Garcinia Cambogia -- In My Experience, This Stuff Really Works

[Jingthing]

Constipation, huh? That doesn't surprise me but if that happened to me, I would be looking at my diet. Eat more roughage. More vegetables. Drink more water. Also there is nothing wrong and a lot right with coffee and tea in moderation. I bet for most people that would help with constipation, garcinia related or not.

It does bring up a related issue. Obviously any therapy/medication works or doesn't work differently with different individuals.

I am wondering now in the case of garcinia how much has to do with the nature of the diet that people are eating with the garcinia. I am not on a diet per se, I don't believe in diets, but my food choices are kind of unusual for a westerner. So there are so many variables, obviously our specific genetics and biology and ALSO probably the foods we are actually eating.

[robblok]

Constipation, huh? That doesn't surprise me but if that happened to me, I would be looking at my diet. Eat more roughage. More vegetables. Drink more water. Also there is nothing wrong and a lot right with coffee and tea in moderation. I bet for most people that would help with constipation, garcinia related or not.

It does bring up a related issue. Obviously any therapy/medication works or doesn't work differently with different individuals.

I am wondering now in the case of garcinia how much has to do with the nature of the diet that people are eating with the garcinia. I am not on a diet per se, I don't believe in diets, but my food choices are kind of unusual for a westerner. So there are so many variables, obviously our specific genetics and biology and ALSO probably the foods we are actually eating.

JT I also don't believe in diets as its a temporary thing and it implies you go bck to your "bad" ways after you reach a certain weight. I believe in caloric restrictions and healthy food.

Anyway different things work for different people thing is you just have to see what fits with you. But in the end you just have to burn more then what you eat to loose weight or to burn the same as what you eat to stay on weight. Only thing is figuring out what is too much and what is enough, and then making sure your satisfied with that amount.

[Jingthing]

I have another thought about why this might not always work with already thin people. Perhaps it works on the FAT of people who are fat and that kind of interaction has something to do with perception of satiety/cravings. In other words, fat people already have plenty of stored energy reserves. Maybe for the really lean, there is just nothing there to work with. That said I have read some people are using this for maintenance of weight loss but perhaps those people aren't super lean.

[robblok]

I have another thought about why this might not always work with already thin people. Perhaps it works on the FAT of people who are fat and that kind of interaction has something to do with perception of satiety/cravings. In other words, fat people already have plenty of stored energy reserves. Maybe for the really lean, there is just nothing there to work with. That said I have read some people are using this for maintenance of weight loss but perhaps those people aren't super lean.

Maybe JT, but truth be told i have always had cravings for food even when fatter and when trying to loose weight i just ignored them most of the time. But anyway now im slowly trying to eat more (real slow). And then maybe stay at a certain level for a while after a few moths either lean out more or build more. Not sure yet but I for one do believe in set points.

Meaning that if you stay long enough on a certain weight your body will try to hang onto it, i have seen enough platteaus in my race down so i hope it works the other way around too for me. Currently reading a few of Lyle Mc Donalds is books, great reads but real technical but at least they are based on science. Its hard to know what is real and not on other forums (bodybuilding ones) there is a lot of info and not all of it works.

[Jingthing]

In any case, if it works for 1 in 100 people the way it is working for me, at least so far, it's probably worth the few baht it takes to try it out in Thailand.

[jambco984]

It's made of tamarind. Made in Thailand and CHEAP. The Thai brands are only Garcinia. The American brands have extra stuff. I am using the Thai brands. Pretty much any pharmacy that has an herbal supplement section. I am NOT talking about Fitne Tea! That has garcinia but is mostly laxative.

Pretty much any pharmacy that isn't in the boonies you should have posted

I have just been to 2 fair sized pharmacies with herbal sections and have been given confused looks with what appears to be every shops favourite sentence 'my mee' . It's not a criticism how could you know. I just want to keep this thread in my participated to keep an eye in to see how folks are doing, and for hints and tips etc...

I was using the low to no carb high protein diet but couldnt keep it up. I lost 10kg in the time I was on it but since i have found 3kg have come home to me

Something that could stop or slow the cravings would help as I am weak lol.

If it doesnt work no harm done.

I will have to travel 60km to town to find this medicine. I wont make a special journey though.

Thanks

[Jingthing]

OK, I am going to say something else about my results which I really don't expect people to believe. I don't fully believe it myself.

Let me try to explain.

