Update 3/10/23. What is skinny fiber and does it work? To me, the name skinny fiber is ironic because I thought all fiber was supposed to help people lose weight. I did some digging into Skinny Fiber and discovered that there is some research on some of its ingredients. That will be the focus of this unbiased review. Does it have a secret ingredient? People may have heard about the enzymes in Skinny Fiber. Do they help with weight loss? That will also be addressed in this review. This review will help you decide if Skinny Fiber is right for you. See the Skinny Body Max review too.
What Is Skinny Fiber?
Skinny Fiber is exactly what the name says: a fiber pill supplement that is touted to help with weight loss. There is research on some of its ingredients, and those clinical studies will be summarized below.
Skinny Fiber Research
Is there any clinical evidence showing Skinny Fiber really helps people lose weight? Searching the product website reveals no research studies on the product.
Likewise, searching the National Library of Medicine (Pubmed.gov) for “skinny fiber” and “skinny fiber weight loss” reveal no studies either.
Fortunately, for this review, there are weight loss studies on some of the ingredients in this supplement.
Skinny Fiber Ingredients
According to the label I've seen, each bottle has 120 capsules, and the serving size is 2 capsules. In 2 Skinny Fiber Pills, there are the following ingredients:
| % Daily Value | |
| Calories 0 | |
| Total Fat 0 grams | <1% |
| Total Carbohydrate 1 gram | <1% |
| Protein 0 grams | <1% |
| Sodium 5 grams | <1% |
| Proprietary Blend 1160 mg | N/A |
| Glucomannan (tuber) powder | |
| Caralluma Fimbriata (whole plant) powder | |
| Cha de Bugre (leaf) powder | |
| Proprietary Enzyme Blend 260 mg | N/A |
| Amylase powder | |
| Protease powder | |
| Lipase powder | |
| Glucoamylase powder | |
| Papain powder | |
| Cellulase powder | |
| Bromelain powder |
N/A = no daily value established
Other Ingredients
The product also contains these other ingredients:
- Gelatin capsule
- microcrystalline cellulose
- magnesium stearate
These additional ingredients likely play no role in the effects or benefits of Skinny Fiber. Because gelatin is the first ingredient listed, it makes up most of these ingredients.
Let's look at each active ingredient in Skinny Fiber separately.
Glucomannan
Glucomannan (also called Konjac root) is a fiber that helps people feel full. It's in many weight loss products I've previously investigated, including:
This fiber is added to weight loss supplements because there is indeed some research that shows glucomannan can help weight loss. Studies usually use about 1 to 3 grams per day. Two skinny fiber pills have a 1.15 grams total of its proprietary blend of ingredients.
Since glucomannan is listed first in the blend's ingredients, I take that to mean it is mostly glucomannan fiber.
For those who want to compare prices, here is glucomannan capsules and glucomann powder on Amazon.
Caralluma Fimbriata
This is a cactus-like plant, rumored to have appetite-suppressing effects that grow in India. The idea behind how it works is that chemicals in the plant are said to reduce chemicals in the brain that cause us to want to eat. That is the theory anyway.
The plant is sometimes called a “famine food” likely because it's used during times of famine when there is not much food to eat. Given that it might reduce appetite, some suspect it may also help weight loss. Does it?
Here's what the research says:
In one study involving 43 people, researchers noted that 1000 mg Caralluma fimbriata per day, given for 12 weeks, caused a 2.2-inch reduction in waist circumference relative to placebo and a decrease in the waist-to-hip ratio. Those taking Caralluma Fimbriata also appeared to have a decrease in the smell, taste, and look of food. That of course could lead people to eat less.
The people in this study also followed a lower calorie eating plan. People ate 500 fewer calories than normal. It's also interesting to note that both groups lost similar amounts of weight. Also, those taking Caralluma Fimbriata did not lose more weight than the placebo group.
In another study involving 50 men and women, those who received 1000 mg of Caralluma Fimbriata per day were noted to significantly reduce waist circumference and hunger levels compared to those who received a placebo. There was no clinical difference in body weight.
In this investigation, researchers saw that rats given Caralluma Fimbriata experienced less food intake and reduced body weight gain than rats that did not receive Caralluma Fimbriata.
In a small study conducted on 15 kids with a rare genetic disorder called Prader-Willi syndrome that causes excessive appetite, 1000 mg of Caralluma seemed to reduce appetite when given over a 10-week period. Even though this study lasted 10 weeks, the study does not mention if body weight was reduced.
On the flip side, a study published in 2015 that noted Caralluma fimbriata did not work. This study involved 89 overweight people who were randomly given either a placebo or 1000 mg of Caralluma per day for 12 weeks. Those taking Caralluma did not have any improvements in weight loss or reduction in appetite.
