Battling the Bulge

I know I've harped on in a couple of recent posts about having gained a few pounds and my frustrations at not being able to shift them, which - for years - has not really been an issue for me. A few extra workouts, a little tightening of my diet and any additional weight has quickly been burned off. Not this time though. All the usual tricks are not only failing to achieve their previous success, I appear to be fighting a losing battle. (If you'll excuse the pun.... or is it irony?)

Now I've never tried diet pills before, call me crazy but I've always preferred the (healthier) old-fashioned method of diet and exercise and that's been my reliable fail-safe for almost 20 years. Until recently. I don't know if it's down to age, or is it the daily dose of Tamoxifen (an estrogen-inhibitor that I started 14 months ago in follow-up to a minor surgery for breast cancer, and will take daily for a total of 5 years).

Late last year, already beginning to feel frustrated with a few pounds gained - (not least because I felt great when I lost about 7lbs earlier in the year for no real reason other than changing my workouts slightly) - I saw an online ad for 'Dr. Oz recommended' Garcinia Cambogia - a product that's rumoured to enhance weight loss even if you don't exercise or change your diet, as well as boosting serotonin levels and having other health benefits, all without any adverse effects. Wow, I'm not a fan/believer in Dr. Oz per se and I place very little faith in those 'eat as much as you like and no need to exercise' claims but hey, if that's for real with this product, then what's not to love? Or so I thought.

Without labouring over the details, let's just say I dutifully did my research and chased down the best reviews, best product and best price I could find for my first purchase of this so-called miracle fat-burner; making sure there were no binders/fillers, the Hydroxycitric Acid (HCA) was at least 50-60% etc. etc. And when I ordered my first bottle of pills (right) via Amazon, I diligently followed the dose and directions to the word.

I went on vacation for two weeks during that first set of pills and was pleased to find I didn't gain any weight while on holiday. Admittedly, I didn't lose any - but since I didn't gain any either, I was happy enough with that, so I continued taking them.

By the time I ran out of the first set (given there were only 90 and you have to take several capsules per day) I still hadn't noticed any weight loss so I decided to try a different brand. Once again, I did my research (willingly ignoring any nay-sayer reviews) and  came across a 50% HCA Garcinia Cambogia extract by Top Secret Nutrition (Below, left) which I bought over the counter at Vitamin World when Lorne and I did a quick shopping trip over the US border. Other than via Amazon.ca I don't think you can buy GC in Canada, or not in BC anyway.

If at first you don't succeed....try, try...and try again.

Once again I followed the dose religiously, even stepping it up a little after a couple of weeks, but still no change. Big, fat, hairy nada! (OK, maybe not the hairy part, but you get my drift.)

While doubt began to seriously sink in along with that sense of having allowed myself to be completely sucked into the hype, I decided I still wasn't going to give up, after all, there were many reviews that rave about this product, and it's not like I even have much weight to lose, surely it can't be that difficult (can it?). So I switched brands again and this time I asked for advice at Vitamin World (on another cross-border border trip) and was recommended Super Citrimax (above, center). I was obviously wearing a flashing neon "I'm a Sucker" sign on my forehead that day too, because the saleslady cleverly up-sold me by suggesting I should take Acetyl L-Carnitine supplement in combination with the Super Citrimax for maximum effect. "The Acetyl L-Carnitine helps burn fats and boost metabolism too," she said, "A lot of people take both products together." As I mentioned before, I unwittingly had sucker written all over me that day and I'm definitely not normally one for being up-sold - on anything - and I certainly felt the pinch when it came to paying for it all, but hey - I was also beginning to get panicked that I'd never get this weight off, or be able to stop the needle moving higher on up the bathroom scales.

Many more weeks went by and I religiously swallowed down my daily regimen of Super Citrimax and L-Carnitine tablets, continued my regular gym workouts and was eating less but - you guessed it - still no change!