The rather limited weight loss I have experienced so far appears to also involve the beginning of an aesthetically pleasing reshaping of my body, especially chest and abdomen. Considering the limited exercise I do, only rowing, I wouldn't normally expect to see any of that with such limited weight loss (and exercise, no weight training at all). I also see in the mirror the tiny hints, the tiny beginnings of DEFINITION. This is almost shocking. So much so that I wonder if a side effect of the med is mild hallucinations.

I also feel I am still too big a boy to see even a hint of definition, but I see what I see. Yes I might need new eyeglasses.

Anyway, I started reading some websites promoting the benefits, and the RESHAPING benefit was actually specifically mentioned in some places.

I expect people to be skeptical about this. I am too. But I think I am seeing something in the mirror that defies logic.

Yes, I think for me this stuff is almost too good to be true. How could something so cheap (here), so painless, have such remarkable effects without a big price, horrible long term side effects? I really don't know.

That's another weird negative for me. It works so well (for me) that it's almost scary.

No, I am not going to post a picture. Trust me, you don't want to see that. In any case that wouldn't really mean anything unless you saw the before and after.

[robblok]

I am sceptical because its too soon, but it might be that you just went over a certain threshold and now you are seeing results. Often past a certain amount of body fat things start to look different.

[mania]

Constipation, huh? That doesn't surprise me but if that happened to me, I would be looking at my diet. Eat more roughage. More vegetables. Drink more water. Also there is nothing wrong and a lot right with coffee and tea in moderation. I bet for most people that would help with constipation, garcinia related or not.

It does bring up a related issue. Obviously any therapy/medication works or doesn't work differently with different individuals.

I am wondering now in the case of garcinia how much has to do with the nature of the diet that people are eating with the garcinia. I am not on a diet per se, I don't believe in diets, but my food choices are kind of unusual for a westerner. So there are so many variables, obviously our specific genetics and biology and ALSO probably the foods we are actually eating.

Yes all true I think about diet & what else you eat etc.

But also true I think about different folks reaction to different meds especially herbal.

I know a lot of folks that did great over the years with various herbal meds & others had no

response at all to them. So agree with you that the whole has to be taken into account & that

varies greatly from person to person in so many ways.

[mania]

I also see in the mirror the tiny hints, the tiny beginnings of DEFINITION.

That's another weird negative for me. It works so well (for me) that it's almost scary.

Not at all & all my life I have told people throw away the scales & use a mirror instead.

Reason being the mirror tells the truth. The scale does not in many ways.

The mirror will show definition or the true loss of fat or building of muscle.

A scale can show a reduction but, of what? Could be water or could be a temporary

reduction of many factors.

Two people who are the same height can weigh the same on scale number but one be fat & the other lean

So the mirror gets my vote every time.

You say you are surprised by the change of even a little work but that could be down to genes or

You just may be responding well to the work + mentally being in a positive happy frame of mind

about your progress I do believe helps a lot.

People may laugh at that but in the 70's they did a lot of tests of folks basically seeing in their mind

daily the way they wanted to look + doing something even a little to help achieve it.

They for the most part all noticed changes for the better.

It is obvious from your recent posts you are in a happy state of mind about your progress.

Good for you & keep it up I say

Keep what works

[robblok]

Just an update, it MIGHT, have some influence to me but its minor nothing compared to reduce 15 (active ingredient sibutramine). But reduce 15 had bad side effects for me (cured the hunger for sure) But I had a slightly elevated heartrate (10 beats or so more per minute). Normally i would not worry about that too much but as I did a lot of training that took into account heartrate i stopped it.

What I am taking now might have a bit of influence as last night i was totally full after a light meal, however the rest of the day when I really needed it it did not do much for me. I have upped the dose to 8 tabs a day to see if it makes a difference and like JT said took it an hour before food. I am still not giving up on it I will for sure use what i have.

I wish it works for others like it works for JT. As with any supplement try what you think is promising (as long as its not too expensive)

[Jingthing]

It is often mentioned to only bother taking this before meals that have at least a moderate amount of CARBS. For people on a super low carb diet, it would logically then be less effective or not even appropriate. Pretty much all my meals have some carbs but I am making an effort to cut down on bread, pasta, and rice. As far as my own experience of the satiety impact, that's something I continue to adjust to over time. It's a bit tricky. There are multiple factors. CAN you eat a largish, somewhat rich amount of food? For me now largish is now what I used to think of as way too little food. But LATER (for me) what I used to think of as a normal meal will fill me up MUCH LONGER cutting off the desire to eat much or at all when I would expect to be hungry later (or any normal person would). So for me it's kind of a dance. Sure I am physically capable of eating plenty at any meal but I've got to keep reminding myself if I do, for a later meal I won't feel like eating at all, and that's not really my goal. I'd rather have three meals a day. Another kind of benefit I have found is that if I choose to "splurge" on a richer meal (generally a lunch meal) I can do so without concern knowing I won't have any desire to eat anything more for the rest of the day. Not an everyday thing, but kind of cool considering on usual so called diets, people often see one "sin" event as a sign they have totally failed and it can be a trigger to a breakdown of the effort, starting a cycle of splurging.

