Lose Weight Fast...But Be Careful!
Written: May 10 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Wakes you up, decreases your appetite and helps to burn calories.
Cons: Makes your heart race, can make you feel light-headed/nauseous.
The Bottom Line: You get results with this product but be aware of the side effects and risks involved.
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| goldmoon's Full Review: Cytodyne Xenadrine Rfa-1 |
What is It?
Xenadrine RFA-1 is maximum strength, rapid fat loss catalyst. It speeds up your metabolism, gives you increased energy and reduces your appetite. It comes in capsule form and the recommended dosage is not more than 4 per day.
How Did I Discover It?
I discovered Xenadrine after my boyfriend (now fiancee) gave me my Christmas present--a cruise to the Bahamas. Since it was December and I hadn't yet even considered pouring myself into a bikini, I knew I needed to do something and do it fast. Our cruise was a mere month and a half away and I wanted to drop 15 pounds. Yes, yes, I know that it isn't healthy to lose that much weight in a month and a half, but a girl can dream, can't she?
My fiancee, Kirk, is big into weightlifting and supplements. He'd kept Xenadrine around the house to use for a boost when he went to the gym or had to get up early. So, I gave it a try. The recommended dosage is two capsules before breakfast and two capsules before lunch.
Ingredients
Pantothenic Acid--40 mg
Bitter Oragne--85 mg
Ma Huang (ephedrine)--335 mg
Guarana Extract--910 mg
Proprietary ThermoSynergist Blend--390 mg
My Experience and Recommendations
My recommendation--start out with one and take it after you've eaten something. I took two right off the bat and got jittery, hyper and had a racing heart. Then I started to feel sick. I would feel better after I had eaten something. Now, I take it around 10 am after my breakfast has had a while to digest. I take two unless I've been off it for a few days (like over the weekend), then I start with one again or the effect is too overpowering. I take only two per day, at around 9 or 10 am. If I take it in the afternoon, I find that I get light-headed and a little nauseous and need to eat much earlier in the afternoon to take away that feeling. Taking two in the morning usually lasts me the entire day. I'm about five-eight, 140 pounds, so someone larger (or who reacts to supplements differently than I do) may be able to take more.
I find that, about 15 minutes to an hour after taking the Xenadrine, I'm much more awake, am actually in a better mood (this could have something to do with being more awake--who can be in a good mood when they're half-asleep?)and am not obsessing over food. I also find that my food is metabolized much faster than when I'm not on it. After I eat a large meal, I can feel my heart speeding up to metabolize it and I've noticed that even when I'm eating a lot (and not healthy), I don't put on weight like I did when I wasn't on it.
So Did it Work?!
With the combination of taking Xenadrine and started to work out 40 minutes (kickboxing) three times a week, I dropped about 10 pounds before the cruise. When we returned from the trip, I stopped working out but continued with the Xenadrine. I've dropped about another 5 pounds without really watching what I eat or exercising. I've been on the product off and on since December (it's now May) and have lost a total of about 15 pounds and at least one pants size.
Things To Keep in Mind
1. Kirk tells me that it's best to cycle off the Xenadrine every month. For example, you should use it the month of May, get off it the month of June, get back on in July...this is what weightlifters and exercise people do (yes, I called them exercise people...what else do you call them!?). Why? Because your body doesn't have the chance to adjust to it and make it less effective and it's healthier not to have ephedrine constantly in your system.
2. You'll probably be much thirstier and have cotton mouth while you take it. Keep water with you at all times!
3. There have been some claims that it interferes with oral contraceptives. I talked to my gynecologist about this and he couldn't find any reason why it should unless it metabolizes it (the pill)so fast that it can't be absorbed into your body. He suggested taking my birth control pill AT LEAST an hour before taking the Xenadrine. I take my pill at 7 am and my Xenadrine at 9 or 10. So far, no baby! (This is something that should also be considered if you're taking a 'fat trapper' type supplement. The birth control pill can get trapped with the fat and be passed out of your body. Take them at different times to avoid this!)
4. You may need to eat more often than usual to keep the nausea and light-headedness at bay. However, this is healthier than eating one or two large meals a day anyway.
5. Even though I don't take Xenadrine after noon at the very latest, I can sometimes still feel my heart pounding as I go to sleep (or after I've eaten a large supper). If you have ANY heart problems or high blood pressure, you should DEFINITELY avoid this product.
6. Products with ephedrine may not be available in every state. I know that Nebraska only legalized it a few months ago. Before that, we had to order it off the Internet. Now it's offered at Target, Walgreens, GNC, etc. However, you can usually find it cheaper on the Internet (I've found it for as little as $20.99 per 120 capsule bottle).
7. If I don't take Xenadrine, I sometimes get a bad headache. I think it's similar to caffeine withdrawal.
So What's the Plan Now?
Because Kirk tells me every day that I've been on it too long, I need to try something else. The bottle says that you're not recommended to take ephedrine for longer than 12 weeks at a time. However, all the other diet products I found in the store and on the Internet (Metabolife, Ultimate Diet Fuel, etc.) all contained ephedrine. However, I recently discovered that Xenadrine has come out with a new kind (Xenadrine EFX as opposed to RFA-1) that contains no ephedrine. I have some of this on order (over the Internet for $24.99 per 120 caplet bottle) and plan to begin taking that as soon as it arrives. I have 10 more pounds to lose before we go to Vegas in July, so I don't want to get off supplements altogether. However, I know I need to get off ephedrine for at least a few months, so we'll see how this new product works.
The Bottom Line
Does Xenadrine work? Yes, but you need to be careful. Keep in mind that you might feel dizzy, nauseous, have an increased heart rate, etc. and that you CANNOT skip meals or these problems will be much worse. Also keep in mind that getting off the product may result in headaches, sluggishness and the return of your appetite and that staying on it for prolonged periods of time is not healthy. If you use it to help kickstart a diet/exercise program, it's very useful. However, using it on its own is not advisable because once you get off it, the weight is very likely to come right back.
Happy dieting (those two words really shouldn't go together...) and be careful!!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
goldmoon
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Member: Angie
Location: The Land of Corn and Cows
Reviews written: 166
Trusted by: 72 members
About Me:
Busy at work and being a mommy...will hopefully return some day soon!
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