Z-C, JENNY CRAIG, NutriSystem, Optavia, Etc.

HOWEVER, many are looking for a ‘quick and easy fix’, not realizing that after the latest diet pill or program works- if it does, they will go right back to where they were, simply because they failed to change their eating habits while on the ‘miracle’ pill or program. These diet aids- when they work- are perfect to help you achieve your goal, but in order to avoid the yo-yo dieting trap, you must examine your daily diet, find the problems in it and fix it in order to be truly successful.

There are a great many products on the market that beg you to give them a try. They claim to help you lose lots of weight- often quickly, keep it off- on and on! Of course, the product they want you to try and then buy month after month, puts money in their pocket while not doing you much good at all, if any. Here are some examples- RIGHT SIZE SMOOTHIES that contain, among other things, Fructose and Canola Oil- both very bad for you- especially if you have a weight problem! AF PLUS has the best ingredients, but the supplements we take contain these important and helpful things, so the money they want each month is better spent on different food choices and yummy snacks made with healthful ingredients. RASPBERRY KETONES is all raspberry and no doubt good for you, but we believe you would be far better off to use that money to get better supplements and fresh raspberries! HCG is a hormone produced in  women by the placenta during pregnancy- DOCTORS say NOT to take it for diets. GARCINIA  CAMBOGIA is one we have completed our study on. The fruit itself is good and it works well as long as no fillers have been added, but many companies are playing with ingredients, giving you something that won’t work well for you, if at all, and running to the bank with your hard-earned money. Jenny Craig, NutriSystem, & South Beach Diet are all companies that use very unhealthy ingredients, which means if you do lose- and many do- you may not be able to keep that loss without a real struggle that many find difficult if not impossible. Very similar to these companies, is ADVOCARE. This company has some success, but uses many unhealthy products. We’ve been seeing ads for MEDIFAST & Optavia that sound good, but like Jenny Craig, NutriSystem & South Beach Diet, they use foods filled with bad ingredients that will not solve your weight problem, and in some cases only add to it. SLIMQUICK is VERY expensive, has some bad ingredients and uses mostly green tea which in itself is great, but can be had for much less at your local grocery. LIPOZENE seems to be a good choice for some- pros & cons below. 30/10 WEIGHT LOSS FOR LIFE has been advertised a lot lately, but we haven’t been able to research it well because they are not sharing the information we need and want without our signing up. Skinny Fiber/Skinny Body MAX is a good choice for some because it has excellent ingredients, but buyer beware of fakes- more info below. FORSKOLIN is made from the root of a plant in the mint family, so it is a natural product as long as no fillers have been added and may be just as good as Garcinia Cambogia. YACON/YAKON SYRUP has been getting a lot of attention and like others, is advertised as the best way to lose weight. Surprise!! This seems to be true to some degree and something we can recommend, but beware- many companies are giving you something that won’t work well if at all. We cover what you need to know about each of these products below…

Before we explain these in more detail below, we want to mention here that none of these products will melt away your fat.  Some of them do work, but it is not by melting you, it is by reducing your hunger, causing you to eat less and therefore lose weight. They work best with a good healthy chemical-free diet- not an unbalanced or crash diet, but something you can live with for life. If you are eating wrong for your body, take one of these diet aids, lose your excess weight, then go back to eating the way you did in the past, your excess weight will come back. The companies selling these diet aids rely on that. They want your business on and off for life. Even though many of these companies tell you what they believe you should eat while on their product, we haven’t found any that suggests healthy foods, but rather pretty much things you were probably eating that caused your weight gain in the first place. IF YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT LOSING WEIGHT- and we believe you must be if you’re going to purchase any of these expensive diet aids- go to our EAT HEALTHY! page and follow that plan while you use your choice of diet aid… however we REALLY RECOMMEND FAT BOMBS! You will not be hungry, you will enjoy all your foods because you choose what you eat, and best of all, you will become thin for life- no more diet aids needed!

