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	<title>CritiCALorie &#187; elderberry</title>
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	<link>http://www.criticalorie.com</link>
	<description>a rogue diet pill critic speaks out</description>
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		<title>Xylestril Review</title>
		<link>http://www.criticalorie.com/2008/xylestril-review/</link>
		<comments>http://www.criticalorie.com/2008/xylestril-review/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 24 Aug 2008 19:11:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Susan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Diet Pill Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Patentrim]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[affiliate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[avena sativa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blessed thistle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chocolate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cinnamon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[daiana]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dong quai]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[elderberry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fennel seed]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fenugreek]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ginger root]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[green tea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kelp]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[l-tyrosine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[magnolia bark]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[morther's wort]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Passion Flower]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[raspberries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[soy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wild yam]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.criticalorie.com/?p=531</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Xylestril is a women&#8217;s diet pill which is &#8220;the world&#8217;s first advanced fat burner designed specifically for a woman&#8217;s body&#8221; (website). This Xylestril review will determine just what (if anything) makes Xylestril different from other diet pills and help you know what you can expect from this product.
Xylestril Ingredients
Xylestril diet pills contain the following ingredients [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.criticalorie.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/xylestril.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-540" title="xylestril" src="http://www.criticalorie.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/xylestril.jpg" alt="xylestril" width="150" height="150" /></a>Xylestril is a women&#8217;s diet pill which is &#8220;the world&#8217;s first advanced fat burner designed specifically for a woman&#8217;s body&#8221; (website). This Xylestril review will determine just what (if anything) makes Xylestril different from other diet pills and help you know what you can expect from this product.</p>
<h3>Xylestril Ingredients</h3>
<p>Xylestril diet pills contain the following ingredients (although they do not list how much of each ingredient is included):</p>
<ul>
<li>Chocolate is a mood enhancer, but has not been directly linked to weight loss.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.criticalorie.com/2008/green-tea-review/" >Green tea</a> is proven to increase metabolic function, leading to weight loss. Xylestril fails to disclose how much green tea it contains, making it impossible for this Xylestril review to determine if there is enough green tea to be effective.</li>
<li>Cinnamon has been used for many years to regulate blood sugar. Unfortunately, there is no research to prove this.</li>
<li>Soy is supposed to reduce the symptoms of menopause; again, there is no research to substantiate this.</li>
<li>Ginger root reduces nausea and vomiting.</li>
<li>Kelp</li>
<li><a href="http://www.criticalorie.com/2008/l-tyrosine-review/" >L-Tyrosine</a> synthesizes protein, leading to weight loss. However, for L-Tyrosine to be effective, you have to take 500 to 1500 mg per day. It is extremely unlikely that Xylestril contains enough L-Tyrosine to be effective.</li>
<li>Dong quai is supposed to balance Estrogen and increase sex drive. There is no research to prove this.</li>
<li>Damiana, when combined with Guarana and Yerba Mate, has been shown to contribute to weight loss. However, Damiana has not been proven on its own.</li>
<li>Wild Yam</li>
<li>Avena sativa</li>
<li>Mother&#8217;s wort</li>
<li>Blessed thistle</li>
<li>Fennel seed</li>
<li>Fenugreek</li>
<li>Magnolia bark</li>
<li>Elderberry</li>
<li>Passion Flower promotes restful sleep.</li>