Caralluma Fimbriata Video Review
Watch on my youtube channel too
Summary of Caralluma Fimbriata Research
Studies can be complicated so here is a quick rundown on the Caralluma Fimbriata research to help you
| Study Year / Type Of Study | Amount Used | Study Results |
|---|---|---|
| (2017) Rat study | 100mg/kg (see above for human dosage) | Weight reduction |
| (2015) 15 kids with Prader-Willi syndrome). Lasted 10 weeks | 1000 mg/day | Reduced appetite. Weight loss data not mentioned. |
| (2015) Human study (89 people). Lasted 12 weeks | 1000 mg/day | No reduction in body weight. No reduction in appetite. |
| (2013) Human study (43 people). Lasted 12 weeks | 1000 mg/day | Reduced waist circumference, reduced smell and taste for food. compared to placebo. No change in body weight |
| (2010) Rat study | various amounts | Rats weighed less and ate less food |
| (2007) Human study (5 men /women). Lasted 60 days | 1000 mg/day | Reduced waste circumference and hunger compared to placebo. No significant changes in body weight. |
Here is Caralluma fimbriata on Amazon.
Chá de Bugre
Also called Cordia ecalyculata and Cordia salicifolia. The Skinny Fiber website says that Chá de Bugre can “support a healthy metabolism” and is an “appetite suppressant.” Is there any proof it does this?
No human evidence on Chá de Bugre and weight loss could be located. A mouse study published in 2017 noted that Cha de Bugre, both alone and when combined with Spirulina, reduced appetite in mice.
Another mouse study noted that acha de bugre did not reduce body weight or food consumption.
The Enzyme Blend
When Skinny Fiber first came out, its website said this about the enzymes:
“The biggest CHALLENGE to losing weight is that most of us are NOT getting enough enzymes from our food to properly DIGEST what we eat.“
That working has changed and they now say that:
“When we don’t get enough enzymes from our food, our bodies can’t properly digest what we eat, causing use to often have a weaker immune system and gain weight.”
But it's important to know that our bodies make enzymes. While there are enzymes in food, they are quickly digested in the stomach when we eat them. Might enzymes help someone with digestion issues? Maybe. But for healthy people, evidence that they help weight loss is lacking.
The label says that 2 Skinny Fiber pills contain 260 mg of the following enzymes:
- Amylase (carbohydrate digesting enzyme)
- Protease (protein-digesting enzyme)
- Lipase (fat-digesting enzyme
- Glucoamylase (sugar-digesting enzyme)
- Papain (protein-digesting enzyme)
- Cellulase (carbohydrate digesting enzyme)
- Bromelain (protein-digesting enzyme)
One thing to remember is that enzymes that are eaten are quickly destroyed by the stomach's acidity soon after they are consumed. Because of that, those enzymes don't get into the blood to do anything.
Enzymes are safe and won't hurt anyone. They might add a little bit of protein but as for helping with weight loss, it would take human studies to know for sure.
How Much Sodium?
If you looked closely at the label above, you saw that 2 capsules contained “5 grams” (5000 mg) of sodium, which the label also indicates is less than 1% of the Daily Value for sodium. But 5 grams is not 1% of the Daily Value for sodium. In fact, 5 grams is far
more than most people should be consuming. Most medical experts advise people to keep sodium to 1500 mg to 2300 mg (1.5 to 2.3 grams). If Skinny Fiber really has 5g, this would put people way over what they should be getting.
Could this be a typo and that the product really has only 5 mg of sodium rather than 5 grams?
If I am wrong, and Skinny Fiber really has 5 grams of sodium (in only 2 capsules), then people watching their sodium intake should be aware of this.
Skinny Fiber Active Ingredients
Looking at the research on each of the ingredients in Skinny Fiber, I see two ingredients that might help people lose weight:
And of those two ingredients, I feel glucomannan has the most evidence.
Ingredients With Limited Evidence
No human weight loss evidence could be located or the following ingredients in Skinny Fiber:
- Enzymes
- Chá de Bugre
This review will be updated as it becomes available if the evidence is found. If anyone is aware of the evidence for any of these ingredients, please share in the comments below.
Skinny Fiber On TV
On January 22, 2014, Skinny Fiber was featured on The Balancing Act, a TV show on the LifeTime Network. The interview featured the CEO of Skinny Fiber and a woman named Kayla, who lost 40 pounds while taking the product. Kayla has a Facebook page where she lists she is a Skinny Fiber distributor. Nothing is wrong with this, but it was not mentioned in the Balancing Act segment.
In the Balancing Act interview, when speaking about why Kayla was able to 40 pounds, the company CEO said:
“The reason that this product was able to work is because the enzymes were able to get her body in a condition where losing weight was possible.”
But, as already mentioned above, there is a lack of evidence that enzymes help weight loss. In fact, the very name – “Skinny Fiber” – tells you that it's the fiber -not the enzymes- promoting weight loss.
Think about it, they don’t call it “Skinny Enzymes” do they? The simple answer is that Skinny Fiber is a fiber supplement.
Segments seen in the Balancing Act are called “Branded Entertainment Segments.” In other words, the segments feature different brands (products) in a way that is meant to both inform and entertain people.
When I called The Balancing Act, I was told that while the Skinny Fiber segments are not “infomercials,” the companies featured on the show do pay a “pre-production fee” prior to being on the show.
I was told that companies that do not pay this pre-production fee would probably not be featured on The Balancing Act.
So how is this not an infomercial?
There is nothing inherently wrong with this partnership between companies and broadcast media. I bring this up for those who didn’t know what they were watching.
Protandim has also been featured on The Balancing Act, so see that review for more information.