[Jingthing]

Some more "information" I've gleaned on the internet of dubious value but here goes.

It is not recommended for pregnant woman, not because they know it is bad, just as a precaution.

For diabetics as there is an impact on processing blood sugar, they should see a doctor about the idea of taking Garcinia.

Have fun finding a doctor in Thailand who would have a clue though.

Some older scientific studies which showed no better results than placebo were for quite LOW does of Garcinia. Other evidence tends to show results with higher doses.

Some of the Garcinia manufacturers suggest taking a BREAK from long term use.

So far, I have seen suggestions for one month on, one week off, and also three months on, two weeks off.

This seems not to be because anything is actually proven or known about potential long term toxicity but more of a precaution (and perhaps to avoid potential lawsuits). The taking a break idea makes some sense to me as a way to possibly address the dependency issue and to see how it is to be off the Garcinia after being on it. Also a concern I have is building resistance to the dosage, but so far, I don't feel there is any resistance. My guess is reverting to previous satiety levels for that period of the break and no worse than that, but I won't know until I try that.

Also there is some evidence that Garcinia has rather significant effects on cholesterol levels. Many fat people are on statin meds so if major weight loss is achieved maybe those meds can be dropped.

You can find some articles trashing Dr. Oz for his claims on not making money and his pushing of various weight loss supplements including Garcinia. Also over-hyping Garcinia with the word miracle. No, it's not a miracle and personally I don't care if Dr. Oz or any other doctor is making money. All I care about is if it works for me and is it safe enough.

[robblok]

JT, I will keep taking it paid the money already anyway. I did feel a bit different after some meals. So it might have something to do with the meals. But to be honest my morning meal is 60grams of oats and some cinnemon and 200ml of milk and 2 eggs. That is by no means a low carb meal. Anyway will see how it goes I just want to maintain weight for now.

[tominbkk]

Have been taking it a couple days now an hour or so before meals. It definitely curbs my appetite, which is a good thing. But I do a pretty low carb diet anyway so that also naturally curbs my appetite. It seems to make me more alert too, but not in a speedy way, just in a clearer mind sort of way. Will take it for a couple weeks straight and evaluate after.

Our bodies, our science experiment!

[robblok]

Have been taking it a couple days now an hour or so before meals. It definitely curbs my appetite, which is a good thing. But I do a pretty low carb diet anyway so that also naturally curbs my appetite. It seems to make me more alert too, but not in a speedy way, just in a clearer mind sort of way. Will take it for a couple weeks straight and evaluate after.

Our bodies, our science experiment!

I have to agree there what works for one does not for an other. I have seen some signs the stuff is working appetite wise (nothing spectacular so far) but i will keep trying too as i got a full box of them. Less appetite is always a good thing as you can selects the foods you eat more carefully not driven by hunger or cravings.

[tropo]

Not at all & all my life I have told people throw away the scales & use a mirror instead.

Reason being the mirror tells the truth. The scale does not in many ways.

The mirror will show definition or the true loss of fat or building of muscle.

A scale can show a reduction but, of what? Could be water or could be a temporary

reduction of many factors.

Two people who are the same height can weigh the same on scale number but one be fat & the other lean

So the mirror gets my vote every time.

IMO the mirror is the biggest liar of all. You can't see progress in the mirror because the differences are so small on a day to day basis that you'll never notice them. You can also look fat in one mirror with certain lighting and lean and mean in another, or in the same mirror at different times of day with different lighting.

Keep your scales and use them every day or weekly to see trends. Get a good skin fold caliper and test skin fold thicknesses in key areas and keep records. Use a tape measure for your waist. If you're living in a developed country (not Thailand), get a DEXA scan done every 3 or 6 months to see what your body fat percentage is. It's still an estimate, but a better guess than any other method readily available to the public.

[NeverSure]

Just found an online Thai site that has it. thaiherbalproducts

That says it has a laxative. Is that the process?