A F plus-

Each capsule contains: Acai fruit extract, Green tea leaf extract, ginseng root extract, pomegranate fruit extract and amia fruit extract. This product is advertised as a ‘One-a-Day Natural Alternative for Enhanced Weight Loss and Energy‘. We got a bottle when we were first aware of it and noted that it did indeed contain wonderful and healthy ingredients, but not only did it not melt any fat, it did not decrease our hunger. If you are eating the right chemical-free foods for your body, you will lose weight- so why pay a company for something that you don’t actually need? For real success, follow the suggestions on our EAT HEALTHY! page– and make yummy fat bombs!

RIGHT SIZE SMOOTHIES

INGREDIENTS: FRUCTOSE, CANOLA OIL COMPLEX [CANOLA OIL, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, SODIUM CASEINATE (A MILK DERIVATIVE), DIPOTASSIUMPHOSPHATE, MONOAND DIGLYCERIDES, SILICON DIOXIDE (AN ANTICAKING AGENT)], SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, SOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, APPEMINE [RESISTANT MALTODEXTRIN (SOLUBLE DIETARY FIBER), GUARANA SEED EXTRACT, GREEN TEA EXTRACT, GINGER ROOT EXTRACT, CINNAMON BARK EXTRACT, CAYENNE PEPPER], INSTANT COFFEE, MINERAL BLEND [DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, DIMAGNESIUM PHOSPHATE, DIPOTASSIUMPHOSPHATE, ZINC GLUCONATE, COPPER GLUCONATE, MANGANESE SULFATE, CHROMIUM PICOLINATE, SODIUM MOLYBDATE, SODIUM SELENITE], NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, CELLULOSE GUM, XANTHAN GUM, CARRAGEENAN, SILICON DIOXIDE (AN ANTICAKING AGENT), ACESULFAME POTASSIUM, VITAMIN BLEND [ASCORBIC ACID, dl-ALPHA-TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, NIACINAMIDE, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, d-CALCIUMPANTOTHENATE, PRYIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, RIBOFLAVIN, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, FOLIC ACID, BIOTIN, PHYTONADIONE, CHOLECALCIFEROL (VITAMIN D3), CYANOCOBALMIN (VITAMIN B12)], SALT, SOY LECITHIN.  Contains Milk, Soy.

YIKES!! Not just unhealthy- look at all the words used that we don’t even recognize! I’m certainly not drinking this!

RASPBERRY KETONES

Many companies are trying to take advantage of this product, so buyer beware. We believe the best place to go if you really want to have this product is probably: http://www.aprovenproduct.com/products/view/raspberry Having shared that, the very best way to lose weight is to find how your body works, what it needs, and feed it that way. Your weight will take care of itself with a proper chemical-free eating habit, no diet needed! See our EAT HEALTHY! page– and make fat bombs with raspberry’s in them!

HCG

HCG is a hormone produced in women by the placenta during pregnancy. HCG is sold as a prescription drug approved by the Food & Drug Administration for various medical conditions including the treatment of female infertility (but not weight-loss). The diet that goes with it, requires a daily dosage of this hormone along with an obligation to eat a very low calorie diet of ONLY 500 CALORIES A DAY! I checked with both my Naturopath and Medical Doctor and they both told me the same thing- you eat 500 calories a day and of course you lose weight and it has nothing to do with the HCG. Neither of them think we should take HCG and I totally agree!

Jenny Craig, South Beach & NutriSystem

These companies prepare foods using sugar, dextrose, sucralose, fructose, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup,  bleached flour, canola, soybean oil, corn oil, margarine, soy protein, and preservatives, which is not a complete list, but we just couldn’t make ourselves check further to see what other unhealthy things might be lurking in those foods. Of all the helpful things you can do to lose weight, these are on the very top of our NO-NO- LIST!! For a plan you can follow with success, see our HEALTHY EATING- Quick ‘n Easy! page.

Advocare

This company uses Independent Distributors, and offers a 24-Day Challenge. It has two phases and a number of products. The GOOD news- their products are chock full of wonderful, healthy, and even chemical-free ingredients. The BAD news- ingredients in some of those ‘healthy’ products also include among other things, sugar, sucralose, fructose, corn syrup, agave syrup, and several soy products. Yes, you might lose with this program, but unless you start our EAT HEALTHY! plan at some point, don’t expect lasting results. This is an expensive way to learn what our EAT HEALTHY article gives you- totally FREE- we sell nothing, only suggest good companies and foods that will serve you well, as it has us.