Skinny Fiber 90-Day Challenge
There is a Skinny Fiber 90-Day Challenge. To quote Ben Glinsky, in the Balancing Act interview, the reason for the 90-day challenge is that:
“the enzymes that we have in this product have to build in your body and until your body gets healthy enough with those enzymes to be able to let go of that extra fat, losing weight is almost impossible.”
What enzymes is he talking about? He doesn’t tell us.
In my opinion, the reason for the Skinny Fiber 90-Day Challenge is to get people to do something on a regular basis. If they do something regularly, it becomes a habit.
If people spend 90 days trying to lose weight, many of those people will be successful to some extent. There is nothing wrong with it. It gives people goals to aim for, and that is a good thing.
Many weight loss companies offer a “challenge” that lasts about 90 days or so. In my opinion, this can all be traced back to the book Body For Life by Bill Philips, which got people to exercise, eat well, and take supplements made by EAS (Bill Philips was the owner of EAS).
It was a win for people because many lost weight, and it was a win for EAS because they made a lot of money from people who purchased their supplements. For those who are curious, the supplement company, EAS, was later purchased by Abbot Labs, a pharmaceutical company.
How Much Does The 90-Day Challenge Cost?
Let's do the math for those who are thinking about doing the Skinny Fiber 90-day Challenge:
1 Bottle of skinny fiber costs $59.95. 1 Bottle has 120 capsules which is a 2-month supply (if taking only 2 pills per day). If you take 4 pills per day, a bottle of 120 pills will last a month (120 ÷ 4 = 30 days).
If taking 4 capsules per day the 90-day challenge would cost:
59.95 X 3 months = $179.95 (shipping and handling might be extra).
I believe glucomannan is the active ingredient in Skinny Fiber. And Glucomannan is a lot less expensive.
How Many Pills Per Day?
Some distributors advocate taking 2 capsules daily Skinny Fiber at least 30 minutes before eating. This should be done with the biggest meals of the day. For some, this might be 4 pills per day. Take pills with 1 -2 glasses of water.
As with any new supplement, it's best to start with less than is recommended. For example, starting with only 1 pill per day for the first week, followed by 2 pills the following week, and so on until reaching what the company recommends.
How Much Water?
People need to take Skinny Fiber with enough water to swallow the capsules completely. This is to ensure they don't get stuck in the throat. Drinking water during weight loss programs is also advocated because it can also help curb appetite.
Water is good, although it should be remembered that drinking so much water drinking too much is not always the best. There is a medical condition called hyponatremia (high-poe-nay-tree-me-ah). Also called “water intoxication.” This condition results when too much water is consumed.
Basically, the water consumed dilutes the electrolytes in the blood. This can cause headaches, fatigue, confusion and even loss of consciousness. In rare cases, people have died from hyponatremia. This very rare condition is mentioned not to scare anyone, but to rather give people something to think about if they encounter advice that places an unusually high emphasis on drinking water while taking weight loss supplements.
As a rough estimate, aim to drink half your body weight in water per day. So, for someone who is 180 pounds, this would be 90 oz per day. Looking at the color of your urine can also give an indication too. Yellow urine might mean you are becoming dehydrated.
While the urine test is popular, it should be remembered that the vitamin riboflavin can also make urine look yellow too. Those who are taking multivitamins should check how much riboflavin is present if using the urine test for hydration. Skinny Fiber does not have riboflavin.
Does It Contain Caffeine?
Skinny fiber has no caffeine or other stimulants. It is basically a fiber pill supplement.
Does It Contain Gluten?
Skinny Fiber appears to be gluten-free.
Is It Organic?
There is no mention of whether or not Skinny Fiber is organic.
Does Skinny Fiber Contain HCG?S
Skinny Fiber does not contain the HCG hormone or any other hormones. Here is the review of HCG diet research for those who want to know more about this.
Skinny Fiber vs. Metamucil
As stated above, it is believed that glucomannan (konjac root extract) is the main active ingredient in Skinny Fiber. Metamucil is another fiber supplement that is marketed to help people lose weight. Metamucil contains a fiber called psyllium. As mentioned in the Metamucil review, there are studies that psyllium fiber can help with weight loss too.
So what's better: Skinny Fiber or Metamucil? At this time, there are no head-to-head- clinical studies comparing these products to each other. There are also no studies comparing glucomannan fiber to psyllium fiber either for weight loss.
Could the other ingredients in Skinny Fiber make it better? Of course, it's possible. But that would take clinical studies to prove.
Skinny Fiber Customer Complaints
When looking at online complaints about any product, ask yourself if what you are reading is reasonable or not. For example, someone might complain that they did not receive a product on time. Try to put yourself in the shoes of the person complaining and ask yourself if what they are saying would be a problem for you.
The Skinny Fiber Lawsuit
In the comments section below, I was made aware of a lawsuit involving Skinny Fiber. It appears to involve another company called Master Strategies LLC which it said, owns the trademark to Skinny Fiber. Instead of going into detail here, I'll just refer you to the bloggers website to read more about this. Update. It appears the judge has dismissed this lawsuit.
Skinny Fiber Side Effects
Skinny Fiber is likely very safe for most healthy people. That said, here are a few things to consider if you are not healthy. This list is not complete.
- Stop taking Skinny Fiber at least 2 weeks before having surgery.
