. longispina)
Hoodia juttae
Hoodia mossamedensis
Hoodia officinalis (syn. H. delaetiana)
Hoodia parviflora
Hoodia pedicellata
Hoodia pilifera (syn. H. annulata, H. grandis, H. pillansii)
Hoodia ruschii (Queen of the Namib)
Hoodia triebneri (syn. H. foetida

[edit] Medicinal uses

The use of Hoodia has long been known by the indigenous populations of Southern Africa, who infrequently use these plants for treating indigestion and small infections.

In 1977, the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) isolated the ingredient in hoodia (now known as P57) responsible for this appetite-suppressant effect and patented it.[citation needed] The CSIR then granted United Kingdom-based Phytopharm a license, and they collaborated with the pharmaceutical company Pfizer to isolate active ingredients from the extracts and look into synthesizing them for use as an appetite suppressant. Pfizer released the rights to the primary ingredient in 2002. Paul Hutson, associate professor in the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy, told the Wisconsin State News, "For Pfizer to release something dealing with obesity suggests to me that they felt there was no merit to its oral use".[2] Pfizer states that development on P57, the active ingredient of Hoodia, was stopped due to the difficulty of synthesizing P57. [3] Jasjit Bindra, lead researcher for hoodia at Pfizer, states there were indications of unwanted effects on the liver caused by other components, which could not be easily removed from the supplement, adding "Clearly, hoodia has a long way to go before it can earn approval from the Food and Drug Administration. Until safer formulations are developed, dieters should be wary of using it." [4]

In 2002, CSIR officially recognized the San tribespeople’s rights over Hoodia, allowing them to take a percentage of the profits and any spin-offs resulting from the marketing of Hoodia.[5] Hoodia gordonii is a protected plant which can only be wild-harvested by individuals and the few companies who have been granted a license.[6]

[edit] Published scientific reports

One scientific study has been published in which the extract was injected directly into the brains of rats.[7] No published peer-reviewed double-blind clinical trials have been performed on humans to investigate the safety or effectiveness of Hoodia gordonii in pill form as a nutritional supplement. The author of the rat study said that P57 was easily broken down by the liver, so it might be hard to take in enough of it to ensure that it had an effect. MacLean cautioned that currently available supplements might be inadequate, stating "I question whether there is really enough of the active ingredient in there to do much."[8]

[edit] Press coverage

The press coverage and heavy marketing by nutritional supplement companies have created such a demand for Hoodia plants that a protected status was imposed in several countries like Namibia. Many products claiming to contain Hoodia do not actually contain the active ingredient alleged to suppress appetite. Only the South African product has the claimed properties. An ongoing review of Hoodia pills by Alkemists Pharmaceuticals found that at least half of the products advertised as containing Hoodia contained none.[9]

In March 2006, Consumer Reports investigated the dietary supplement and concluded, "This weight loss drug lacks the clinical evidence for the Consumer Reports experts to recommend this product."[10]

lynnie · Chanel

i want something to stop my candy cravings- if i could resist- i'd probably lose the weight i gained this past year ;)

however, i am always hesitant about putting something like this in my body, even if its natural. Maybe its because even caffeine has a weird effect on me. Everyone reacts differently, and when other things become unsafe later, it makes a lot of people skeptical. So i'm on the fence. any tricks to curb your appetite outside of this? Has anyone lost some weight using these?

killa · Dooney & Bourke

I am not totally against diet pills. I used to take them (the results were temporary and I really believe I led an unhealthy lifestyle at the time, i.e. not eating). And I may try them again someday -- who knows? However, I agree in some regards with Jen.

What bothers me about the issue is that there are people out there who think the answer is in a bottle. Those people who depend solely on a pill to lose weight will just gain weight the second they stop taking the pills.

Kitty · Hermes

My philosophy on all this stuff is "to each their own."

Although, I did have a roommate in college who took Xenadrine (I think that's what it was called), but she took waaaaaay more than the recommendations on the bottle. I think the bottle said no more than like 3 pills a day and she was taking 2 every hour. Also, you weren't supposed to take it for more than 4 months at a time or something and she was on her 2-pills every hour thing for about three years. Senior year of college she started waking up in the middle of the night unable to breath, with a bloody nose, and having some sort of convulsions. This happened on multiple occasions..but she kept taking them. Now that was scary.

blubirde · Chanel

I take a green tea extract for all kinds of reasons, one of which being the supposed boost in metabolism. I'm not sure if it works (who really knows?) but the benefits of an herbal supplement like green tea are good no matter if the metabolism part works or not, so good for me. I'd have no problem taking hoodia either if it were an all natural supplement, like D was talking about.

