42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dr Murray's Dilemma, October 18, 2009
This review is from: Hunger Free Forever: The New Science of Appetite Control (Hardcover)
This is not really a review -- I haven't read the book -- but, reading the other reviews here I can offer a different perspective on the chief complaint against the book -- that it is an extended ad for a semi-obscure product. I suspect that Dr. Murray faced the same dilemma that I have sometimes experienced. If you find a product that you think would be genuinely helpful to a large number of people (or, in this case to a number of large people) how do you get the word out without sounding like an info-mercial?
I have been using the PGx fiber product that the book recommends for about three years now. I started using it in my mid-fifties after having been fat all of my adult life, despite any number of different diets and weight-control strategies. I believe that the product made the difference that finally let me lose that extra hundred pounds and (with a bit of a struggle now and then) keep it off. It is not a diet in a pill -- it blunts your appetite but food still tastes good and you need to remember to eat less. And, yes, it has side effects -- mostly bloating -- which tend to diminish with time but can be bothersome, especially at first. And it does cost money but it is not clear how to score that. I somehow doubt that without it I would be able to have one item from the Taco Bell 89 cent menu for lunch and feel satisfied. I spend less on food than I used to. But it does cost money and I really wish that it was true that there was nothing more to PGx than Glucomannan, which is cheaper. I'd buy that instead. But the other two main ingredients -- sodium alginate and guar gum -- do increase the viscosity and enhance the effects.
From time to time I run into people who are complaining about how hard it is to control their weight (either in person or online) and I am faced with Dr Murray's Dilemma -- to offer advice or just nod sympathetically. I have found out the hard way that sympathy is almost always what people want and advice is discounted at best and often resented.
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55 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
One long ad for a product by Natural Factors, January 28, 2009
I agree with so many other reviewers here. Theres no real new info presented. And the PGX--poyglycoplex--they want you to buy from Natural Factors? Nothing more than a fancy schmancy name for KONJAC/GLUCOMMANAN which can be found less expensively all over the internet.
Here's what Dr. Weil said about Konjac 6 years ago:
Konjac fiber is a starch from the root of the konjac plant (Amorphophallus konjac) that grows in China and Japan. The popular name for the root in Japan is devil's tongue or konnyaku, and it is prepared there into foods that look like squares or strips of stiff gelatin, with a rubbery texture. The Japanese regard konjac as a health food, especially good for intestinal function.
The main component of the konjac root is glucomannan, a water-soluble dietary fiber consisting of mannose and glucose sugars. ...Some countries... have banned a number of weight-loss products containing glucomannan, which were found to cause choking when caught in the throat.
If you're interested in konjac fiber, try some of the traditional Japanese foods such as shirataki noodles or konnyaku. "
The fact that this book is one long advertisement for an expensive and particular "weight loss" supplement bothers me. The fact that this one expensive and particular weight loss supplement is easily found less expensively but covered up by the fancy shcmancy term PGX or polyglycoplex bothers me even more.
We all know what foods are most healthful to eat, so there's nothing new in the book there. We all know about the glycemic index, so there's nothing new there. We all know that satiety and appetite have so much to do with eating, but the jury is still out as to whether konjac is the end all and be all for everyone.
The book is worth a glance or two, and you may even want to give the suggested product a try, or a similar less expensive one, such as a Glucomannan supplement, WHICH IS THE SAME THING AS PGX only a LOT less expensive!
"Glucomannan is a gentle and effective natural fiber that promotes healthy colon function. Derived from the konjac root, glucomannan is a water-soluble dietary fiber considered to be a 'bulk-forming laxative.' Glucomannan may also promote healthier cholesterol and support healthy blood sugar levels."
Do a little internet research on PGX/konjac/glucomannan and see if you think it's worth a try. But don't believe all the hype, and look beyond the single and highly expensive supplement they focus on solely in this book. There are other less expensive options if you think you'd like to give it a try.
The reason this books only gets one star from me is because the authors purposely mislead the public into believing that ONLY their product, PGX aka WellBetX by Natural Factors is the ONLY product with konjac fiber. Any author who purposely misleads people in that manner are selling a book that is nothing more than an advertisement for a single product. Had the authors mentioned that PGX is also known as konjac, glucomannan, etc., their book would've scored an additional star or two or even three. Purposefully misleading folks is not honest.
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34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Book is mostly an ad, February 21, 2008
If you have never heard of PGX, by the time you are done with this book, you will have heard more than you ever wanted to about it. PGX is the miracle fiber that is the basis for appetite control in this book. There is good information here, I just kept getting irritated constantly hearing about this special (and expensive) fiber. I bought the granules and the pills, and the pills are a lot easier to deal with. The granules become jello-like in water and do not dissolve to any degree in smoothies. I have noticed an appetite blunting effect, but there are, ahem, other effects as well. Be prepared for bloat, gas, and frequent trips to the library(or in my house, the bathroom ;)
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