- Speak to your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
- Drink sufficient water to completely swallow the pills. This is to reduce the chance of choking if the capsules get stuck in the throat. This is a remote chance but it should be kept in mind. Remember, glucomannan expands when it comes in contact with liquids.
- One mouse study noted that at very high levels, Chá de Bugre might break chromosomes. That would be bad if it did because it might lead to conditions like cancer. However, another mouse study noted that Cha de Bugre – both alone and when combined with Spirulina – did not have any effect on chromosomes. Better research should be done to resolve this issue.
Skinny Fiber And Breast Feeding?
Women who are breastfeeding to speak to their doctor about the supplements they take. This is because of the possibility that some supplements may pass from the mom to the baby in the breast milk. It's probably wise to not use this product while they are breastfeeding.
Who Makes Skinny Fiber?
The company is called Skinny Body Care and its website is SkinnyBodyCare.com. This website now redirects to another site called Valentus which has its own dietary supplement line. Update. The Skinny Body Care website no longer appears to be working.
The company address was 341 W 6100 S Murray, UT 84107. MS #1420.
423 Bussen Underground Rd St. Louis, MO 63129.
It's not known if these addresses are still valid.
How to Return Skinny Fiber?
The contact page of the product website does not list a phone number. They do, however, list this US address: 423 Bussen Underground Rd St. Louis, MO 63129. This address corresponds to a company called United Fulfillment Center. This company may take orders and ship Skinny Fiber to customers. The phone number to the fulfillment center is 314.894.3200.
This address is different than the original address found for this product: MS #1420 341 W 6100 S Murray, UT 84107. For those who purchased Skinny Fiber from a distributor, it's best to get return information from the distributor rather than just send the product back for a refund. There may be extra steps needed to return the product.
Does Skinny Fiber Work?
Skinny Fiber is a fiber supplement. Because it uses a type of fiber that has been shown to help weight loss, I would not be surprised if some people said it worked. The main active ingredient in Skinny Fiber is likely glucomannan (konjac fiber). Depending on cost, that might be the lesser expensive way to go.
Heres glucomannan/konjac on Amazon
Thank you for your honest review of this product. I am glad I read this before I order yet another waste of time and money. Thank you!
Lisa, Im glad I was able to help.
Joe.
I have been on Skinny Fiber since August….and although it is not meant to be used for correcting health issues, as it is only a dietary supplement, I have gone from 8 medications down to 2 in under 3 months. Adding Skinny Fiber is the only change I made. I too showed this to my Dr. and he said there is nothing harmful in Skinny Fiber and told me to keep taking it because not only have my medications for chronic pain from a 2009 accident that I was not supposed to live from, but it also took away night sweats, hot flashes, and being tired all the time.
I even went as far as to get a 2nd and 3rd opinion from other Dr.’s and ALL of them said to keep taking it.
In turn because the pain is gone, I have been able to work out. I also always had to get up 8-9 times a night to go to the restroom. Not any more. Funny part is I tried ALL of the different medications to help with my bladder and NONE of them helped over a period of 15 years…but in less than a week taking Skinny Fiber stopped that problem.
I also have friends and family on Skinny Fiber that are diabetic, have heart issues,and even have friends like me that have thyroid issues taking it. And every single one of them, including myself have had wonderful results from using Skinny Fiber.
Did you know we are going to be featured on Lifetime Television in January 2014?
Did you know the following facts about our product.
Skinny Body Care launched Skinny Fiber on January 20, 2011.
We are 2.5 years old.
We are currently registered in 40 countries worldwide within those 2.5 years. In comparison, Amway is a 50 year old company and is registered in 80 countries– it took them 50 years for those 80 countries. We have distribution centers in 24 countries worldwide.
We SHIP to over 100 countries world wide.
There are literally 800+ people joining our challenge and company DAILY and we show no signs of stopping or slowing down.
Our product comes with a NO QUESTIONS ASKED 30 day guarantee.
Why Skinny Fiber/SBC over x-product? “PROPRIETARY FORMULA”— that means we are EXCLUSIVE. No one can copy the formula in Skinny Fiber
We are 70% members and 30% distributors in this company– that is HUGE!!!!
Per BEN (CEO): May 2013 volume was 2 million June was 3 million. July was 4 million. This is UNHEARD of for a 2.5 year old company!!!
Jennifer, really glad skinny fiber has helped you and it sounds like you have made great progress with the product. Kudos to working out too! I noticed that you are a skinny fiber ambassador (I had to remove your website link, sorry) and I do hope it is working out for you. I am aware that skinny fiber is to be featured on TV in early 2014. I believe its to be featured on the TV show called The Balancing Act (I watch it myself).
I’m glad your doctors gave you the thumbs up about it. That said, I would not be surprised if Chá de Bugre is one day removed from Skinny fiber due to the lack of proof it does anything and because of what I mentioned in my review.
Great truthful review, it was neither praising SF or putting it down. As with all ‘miracle diet supplements’, everyone tries to get on the bandwagon. The best way to weight loss is a willpower, a good diet and exercise. Following the SF page on facebook, it seems that there are plenty of recipes and photos of people who have taken SF and lost weight, but little advice on maintaining good diet and help. SF is not for me.
If I want to take glucomannan or any any fibre which will absorb water, swell in my stomach and stop hunger cravings, there are plenty of other alternatives out there.