MEDIFAST

This company is similar to Jenny Craig and NutriSystem in that they send you meals and snacks, tell you how to eat and have you do it six times a day. Their ads sound great since they say things like… ‘Our doctor-approved, nutritionally sound 5 & 1 Plan is perfect for every lifestyle, and it’s simple! We’ll support you on this weight-loss, health-gain journey. Reach your goal, your way, right now’. The problem is– they use unhealthy food ingredients in the foods they send, which means if you stick with them strictly until you reach your weight goal, then go back pretty much to the way you ate before, your excess weight will return. The best way to lose that weight is to follow our EAT HEALTHY! page and you will not only lose ugly fat, you will become very healthy– for life.

OPTAVIA

I’m told this company broke away from Medifast and is different, so I went to their web page. How they’re different is a mystery to me. They have the 5 & 1  plan that has you eat six times a day and all the foods they offer and want you to eat are VERY UNHEALTHY and will, in most cases, make you hungry, which no doubt is why you need to eat so often. Since eating chemical-free, my hunger has gone away to the point I usually eat only twice a day. I eat whenever I feel a bit hungry and that is never six times a day! Wonder how I eat? Check out my EAT HEALTHY! page.

GARCINIA CAMBOGIA

So far we’ve learned that this is a fruit that can be of benefit, but many companies are playing with it in order to sell you something that won’t work for you, but brings them in a lot of money. Should you decide to get some, make sure it has at least 1500mg, 60% HCA, includes potassium, but NOTHING ELSE!! We have learned that many companies put calcium in it and that kills any effect the fruit has for you. After completing my study, I can recommend the one from Whole Body Research. The first one I tried did nothing for me at all (it had calcium in it), but this one definitely reduces hunger. I have learned, thanks to my Naturopath and by taking it myself, that there is no product that will just melt your fat. There are however, some good products that will take away hunger. That means you will eat less and your fat will begin to disappear. Eating right for your body will cause you to lose fat, but sometimes a boost is needed, either because you are anxious, or because you are slowly switching from bad for you foods to good for you foods. It is important for you to realize that taking a product to remove hunger only does just that. If you don’t change the foods you were eating while gaining, you will not keep the unwanted pounds off once you reach your goal and stop the diet aid. Diet aids should be just that, and not a lifelong way of controlling our weight. To discover the best way to eat for your body, (all bodies are not exactly the same)- not be hungry, lose excess weight and keep it off, read and follow our EAT HEALTHY! page. Even BETTER than this product is bulletproof coffee and fat bombs!! Consume those and you will certainly not be hungry!

SLIMQUICK

We did a study on this and found the following…

1. Drink Mix– the ingredients include aspartame & sucralose, both a very big no-no. 
2. Gummies– the ingredients include corn syrup & sugar, two big no-no’s.
3. Caffeine Free– this one contains soy extract, not an ingredient we want.
4. Regular strength– has some ‘ose’ ingredients.
5.  Extra strength– also has some ‘ose’ ingredients.

NEXT we checked the recommended diet. They use low-fat dairy products, lots of egg whites, leaving out the healthy yolks, and a number of wheat products. This product contains mostly Green Tea, so it does increase metabolism. I cannot recommend this product for many reasons, but suggest you shop around for a Green Tea that you like and add a tsp. of Yacon Syrup to your cup– or just take Yacon capsules, making sure they contain 60% catechins.

LIPOZENE

The manufacturers of this product say it is clinically proven to reduce body fat with just one ingredient, glucomannan. Of course it has been proven to aid in reducing, but it does not do the reducing. That happens because you eat less, not because this product begins eating your fat. We found the information below to be most helpful.

Glucomannan

According to the University of Michigan, glucomannan is a natural fiber that comes from the konjac root, a plant that grows in Asia. Glucomannan is a water-soluble fiber, meaning it dissolves in water and becomes soft and gel-like in your intestines. It is not broken down until it reaches the large intestine, helping you to feel full longer. The manufacturers of Lipozene maintain that this feeling of fullness will help you to decrease your food intake, and thus lose weight.