As for other diet pills, I agree with D that they've become so regulated that there's little more than different herbs in most of them. Of course they're not going to get 30 pounds off of you but if they help you feel better or make you think you feel better, then what of it? Like Kitty said, to each her own.

As long as someone doesn't pull a Kelly Taylor and pass out in the bathroom from diet pills, do what you want. If it's safe and it helps at all in trying to beat the battle of the bulge, who am I to tell someone what they should and shouldn't do?

But Jen, I agree with you also. Proper eating and exercise is absolutely key in maintaining a healthy weight. I know because my lack of proper exercise is the sole reason my butt keeps creeping over the edge of the folding chairs my mom put up at Thanksgiving. Eek.

Farrah · Marc Jacobs

For you ladies that do not believe in diet pills...

I know many other people that do not believe in them, but they do believe in supplements to boost muscle, etc. To me, while it is for a different effect I believe that the 2 go hand-in-hand. You are still trying to get a specific result by taking a pill, be it a vitamin, herb or drug. Thoughts?

NCshopper · Hermes

I admittedly don't know much about Hoodia, but just because something is all natural doesn't mean it won't have side effects. St. John's Wort is a pretty common OTC herbal supplement (I can't remember what it's for) but it will make birth control pills ineffective. I don't know if Hoodia poses any risks like that, but it's probably worthwhile to look into stuff like that before taking anything, even if it is all natural.

Sibeski · Dooney & Bourke

This is from my natural medicine's database: If anyone need's any more info on "natural medicine's" I have it at my disposal.

BTW- St. John's Wort us mostly for symptoms and treatment of depression. CONTRACEPTIVE DRUGS: St. John's wort can decrease norethindrone and ethinyl estradiol levels by 13-15%, resulting in breakthrough bleeding, irregular menstrual bleeding, or unwanted pregnancy

HOODIA

Also Known As:

Cactus, Hoodia Gordonii Cactus, Hoodia P57, Kalahari Cactus, Kalahari Diet, P57, Xhoba.

Scientific Name:

Hoodia gordonii.
Family: Apocynaceae.

People Use This For:

Orally, hoodia is used as an appetite suppressant for obesity and weight loss.

Safety:

There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of hoodia.
Pregnancy and Lactation: Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using.

Effectiveness:

There is insufficient reliable information available about the effectiveness of hoodia.

Mechanism of Action:

The applicable parts of hoodia are the stems and roots. Hoodia is a succulent that grows in the Kalahari Desert. It is claimed that the San bushmen eat hoodia to stave off hunger during long hunts.
A specific component of hoodia extract is thought to be responsible for appetite suppressant properties. This constituent has been dubbed P57 (12002). This substance is thought to act centrally to stimulate sensations of satiety. The precise mechanism is not known.
Preliminary unpublished evidence suggests that overweight men who consume P57 have significantly lower calorie intake than those on placebo (12004). More evidence is needed to determine if hoodia is effective for any clinical condition.

Adverse Reactions:

None reported.

Interactions with Herbs & Supplements:

None known.

Interactions with Drugs:

None known.

Interactions with Foods:

None known.

Interactions with Lab Tests:

None known.

Interactions with Diseases or Conditions:

None known.

Dosage/Administration:

No typical dosage.

Comments:

The constituent of the hoodia extract called P57 is under development by Phytopharm. The company indicates that it has completed a positive study on the benefits of P57 for weight loss, but this study has not yet been published (12004). P57 was at one time licensed to Pfizer for development. Pfizer discontinued clinical development of P57 in 2003 (12003).
News reports suggest that some samples of hoodia products sold on the Internet show no evidence of containing actual hoodia (12002). Advise patients that they might not be getting what's listed on the label.

tara t · Marc Jacobs

i take them all the time... i'd weigh 450 if i didn't. i work out all the time too. it's a constant struggle for me.

lean system 6 ? i think worked for me.

i took phentermetrazine before my wedding. i bet i could have lost a ton w/ those... hope this isn't TMI, but they made me sweat.