Meratrim- Does it Really Work?

kitkat4296 wrote: »

About a week ago, I started taking 400mg twice a day of these supposedly "natural" diet pills called Meratrim which I got off of the website Puritan's Pride. Obviously, I haven't been taking them long enough to get any real results, but I am just wondering if anyone else has tried these before and whether or not they are actually worth committing to. I do not want to do more harm to my body than good by taking pills which actually do not work, but I don't want to stop taking them if they do end up working. I have read a few reviews and they all promote the drug, saying that it works well and there are no adverse effects.

However, I have been experiencing random hot flashes, headaches, heartburn, and extreme mood swings (worse than usual) and I am not sure if it has anything to do with these pills. I also have been taking caffeine pills (200mg 8 hour extended release) which I got off of the same website. Maybe the combination of both of these supplements is causing these negative effects? Any input on either one would be helpful.

kitkat4296 wrote: »

MissusMoon wrote: »

kitkat4296 wrote: »

About a week ago, I started taking 400mg twice a day of these supposedly "natural" diet pills called Meratrim which I got off of the website Puritan's Pride. Obviously, I haven't been taking them long enough to get any real results, but I am just wondering if anyone else has tried these before and whether or not they are actually worth committing to. I do not want to do more harm to my body than good by taking pills which actually do not work, but I don't want to stop taking them if they do end up working. I have read a few reviews and they all promote the drug, saying that it works well and there are no adverse effects.

However, I have been experiencing random hot flashes, headaches, heartburn, and extreme mood swings (worse than usual) and I am not sure if it has anything to do with these pills. I also have been taking caffeine pills (200mg 8 hour extended release) which I got off of the same website. Maybe the combination of both of these supplements is causing these negative effects? Any input on either one would be helpful.

These are pretty serious side effects. That's a lot of caffeine and who knows what's in the other. I'd quit them both. If it was easy to lose weight, we'd all be thin.

Count your calories, eat in deficit, and be patient. If you really think you need more help, talk to your doctor. You really should be under a doctor's supervision if you're taking anything.

I've been counting calories like crazy, even the tiniest things that most people wouldn't bother to add. I've got a 32 day streak of calorie counting now, but as I said in an earlier response, I do have quite a few off days where I go over my limit because I get depressed. Also, I am not patient at all. That is a part of the problem. And as far as the doctor goes, I am not sure if they will even prescribe me something since I am not obese. I'm not sure if I'm even clinically overweight, I am just obsessed with my weight and it impacts my mental health severely. I guess I could try next time I see my doc, though.

kitkat4296 wrote: »

Quasita wrote: »

The majority of diet pills are based on the concept that if you regularly take pills and pay attention to the program of pills, you end up paying more attention to your water intake and food too. Some of them actually intentionally make you feel a bit ill so you don't feel like eating. Some contain things like chalk or other bulking agents to artificially make your stomach feel "full" which can in turn make your stomach hurt. This seems to be a "blend" of whole plant parts that are associated with studies that are all about alcoholic extracts, which are definitely not the same thing.

I'd almost guarantee that the headaches, heartburn and mood swings are due to the "extended release" caffeine pills. The style of release they are is completely dependent on how quickly your body breaks down the capsule and its contents, and the surges and crashs aka "mood swings" are likely due to bursts of caffeine in your system... Hopefully you are not compounding it with sodas, chocolate or other caffeine-containing items.

Basically, from what I can conclude, according to the "proprietary ingredient blend" of that diet pill and the caffeine pills, is that you are basically eating 3 diuretics. This is potentially incredibly damaging to your kidneys. How much water are you drinking??? You would definitely need to add a significant amount of water intake to ensure that you are not becoming seriously dehydrated. Diuretics will make you lose weight to a certain point, which will all be water weight, but then you will plateau... This is absolutely typical of OTC weight loss pills. Frankly, you could get the same caffeine by drinking a couple green teas a day, and likely get the same if not more beneficial tannins by doing so. I wouldn't take the pills if you suspect they are making you ill.

I think it should be a tip-off that the website has the diet pill on a more than 50% discount right now. If you are doing diet and exercise and feel that it is not effective, speak with your physician. There are a couple prescription medications for weight loss that are actually effective for appetite suppression and at least 2 that actually affect metabolic processes to cause more fat burn, but they are not safe to take without monitoring, and are not a long-term solution. Basically, any pill is simply a tool to help break a plateau, and all weight loss has to be generated through lifestyle management in one way or the other.

Yeah I think you are totally right about the pills. The caffeine ones I started taking to reduce the amount of money I was spending on coffee, soda and tea per day because I was constantly exhausted by work. I am probably not drinking enough water either and when I do, it's tap water 90% of the time. I honestly don't trust the tap water either but I can't afford to keep buying water bottles for my household because we go through them way too fast. And the tap water at my boyfriend's house is even worse. It tastes like chemicals so I refuse to drink it.