Glucomannan’s Effectiveness

Studies looking at glucomannan’s effectiveness as a weight loss treatment have shown mixed results. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center reports one double-blind placebo-controlled study of 20 women who were 20 percent over their ideal weight found that the women lost an average of 5.5 lbs. in eight weeks while taking glucomannan supplements. However, other studies have reported no weight loss as a result of taking glucomannan supplements.

Considerations

Most side effects of Lipozene are consistent with eating a lot of fiber, such as gas, bloating and diarrhea. Known adverse reactions to glucomannan supplements also include chest pain, vomiting and difficulty swallowing or breathing. Health Canada reports glucomannan tablets should be taken with at least eight oz. of water or fluid to prevent choking and blockage of your throat, esophagus and intestine. You may decide to simply add more soluble fiber to your diet as an alternative to Lipozene. Do this by eating more oat bran, beans, peas and fruit. 

Jeannie here– I would not have a problem trying this, because it is a natural ingredient product, but if you do get some, make sure you begin eating as we’ve laid out in our HEALTHY EATING- Quick ‘n Easy! page. Otherwise, you may discover you are getting into yo-yo dieting, which of course companies depend on in order to keep you a customer for life. You can avoid that pitfall by learning how to eat in order NOT to gain back your losses!

*Maltodextrin– What is it- should we avoid it? 

I really like the article Jenny Sugar wrote and am very pleased we can share. She says in part:  If you’re obsessed with reading labels, then you’ve probably come across the ingredient maltodextrin. Sounds like some type of sugar, but is it safe to eat? It will settle your mind to know that this common additive is an easily digestible carbohydrate made from rice, corn, or potato starch (celiacs, beware — it can also be derived from barley or wheat). It’s made by cooking down the starch, and then acid and/or enzymes break the starch down even further.

Maltodextrin is a white powder often used in processed foods as a thickener or a filler since it’s fairly inexpensive, as well as in pharmaceuticals as a binding agent. You’ll find it in all the processed foods you should not be eating and since it contains fewer calories than sugar, it’s also found in sugar substitutes, such as Splenda or Equal, which are big no-no’s in good health eating.

HOWEVER– maltodextrin is usually used in such small amounts that it doesn’t have a significant impact in terms of the amount of protein, fat, carbohydrate, or fiber that it adds to foods. Although maltodextrin is processed and it’s not the healthiest thing to put in our bodies, at least we know it’s made from real food, not some nasty chemicals, so if you find it in one of your healthy foods, don’t be concerned. It’s okay.

30/10 Weight Loss For Life

This company says– “The 30/10 Weight Loss for Life protocol takes an integrative approach to you slimming down with a goal and objective for you achieving your 30/10 defined healthy/ideal weight. We understand that weight loss and weight gain is primarily mental, emotional, habit and behavior. These vital aspects of our being must be addressed along with the diet. Our state of mind is really the critical link. You have to want to change, a sincere willingness to let go the bad habits and those bad habit “demons” (sabotaging thoughts and feelings). We incorporate taped Self Mastery Sessions (see SMT/Brainwave) in addition to behavior modification techniques to help you re-pattern how you think and feel about food, diet, exercise and weight loss for life. Each person has their own individual issues with food and diet that causes them to put on the weight that has prevented them from slimming down. Our protocol is very precise and we strive to make the process as easy as is possible with the addition of great tasting nutritional food products. Best results are always obtained with the person who has the desire, commitment, determination and conviction to achieve their desired state at their ideal weight.”

Jeannie here– this is certainly NOT anything we can recommend! Sounds difficult and hard to us– our EAT HEALTHY! page is very easy, comfortable and you will lose weight without all the effort this plan requires, not to mention our page is a FREE read and you don’t have to go to meetings or clinics!

Skinny Body MAX

This product has excellent ingredients and will work, but they don’t tell you how to not gain once you’ve reached your goal. It is sold by independent distributors in order to avoid the many fake copies being sold in the marketplace. The only way this will give you the long term results you want is by making some slight changes to your daily diet. It is very possible to eat foods you love, not have your hunger out of control and be very healthy just by eating chemical free foods. To learn more, read and follow our EAT HEALTHY! page.

Forskolin

We know a number of companies sell this good natural product, it can be had in various strengths and they all make the same claim.

