Monthly Archives: January 2014

My Experience with New Life Botanical Garcinia Cambogia

newlifebotanical-garciniaWhen I first heard about this supposed new miracle weight loss wonder, I immediately ordered a bottle. I can say I didn’t get my hopes up much since nothing really worked in the past, but I’d be lying. I think anyone who orders diet pills then says they never had their hopes up knows that deep down they did – or they wouldn’t have bought it. Right?

After two weeks though, I hadn’t seen much change. After almost a month, I still had only lost about four pounds. Honestly? I could have probably done that on my own with a little exercise. So I called to find out how I could get my refund. This is when I found out that you could only return unopened packages. What? Yep. Boy I was furious.

Then I started to do a little research and low and behold, that’s when I found AlivebyNature (who sells New Life Botanical Garcinia). Come to find out that they had reviewed the particular brand I had bought (I won’t mention any names here) and had warned about buying from this company. Apparently, it didn’t even have enough of the magical ingredient (HCA) to be effective. Alive had so much helpful information on their site and was kind enough to promptly reply to my questions, so deciding to give it one more shot, I ordered from them.

This time things were different. The first thing I noticed when I started taking it is that my cravings seem to disappear. I knew that it was supposed to help with suppressing your hunger, but I wasn’t aware of how effective it would be to taking away cravings that I’ve seemingly been cursed with. This is probably one of the biggest reasons I’ve struggled for so long to lose weight. I can just about assume that this is the case with many others, too.

After a few weeks, I was feeling really good about myself. My tight jeans were getting much more comfortable and my comfortable jeans almost required a belt. So I figured it was time to hit the scale. Two pounds? How could my clothes be fitting so much different if I had only lost two pounds? Again, I contacted them.

Their answer made complete sense after explaining it. It’s simple, really. Even if the scale isn’t saying much, that’s OK. Garcinia burns FAT. So you could lose fat, but build and strengthen muscle without the scale ever moving much. BUT you look leaner and your body is reshaping itself due to the amount of fat that’s disappearing.

So I kept taking it until it was gone. That entire month, I lost nine pounds. It may not sound like much, but it is. I wasn’t doing much of anything differently, though I did try to walk down to the park for a break during lunch when I could… that’s about it. So I was impressed and ordered another two bottles. I’m now on month three and so far have lost a total of 16 pounds, have dropped 3 dress sizes and am about to reach my goal.

So overall I have to agree with what people are saying. This stuff works. But you have to be careful about which product you buy and who you buy it from.

Be Skeptical of These Other Garcinia Brands

The following sellers don’t necessarily rate their own full review at the moment, but we wanted to tell you about them and any suspicious activity we found. As we find out more, we will continue adding full reviews to keep you informed. If you’d like, you can see our full reviews on other brands here.

Activa Naturals: If you look only at the price, this would seem like a good deal. However, there are two things to point out on this one. First, it’s not a very good deal – It’s deceptive making you think it’s powerful with 60% HCA, but with only 500mg per capsule (60 capsules), you’re getting a mere 1500mg per dollar. On top of that, they’ve added hypromellose, cellulose and other fillers!

Secondly, we didn’t like this statement at all: “Since this is a natural weight loss product, you need to take garcinia for at least 60 days before you see any results”. This is absurd. This is saying that basically, any natural supplement needs a minimum of 60 days to start giving any results at all? Nonsense. We’ve seen it work much faster than that. Sure, you should be in full swing and getting maximum benefits of your body adjusted to it by then. But you very likely can see results before this.

Dynamic Nutrition: This one doesn’t look too shabby. The price isn’t too bad and you’re getting 1800mg per dollar – not great, but certainly better than many we’ve looked at. The confusing thing and what makes us question this seller is the fact that on Amazon it’s one price. But someone else is selling the exact thing on Sears for nearly double that amount. Who’s the true seller here? Is there a real company? We haven’t found any company website or information about the true person or company behind this brand and that, well, that’s just plain suspicious.

