[VivaLasViejas]

Have any of you tried this yet?

I just dropped $35 at Costco for a bottle of this stuff, which a couple of my co-workers are using for appetite control and weight loss. One of them has lost 79 pounds and shrunk from a size 32 to an 18 in the past year; the other has lost only 10 pounds since spring, but she has PCOS that's not well controlled, and she tends to stay heavy no matter what she does.

The thing is, I lost 40 lbs last winter and have managed to keep them off through exercise (mostly yard work and gardening chores), but I'm still over 300 and my body is frantically signaling that it won't bear this much weight much longer: my left knee feels like it's got ground glass in it, my right knee is beginning to ache too, and I'm already developing venous stasis in my right leg with edema and numbness in the right foot. My blood pressure is difficult to control. My blood sugar and cholesterol levels are normal, but who knows how much longer my luck's going to hold out?

But what's motivating me now, more than anything, is the desire to be more physically active. I want to be able to dance again. I want to play with my grandsons without gasping for breath and feeling like I'm going to have an MI any second. I want to not be in pain every minute of every day. I'm not kidding myself---I'd need bypass surgery to lose as much weight as I need to, and my insurance doesn't pay for it so it's not even an option. But even 50 more pounds off would help tremendously, and that's my goal for the time being.

I know how and where I'm going to cut back my calorie consumption, but part of my problem is that when I'm as active as I've been this summer, I eat like a horse! So I bought the Hoodia, in the hope that reining in my appetite will give me a head start. I don't eat when I'm not hungry, so thankfully THAT isn't an issue; it's just that when I'm working outside in the yard, or running around my workplace, I work up a monstrous hunger---I'm known to eat an entire steak and baked potato PLUS dessert and a large glass of milk in one setting!

So..........does anyone here have any experience with this product, and what, if any, side effects have you noticed? I'm certainly not gullible enough to believe in magic bullets when it comes to weight loss; but if Hoodia has helped anyone besides my two co-workers---or NOT---I'd like to hear about it. Thanks!

[Spidey's mom]

http://altmedicine.about.com/od/popu.../a/hoodia1.htm

I'm in the midst of reading this . . . . .

[VivaLasViejas]

Interesting reading! Thanks, Steph!!

[SaderNurse05]

Any luck yet?

[Alois Wolf]

I'm not sure if this is considered medical advice or not, so please just take it with a grain of salt...But have you considered lapband?

[Blackcat99]

Save your money. You don't need diets and diet pills to lose weight. Go to overeaters anonymous or food addicts anonymous meetings and get help for the real problem-food addiction. They just pass a basket around at these meetings and people put in donations-usually just 2 or 3 dollars per meeting. I lost 125 pounds. I no longer have high blood pressure. I no longer get out of breath after a short walk. The book that "saved my life" was from food addicts anonymous. It's called "Food addiction the body knows by Kay Sheppard. I think the book costs about $12. Food addicts anonymous is located at 4623 Forest Hill Blvd. #109-4 West Palm Beach,FL 33415.

[VivaLasViejas]

Originally Posted by Alois Wolf

I'm not sure if this is considered medical advice or not, so please just take it with a grain of salt...But have you considered lapband?

Yes, in fact that's what I plan on doing.........as soon as my health insurance company decides to move into the 21st century and cover weight loss surgery! It's not something I could possibly afford on my own, and I'm certainly not a charity case, so I'm basically stuck until they make it a standard of care, which I'm sure is only a matter of time.

I only hope it happens before I'm considered 'too old'.......whatever that is.

[Silverdragon102]

I tried it on recommendation of my surgeon but didn't notice any difference

[luvschoolnursing]

I've tried hoodia with minimal difference. Just spent a lot of money. Right now my health is my main motivator. My last a1c was 6.4 and I'd really like it below 6. I know my problem is weight related and know how and what to eat. Recently my doctor suggested bariatric surgery and is seieng me every 3 months to watch my weight and keep an eye on my a1c. I'm working my way into full metabolic syndrome-bp borderline, chol high, etc. I have managed to lose about 25# on fear alone, (terrified of surgery) but sadly the hoodia didn't help. Good luck and keep us posted.

[ertravelrn]

My Mother is losing weight on a weekly basis from taking hoodia, it really didn't start helping until the second month she was on it. She has not changed anything except to take the hoodia. I didn't like it, and didnt' stay on it long enough to see if it would start working.