<li>Raspberries&#8211;Raspberry ketones have proven to induce weight loss in mice. However, no human studies have been done.</li>
</ul>
<p>Only a few of the ingredients in Xylestril diet pills have been proven to contribute to weight loss. Xylestril fails to list how much of each ingredient is included (probably because there is too little of each ingredient to be effective) so it is impossible to know what effect Xylestril will have on weight loss.</p>
<h3>Xylestril Cost</h3>
<p>Xylestril diet pills $39.99 for 90 capsules (with a discount for buying in bulk). If you take the recommended 4 capsules per day, one bottle will last about 22 days. In other words, you will spend about $53 per month on Xylestril. Although this is a fairly average price for a diet pill, it is too much to spend. There is NO evidence that Xylestril will cause weight loss.</p>
<h3>Xylestril Guarantee</h3>
<p>Xylestril has a 90-day guarantee.  We like that they give 90 days, but they only give refunds for unopened bottles. In other words, if you buy only one bottle and it does not work, you cannot return it.</p>
<h3>Xylestril Marketing</h3>
<p>Xylestril wants you to believe this is a new, spectacular product; it isn&#8217;t. There are multiple fat burners out there specifically for women. Xylestril is nothing new and it is not any different from so many other diet pills, despite what their testimonials claim.</p>
<h3>Xylestril Conclusion</h3>
<p>This Xylestril review finds that Xylestril diet pills are more of the same thing we see over and over&#8211;mediocrity. They hide how much of each ingredient is included and make outrageous claims that they could never back up. If you are serious about losing weight, look through our recommended products; they contain proven ingredients in clinically proven amounts.</p>
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		<title>CurvaTrim Review</title>
		<link>http://www.criticalorie.com/2008/curvatrim-review/</link>
		<comments>http://www.criticalorie.com/2008/curvatrim-review/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:40:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Susan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Diet Pill Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Patentrim]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[avena sativa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blessed thistle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chocamine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cinnamon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[damiana]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dong quai]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[elderberry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fennel seed]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fenugreek seed]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ginger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[green tea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kelp]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[magnolia bar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[motherswort]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Passion Flower]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[razberri K]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[soy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tyrosine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wild yam]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.criticalorie.com/?p=377</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[CurvaTrim is a diet pill which, according to their website, will help you

&#8220;Lose Weight
Have Blemish Free Skin
Increase Sexual Desire &#38; Sensation
Increase the Size and Firmness of Your Breasts&#8221;

This CurvaTrim review will explore the ins and outs of CurvaTrim and help you determine if this is the product you have been looking for.
CurvaTrim diet pill ingredients
Proprietary [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-402" title="curvatrim" src="http://www.criticalorie.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/curvatrim.gif" alt="Curvatrim" width="80" height="125" />CurvaTrim is a diet pill which, according to their website, will help you</p>
<ul>
<li>&#8220;Lose Weight</li>
<li>Have Blemish Free Skin</li>
<li>Increase Sexual Desire &amp; Sensation</li>
<li>Increase the Size and Firmness of Your Breasts&#8221;</li>
</ul>
<p>This CurvaTrim review will explore the ins and outs of CurvaTrim and help you determine if this is the product you have been looking for.</p>
<h3>CurvaTrim diet pill ingredients</h3>
<p><strong>Proprietary Blend 757.5 mg</strong></p>
<ul>
<li> Green Tea (50% caffeine)</li>
<li>Soy Isofavones 40% extract</li>
<li>Chocamine</li>
<li>Cinnamon</li>
<li>Ginger root</li>
<li>Kelp</li>
<li>L-Tyrosine</li>
<li>Dong quai</li>
<li>Damiana leaves</li>
<li>Wild yam root</li>
<li>Avena sativa</li>
<li>Motherswort</li>
<li>Blessed thistle</li>