Lean: Overall this product doesn’t look too bad at first glance. But things aren’t always what they seem. For instance, if you look at their site, there’s barely any real information there about the Lifestyle Research Labs product or company. Instead, it simply refers you to Amazon to buy. I don’t know about you, but I like to know what I’m buying and who I’m buying it from.

Secondly, you’ll notice that they emphasize that you don’t have to eat right or exercise (at all). That’s their main sales message and I simply can’t say how much this concerns me. Any supplement will work better and give the best results with some effort, no matter how small it may be.

And lastly, look at the reviews! Some of the comments left are straight out claiming their product or company is a scam. Sure, everyone gets bad reviews now and then which may or may not be any fault of their own. I’ve seen many times people leave not-so-stellar reviews only to find out they didn’t follow the directions on how to use it. But to have multiple people straight up call you a scam – that’s a red flag.

Revo Cure: This is another one I’m skeptical of because there is NO information about them online or any official site I could find. On top of that, it costs way too much. Nearly $45 to be exact. And you get a measly 1000mg per dollar. The biggest downside? You have no idea who you’re really buying from. There’s no website, no contact information should you need to get in touch, nothing… all you can do is contact Amazon. And do you really think Amazon knows about every single product sold on their site? Do you think they know this specific product inside and out and can help you with questions or problems? No.

Check out the chart here for info on other brands.

Whole Body Garcinia Cambogia

wholebodypriceTrying to find a weight loss supplement that actually works can seem like an uphill battle these days. Even with garcinia cambogia. Yes, it’s a very powerful fat burner. But all brands aren’t created equal. So how do you know if something’s worth buying? There are a few things to look for right off the bat, including the following: If they offer a free trial or a free bottle, then stay away. For more information on this read our guide to buying garcinia here. If they don’t give you a chance to clearly view the product label before ordering (or if they make you fill out a form with your personal information before looking at it) then stay away. Any reputable brand will make sure the label is clearly viewable right from the start. Any garcinia extract worth buying will have at least 50% HCA. So if it doesn’t have that at a bare minimum stay away. This goes hand in hand with being able to view the label and the ingredients. If you see them advertised everywhere and sold by half a dozen different places or more, stay away. Many of the shady sellers will go out of their way and spend as much as possible to advertise. If it were truly a good brand, don’t you think their customers would be telling everyone for them? If their website doesn’t look professional or it looks like a 3rd grader wrote the text for the site, stay away. If you can’t verify their return policy, stay away. Lots of the time, there will be a “money back guarantee”. But truth is you’ll have a heck of a time with getting return authorization numbers, paying shipping to send it back, pay restocking fees or even not be able to return an open bottle! One of the best things about garcinia is that it is affordable. You shouldn’t need to spend more than about $30 for a month’s supply. However, we’ve found some selling it for double that price. Check and see what your money’s actually buying. How many milligrams per dollar are you getting? You can get the simple formula for determining this here. So how does Whole Body Garcinia stack up? Let’s look…

  • Free trial? No, that’s a good thing.
  • Can you view the label? Yes, that’s a good thing.
  • Amount of HCA? 60%, that’s a good thing.
  • Advertised everywhere? Not too bad here. Haven’t seen it plastered everywhere and there don’t appear to be dozens of websites selling it.
  • Professional site? Yep, that’s a good thing.
  • Price? $44.99 for a single bottle. Not such a good thing.
  • MG per dollar? Barely over 1000mg per dollar.

Conclusion

Overall, this brand doesn’t look too shabby. However, it’s clearly not the best deal you can get on garcinia. See reviews of other garcinia cambogia brands.

title_choose

You should take your time when buying health supplements. It should not be an impulse buy, as this is your health you could be putting at risk. Not to mention the risk of losing your money or getting suckered into a tricky subscription that takes months to get out of. wwrecommend garciniabanner270613 If you spend a little time on our site, you’ll see that we take the time to review any brand that readers ask us about. It may not be immediate, but we do get to it! So far, the best garcinia extract we can recommend is manufactured by NewLifeBotanicals and sold by AlivebyNature.org. Although we found out they have also started offering it on Amazon, too.

