Slim Coffee: Another Weight Loss Scam
It must be so tempting for unscrupulous entrepreneurs:
Find an obscure weight loss product from somewhere overseas. Re-brand it. Hype it up. Create an infomercial. Make millions.
This time it's Slim Coffee. The claims are impressive: "Reduce appetite. Clinically tested. Lose 5 pounds per week". All from drinking coffee with a few supplements added (or so they say).
The makers of Slim Coffee have been pursued by the FTC - resulting in a $923,000 settlement. From the FTC settlement report:
According to a complaint filed by the FTC in federal district court, the defendants' weight-loss claims for Slim Coffee were false and unsupported by any reliable scientific studies, in violation of the FTC Act. Among other things, the Commission's complaint alleged that neither Slim Coffee nor any of its individual ingredients, including hoodia, would enable its users to lose as much as two to five pounds per week, without reducing caloric intake or increasing physical activity.
You can see the that TV ad (complete with testimonials, rippling abs, and bronzed bikini bodies) is pretty nutty. They even managed to get a certified personal trainer to endorse the product!
As for the clinical trials - I managed to trace the product back to a European product called "Silhouette Express-o". The site is Russian - and gives a telephone number that leads to Moscow. As for the "clinical tests" the only clue we have is this: "Prompt result is confirmed by clinical tests, carried on in Belgium and Italy."
Hoodia, a cactus that grows in the Kalahari Desert, has received a lot of press for being a weight-loss revelation, but many medical experts don't believe the hype. Celebrity health guru Dr. Andrew Weil offers some advice about Hoodia:
We may learn someday that there are hoodia benefits and it does promote weight loss by effectively suppressing appetite, but until we do, I wouldn't waste money on products that haven't been proven to work and may not contain any hoodia at all.
It's probably a good idea to side with the doc on this one.
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32 Comments
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Created / Updated: October 28, 2011
i think the regular high-octane coffee that i drink now is just fine :) i find coffee to be an appetite suppressent without hoodia or whatever elese in there. i dont believe that a cup of coffee is really going to make you skinny- although, i do wonder how it tastes.
Replyduh- when you read the ingredients and see, laxatives...
ReplyNo actually it does not work like that. I thought so too before I tried it. Does not taste bad but not sure it really burns fat.
Replyits honestly really delicious and it does work as it makes u go to the bathroom more often :)
ReplyI am wating for "Diet Air"...half the calories of regular air...someone will try and sell it.
ReplyLook what happens when greed for money takes over! It's sad, but many people will fall for this scam. This is why it is so important to return to basics and acquire knowledge!
ReplyThink about what regular coffee can do...if you're on the toilet the whole day, OF COURSE you'll lose 5 pounds in one week!
ReplyWonder what's in it? Coffee makes you pee anyway, so I'm guessing maybe this is some kind of mega diuretic or something. And if it's got a lot of caffeine in it, I could see it giving you abdominal cramps too. Sounds like an excuse to sell overpriced coffee to me.
Replynope did not pee more than normal.
ReplyHaha - I love it. Clinical trials? No way!
ReplyI drink regular coffee and milk, I get my caffeine fix and some quality protein. Of course this "slim coffee" is just a quick vehicle to separate desperate people from their hard earned cash.
Replyquality protein from 1/4 ounce of milk.. you are an idiot
ReplyAnother product to review. Got to admit this like the 1900s snake oil era.
ReplyYea, maybe if you drink the "special coffee", then go to the gym for 5 hours along with starving yourself all day, then just maybe it would work for you. But hey, many people will fall for this and that's why companies like that are so wealthy.
ReplyIt is not the calories in coffee. The chemical encourage water retention in a lot of people, including myself. Even if I have only a little to eat that day, but I drink coffee, I end up gaining weight.
Reply(this is a personal and documented observation relating to myself)
Up yours Phil!
ReplyThere are available also reliable products like an Italian product, the 100% vegetal FITNESS CAFFE': it's a real healthy cup.
ReplyI know a better alternative, much cheaper too.
Replywww.coffee2slim.com
Healthy coffee that lowers bloodpressure etc. as well as keeping your appetite supressed.
Tastes good too:)
Heidi, it should be BANNED by moderator to insert Website address with purpose of ADVERTISING: lies, lies, lies, everyone is tired to hear these lies.
ReplyDoes not exist any scientific result about to loose weight through your "slim" or other coffee based products(look for example the false claims for GANO coffee, prosecuted by US FDA.
On the contrary there are on the world market reliable patented healthy coffees with medicinal herbs and spices that can help to get fit and wellness daily: I cannot tell here the brand to avoid free Advertising, but everyone can discovered it on the Web. All together should avoid foods and beverages with false and impossible claims. Your reply will be apreciated, Howard
That is a big money if people re-brand and marketing it. Thanks for the information.
ReplyRoses, Airs and Graces By Susanna Magdalene Flavius
available at lulu.com, amazon.com, barnes and noble,com
Checkout Male Model Fabien on the cover before he dissappeared out of the limelight and Female Model Vicky who looks like Pamela Anderson with black hair or could it be?
ReplyOr and before I forget, if you drink only 4 to 6 cups of coffee without food you can lose 2 to 4 a day. It don't matter what coffee you buy in the shop. It could be cheap coffee. I've tried the coffee fast.
But it is hard though cause you feel dizzy, but losing 10 pounds in 5 days is preety hard going, sometimes I cheated by having 8 biscuits at the end of the day just before bed to ease the hunger.
Reply