Anyone try Metabolife?

[jenniferharris1]

I bought Metabolife today, and I keep looking at the jar debating about whether or not to take it. Does it work? Is it safe if you follow the directions? I want so badly to lose weight, and I feel like I just don't have the willpower to diet...or energy to get through a workout. Any thoughts?
Also, any Meridia users out there?

[aggie94]

In my opinion, these are all just quick fixes to a long-term problem/issue. It is HARD WORK to lose weight and stay healthy and fit. Anything that purports to make that easy is too good to be true. And as for being safe? You can never know. Take phen-fen for example. When a drug makes weight loss that simple and easy, you have to assume the risk that the side effects may outweigh the benefits. Again, just my opinion.

[Ralph]

I would NOT recommend it. Metabolife's two main ingredients are guarana and mah hwang; though I can never remember which is which, one is the herbal equivalent of caffeine & the other is the herbal equivalent of ephedrine, an amphetamine derivative. These are both in there in higher equivalent doses than you can other ways (coffee, for instance).

The long-term safety has not been established. Very common side effects are insomnia, jitteriness, & racing heart. Aggie is right: Weight loss is hard work.

[SusanT]

I second everyone else on this issue!

Everyone would like a quick fix - including me - but stick with diet and exercise. Even if you never reach your desired weight, you'll prolong and improve the quality of life through regular exercise and a sensible diet.

If you read long-term studies about weight loss, diet and exercise works better long term for weight loss.

[BosunsWife]

Bad, bad, bad. Ma Huang is ephedra. Studies have shown that use of ephedra can cause heart palpitations and even strokes. Like all have said here, its just a quick fix. You need to be able to get a handle on your habits to be able to make a lifestyle change. Even if you lose weight quickly, chances are it will just come right back if you don't learn how to eat properly.

Take it from one who has been there, done that and is now making dietary changes and working with a psychologist trying to come to terms with why I eat and how to change it.

[SandyM]

Ditto to what everyone has said here.

My husband was on Meridia for a while (much to my dismay). At first he was going to do the Atkins thing (don't even get me started there), but his doctor talked him out of it. He was on Meridia for about two weeks, and it definitely curbed his appetite, but he had a problem urinating. He had to go, but it wouldn't come out. I can't imagine a more uncomfortable feeling.

He stopped taking it (thank God). He's not 100 lbs. overweight - more like 40, so it's not like he's morbidly obese - but it affects his sleeping (he suffers from apnea).

[Laura]

Jennifer-

I know the thought of losing weight or exercising for a long period of time can sometimes seem daunting. However, on top of what everyone else has said, the problem with programs like Metabolife is that as soon as you are off them you gain weight back. Try do things in small steps. Maybe your first goal should be to get 15 minutes of walking in 3x a week. Is that going to help you lose weight? Probably not. But it is a start to a healthy lifestyle. Then your goal can be 20 minutes 4x a week. Add a different goal, drinking 8 glasses of water a day. Don't try to do everything at once. I think you will find this board is very helpful. I wish you the best.

[lindrusso]

Hi Jennifer.

First, I agree with everyone about any diet pill. Just not worth the risk.

Also you said you don't have the willpower to "diet". Don't think of it as dieting. When used in that sense, the word "diet" can represent something that means "restriction", "denial", "boredom". Think of it as making a healthy change to your eating habits.

You don't have to do anything super drastic. I think the recipes in Cooking Light are fantastic because they are low-fat, but you don't feel denied. They are a far cry from the hamburger patty/cottage cheese or broiled fish with lemon recipes that have often been the mainstay for "diets" in the past.

What about exercising? Do you have a plan for that? In the area of exercise I have, again, made my focus overall health, not losing weight. Just this small change in perspective keeps me going. I keep going because it's healthy. This keeps me from getting discouraged when I don't see the scale going down as much as I'd like. It keeps me from quitting because I know that it's good for me, even if I'm not losing weight.

Anyway, I just wanted to give you something to think about. You can find something that works for you without resorting to diet pills - you just have to keep trying. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif Good luck!

Oh, and please join us on our HLSG weekly check-ins if you think it would help!

[adb]

Don't do it!!!

I forget what show it was on, but after watching the story of a NY man who is now raising his children alone because his wife collapsed at the gym and diedwhile taking these type of diet aids, I will never touch the stuff.