<li>Fennel seed</li>
<li>Magnolia bar</li>
<li>Fenugreek seed</li>
<li>Elderberry</li>
<li>Passion flower</li>
<li>Razberi K</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.criticalorie.com/2008/green-tea-review/" >Green tea</a>&#8211;this ingredient has been proven to contribute to weight loss. However, CurvaTrim includes it in a &#8220;Proprietary Blend&#8221;; they do not disclose exactly how much green tea is in the formula. Thus, it is impossible for this CurvaTrim review to determine if the amount of green tea contained in CurvaTrim diet pills is enough to be effective.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.criticalorie.com/2008/chocamine-review/" >Chocamine</a>&#8211;I’m neutral, leaning positive on this ingredient. Cocoa itself is effective for endurance, but Chocamine’s has such a deluge of ingredients inside it, it’s tough to really zero in on effectiveness.</p>
<p>Cinnamon&#8211;it has been used for years to help regulate blood sugar. Does it directly help you lose weight? That question still remains. With little to no research supporting it, the jury is still out on cinnamon’s efficacy.</p>
<p>Damiana&#8211;<a href="http://www.criticalorie.com/2008/guarana-yeba-mate-and-damiana-gyd-review/" >When combined with yerba mate and guarana</a>, damiana has been shown to be effective in promoting weight loss. However, on its own damiana has not been shown to cause weight loss.</p>
<p>Razberi K&#8211;Studies show raspberry ketones induced weight loss in mice with a diet containing 2% of the total diet as raspberry ketones. No studies have been done on humans. Note: in order to take in 2% of raspberry ketones as your total diet you would have to take a ton of these CurvaTrim diet pills. Once again, Methyl Ripped does not disclose how much of this ingredient is included. This makes it impossible to determine whether or not the amount of raspberry ketones in CurvaTrim is enough to be effective in promoting weight loss.</p>
<h3>CurvaTrim Guarantee</h3>
<p>The CurvaTrim policy is as follows: &#8220;Return your one empty bottle (we want you to use all of our fine product) within 60 days of purchase plus all other bottles purchased in undamaged, unopened, and resalable condition for a prompt refund less s&amp;h.&#8221; (website)</p>
<h3>CurvaTrim and the breast enhancement pill controversy</h3>
<p>Breast enhancement pills are controversial. One company, Bloussant, was sued by the FTC for false claims.<br />
While CurvaTrim claims it will help with breast enhancement, none of the ingredients in CurvaTrim diet pills have been proven to contribute to breast enhancement. This shouldn&#8217;t be too surprising&#8211;why would so many people opt for surgery if you could get the same results from a pill?</p>
<h3>How much does CurvaTrim cost?</h3>
<p>You can get 90 capsules of CurvaTrim diet pills for $39.99. If you take the recommended dose of 4 capsules per day, it will cost over $53 per month. This is very expensive for a product that hides how much of each ingredient is included and has lofty, unsubstantiated claims.</p>
<h3>CurvaTrim Conclusion</h3>
<p>This CurvaTrim review finds CurvaTrim is a mediocre product. It includes ingredients in undisclosed amounts. There is no scientific evidence to prove the ingredients in CurvaTrim diet pills will lead to breast enhancement. Spend your money on a diet pill that actually works&#8211;one that uses proven ingredients in proven amounts.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Curvelle Review</title>
		<link>http://www.criticalorie.com/2008/curvelle-review/</link>
		<comments>http://www.criticalorie.com/2008/curvelle-review/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 Jan 2008 00:01:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Cal</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Diet Pill Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thermodrenix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[affiliate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[caffeine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cinnamon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cinnulin PF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[elderberry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[green tea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Razberi K]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.criticalorie.com/2008/curvelle-review/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Curvelle claims to be a natural weight loss solution and is marketed specifically toward women.  You can tell because they feature a woman on the bottle&#8211;or at least a squiggly pink, curvy thing.  From the looks of it, we&#8217;ll be dealing with a product heavy on the herbal supplements, with a bit of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.criticalorie.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/curvelle.jpg" alt="Curvelle Product Picture" />Curvelle claims to be a natural weight loss solution and is marketed specifically toward women.  You can tell because they feature a woman on the bottle&#8211;or at least a squiggly pink, curvy thing.  From the looks of it, we&#8217;ll be dealing with a product heavy on the herbal supplements, with a bit of stimulation thrown in there as well.</p>