Kit, thanks that’s kind of you to say. Much appreciated.
Also, It did NOT make me go to the restroom anymore than I normally did AND it did not give me more energy nor make me feel less tired. Did I not give it enough time? But if I didn’t, than why does it offer a 30-day money back guarantee, that would be too soon to see any results, right?
Hey Tonika,
I have not yet used Skinny Fiber but did order three bottles (and three free) today. I’m not a distributor but my sister is. She herself has been using it for about a month and is going to be posting her current weight and inches lost this evening – she claims to have lost several inches so far, but that’s neither here nor there.
On to your question, though:
I’m not sure about what 30-day money back guarantee you are referring to as all I am seeing on the website is the 90-day challenge and “guarantee.” They state on the website that the average user should expect to see 20 LBS at the end of the three month span, not a one month span. In fact, having purchased it today and now having access to the “additional materials,” they do give a disclosure stating that while some people will begin to see results in as little as a week, there are many who may take three, four, even five weeks for the pills to start doing their thing.
The only reason I am trying out Skinny Fiber is because my sister is claiming to have seen results and I have a little extra money that I can afford to throw at this pill – if it works, great, but if it doesn’t… meh! I’m eating well and losing weight gradually without it, I’m just looking for the little extra push.
I doubt that what I’ve had to say will help you out, but just wanted to let you know that you may, in fact, have not given it enough time to work. 🙁
Good luck in the future, hon – I know how disheartening weight loss can be. Slow and steady, as always, will win the race.
I am not bashing anyone on this page. This is the thing . . . I was on FB and saw some sort of interesting food recipe on a friends page that caught my attention. I clicked on that page which directed me to a females page. I don’t want to mention any names in order to avoid throwing anybody under the bus here. She had some amazing ‘ideas’ and ‘recipes’ on her page, therefore I soon began following her. I quickly saw all the side by side pics on her page which showed people, LOTS of people losing weight. I thought to myself, ‘why not order (even though it sounded unrealistic) and help ‘get a jumpstart’ on my weightloss”?
Mind you, I only need to lose about 25 pounds. So I ordered. HOWEVER, BEFORE I ordered, I DID MY RESEARCH, HOMEWORK, and EVERYTHING I could on SF . . . I came across practically zero negative reviews. Nothing that could convince me not to purchase it. SOOOOOO, I purchased the buy two get one free…One hundred and something dollars. I did just as it asked. I took two pills twice a day and drank 16 ounces of water with the pills and waited at least 30-45 minutes before eating.
Of course, nothing is ever perfect. There were a few days where I didn’t drink too much water, but that was unusual. There were few days where it took me a few hours to eat, after I had taken the pills, of course, NOT BY CHOICE. So not everything was perfect. However, I continued following this female, messaged her a few times, continued doing my homework on this product. WEIRD!!!!!
I lost zero pounds and zero inches. As a matter of fact, I feel more bloated than I did pre-SF. I began wearing a certain belt when I started taking the pills. I was at the second notch. By the time, one month came around, I was on the third. I did not eat any different than I did pre-SF. The thing is that it never made me feel full. I didn’t stop craving sweets, and it did not make me thirsty.
I am thinking that I am that one in a million who it had opposite side effects on. It is so weird. I began doing ‘detective’ work and and started following other people who I saw were posting the side-by-side pics of themselves. Its so weird, EVERYBODY who takes it, is selling it. Are the distributors all in it together.
Most of the people in the pics looked as if they were ‘sucking it it’ in the second pic. But what through me for a loop, of course after I purchase the pills, is that the people selling this product look like they’ve lost weight but most are still big. I would think that if its working that well, they’d be slim or at least A LOT slimmer. It is rare to find, full body pics of the people selling these products, including my personal distributor. It makes me wonder why.
I am a real consumer, no strings attached, not trying to bash, simply trying to find out the truth. I’m wondering if anybody else has had a similar story or is wondering the same thing. . . If you notice, most of these distributors ‘hide’ their FB friends which makes it stranger.
It only makes me think that they don’t want you to see if they are all connected or so….hmmmmmmmm….HOWEVER, if it is working for some people, blessings to them….I’m just a little disappointed that it did ZERO for me…..
Tonika, if it helps, it has occurred to me that many of the people who say SF has worked for them have also been SF distributors also. Many have also been those who have been the most angry at me for my review. Please share my review on your FB page.
Just an update. I’ve been taking SF since August 1. I am NOT a distributor and i have lost 23 lbs in that 3 months. I eat about half of what i used to. I will say that i am watching what i eat more and not eating junk. I just don’t have the desire to eat the junk anymore. once in a while (around that dreaded time of the month) I will have a day or two that i crave sweets but for the most part, it’s not hard to not eat them.
Nothing is a miracle and you have to work at it. I’ve tried so many things and SF is working for ME. That’s all i care about is that it’s working for ME! Best wishes to you all in your weight loss adventures!
Joe – thank you for the feedback, both good and bad. I in NO way felt that you were slamming SF . . . I simply felt you were giving the readers facts about the ingredients. I actually thought your blog here made a lot of sense, and helped me with my decision because you didn’t try and sway me one way or the other. I decided to try SF and see. A friend of mine has been using it with great success. So, if it works for me, GREAT! And if it doesn’t, I’ll stop taking it. I’m so sorry that you were slammed by readers, especially the first one. It wasn’t fair. Thanks again!