  • It’s all natural (always a good thing)
  • It clearly provides 60% HCA
  • Continues to receive amazing feedback
  • Has 600mg per capsule
  • You don’t get ripped off with it being full of fillers
  • You get the most amazing money back guarantee we’ve seen (no questions asked, no return authorizations, nothing!)

amazon alive

Can Yacon Syrup Rival Garcinia for Weight Loss?

yacon-sryp-plantsYou know me. I don’t buy into something just because of hype. But today I got something really exciting to share with you. It’s called Yacon syrup and it just might rival the likes of garcinia cambogia. Please realize that it’s likely to start getting a lot of attention since it was just featured on the Dr. Oz show. And as we’ve seen so many times in the past, this could very easily lead to marketing mayhem – marketers will start coming out of the woodwork trying to make some easy, quick money off of it. So learn about it, understand it and know what to look for.

Does Yacon Syrup Really Help You Lose Weight?

It’s nice when there’s already plenty of research on something when we learn about it. That’s the case here. There’s a decent amount of clinical trials that have already been performed and results are definitely promising. In one 120-day double blind placebo study the weight loss was substantial – we’re talking over 30 pounds. That’s nothing to stiff at, right? I agree. They seen an average of a 2-inch reduction around the waist, too.

But that’s not all. There’s much more to Yacon than simply being an organic, natural weight loss supplement. Study participants also benefited from lower LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol). This all happened by simply taking Yacon. They were told not to change other habits related to diet and exercise.

Dr .Oz brought in the expertise of five other experts to weigh in on this new discovery, too. Dr. Mike Roizen, Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. Garth Davis, Dr. Caroline Apovian and Dr. Lou Arrone. While they agree that further research will be helpful in nailing down the exact benefits and how everything works, they are excited about Yacon Syrup.

Dr. Oz says he spent more than a year researching Yacon Syrup and powder before he decided to feature it on the show. NOTE: We’re not affiliated with him or the show in any way. What did he have to say about this new supplement that could cause a stir in the weight loss industry?

“ The results showed “Daily intake of yacon syrup produced a significant decrease in body weight, waist circumference and body mass index.”

What Exactly is Yacon?

Yacon is actually a vegetable that’s native to the Andes Mountains (South America). It’s been safely used for many generations. In fact, the Ancient Incas were known to use it because of the valuable nutrition it provides and the fact it’s high in fiber, helping you feel fuller for longer periods of time.

It almost tastes like an apple and is sometimes referred to Peru’s apple of the earth. The syrup from this potato-like looking veggie comes from the roots of the plant. It’s manufactured similarly to the way that traditional syrup we’re used to is made. Other things that are particularly attracting to it are:

  • It’s extremely low in calories
  • It provides a substantial amount of fiber
  • It falls very low on the glycemic index rating
  • It is sweet so it’s easy to take unlike other supplements that have foul tastes

Because it’s so low on the glycemic index, it’s not easily broke down into sugar in your body. That means you don’t get a spike in blood sugar that leads to insulin spikes and weight gain.

What Makes it Help You Lose Weight?

Just like garcinia has the key ingredient HCA, Yacon has a key ingredient too: Fructooligosaccharide. I know, try pronouncing that right? Don’t worry, we’ll just call it FOS, which is what it’s often referred to (no wonder, right?). The FOS is what gives Yacon half of its sweetness. The sweetness isn’t the same as sugar though and your body doesn’t treat it like sugar. The bulk of the sweetness you get in Yacon is from inulin, which is a complex sugar that’s slowly metabolized down into FOS.