[Jingthing]

Just found an online Thai site that has it. thaiherbalproducts

That says it has a laxative. Is that the process?

I suggest people to NOT click on the above link; I think it may be launching malware.

Absolutely NOT!

Garcinia is not a laxative.

Senna is a laxative.

If you buy garcinia mixed with Senna, for some bizarre reason popular in Thailand, yes you are doing laxatives.

Garcinia without senna, you're not on a laxative program.

I think the idea of long term use of laxatives for weight loss is HORRIBLE!

[Tywais]

Just found an online Thai site that has it. thaiherbalproducts

That says it has a laxative. Is that the process?

I suggest people to NOT click on the above link; I think it may be launching malware.

I just ran the site through 7 online malware test sites including AVG, McAfee Site Advisor, Google Malware Diagnostics, Norton Safe Web, Web Inspector and URL Void with no suspicious site activity. Also, Firefox malware checks and Avast show nothing.

[Jingthing]

OK, thanks. Just a coincidence then. Soon after I went there I got some really serious spam pages trying to download stuff.

[NoshowJones]

Well, I haven't really experienced any very noticeable negative side effects. But if you do some research, some people do. I reckon this stuff isn't for everyone but it might be very good for a lot of people. I also think it would be good for a formerly fat person to help prevent getting fat again. You could even try smaller doses or not doing it for all meals in that scenario.

An interesting place to see public feedback is the comments section at amazon.com for where some of these supplements are sold. The majority of feedback sounds like me. Wow! Amazing! Then there are some people who don't find it effective and even experience scary side effects. I would say if you experience scary side effects, just stop it.

Personally, my feeling is that some of the people not being helped with this are expecting a magic pill and not realizing you STILL need to be conscious about the nature of the food you are eating, paying attention to lowering portions (larger portion could be a habit many people would continue even if no physical desire) and also of course doing some exercise.

I am not a believer in amphetimine style meds for weight loss or meds that block your fat absortion and cause violent bathroom incidents.

I still have full confidence that scientific research will one day find an easy, mass, safe solution that will help most fat people and prevent most people from even becoming fat. But we aren't there yet. It may be 50 years.

For now, Garcinia Cambogia might be as good as it gets in the obesity therapy arsenal short of surgery.

What do you mean CURIOUSLY -WELL-BEHAVED-MEMBER Jingthing?? I sent you a decent PM asking for some advice about something you had posted about, and you did not even have the decency to answer it. I PMd you twice. A Well behaved member, I don't think so.

[Raesum]

Hi JT. I went and purchased a b ottle today from my local Big C pharmacy.Luckily you had posted the photo of the bottle as it was easy to spot on the shelf. 135 baht.Interestingly there was a Herbal One price sticker on the bottle as well that said 180 baht!.

So I'll give it a go whilst keeping up the daily exercise as per usual. Cheers.

[Jingthing]

Some additional health cautions to seriously consider.

High blood pressure meds (certain kinds)

Statin meds for high cholesterol (Rhabdomyolysis could potentially be fatal)

and as already mentioned, diabetes.

Potential mixing issues with any medications.

Some are concerned about possible liver toxicity.

Sorry. Don't shoot the messenger.

http://www.sharecare.com/question/what-medications-interact-garcinia-supplements

On the taking with statins, there are different opinions. Some say do not take garcinia is you are on statins. Others say be very cautious if taking garcinia with statins (I suppose watching for bad symptoms, etc.) It's a serious issue. Also as many know if you're on statins and want to stop, that is quite a dangerous thing to do, and should be medically supervised.

Some reports of unpleasant side effects (gastrointestinal, headaches, dizziness on HIGHER DOSES of garcinia). The pill most of us locally are using has 62 percent HCA in 500 mg. garcinia. The bottle suggests 2 pills, 2x a day. If you eat three meals, should you take an additional 2 pills, making that 6 pills a day? I think not. I suggest avoiding possible overdose and sticking to the 4 pills a day, however you work that out with your meals.

Also WATER with the pills. I had thought a minimal amount of water, but now have learned drinking 8 ounces with the garcinia doses is recommended.

I must say I'm not very surprised to learn about these potential dangers of Garcinia even though it took me some time to learn more about it. Anything that works as powerfully as it has for me must have a downside, that seems to be the way of biology.

[Tywais]

Some additional health cautions to seriously consider.

High blood pressure meds (certain kinds)

Statin meds for high cholesterol (Rhabdomyolysis could potentially be fatal)

Thanks for that update as I take both it leaves me out of trying it.