Karen, thanks for that and I really do hope SF helps you. I hope you will let me know.
Joe,
THANK YOU!! A few years ago I lost 110 pounds in 9 months by using “Walk away the pounds” DVD’s, with Leslie Sansone. Kept the weight off for 1 1/2 years, but have gained most of it back. I am beginning my weigh loss journey on Monday. I am going to try to get the one ingredient that is in SF. I was tempted to purchase the SF, but also at the same time extremely SKEPTICAL! Follow your gut.
I know I can lose the weight again….just a matter of discipline. Thanks for saving me money!!!
Mrs.Mayo, You are very welcome and I know you can lose weight again esp since you were already successful at it! Id also say go back and do what you did the last time – walk away the pounds DVDs – they worked before so I know they can work again 🙂
Joe thanks for this awesome review! I really enjoyed reading it and all of the comments. It took a while but I made it thru! I just purchased a bottle of glucomannan powder. I will keep you posted on my results. I agree that the SF is over priced! Thanks again! Keep up the good work!
Amy, thanks and Im glad you made it through all the comments! Do keep me posted on your progress 🙂
Well, I can only say one thing good about Skinny Fiber 1) The group therapy on Facebook helped me get started on my Journey last September 2012. I did feel the “difference” and the Char de Bugre has a natural source of “caffeine” in it and it made me feel a sense of overall wellness when I first started. But the more I took it the more it didn’t work.
If you have any gluten intolerance or bowel obstruction problems the “fiber” SF pill will make you constipated. After months of it not helping lose weight I went and bought the enzymes at the health food store and purchased them for less than 20.00. I’ve taken it recently to see how it made me feel and it gave me brain fog and in the evening made my heart race.
For them to post that you don’t have to change your diet or exercise is deceiving. The majority of the people on the upline didn’t look like they had lost much weight and they really did have to eat differently and exercise to set an example. The majority of them had already lost the weight before they started Skinny Fiber and used pics from years before it was even originated.
The distributors are like witches on a hunt if they felt you were being in any way negative and would send you threatening in box messages and stalk your profile to see if you were bad mouthing the product. I never did on my profile, and only asked questions in private and then they would post it on the “main feed” that I was being negative and soon they would be taking me off their friends list.
The only reason why they friend you is to get on your news feed to get your friends in their group. I actually thought it was funny, and got out of it before anyone made much money on me. The only people who are making real money are the ones who have time to spam “Yard Sales” all day and the top upliners.
Previous, thanks for your insights and while I have not met any skinny fiber resellers personally, I know some spamming does happen because if you read one of the first comments I got on this post, its from someone listing themselves as “skinny fiber” who basically said everything I wrote was true lol. I posted it because it was funny. Whoever wrote it didn’t even read what I wrote.
Many weight loss products work not because of what is in them, but the placebo effect they have on those taking them. They help people develop a routine, think about what they eat and when they eat and make sure they drink lots of water. From what I can see there aren’t high enough levels of anything to cause any damage with short term use (but then that’s based on what I’ve read, not any actual knowledge in the area).
Personally I’m going to give it a go combined with trying to change my diet over to ‘clean eating’. If nothing else, some extra fibre and a mildly suppressed appetite will probably do me good. Maybe some exercise too – shame that doesn’t come in pill form!
Good to see a page that isn’t written like a advertisement, shame about the over the top negative responses though.
Jo, thanks and I hope SF helps you achieve your goals.
As for “exercise in a pill” there are pharmaceutical companies trying to do just that. Here is a link to a discussion on it
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/17/exercise-in-a-pill-the-search-continues/?_r=0
Personally, I dont think a pill will ever duplicate all the effects of exercise.
This was a very interesting, Thank you for taking the time to do the research. I have been back and forth on if I should try SF. I think I am going to pass, and continue to just do my diet plan the doctor has given me.
I will say I did not feel you were attacking SF at all. I think you did a great job at research and giving your opinion. This is what I try to look for when I am deciding a product.
I am happy for the people that have found success with it, but my hesitation is to strong for me to spend that kind of money.
Michelle, thanks very much for saying that. I really appreciate your feedback 🙂
Hi Joe,
I came across your study and found it an interesting read. I was all set a couple of months ago to try the SF but then looked into the ingredients and thought I may as well try one of the ingredients on my own first. So I purchased a bottle of Glucomannan. I started taking them 8 days ago and in that time without deliberately changing my diet I have lost 5.4lbs, they seem to have helped curb my cravings for sweets things as I have always had a sweet tooth!
I am quite happy to stick with taking just the Glucomannan until the bottle is empty and see what further if any results I get.
I will keep you updated if you like.
Vicki, thanks for writing and yes, please do keep me posted on how glucomannan works for you.
Hi Joe. Thanks for the information on the SF ingredients. I was skeptical about buying this product, and googled it and was led to your article. It cleared up a lot of the misconceptions and seemed direct and honest. So, I purchased the konjac root capsules and the carralluma fimbriata powder and have been trying that for about 1 1/2 weeks now.