<p>Curvelle is distributed and marketed by a company called iSatori.  From the looks of their website, they appear to be marketing toward the bodybuilding community.  With an intro image <a title="isatori’s focus on bodybuilding" href="http://www.criticalorie.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/isatori-bodybuilding.png">like this</a>, you&#8217;re left with little doubt about that.  Curvelle appears to be a break away from most of their products in how it is marketed.</p>
<h3>Curvelle Ingredients Under Review</h3>
<p>I am impressed with iSatori&#8217;s website.  It&#8217;s professionally done, and the product information is easy to find.  I easily found where they list the ingredients found in Curvelle:</p>
<p><strong>Cinnulin PF</strong> is an extract of cinnamon (yes, the same cinnamon you sprinkle on toast).  iSatori states:</p>
<blockquote><p><span id="ProductDetails1_lblDesc3">[cinnamon] has been shown in recent studies to have positive effects on blood sugar, fats, and cholesterol.</span></p></blockquote>
<p>But they fail to mention the &#8220;recent studies&#8221; in any type of citation.  I did a bit of digging (which admittedly, they could have done) and found the study I think they were mentioning.  The abstract states that the study was:</p>
<blockquote><p>to determine whether cinnamon improves blood glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol levels in people with type 2 diabetes.</p></blockquote>
<p>You can <a href="http://care.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/full/26/12/3215">read the entire study here</a>.  Cassia, not true cinnamon, was used in the study.  Cassia is used in traditional Chinese medicine, considered one of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_herbology#50_fundamental_herbs">50 fundamental herbs</a>.  Also, the dosage amounts in the study were 1, 3 and 6 grams per day (along with a control group receiving 1, 3, and 6 grams of a placebo &#8212; wheat flour).  I called iSatori to ask them how much cinnamon is included in Curvelle, but unfortunately all I got was a message machine (<a title="Curvelle Audio for Call" href="http://www.criticalorie.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/4.mp3">listen to the audio of my call to iSatori about Curvelle</a>).  They said (each time I called) that they were experiencing higher than normal call volumes.  I left my name and number with them but haven&#8217;t yet heard back.  While it may be a moot point about the Cinnulin PF (because the research points to a &#8220;cousin&#8221; of cinnamon, not true cinnamon), seeing a lower-than-effective dosage would have been a nail in the coffin in regards to Cinnulin&#8217;s inclusion in Curvelle.</p>
<p>It becomes a bit clearer as to iSatori&#8217;s not wanting to actually cite the study they use to support the inclusion of Cinnulin PF in Curvelle &#8212; Cinnulin PF wasn&#8217;t used.  And while I mentioned earlier I was glad that their website made finding the ingredients so easy, I&#8217;m mad that they make finding the <em>amounts</em> of those ingredients so unbelievably hard.</p>
<p><strong>Green Tea</strong></p>
<p>Green Tea can be found in virtually every diet pill available on the market today.  The fact that it&#8217;s found in Curvelle doesn&#8217;t surprise me one bit.  You can <a href="http://www.criticalorie.com/2008/green-tea-review/" >read my review of Green Tea</a> if you&#8217;d like.  The gist of it is that green tea has been shown in research to promote an increase in our resting metabolic rate, among other things.</p>
<p><strong>Razberi K™</strong></p>
<p>Curvelle contains a ketone unique to raspberries.  From the research I&#8217;ve done, it appears that the manufacturer of Razberi K is FHG (FHG stands for &#8220;For His Glory&#8221; and &#8220;is representative of our desire to operate a business that would honor God while serving others) Corporation, DBA Integrity.  They were established in 1999.</p>
<p>It appears that iSatori&#8217;s ingredients text about Razberi was mainly taken (plagarized? words were changed sometimes) from Integrity&#8217;s own information on Razberi-K.  I found it mildly ironic (and slightly sad) that a site with the domain integritynut.com was plagiarized.</p>
<p>At any rate, back to Razberi-K.  A study is repeatedly cited here (and citations are a good thing!):</p>