[robblok]

I have an other supply now (ordered some online before knowing it was a Thai product) but i seem to have decreased appetite. But it started with the Thai product, I think it depends on a lot of variables and maybe my decreased appetite (no longer an ever present hunger) could have other reasons. I have eaten a bit more for a week or so. It could be that my body just needed to replenish its stores before allowing my appetite to be curbed.

I will report back but its better, I also had an operation on Monday but i doubt that had much to do with decreased appetite as the operation was easy and i feel recovered already and did a workout last night.

[tominbkk]

I found in the OTOP section of my local Foodland a Garcinia tea. Little sachets..about 30 in a box for 40 Baht. Has a very zesty lemony and earthy taste...not bad but takes a bit getting used to. Have been having a cup of that in the mid morning every day, and take the pills just before I leave work. That seems to help me not be so hungry at night.

What interests me more than the weight loss claims of Garcinia is that it also claims to reduce body inflammation, which I think it actually does. Anybody that knows about inflammation knows that it is designated as one of the main causes of many modern ills in society Reduce the inflammation and live better!

[diddums]

It never fails to amaze me that some people have weight problems here....

...not ony I can't get fat, I can't even increase my weight by a couple of kgs...

What are you people eating?

Blobs of fat and sugary drinks all day long?

You're on the I'm Too Fat Forum. We have enough morality lecturers here without people who have never even been fat coming on to insult us with ignorance.

If you are TOO thin and can't gain any weight, you have a real medical problem and there is help available for that too. But probably not here.

He could start an I'm too thin thread.

Shall read the rest of this thread tomorrow....too fat and tired now

[Jingthing]

Hi there.

I'm here for an update.

I'm still using the garcinia and still achieving AT LEAST 3.5 pounds weight loss every month.

Maybe that doesn't sound spectacularly rapid. It's not. I don't want to lose weight too quickly mainly because I don't want to feel deprived, diet wise and I want to reduce the risk of loose skin.

I really don't see any reason why this can't keep working, month after month. Maybe not lose 3.5 every month (but I don't see why not) but I think at least 2 pounds.

I have made some adjustments. In the earlier stages I was taking 2 pills before EVERY meal, even if 3 times a day, which makes 6 pills a day which is really potentially into overdose territory.

I have to admit I was feeling some side effects at 6 pills a day, kind of a speedy kind of feeling, not nice.

So I decided to reduce the risk of overdose by sticking to 4 pills a day. That's a little tricky if eating 3 meals a day. I have noticed if eating 2 meals a day with one meal getting one pill, that adds up to only 3 pills a day, and my FEELING is that dose per day is really TOO LOW. A dose too low and this will not work. For me anyway, 4 pills a day seems to be the sweet spot.

My pattern now is one pill before breakfast, two pills before lunch, and one pill before dinner. I am trying to make the dinner meal smaller than the lunch meal. Many studies show eating heavier later in the day contributes to weight gain.

I have added a new meal stable for me that seems to work really well as a lighter dinner if I don't feel like a more substantial dinner meal. It's a middle eastern HUMMOUS based meal.

I take a small portion of store bought hummous, and make a salad plate out of it. Typical topping ingredients might include some protein: canned tuna / sliced chicken breast / hard boiled egg / sliced jalapeno pepper, sliced raw onion, cherry tomatoes, kimchi or sauerkraut, olives, avocado, lowfat plain yogurt. Topped with apple cider vinegar and sometimes a little olive oil for flavor. Served with a small slice of dark bread. Takes a few minutes to prepare and very delicious and satisfying.

[robblok]

JT great that it is working for you, I stopped as it did not work for me, I hope it will work for many ppl. Its always good to hear from people you know have no commercial stake in it.

It is real hard however to atribute certain things to supplements. I had a shoulder injurie (from exercise i presume) it did not go away.. i started taking glucosamine and its gone.. was it natural healing.. was it the glucosamine.. hard to say.

Not discrediting you in any way as you might have kept everything the same as before with only this as change.

In my opinion and i have used much stuff over the years its hard but there is stuff that works.

Currently eating more and i see my weight going down again, however i am taking t4 thyroid medicine at 50mg a day since my thyroid is too low and tests confirmed that for the 4th time or so. Been on it now for a couple of weeks (has a long half life so it takes a while to build up). Could be just normal weight loss or whatever.

I wasn't taking the t4 for the weight loss but for energy as i get tired easy and needed to sleep a lot. Now that has gone too.

But im also supplementing with kelp.. so what is it.. the t4 or the kelp or just some natural thing.