Garcinia Cambogia 101

When it comes to celebrity weight loss supplements, Garcinia Cambogia has really become the talk of the town. This is, in large, due to the efforts of Dr Oz. He recommended taking the supplement and it became an overnight success. Purveyors of the extract say that it can help you to lose weight with hardly any effort at all. It is true that there is still a lot of research to be done but, for now at least, a lot of people are enjoying the benefits that Dr Oz told them about.

Where Has It Been All This Time?

Garcinia Cambogia is actually a type of fruit and it is naturally found in tropical parts of Asia, Africa and India. It is around about the size of a large orange or a smaller grapefruit and looks like a little pumpkin. The rind is green when still unripe and it ripens into a pretty red or orange color. Whilst we in the West have never heard of it before, it has been extensively used by the people in the regions where it grows as a way to help fill people up. It was this quality that prompted a scientist to research the fruit itself.

The results were encouraging when the rind, prepared traditionally through drying and curing, was analyzed. The research team found that it contained high quantities of Hydroxycitric Acid and it was this component that accounted not only for the appetite suppressant qualities but also for the fruits ability to increase the speed at which weight is lost.

Here Is What This Means For You?

HCA has been shown to prevent the production of fat in the liver and to curb appetite. It also has a positive impact on the serotonin levels in your system meaning that you feel better and more motivated to stick to eating properly. You will not only eat less but you will not feel deprived by doing so. In addition, more serotonin is bound to mean that your sleep quality improves. This is great news all round.

It also helps your system to target abdominal fat. Cortisol, released when you are stressed, has a large role to play when it comes to gaining fat around your abdomen. Because you feel more able to cope on the Garcinia, you will be able to short-circuit this process as well.

What Benefits Can You Hope For?

The HCA gets into action from the day you start to take it and the benefits build up over time. Here is what to expect:

• A reined in appetite with no mood swings or feelings of wanting to climb walls.
• Decreased sugar cravings because of the increase in serotonin.
• The production of fat is short-circuited in a good way. You no longer need to worry that the sugar and starches are going to be converted into fat.
• You can expect a better night’s sleep because of the extra serotonin your body is producing. Really maximize this by making sure that your bedroom is dark and cool.

What Dose To Take

The dosage will depend on what you want to get out of it. In general, you will be advised to take anywhere between 500mg and 1000mg before eating a meal, two three time daily and not exceeding 3000mg overall.

• If you are worried about your appetite, 1 capsule of 500mg taken at least half an hour before breakfast, lunch and supper will suffice.
• If you want to lose quite a lot in terms of weight, over a shorter period, you can take 3 capsules of 500mg each at least half an hour before breakfast, lunch and supper. (This is more than the recommended maximum so do keep a look out for side effects and do not carry on this way for too long.)
• If you have a problem with raiding the fridge at night, and still have some leeway in terms of your overall intake, you can add another capsule after supper.
• It does make sense to couple this supplement with a restricted calorie eating plan and regular exercise. By doing so you could burn an extra 500 calories a day at least.

How To Spot A Fake?

We all knows what happens when some new weight loss supplement is discovered – there are suddenly a whole heap of suppliers pushing their brand. You need to be careful because some of these products are, at best, useless and, at worst, harmful.

Take a good look at the list of ingredients. You want the pure product with as little else as possible – no more than three ingredients total is ideal. You should also be able to understand what the ingredients are and how much of each ingredient is present. Here is all that your supplement really needs:

• Extract of Garcinia Cambogia providing 50% HCA
• No more than 70mg Potassium

And that’s all folks – anything else is just filler and a waste of time. Just remember that the more stuff that they cram into a capsule, the less you will get of what you really want – the HCA.

Tips For Online Purchases:

As with any purchases you make online, you do need to choose a reputable company to deal with. Start off with their website. How realistic are the claims that they are making? Are they over-promising? Then chances are good that they are under-delivering as well.

Google to find reviews of the product – the ones on the site are not a good jumping off point because they are most likely paid reviews. The same can be said when it comes to reviews on affiliate sites like Amazon. Have a look at a range of different reviews and see if you can find anyone who actually returned the product. How did they find that experience?

Look at the cost for a bottle but also look at the cost per month. How long will one bottle last? In some cases, it may only last a couple of weeks so be sure to also compare the dosage as well. Do be careful about joining up for an auto-shipping club. These can be difficult to back out of. Ideally speaking, you want a bottle that will last a month and this should be around about 90 capsules.

You will need to actually give it a good go before deciding that it does or does not work. It is pointless to try the product for a week and then decide it’s useless. You  need to look at a trial of around about three months in order to see optimal results.

What To Watch Out For

Garcinia Cambogia is a natural product but the supplement hasn’t been around that long. For the most part, studies have determined that there are few, if any, side effects but not enough research can be said to have been done to really say that with 100% certainty.

There are some side effects that have not been scientifically proven to exist but that have been noted by users. Some users found that after three months they started feeling nauseas, started to have pain in their gut and got headaches. There have been a couple of cases of Hepatotoxicity but it was not possible to definitely define the supplement as the cause.

It does, however, make sense to monitor any side effects you may experience and to stick within recommended doses.

This supplement has not been proven safe to use during pregnancy so if you are pregnant or trying to fall pregnant, do not use it. You should also avoid it if you are breastfeeding. Young children should not be given the supplement.

It is best to err on the side of caution – because of the classification of the extract, there are no FDA regulations that cover it.

Is This The Answer?

Not just yet. It is a good starting point though. Maximize the benefits by eating right and exercising – that was what your body was made for. That is the key to losing significant amounts of weight with the supplement and keeping it off.

That’s not to say you need to become a gym bunny – all you need is activity that gets the heart rate up for about a half an hour a day. Whether that is walking or doing an intense spinning class is up to you. It is a good idea to vary the rate and difficulty of your workout to see optimal results.

Is it realistic to carry on eating in the same way that got you fat and still think you are going to lose it all by taking a pill? Not really – whilst you are bound to lose a little weight, amending your diet will optimize results. Once again, you don’t have to go all out in dieter’s mode. These quick tips will help:

• Eat what you like but user smaller plates. If you eat the same amount of food off a larger plate, you brain will feel it is being done down. If the food fills a smaller plate, your brain won’t feel deprived.
• Do try to eat real food. By this I mean, cut back on the processed rubbish. Processed food tends to taste great but it really has little nutritional value. Try swapping out a whole orange for your orange juice and look for healthy snacks like nuts and seeds to give your body the fiber and nutrients that it needs.
• A good way to look at it is to only buy things that have less than five ingredients in total. It’s amazing how many calories you can cut by just this one step.