The combination is definitely reducing my appetite and has led me to stop snacking in between meals. I have lost 1 1/2 kg easily in that time, without increasing exercise, and feeling no lethargy or cravings.
So I am grateful for you taking time to write this article, as I didn’t have a huge outlay to try this. I don’t understand why people are jumping down your throat about you writing this.. I have found it to be very honest. Thanks again.
Belinda, glad you found me and thanks for the feedback on how the combo of ingredients is helping you. I think most people who dont like what I wrote, sell SF but they are entitled to their opinion.
Hello Joe, I know you do not like to recommend products but is there a list of products in which you have researched that show great success in weight loss?
Tretter, within reviews, where possible I do mention what I feel might be the active ingredients in products. On my personal page I also discuss wt loss supplements and mention a list of things that appear to help here is the link http://www.joe-cannon.com/what-weight-loss-supplements-work/ that said I have to say that while I keep looking, wt loss supplements I’ve seen mostly appear to be much of the same stuff in different products.
Hi Joe – First off I have purchased SF and went full throttle and did the “90 Day Challenge”. Boy what a sucker I am! I went through the first bottle and haven’t seen any results what so ever.
When I posted this comment on FB, well, you would have thought that I said something mean or nasty to the distributor! People came out in droves to tell me that I’m probably taking it wrong – kind of hard when you only take it twice a day 1/2 hour before meals with at least 8 oz. of water – or I have to allow the detox process to work first.
They went on to say I must be really unhealthy and have a lot of toxins – once the toxins are out of my body I will notice the pills working. Shortly after starting the second bottle, I got a bottle of pills in the mail that were automatically sent to me. My debit card (which I used to pay for my first 3 bottles) was hit for the money .
When I called the number listed on my bank statement for this company, I got the message that was mentioned earlier about how busy they are. They said if I had any questions I should email at support @ skinnybody.com. I sent them an email and told them to take me off auto ship. They responded the next day stating they will remove me from auto ship.
Anyway, I have three bottles to take and took one bottle completely without any reduction in my weight. All I can do is take it and hope that it will work for me. However, after reading this website, I don’t have much faith.
I didn’t receive any information for returning the pills if I wasn’t satisfied with them. In fact I don’t think there was any kind of paperwork in the envelope with my three bottles of pills, or the next shipment of a bottle.
I would like to comment on the recipes that you see posted by distributors. that’s how they roped me in. I saw a recipe I liked and clicked on it, and from there I saw the SF logo and was curious. So, beware of recipes posted on FB!
Victoria, sorry that happened to you. Having been on the receiving end of the anger of some SF distributors I can empathize with you. As for the “you have to get rid of the toxins first before it works” reply to you why it didn’t work for you, that is just baloney. Just to double make sure you dont get any more auto shipments, I would call your bank and ask them if they can make sure no further funds are taken from your debit card. That’s what I would do.
Oh thanks Joe – I will do that!
I forgot to put in my previous comment about the MS in front of the address listing you found. Normally MS designates a real estate listing to my knowledge. I’m thinking this could be the case with this address as well.
Wendy thanks. I originally thought the MS in the address stood for mail stop but I wasn’t sure.
Hi Joe. Thanks for the review on this product. It’s the first and ONLY honest review I’ve found on the net to date. My daughter and I took skinny fiber for 6 weeks. She lost 11 pounds and I lost 5. Before the 6 weeks was up she had gained back most of that weight and I had gained it all back.
We ate healthy foods and drank so much water we could have become a river! The company offers an empty bottle 30 money back guarantee but the distributors are so convincing that you end up not being able to return the product because the 30 days is already up.
I was told to up the pill intake to 6 a day from the suggested 4. I also found out that the distributors are told to post unhealthy food recipes so that it would bring more people into their facebook groups. The girl who I actually bought the skinny fiber from was telling people to eat a lot of fried foods *to get healthy fats in and get the unhealthy fats out*
Now I’m 54 years old and I have tried lots and lots of weight loss diets and never in my life have I EVER seen it suggested to anyone with weight issues to eat fried fatty foods. That girl did nothing but try to sabotage peoples weight loss by posting and suggesting things that would help them gain even more weight.
When I asked her why there were no photos of her from before or after she told me a song and dance about why she couldn’t post them. She did have a very old head shot of herself posted on one of her profiles however just recently she posted a photo that was taken of her standing behind a motorcycle and there is NO WAY that she’s taking skinny fiber. She’s in it for the money only.
I also found out that almost all the before and after shots that are posted are of people who have lost weight BUT they are distributors of the product not every day people like myself and some of the others who have posted here. I can see though who is selling it and who isn’t from the posts that were made. Funny how they turn up in hoards when they find someone has posted an honest review of the product.
Speaking of reviews I actually posted a bad review on Skinny Fibers main website in September and to date that review is still sitting there unapproved but yet there are other reviews posted after mine that were approved and of course they’re the good ones.
I think the best route to follow for anyone is to go to the health food store and just buy the two main products that are in skinny fiber and take those. Forget spending hundreds of dollars on a product that may or may not work and that no one knows what the long term side effects will be.
Wendy, thanks for writing and I’m glad you were able to find me (I’m sure that can be difficult with all the websites out there these days). Sorry that you and your daughter gained all the weight back after using skinny fiber. I do hope you both find something that works for you. if you do try those 2 ingredients I listed and they work/dont, I hope you will let me know.
