Hoodia Success Stories
There are real hoodia success stories – from people like you and me, who tried it and like it, regardless of the media confusion. Research on hoodia gordonii is still ongoing and so far has confirmed what the Bushmen of Kalahari Desert already know – it works to reduce the appetite and thirst. They know this because they’ve the one variety, hoodia gordonii for centuries on their long cross desert treks.
There are a lot of conflicting reports on hoodia and some clearly state that hoodia doesn’t work – and they could be right. That is because there are many fake hoodia products that claim to have the right variety and the right amounts and some even have certificates (no valid dates) to say they’ve imported the correct product out of South Africa. However, the product is usually full of cheap fillers like pulpy leaves, skin, and fibers, substances that do not contain the same appetite suppressing quality that the real hoodia gordonii has been proven to have. In fact, one of the leading hoodia supplements was tested a couple of years back and were shown to contain no hoodia gordonii at all. (Mangold, 2003)
The only way anyone is going to know if it works, is to try it. So let’s take a look at some success stories.
This story was reported in the August, 2005 issue of MacLean’s magazine.
A 53-year old grocery store employee in Nova Scotia weighed in at 345 lbs. John (he asked not be identified by his real name) did his research online and bought 60 capsules for $55. After three weeks of taking one pill in the morning and one pill in the evening, John had dropped twenty pounds. He’d started on the low-carb Atkins diet at the same time and used hoodia to reduce his appetite. “I’ve eaten my two small meals – in the morning and at suppertime – and that’s it,” says John. But how does he know it’s the pills? “I’ve dieted many times,” says John. “I know myself and I’m always hungry. If you can’t lose weight with hoodia, it’s not likely you will ever lose it – it’s really that good.” – - (Hawaleshka, 2005)
There are also several journalists that have tried hoodia and have found it worked for them. Leslie Stahl reported on CBC News 60 minutes (aired Nov. 2004). She said she had no after effects – no funny taste in her mouth, no queasy stomach and no racing heart. She also said that she wasn’t hungry all day even around lunchtime when she would normally have hunger pangs. And, she had no desire to eat or drink the entire day. “I’d have to say it did work,” says Stahl. (The Science of Hoodia, 2007)
Tom Mangold, a BBC correspondent drove with his cameraman into the desert about four hours north of Cape Town in search of the hoodia gordonii plant. They found the plant – the size of a cucumber with 10 tentacles each covered in spikes. These spikes need to be carefully peeled to unearth the unpleasant-tasting fleshy insides. Mangold ate about a half a banana size piece at approximately 1800 hours. His cameraman ate soon after. Not too long after eating the plant, they drove the four hours back to Cape Town. Dinner hour came and went and they went to be around midnight without food. The next morning, neither of the two men wanted nor ate any breakfast. Mangold did eat lunch but had no appetite and didn’t enjoy the food. It took approximately 24 hours for partial and then finally his normal appetite to return. – - (Mangold, 2003)
Wave 3 TV ran a hoodia test. They had three overweight participants take hoodia supplements for three weeks and tracked their progress.
One of these participants was involved an editor for WAVE 3. He had a goal of losing 25 to 30 pounds and to hopefully gain more energy. After three weeks of using hoodia, he had only lost a couple of pounds but did say that hoodia had made a noticeable different in his eating habits. He said, “…it has help me change how I eat and much I eat.”
Another of the three participants was a local elementary school principal in her mid 50s. She’d put on 20 pounds in the last five years and was hoping to take off some if not all of it. After the three week program she’d lost six pounds and found she was less hungry and hardly snacked. She also stated that she’d experienced no side effects at all.
The third participants were a nail technician. She’d gained 100 pounds over the last ten years and was hoping to some of this weight. For her, she noticed a real difference in her appetite. She lost 12 pounds during these three weeks. – - (Weil, 2007)
The studies were positive enough that the radio station is continuing with this pilot test for another three weeks.
Works Cited
Hawaleshka, D. (2005, August 1). Hoodia Gordonii: Appetite Suppressant Is Diet World’s Newest Fad. Retrieved July 5, 2007, from MacLean’s Magazine: http://www.canadianencyclopedia.ca/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=M1ARTM0012808
Hoodia Lab Assays and CITES support documents. (2007). Retrieved 4 2007, July , from Hoodia Advice: http://www.hoodia-advice.org/hoodia-lab-cites.html
Mangold, T. (2003, May 30). Sampling the Kalahari Hoodia diet. Retrieved July 5, 2007, from BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/correspondent/2947810.stm
The Science of Hoodia. (2007). Retrieved July 4, 2007, from Hoodia Advice: http://www.hoodia-advice.org/hoodia-plant.html
Weil, C. (2007, March 19). Wave 3. Retrieved July 5, 2007, from Hoodia users report results after three weeks: http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?s=6214191