1. Breaks down stored fat
2. Boosts metabolism
3. Helps induced thermogenesis

One company claimed that taking it in a warm vinegar drink once a day would result in the loss of stubborn belly fat quickly, so we did that, and nothing changed. We still have some belly fat. This product does reduce some hunger as does some of these other diet aids. We have proven once more that bulletproof coffee (or tea), with a scoop of grass fed whey protein powder is not only very healthy for you– it kills hunger for hours and as long as you eat chemical-free, your excess weight will disappear and not return. Yo-yo dieting will be a thing of the past– how great is that!

Yakon Syrup

Out of all the things we have covered here, this is something very healthy and good for us that actually does help with weight loss by reducing your hunger. You must realize, though, that if this works for you and you stop using it, you will not keep those pounds off unless you eat a healthy, chemical-free diet (fun & delicious). Because this is such a healthy food, we suggest you keep it on hand for the best way to aid in keeping you healthy- put it into drinks, on pancakes and waffles, use it in recipes instead of honey- now, please read the article we’ve done on Yacon syrup and our EAT HEALTHY! page as well. Also we refer you to CONSUMER REVIEW.

At this point, we’d like to share with you the REAL SECRET TO SUCCESS that we have discovered. We all know that a good diet and exercise program is needed for losing ugly fat and achieving a healthy body free of disease. HOWEVER– we’ve found the real secret to your long term success is simply to leave out of your diet ALL CHEMICALS found in the foods you eat! We urge you to read and follow our EAT HEALTHY! page.

SPEAKING OF DIET AIDS… I’ve completed my study of these things and have the answer I need for myself- would it work for you? Probably, but I really can’t say, since we’re all a bit different in how our bodies work and what they need. I am carbohydrate intolerant and since I realize many of my readers no doubt have the same problem, I will share here what is now helping me. The GREEN TEA suggested by my Naturopath is wonderful and has now become a part of my daily food supply, but I don’t try to drink the recommended amount, so I’m taking capsules (60% catechins). I’m so very glad for doctors and nutritionists who can pinpoint our problems and supply answers that work well for us! It was suggested to me that a drink containing BRAGGS ACV, Ceylon cinnamon and honey twice a day, would fix my sugar spikes and be very good for me, so…. I did that, but gained a pound- the honey was too many carbs for me, so then I switched to Yacon Syrup and all was well! It didn’t take long for my hunger to diminish so much that I began taking this drink only once a day. I still have it most days since the ingredients are so healthful for a number of reasons.

I learned that Braggs vinegar, Ceylon cinnamon and Yacon Syrup are wonderful things to bring us good health and that if you don’t care for the taste of vinegar, it can be put into any juice or drink you would like to add it to in order to make the taste something you can actually enjoy and your cinnamon can be sprinkled on buttered toast or included in any raw recipe or smoothie! What is my recipe for success? Take two green tea capsules with your filtered water, then mix into an 8-12 oz. cup- 2 Tablespoons Braggs vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon, 1-2 teaspoons Yacon syrup and a packet of stevia if you want more sweetness. Add your filtered water, mix well and drink.  😉   LATER– I have discovered there are thousands of people who, like myself, are carbohydrate intolerant and many have formed support groups, share recipes and tips for success. I was also introduced to Dr. Ken Berry MD and recommend him highly. He recommends a Ketogenic diet for folks like myself, which I’m doing now. I believe you will have the success you’re looking for if you eat a chemical-free, high fat, low carb diet. You may find this page to be of interest. The-keto-diet-simplified…

As we worked on these articles, it has occurred to us that the companies who put you on a special program and send you food could do not only overweight folks a favor, but could keep those clients for life, not by having them do the yo-yo diet, but by giving them what they need and want. If the foods they sent out were made totally with chemical-free healthy ingredients, people would learn that eating healthy not only gives them a slim healthy body, but tastes great too. Then after they have completed the special program and are the right size, the company could keep them by offering some of their wonderful foods, especially for holidays and special occasions. Wouldn’t it be great if we could order things like huge Belgium Waffles, Lasagna, cheesecake and other yummy desserts that are made with healthy, chemical-free ingredients? It could be done and perhaps one day a company will do just that– we can hope!

TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH!!

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