Month: December 2018

Categories
Weight Loss Products

Please Don’t Take Garcinia Cambogia Extract For Weight Loss

From Women’s Health

If there’s one thing that’s been proven time and again, it’s that there is no magic pill for weight loss.

And yet, “quick fixes” keep popping up everywhere…and they’re usually pretty problematic (I see you, detox teas). Another example: garcinia cambogia extract-an ingredient most commonly found in weight-loss supplements.

Uh, what exactly is garcinia cambogia?

Photo credit: libin jose - Getty ImagesPhoto credit: libin jose - Getty Images

Garcinia cambogia-a.k.a. Malabar tamarind-is a fruit commonly grown in India and Southeast Asia, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). The rind of the fruit is often used to flavour curries and to preserve food.

That rind, however, also contains a chemical called hydroxycitric acid (HCA), which is where the plant’s weight-loss claims come into play-HCA has been studied for weight loss through appetite suppression, per the NCCIH (which is why supplements that contain garcinia cambogia extract are also thought to help you lose weight).

So…is it true? Can garcinia cambogia help you lose weight?

While, yes, there have been studies on garcinia cambogia and weight loss, they haven’t necessarily been reliable (nor are they recent, for that matter).

In a research review set to be published in 2019, researchers found that only five randomized, controlled studies of garcinia cambogia’s effect on weight loss have been done in the last 50 years, according to Scott Kahan, M.D., M.P.H., director of the National Center for Weight Wellness, who carried out the study. (FYI: there have been more than 14,000 studies on unfounded therapies for weight loss in that time, he says.)

What’s more: In those five studies, participants saw very little weight loss. “The most positive study showed that several months of taking garcinia cambogia may lead to one pound of weight loss, at best,” says Kahan-placebo pills were usually more effective.

Well, is garcinia cambogia harmful?

According to Kahan’s research, there are very few severe side effects of garcina cambogia (he only found a few examples of diarrhea, brain fog and, in rare cases, liver damage). And according to the NCCIH, garcinia cambogia is pretty safe for short-term use (12 weeks or fewer).

But while garcinia cambogia itself may not be terrible, the ingredients it comes packaged with in some weight-loss supplements can be.

In 2017, for example, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning about the weight-loss supplement Fruta Planta Life, which is marketed as “Garcinia Cambogia Premium” and contains garcinia cambogia extract and sibutramine (Meridia), an appetite suppressant that was removed from the market in 2010 due to safety concerns. Sibutramine had been shown to increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, cause jaundice, and trigger seizures-pretty nasty stuff.

Another thing to note: since garcinia cambogia extract diet pills are supplements, not drugs, the FDA doesn’t regulate their use or review their effectiveness or safety unless their use becomes linked to multiple hospitalizations, says Sue Decotiis, M.D., a medical weight-loss expert. That means that it’s up to manufacturers to decide how much garcinia cambogia extract their pills pack, as well as what other health-impacting ingredients (like sibutramine) are added to the mix.

I probably shouldn’t take garcinia cambogia…right?

Uh yeah, it’s best to skip it. Possible side effects aside, Kahan says any weight-loss supplement containing garcinia cambogia is a waste of money.

And honestly, that goes for weight-loss supplements in general. “Unlike medical therapies, supplements and various diets and practices are not bound by strict requirements for clinical evaluation and evidence,” says Kahan, adding that “it’s unlikely that all the advertised claims are true.”

Basically, diet supplements-including ones containing garcinia cambogia-aren’t worth the risk, or money. If you want to lose weight, speak to your doctor first, and focus on combining a healthy, balanced diet with regular exercise, suggests Kahan.

The bottom line: Don’t waste your money on any weight-loss supplements (including ones with garcinia cambogia). At best, they’re ineffective; at worst, they’re harmful.

Categories
Weight Loss Exercise

Starving on Survivor

Starving on SurvivorI have recently stopped watching the TV show Survivor but I was definitly hooked on Survivor for years. I remember when I first started watching Survivor I used to say that I would be voted off in the first week, don’t know how true that is but anyway.

I have always enjoyed watching the people on Survivor do dumbe things and lose until the almost disappeared and then in a metamorphosis they would appear to get fat in front of our eyes during the last episode when the show gave away the million dollars.

So two questions, why do they lose so much and why do they gain it all back.

Well first of all everyone knows that if you do not eat enough food and still have to get exercise you will lose weight. Look what happens as the show goes on though, people get lazy, sluggish and make bad decisions. The real problem with the contensents on Survivor is that their metabolism slows, they start lacking in sleep and nutrients and finally near the end they seethe end in sight and just push a little while longer.

Once the on-island show is over the Survivors go home and quickly put their show lost back on. The 39 days was a out of body, out of mind experience and they did not learn anything, they just starved. Everyone gets back to their old diet whether they wanted or planned to or not and they gain that 30 or 40 pounds pretty quickly.

So I think the message of Survivor is clear if you want to lose and change your lifestyle Survivor probably is not it. This gets me back to how I could survive better on Survivor.