Find natural ways of speeding up your metabolism with the right foods and exercise. Bill Philip's Body for Life program has really helped us.

[MPHenderson]

I have to say that I think the best bet is the old "diet and exercise" plan. There are only positive side effects. I've gone through a significant lifestyle change in the past two years which has resulted in a 90+ pound weight loss.

I eat a lot of healthy food. Not deprived at all. I recommend Weight Watchers. It really helps you understand portion size and balancing your diet (i.e., are you a "mini-meals person, like me? Or do you just want/need three square meals a day? Are you more satisfied by carbs, proteins or a balance?). It's also a very "do-able" program if you want to eat out, have treats, etc. every once in a while.

I also exercise every day. And I feel great. The more I work out, the more energy I have. Start slow; a little at a time. But do some movement every day. You'll be surprised at how good you feel.

Bottom line: No negative effects from eating healthy, delicious food and from engaging in purposeful physical activity every day!

Good luck!

Originally posted by jenniferharris1:
I bought Metabolife today, and I keep looking at the jar debating about whether or not to take it. Does it work? Is it safe if you follow the directions? I want so badly to lose weight, and I feel like I just don't have the willpower to diet...or energy to get through a workout. Any thoughts?
Also, any Meridia users out there?



[This message has been edited by MPHenderson (edited 05-09-2001).]

[mandarin2j]

Hi Jennifer-

Count me as another vote for diet and exercise! I've done several quick fix diets-Atkins, Slim Fast, diet pills-and the only constant is that I've only lost about 10 percent of what I wanted to lose each time before I got bored of every one. Oh yeah, one other constant: I gained back the weight with interest in a shorter time than it took me to lose it in the first place. I've managed to ratchet my weight up from a fairly respectable 135 to over 190 by using a combination of quick fix diets and poor diet and exercise habits when I'm not dieting. Quick fix diets work to lower your basal metabolic rate, thus reducing the number of calories your body needs to function well. So, when you're off the diet, you gain weight faster. Apart from the health risks of the pills that Ralph and BosunsWife detailed, yo-yo dieting in itself is a serious risk to your health.

The diet-and-exercise routine is a major lifestyle change. I think what makes it different from quick fix diets, apart from the health-related stuff, is that I can see myself doing it for life, rather than focusing on getting the diet over with so I can go back to eating "what I want" all the time. That's one thing that really clicked about the feature on Don Mauer a few months back in CL. He talked about "post-diet fantasy meals," and I think anyone who has dieted has had theirs' all planned out. Wouldn't it be better to have a lifestyle that accommodated "post-diet fantasy meals" as part of your diet?

Now, the whole lifestyle change thing may not take right at first. If you've been sedentary for a long time and had a poor diet, you're asking a lot of yourself to make it all happen at once. Laura has a great point about easing yourself into it. I would also say (from experience!) that if you choose to go the diet-and-exercise route, don't be too hard on yourself if you're less than perfect. I can't tell you how much rotten produce I've tossed out from innumerable dieting efforts! Even if you have an off day (or week, or whatever!), it's what you're doing for your body now that matters. And if you need moral support, Lindrusso is right; the HLSG is a great resource for sharing where you're at and learning from others' experiences. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[jenniferharris1]

OK, guys, you talked me out of my 22.00 bottle of Metabolife that I bought yesterday! And, really, it's not that I want a quick fix; I just need a little push. Last summer I lost 25 pounds of the 60 I needed to lose (with WW); and having rambunctious kids and being back in college, I got stressed out...just take a wild guess how I cope! So, now I'm back at ground zero, and I am so down on myself. It's summer almost, and I'm still wearing long sleeves. In a moment of despair, I thought a diet aid might help. All I need is a little headstart....
maybe I will check-in on this board to make myself accountable to something. Has Nutrio or Ediets helped anyone? If so, how do they compare to WW?

[cdm]

I too have kind of wondered about metabolife, but never bought any. Those herbs mentioned above there just scare me too much. I remember when all they hype for phen-fen came about. We all would talk about it at work and one girls mother was a nurse, and she knew something wasnt right. I sure wish their was any easy fix to lose weight. The thing I dont like about ediets is, dont you have to pay to use it for your diet plan? I just think that at least for me is I know what I have to do-its just doing it.