<blockquote><p><span id="ProductDetails1_lblDesc3">In a recent study by <strong>Morimoto et al (2005)</strong>, raspberry ketone was fed at various dosages to growing mice for 10 weeks. </span><span id="ProductDetails1_lblDesc3">Mice fed a high-fat diet (to induce obesity) plus <strong>one or two percent</strong> raspberry ketone (~ 10,000 mg per kg bodyweight) gained <em>less bodyfat than control animals</em>. Raspberry ketone also decreased the weights of the liver and visceral adipose tissues (epididymal, retroperitoneal, mesenteric)—i.e., fat around the organs.</span></p></blockquote>
<p>The emphases are mine.  Reading from the actual study (vs. from the Curvelle information, which is where I got the quote above), we learn a bit more (<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lfs.2004.12.029">read the entire study</a>):</p>
<ol>
<li>This study was done to determine the anti-obesity effects of raspberry ketones.  Being a few pounds overweight and being obese are very different, so consider that in your own evaluation.</li>
<li>The amount of raspberry ketones was 1 percent of total food intake.  This means that a 2,000 calorie diet would have to include 20 calories of raspberry ketones.  How much Razberi-K is included in Curvelle?  <em>We don&#8217;t know because they don&#8217;t tell us</em>.</li>
</ol>
<p>Also, let&#8217;s not forget that this study was done on mice&#8211;not humans.  There has not been any research regarding the anti-obesity effects of raspberty ketones on humans.  It sounds like a great ingredient to include in a diet pill geared toward women.  Raspberries conjure up some healthy and quaint images.  Unfortunately, this is probably nothing more than eye candy.</p>
<p>So far, the only ingredient that will have anything to do with your losing weight while supplementing with Curvelle is the Green Tea &#8212; which can be found in, oh, about a bazillion other diet pills as well.</p>
<p><strong>Natural Caffeine</strong></p>
<p>Curvelle also contains natural caffeine.  In other words, another stimulant.  You can read my <a href="http://www.criticalorie.com/2007/caffeine/" >review of caffeine&#8217;s weight loss efficacy</a> if you&#8217;d like.  It is effective, though it may give you jitters.</p>
<p><strong>Elderberry Extract</strong></p>
<p>You have to love their second sentence when describing elderberry:</p>
<blockquote><p><span id="ProductDetails1_lblDesc3">It&#8217;s been honored for centuries in folk tradition because of its numerous health benefits. Renowned for its overall influence on wellbeing, it has been used in teas, gargles, ointments, lotions, and homeopathic remedies.</span></p></blockquote>
<p>I love when companies try and leverage history as some sort of guide for the efficacy of an ingredient.  Doctors also used to think that a great way to get rid of a fever was to &#8220;bleed&#8221; a patient.  Smart men and women believed the earth was flat and that a ship could sail off its edge&#8230;and since when has inclusion in &#8220;folk tradition&#8221; meant an ingredient could do anything for weight loss?</p>
<p>Curvelle&#8217;s ingredients page cite another study supporting Elderberry (specifically an anthocyanin known as cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G))&#8230;but they don&#8217;t actually give a reference to the study.  I&#8217;m starting to think we might have another Cinnulin moment again&#8230;</p>
<p>I&#8217;m not positive that this is the study, but it sounds familiar to what Curvelle mentioned.  It looks like the mice that were subjects in the study were type 2 diabetic mice &#8212; a relevant detail.  It&#8217;s also important to note that the study&#8217;s focus was to demonstrate that C3G &#8220;ameliorates hyperglycemia and insulin sensitivity&#8230;&#8221;  We&#8217;re talking here much more about preventing type 2 diabetes and hyperglycemia than we are about losing weight.</span></p>
<p>For the moment though, I can&#8217;t take issue with Elderberry.  I don&#8217;t know for certain that the study I found is the same one Curvelle&#8217;s markters also used to persuade would-be buyers.  I don know that we still don&#8217;t know how much Elderberry is in there so, if we were to find  some solid research supporting Curvelle&#8217;s claims, we&#8217;d be hard pressed <em>still</em> to know if we had something worth considering.</p>
<h3>Curvelle&#8217;s Testimonials</h3>
<p><a title="Jen and Curvelle have a book together" href="http://www.criticalorie.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/jen-curvelle-book.jpg"><img src="http://www.criticalorie.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/jen-curvelle-book.thumbnail.jpg" alt="Jen and Curvelle have a book together" /></a>The very first testimonial is listed as being from Jen Hendershott, Fitness International and 2005 Fitness Olympia Champion (her own site says she won in 2006&#8211;<a title="Jen Hendershott" href="http://www.criticalorie.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/jen-hendershott.jpg">my favorite shot of Jen at the 2006 Olympia</a>).  Apparently Jen and iSatori have this whole book thing going on together.  You can buy the book for twenty bucks from iSatori.  I don&#8217;t know about you, but this kind of financial relationship kills the whole testimonial idea.  Jen can&#8217;t be making money and give an unbiased testimonial simultaneously (and I stand corrected about Curvelle maybe not being geared toward bodybuilders, as Jen certainly is one).</p>