Here’s where it gets a little technical, but I’ll try to make it as simple as possible. Basically, Yacon Powder and Syrup behave like a prebiotic that assists in controlling flora found in the your intestine. What’s flora? Flora consists of microscopic organisms that reside in your intestinal system – things like Lactobacillus and Bifidus. Don’t worry about their real names, we’ll just call them skinny bacteria like Dr. Oz does.

These bacteria help the transformation of FOS into short-chain fatty acids. Those fatty acids increase your tissue sensitivity to insulin, as well as help stop cholesterol synthesis in your liver. This is all important for your health in several ways. They are a factor in how well your body can absorb nutrients, they play a role in your immune system, they help fight off potentially dangerous disease-causing organisms and even instructs your body to create probiotics – and we all know how important probiotics are. Dr. Oz says that this prebiotic is the game changer for Yacon and what drives the effectiveness of it.

“Researchers show that first way it works is to speed up your metabolism, by promoting the skinny bacteria. Yacon syrup very interestingly lowers the hunger hormone ‘ghrelin’ which brings you down towards fullness, and keeps you down by also controlling insulin. -Dr. Oz”

“Now this is why I’m passionate about it, it’s not just about losing weight, Yes you’ll get that I know that’s why people will try this, but if it can get your blood sugar down that’s a Gold Mine for us when it comes to your health.” -Dr. Oz

How do You Use Yacon?

You can actually find Yacon in variety of forms including powder, dried chips, syrup, pills and even the root of the plant itself. For the most part, they’ll all give you roughly the same benefits. They all have FOS – well the good ones, anyways. In my research and my opinion, pills are the easiest to use, closely followed by syrup form. When using pills, you should take 500mg before each meal with a full glass of water. I’ve asked if AlivebyNature will be selling yacon (they’re the ones I recommend for most other supplements). I will keep you updated on that.

Below are our favorite sources for the different forms of Yacon (so far).

Yacon Syrup

yacon-syrup
There are many shady sellers of Yacon syrup popping up on Amazon and other places, but also a handful of really good companies that you can trust.
Livesuperfoods is a solid company and I prefer the taste of their syrup over the others I have tried so far.

Yacon Pills

yacon-pills
For extra convenience, so people prefer to take pills or capsule.
RootandSprout is one the most trustworthy supplier of yacon pills at an affordable price we have found so far.

Yacon Extract or Powder

yacon-powder
As a sugar substitute, I love yacon powder. It doesn’t have the wonderful flavor of syrup, and is not as sweet. In fact, its about the same sweetness as sugar, by volume. So is simple to substitute in recipes or like me, in my coffee.

Livesuperfoods is the only supplier of powder that I trust at this time, although I’m sure more will soon be following now that Dr Oz has given his stamp of approval to Yacon.

Yacon Chips or Slices

yacon-slices

As a snack food, this is a great alternative to chips and such. About $9 for a 6 oz pkg
at Navitasnaturals

Where Do You Buy It?

A few things you have to keep in mind. Always read the fine print when you’re buying online. If they say there’s a money back guarantee, make sure you find out what the terms are to get a refund should you decide you want one. Make sure there are not artificial filler ingredients. The only way you can do this is to read the label.

While I don’t go out and buy everything Dr. Oz recommends and I don’t live by his word, he does have some good advice. This is what he says on his website:

  • Don’t buy anything that claims to be an alternative to a prescription
  • Don’t buy anything that has foreign language or misspellings on the packaging
  • Don’t buy anything that claims the impossible (example: lose 20 pounds this week!)
  • Make sure what you’re buying hasn’t been labeled tainted in the past by the FDA
  • Don’t buy anything that you can’t verify supplemental facts (reading the label)
  • Who Should Use It?

Like I’ve explained already, there are many benefits to Yacon syrup. Not just weight loss. So there are actually several groups of people that could truly benefit from it, including:

  • Those who need more fiber in their diet
  • Those who want or need to lose weight
  • Those who suffer from chronic constipation
  • Those who have high blood sugar levels