And as for the lifestyle changes, I have been trying to put myself on a very strict diet counting calories and getting little to no exercise every day (besides my usual standing, walking and occasional cleaning) which I think may be affecting my mood in a negative way. I actually go through phases where I go a couple of days following the strict regulation of 1,200 calories per day and then I will get so depressed that I binge for a day or two. Either way, I feel awful. And I am actually dying to go to the gym to balance out my calorie intake with more exercise but I haven't had much of an opportunity since I depend on my roommate for rides there and she hasn't wanted to go. She won't bring me unless she is already going that direction. I don't want it to seem like I am just cheap and lazy, I really do want to work out more and not depend on cheap pills that make me feel sick. I don't know, maybe I just need to find another way to work out that is more convenient. Go for more walks even.

kitkat4296 wrote: »

Quasita wrote: »

The majority of diet pills are based on the concept that if you regularly take pills and pay attention to the program of pills, you end up paying more attention to your water intake and food too. Some of them actually intentionally make you feel a bit ill so you don't feel like eating. Some contain things like chalk or other bulking agents to artificially make your stomach feel "full" which can in turn make your stomach hurt. This seems to be a "blend" of whole plant parts that are associated with studies that are all about alcoholic extracts, which are definitely not the same thing.

I'd almost guarantee that the headaches, heartburn and mood swings are due to the "extended release" caffeine pills. The style of release they are is completely dependent on how quickly your body breaks down the capsule and its contents, and the surges and crashs aka "mood swings" are likely due to bursts of caffeine in your system... Hopefully you are not compounding it with sodas, chocolate or other caffeine-containing items.

Basically, from what I can conclude, according to the "proprietary ingredient blend" of that diet pill and the caffeine pills, is that you are basically eating 3 diuretics. This is potentially incredibly damaging to your kidneys. How much water are you drinking??? You would definitely need to add a significant amount of water intake to ensure that you are not becoming seriously dehydrated. Diuretics will make you lose weight to a certain point, which will all be water weight, but then you will plateau... This is absolutely typical of OTC weight loss pills. Frankly, you could get the same caffeine by drinking a couple green teas a day, and likely get the same if not more beneficial tannins by doing so. I wouldn't take the pills if you suspect they are making you ill.

I think it should be a tip-off that the website has the diet pill on a more than 50% discount right now. If you are doing diet and exercise and feel that it is not effective, speak with your physician. There are a couple prescription medications for weight loss that are actually effective for appetite suppression and at least 2 that actually affect metabolic processes to cause more fat burn, but they are not safe to take without monitoring, and are not a long-term solution. Basically, any pill is simply a tool to help break a plateau, and all weight loss has to be generated through lifestyle management in one way or the other.

Yeah I think you are totally right about the pills. The caffeine ones I started taking to reduce the amount of money I was spending on coffee, soda and tea per day because I was constantly exhausted by work. I am probably not drinking enough water either and when I do, it's tap water 90% of the time. I honestly don't trust the tap water either but I can't afford to keep buying water bottles for my household because we go through them way too fast. And the tap water at my boyfriend's house is even worse. It tastes like chemicals so I refuse to drink it.

And as for the lifestyle changes, I have been trying to put myself on a very strict diet counting calories and getting little to no exercise every day (besides my usual standing, walking and occasional cleaning) which I think may be affecting my mood in a negative way. I actually go through phases where I go a couple of days following the strict regulation of 1,200 calories per day and then I will get so depressed that I binge for a day or two. Either way, I feel awful. And I am actually dying to go to the gym to balance out my calorie intake with more exercise but I haven't had much of an opportunity since I depend on my roommate for rides there and she hasn't wanted to go. She won't bring me unless she is already going that direction. I don't want it to seem like I am just cheap and lazy, I really do want to work out more and not depend on cheap pills that make me feel sick. I don't know, maybe I just need to find another way to work out that is more convenient. Go for more walks even.

kitkat4296 wrote: »

astrampe wrote: »

kitkat4296 wrote: »

Colorscheme wrote: »

HOW are you counting calories? are you logging and weighing the food you eat? if not, that could be some of the issue. Food should be weighed on a food scale to be as accurate as possible.

I don't think diet pills are the answer and I get it, you want quick results. But there's no such thing as a quick fix. You'll have to lose the weight like the rest of us.

I don't have a food scale, I just use a measuring cup or guess

You can buy a food scale for around $10 at Walmart - I bet the magic pills cost more than that.....

Actually, the only reason I bought the pills was because they were cheap. The caffeine pills were $3 for an entire bottle with 60 pills and the Meratrim was only like $7 for 60 pills I think. I figured I would give them a try and if I didn't like either of them, it wouldn't be the end of the world because I didn't spend much on them anyways; I would never pay a large amount of money for any new or "proven" diet pill on the market.

A few years ago, I clicked on an ad for a free trial of Garcinia Cambogia (or however you spell it). Yes, they gave me a free one month supply, but it did nothing because they didn't mention in the ad that you need to take it for more than one month to actually get results- and on top of that, my account was charged $70 because I had failed to read the tiny print in the offer, which said unless I called and canceled, they would continue sending me more pills and charging my account. So, I did learn my lesson about free trials, diet pill sales and their scams, and about the importance of reading fine print there.