<p>The next testimonial is from Heather Bear.  iSatori provided her email address on the Curvelle Testimonials section, so I emailed her:</p>
<blockquote><p>Hi Heather,<br />
I&#8217;m doing some research into the efficacy of iSatori&#8217;s Curvelle and noticed that you were cited on their website:</p>
<p><span><span style="color: #c0c0c0;">&#8220;I LOVE CURVELLE. I have not had low blood sugar when using it, no headaches, and I&#8217;ve had lots of energy. I have been dieting for just one week and have lost seven pounds because I&#8217;m not &#8216;cheating&#8217; because I don&#8217;t want to.&#8221;</span></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #c0c0c0;">—Heather Bear, Age 29<br />
bearclaw(at)seidata(dot)com<br />
www.Heather-Bear.com&#8221;</span></p>
<p>I find it amazing that you were able to lose seven pounds in just one week.  Was this due to the diet you were on, or to Curvelle, or both?  From what you said above, am I understanding correctly that Curvelle helped you not to &#8220;cheat&#8221;?</p>
<p>Thanks for any insight you can give.  Love the website by the way!</p>
<p>Cal</p></blockquote>
<p>I haven&#8217;t heard back from her yet.  Maybe she&#8217;s doing one of her weight loss camps and has limited access to email.  At any rate it should be noted that she has been training with Ms. Hendershott from above for four years.  So her credibility as an unbiased testimonial is immediately placed into question (despite providing her email address).  I&#8217;ll update if she ever responds.</p>
<p><strong>UPDATE: </strong>Heather responded to my email today with the following response:</p>
<blockquote><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Hello,</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: x-small;">I believe the 7 pounds was a combination of not cheating on my  diet and cardio.  Curvelle does help w/ my sweet tooth craving I  have.  Let me know if I can answer anything else.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Thanks,</span></p>
<p>Heather</p>
<p>Phat Camp Coordinator</p>
<p>For MORE info about Phat Camp http://www.getphatwithjen.com/2007/faq.htm</p>
<p>www.Heather-Bear.com</p>
<p>Heather[nospam]getphatwithjen.com</p>
<p>Check  out www.getphatonline.com for your  new YOU!!!!</p></blockquote>
<p>I stand by my original statement though.  If she&#8217;s heavily affiliated with Hendershott then her testimonial doesn&#8217;t fly.  Oh, and if you have the discipline to stick to a bodybuilding diet and intense cardio routine then you probably don&#8217;t need Curvelle.</p>
<p>The other two testimonials are from Shannon Erklenz and KNH (via email&#8230;).  There isn&#8217;t any contact information for these two, so the legitimacy of their testimonials is in question.  This is the reason I don&#8217;t like testimonials at all.  I would much rather see a company put out the research that justifies their product&#8217;s ingredients and let consumers educate themselves about the product&#8217;s efficacy.  It&#8217;s far too easy to simply throw some testimonials together and make them look legitimate.</p>
<h3>Curvelle Overall Conclusion</h3>
<p>I have to say that I&#8217;m certainly less than impressed.  The study they cited to support Cinnulin didn&#8217;t actually use Cinnulin.  They use two stimulants: green tea and &#8220;natural&#8221; caffeine.  Cheaper alternatives are available if you&#8217;re just looking for a stimulant to boost your metabolism.  And if you don&#8217;t mind the jitters.  The fact that it looks like they plagiarized the Razberi-K manufacturer&#8217;s website is disturbing.  Support for Razberi-K suggests that you would have to supplement with an inordinate amount of raspberry ketones to see the same effects that were seen in the mice.  Curvelle&#8217;s first two testimonials are obviously displaying conflicts of interest, and the next two aren&#8217;t verifiable at all.  I don&#8217;t like how I&#8217;ve called Curvelle multiple times and am always told that &#8220;due to high call volumes&#8221; they can&#8217;t take my call.  Does that mean they also won&#8217;t be able to process a refund if there&#8217;s a problem with an order?  Finally, even if all of these studies supported the inclusion of these ingredients into a diet pill, iSatori won&#8217;t tell us how much of each ingredient is in Curvelle.  This allows me to make only one conclusion: there isn&#8217;t enough.</p>
<p>As it stands now, Curvelle doesn&#8217;t stand up to scrutiny.  I would begin looking elsewhere.</p>
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