I am not a distributor and am just a regular person taking this. After trying many, many things, I tried Skinny Fiber. I have been on it for 8 weeks and have lost 17 lbs. I am watching what I eat but I’m eating sooo much less. I don’t know about all the unhealthy stuff as my distributor only posts healthy things but I am in love with this stuff!
So It has been more like six weeks but here are my results. I have been taking 1000mg of konjac root, 400 mg of caralluma, 500 mg of cha de bugre, and a multi enzyme which contains all of the multi enzymes listed on the sf label twice a day.
Okay so at first I was great about taking it twice a day, lately it has been touch and go. I am going to compare the last six weeks to one year ago. One year ago I was working out vigorously 5 days a week for an hour. I was also logging workouts and food consumption in MyFitnessPal and trying hard to keep my calorie intake in the allotted amount. I was struggling to lose a pound a week. the first 5 of the last six weeks I was also exercising but only in the form of walking but was clocking 15 to 23 miles a week. I started back on the vigorous workouts on Saturday and added some weigh lifting for fat loss as well.
All six weeks I have been logging and again trying to keep my calories within the daily allotted. I have lost 12 pounds and was losing it at a faster rate when taking the supplements more religiously. My sweets cravings were also fewer, less intense, and more easily satisfied by fruit then too. I do think these supplements are helping.
Do I think they would be working if I wasn’t exercising and watching my calorie intake? No. Do I think I will have to wean off of them to avoid gaining the weight back? Yes. Do I think brand name sf would have the same benefits? Yes but not better.
My cost is just under $17 a month. Would I pay $59.95 a month for these results? Maybe, but not when I can get them for $17. I have also considered the mouse study and the possibilities cha de bugre is dangerous. I personally would have to consume 178,000 milligrams to be getting the same amount as the mice. At that point I would not have time or room in my stomach for anything else. I did not actually read the study so I am unsure if possible malnutrition was given consideration as a cause of the chromosome damage. I am taking such a small percentage comparatively that I have decided to risk it either way. It will be the first one I wean off of though.
so thats my experience. as unbiased as a bias individual can make it. oh yeah and it has NOT helped with my acid reflux, fibromyalgia, or migraines but I dont believe it has made them worse either.
JenJ, thanks for the update and I’m glad you’ve found something that’s helping you. Continued success!
Just wanted to say,,,i did order the SF pills,,i then talked to my doctor who recommended that I don’t take them as i’m on other medications,and as a precaution not to take them,,,so cancelled my order through my distributor..she said it’s all done,,,well 2 months ago and here I am still waiting to get my money back..
i would never recommend this company to anyone,,i’m having to fight them over giving me the money they have,,and the pills I don’t have,,,,what kind of company is this,,,they take money and don’t give it back….will be reporting this company,,,it’s just very sad that all they think about is the money they are getting,,,get rich scheme to me,,,,
Kim, sorry that happened to you. you can file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Here is the BBB File
http://www.bbb.org/utah/business-reviews/health-and-medical-products/skinny-body-care-in-salt-lake-city-ut-22303096
Thank you for this,,,”)
Kim you are welcome 🙂
Thanks Joe, it was really good to read your post on this. I have been skeptical about SF because I didn’t just want to swallow anything.
However, I believe the product can have a good effect if it is used on a short term. I’ll try it but not to make it a life-long habit.
thanks.
Sally, glad to help and I hope it helps you 🙂
Joe,
I believe your review was unbiased and informative. I just purchased a bottle and I am on day 3. I am not really changing my “diet” so to speak, but I am not by any means “over” eating. (Plus I have had a nasty cold, etc for 5 days. I will give you an honest review in 30 days. I weighed 168 and I am looking to drop 15 pounds.
I’ll keep everyone advised of my progress in 27 days!!!
Patti, thanks and I wish you much success! 🙂
Joe, I am doing the same thing. I spoke with my distributor at length before purchasing. One thing I have learned is that if you buy SF off Amazon you will likely not get a refund if you do not like the product. The company has rules for its distributors that say no sales on Amazon or Ebay. They even discourage the distributors from buying the product directly and reselling it.
It appears that if you do not buy the product through a distributor sponsored web site you will not get a refund if you are not happy. I bought it through a web site and the person I got it from sent me an email directly, the next day, with the Address to send the empty bottle to if I am not satisfied. I also got an email with tracking information about my purchase, with an order #.
I suspect the people having issues returning the product bought it outside the distributor web site channels (like ebay or amazon) or maybe they have a lazy/bad distributor which can happen any where with any company. I know I am not a fruit and vegi person so I am looking for something to assist me.
KT, Im not sure but I have a heard time believing that Amazon or Ebay would not stand behind their customers and put pressure on sellers that dont offer refunds. I have not looked into this but customers are the life blood of both amazon and ebay. I can tell you from personal experience that when I once didn’t get a product and the ebay seller was not responsive to me -that ebay took money from the seller and refunded it to me. I have to think that if people said to amazon or ebay “I want a refund” that they would go to bat for people. Not doing so is shooting themselves in the foot.
How can you possibly hope to lose 15 LBS in one month when the websites all tout the ability to lose 20 LBS in three months? You are setting yourself up for failure.