Needless to say I was incredibly frustrated - in addition to being out of pocket and completely annoyed at myself - for being somewhat sceptical but nevertheless duped by all this Garcinia Cambogia hyperbolic claptrap. In the few weeks before Christmas, I came to the conclusion I was done with it all, I'd given it my best shot (in spite of my intuition telling me this would all prove to be a grand waste of time and money) and I decided quite adamantly that I would NOT be buying any more. Clearly the reviews that berate this stupid 'miracle remedy' are in fact the more credible ones. 



And then, while doing some of my Christmas-shopping through Amazon, I once again found myself drawn in by the prospect of a little pill that could, would and should. This time I found a much more reputable (or rather, well-reviewed) nutrition company who offered a better product - touting 65% HCA no less! That's right, the highest (and purest) concentration of HCA that I'd seen on any of the competing brands. And with a name like "Trusted Nutrients" amid labelling claims of "All Natural Fat Burner & Appetite Suppressant" accompanied by a bunch of positive reviews and high praise for the company's magnificent customer service, I was somewhat powerless (read too desperate) to resist. Furthermore, they advised just two tablets per day, making it a 90-day supply plus they'd halved their regular price and I would have it delivered by New Year. Within minutes I found myself hitting 'add to cart' and before you could say, "You know you're just wasting your money AGAIN you daft cow" I hit send and the order was in. Besides, it cleverly pushed me over the "spend over $25 and we'll ship for free" barrier with the couple of books I had in the same order (Excuses.... excuses...). So really, there was nothing to lose but the weight...... Right?

My order was waiting for me when I got back to work on January 2nd and, with my pants feeling noticeably stretched to their max across my expanded arse, I started taking the tablets right away!

And I've continued to take them just as advised, one capsule twice per day, 30-60mins before meals alongside an increasingly intensive workout regimen..... and.... continuing the overwhelming sense of déjà-vu....I've noticed NO change. Seriously! Nothing. Nowt. Rien. Nichts. Zippo. Zilch. Big, fat bugger all! Why oh why??

To say I'm increasingly frustrated would be an understatement. I'm completely choked, pissed off, irritated, perplexed, annoyed and downright grumpy about the whole frikkin' waste of time, effort and money! Over and over. The whole stupid idea has proved to be one fat loss, only the loss is NOT weight - or fat - related. At all!

So I decided to write this out for anyone who happens to hear about this useless product and its many, many 'miracle weight loss formula' versions of the same old sh*t, different pile.

In fact, while I could keep ranting, I happened to stumble across this simple article which sums it all up perfectly (and more politely) than I would. Of course I see this now, after my months (and hard-earned $$s) of wasted effort....but hey, if I can spare anyone else the nonsense of this over-marketed drivel that I clearly fell for, then hey, that's more money for you and less in the pockets of these hokey companies.

I can say with all honesty that I believe this whole Garcinia Cambogia hype is nothing but utter stuff n' nonsense - don't fall for it!!!

The only saving grace of my whole experience thus far is that Trusted Nutrients really are proving themselves to be worthy* of the positive reviews on their customer service and if you're still tempted to try GC, then I absolutely recommend you order it through them, directly or via Amazon. They've been incredibly helpful and supportive of my frustrations, have offered me a full refund (even though I get to keep the product) and are even shipping me a bottle of Raspberry Ketone (on the house!) to try alongside the GC! Apparently the two have been known to work better in tandem (hmmm there goes that sense of déjà-vu....all over again). (*On second thoughts, I take back this compliment about Trusted Nutrients - see my update post (Feb. 20) here.)

Anyhoooo, safe to say the fat lady ain't singing just yet. For the time being I'll continue with the GC I still have left over, I might as well anyway - and I'll certainly try the raspberry ketone with it, once it arrives. That aside, I'm researching ways to boost my workouts and hopefully get off this frustrating plateau and back to fitting into my regular clothes again. One thing's for sure, I can't afford to be buying a whole new wardrobe - not even at the local Sally Ann!