First bulk up and get in shape before the show. Try to go in with good cardio ability and be very strong but 30 – 40 pounds over, wou will lose it anyway.

Next, don’t be a leader, be very helpful to everyone individually so that they feel a kinship to you. As we have all seen the helpers go pretty far on Survivor and the leaders get knocked off pretty quickly. The flip part of this though is that if you need to make a decision in front of others never agaonize aboout it just make it quickly and live with the consequences, no one on survivor seems to like people that think about decisions.

Once you are in the third or fourth week solidify yourself with at least three other people although all independently and start to really “play the game”. Make sure that your partners are never in trouble at the same time and for sure cater to everyone the best you can.

Now this part I think is important, suring the second or third week I think that it is important to make a couple of pretty big mistakes. These mistakes can not be something that affects other people and never in a challenge but are things that you have to clean up yourself. This will make it seem like you are not competition and people will let you stay…cross anyone though and you will be out quickly.

Lastly, as you get close to the end of survivor go all out. Start to play really hard and never lose a challenge. All the rules seem to change in the last few episodes and at this point people are never really safe. You are only safe when you have won the challanges. When you are in front of the counsel at the end of theshow you can point out how you helped everyone, where never back stabbing and you still outwitted, outplayed and outlasted everyone else.

Then the next morning go on the morning show to get the million dollar check and sign your book deal.

Categories
Weight Loss Products

Please Don’t Take Garcinia Cambogia Extract For Weight Loss

From Women’s Health

If there’s one thing that’s been proven time and again, it’s that there is no magic pill for weight loss.

And yet, “quick fixes” keep popping up everywhere…and they’re usually pretty problematic (I see you, detox teas). Another example: garcinia cambogia extract-an ingredient most commonly found in weight-loss supplements.

Uh, what exactly is garcinia cambogia?

Photo credit: libin jose - Getty ImagesPhoto credit: libin jose - Getty Images

Garcinia cambogia-a.k.a. Malabar tamarind-is a fruit commonly grown in India and Southeast Asia, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). The rind of the fruit is often used to flavour curries and to preserve food.

That rind, however, also contains a chemical called hydroxycitric acid (HCA), which is where the plant’s weight-loss claims come into play-HCA has been studied for weight loss through appetite suppression, per the NCCIH (which is why supplements that contain garcinia cambogia extract are also thought to help you lose weight).

So…is it true? Can garcinia cambogia help you lose weight?

While, yes, there have been studies on garcinia cambogia and weight loss, they haven’t necessarily been reliable (nor are they recent, for that matter).

In a research review set to be published in 2019, researchers found that only five randomized, controlled studies of garcinia cambogia’s effect on weight loss have been done in the last 50 years, according to Scott Kahan, M.D., M.P.H., director of the National Center for Weight Wellness, who carried out the study. (FYI: there have been more than 14,000 studies on unfounded therapies for weight loss in that time, he says.)

What’s more: In those five studies, participants saw very little weight loss. “The most positive study showed that several months of taking garcinia cambogia may lead to one pound of weight loss, at best,” says Kahan-placebo pills were usually more effective.

Well, is garcinia cambogia harmful?

According to Kahan’s research, there are very few severe side effects of garcina cambogia (he only found a few examples of diarrhea, brain fog and, in rare cases, liver damage). And according to the NCCIH, garcinia cambogia is pretty safe for short-term use (12 weeks or fewer).

But while garcinia cambogia itself may not be terrible, the ingredients it comes packaged with in some weight-loss supplements can be.

In 2017, for example, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning about the weight-loss supplement Fruta Planta Life, which is marketed as “Garcinia Cambogia Premium” and contains garcinia cambogia extract and sibutramine (Meridia), an appetite suppressant that was removed from the market in 2010 due to safety concerns. Sibutramine had been shown to increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, cause jaundice, and trigger seizures-pretty nasty stuff.

Another thing to note: since garcinia cambogia extract diet pills are supplements, not drugs, the FDA doesn’t regulate their use or review their effectiveness or safety unless their use becomes linked to multiple hospitalizations, says Sue Decotiis, M.D., a medical weight-loss expert. That means that it’s up to manufacturers to decide how much garcinia cambogia extract their pills pack, as well as what other health-impacting ingredients (like sibutramine) are added to the mix.

I probably shouldn’t take garcinia cambogia…right?

Uh yeah, it’s best to skip it. Possible side effects aside, Kahan says any weight-loss supplement containing garcinia cambogia is a waste of money.

And honestly, that goes for weight-loss supplements in general. “Unlike medical therapies, supplements and various diets and practices are not bound by strict requirements for clinical evaluation and evidence,” says Kahan, adding that “it’s unlikely that all the advertised claims are true.”

Basically, diet supplements-including ones containing garcinia cambogia-aren’t worth the risk, or money. If you want to lose weight, speak to your doctor first, and focus on combining a healthy, balanced diet with regular exercise, suggests Kahan.

The bottom line: Don’t waste your money on any weight-loss supplements (including ones with garcinia cambogia). At best, they’re ineffective; at worst, they’re harmful.