Friday, September 14, 2012

The Truth about Amberen (TM), Menopause, and Belly Fat

I'm going to pull my hair out if I can't start changing what I hear.  I just  can't help but comment on this because I've been hearing about it on TV, on the radio, and in magazines:

WANTED:  Menopausal women who want to lose that stubborn belly fat.


And I read this on the official website for Amberen:

"I lost tons of weight, I'm slim, I feel more feminine, I feel more sexy, I have more energy, and I'm just happy!"

 Amberen hit the market in a big way in 2012.  And their marketing campaign is serious.  They are spending millions of dollars on the fact that women are not happy after menopause.  They are depicting us as unhappy, not "feeling sexy", fat (especially in the belly), tired women.  It makes me sick.  Now, comes along Amberen, a pill that makes you thin again.  Amberen helps get rid of belly fat.  Amberen helps with menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and low libido.  If you're a menopausal woman, you can probably relate.  But, alas!  We finally have a pill to make us happy!  This "magic pill" will melt away belly fat!  It will increase our libido and make us feel happy!  It will give us our femininity and our energy back!  Hallelujah!

So, buy your 30 day risk free trial and you get:
  • 30 day supply of Amberen
  • Weight Loss Guide
  • Amberen Diet Menu
  • Weight Loss Consultations (with expert nurses)
  • (and of course...you may be automatically signed up to receive Amberen at regular intervals on a pre-pay basis...watch out!)
Wait a minute...there's a weight loss guide?  And there's a diet menu?  Holy smokes!  You mean I might actually have to change my lifestyle and change the foods that I eat (and perhaps the quantity as well)?  Yes, that's right!  In order to lose the belly fat, you must take your "magic pill" AND subscribe to a weight loss guide and diet.

Well...should I say it now, or should I say it later?  DUH!!!


Of course you should adhere to weight loss guidelines and a "diet" (which, if you ask me, I'm going to say, just switch to healthier foods and regular exercise).  In fact, you could just read the weight loss guidelines and the diet menu AND NOT TAKE A PILL - AMBEREN - and you would probably still lose weight and most likely the belly fat too.  It's called changing your lifestyle!

You see...what the makers of Amberen have done is one of the oldest tricks in the book.  They have sold you (menopausal women) a "magic pill" that will make you happy, slim and sexy!  And, because it's a "magic pill", not just a program, they can charge you money and make millions of dollars!

Read all their studies and their testimonials and even the ingredients and you won't find anything new.  There have been "remedies" for menopause for years:  drink more water, wear lightweight clothing, decrease intake of caffeine and alcohol, and add a variety of herbal medicinals, some with proven effects.  

In the end, menopause is a state of life.  It is merely the end of our child-bearing years:  part of the cycle of life.  I can't argue that the loss of estrogen can indeed put fat where we don't want it (your belly):  that's documented science.  However, we need to find other ways to be happy instead of focusing on belly fat!  Don't spend your money on a pill that probably won't work without a weight loss guide and new diet.  Instead, accept your body for what it is, it is not your soul, just your body and we love you for who you are. I've barely touched the tip of the iceberg, but I feel that a weight has been lifted off my chest.

If, however, you want to change your lifestyle, you better be prepared to put in some hard work, physically, nutritionally and emotionally.  Shamelessly, I will plug my own "Change Your Lifestyle:  Change Your Weight" program, an 8 week Email/Video program with optional phone coaching that can help you reach the same goal WITHOUT A MAGIC PILL!  You will have to actually put in some work and change your current habits in favor of healthier choices, but the choice is ultimately yours.

A "magic pill", or a lifestyle change.  Live 365fitt!

43 comments:

  1. You are absolutely right. I work out hard every other day, on the days i don't work out at home, i am walking outside.. I changed my diet, cut out sugar, white flour, no fried foods, bread , pasta, candy.... the obvious things. My belly has been through two C-sections , so i don't expect to look like i did in my twenties, but i feel sexy and i am fit and healthy.

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    1. Ditto, I do the same, had 2 c-sections & 2 surgeries after that, one of which was a hysterectomy, so, I was cut up & down 4 times & have a lopsided belly! I work out & walk & have cut out the same foods as you. I lost 55lbs in 6 months & have kept it off until this past fall, I gained 10lbs & am having hard time loosing it back but I am down 3lbs so far. I will get rid if it this summer. Hard work & commitment pays off ladies. My hubby says I look great & I feel sexy too!

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  3. Remember that belly fat is a combination of several factors: genetics (that's your body type - i.e. do you look like your mother?), stress, diet and exercise. If what you've been doing hasn't been working for you, you first have to make a detailed list of what you've been doing: because it isn't working! That includes raising your awareness about your physical activity and nutritional habits and food intake and stress. I like using online software to do this but a simple notepad will also help. Then, sit down with a professional, and identify 3 key behaviors or habits that need to change. More than that and you'll get confused. Pick one physical, one nutritional and one emotional (stress) behavior that you CAN change. I said CAN because it's possible, not improbable. Don't pick the impossible. Focus on changes, not eliminations. Start with baby steps. Once you've changed those behaviors, you've figured out how to adopt good habits and switch them out for bad habits. Once those habits are set, pick no more than 3 new behaviors to change and keep the process going. Let me know if you need more specifics.

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    1. I'm sorry to tell you this but it DOES work! Maybe not for ALL women, but for enough that it should be looked into by ALL women. I DID loose weight and I DID feel MUCH better and the hot flashes STOPPED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't get me wrong, there a lot in what you say. But Menopause is a REAL problem, and poo-pooing women needs to stop. YEAH Amberen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  4. Well...I'm not convinced. I gave up bread, pasta and I do HIIT exercise every other day. Still can't control belly fat or lose weight. It's been two and half months. Considering Paleo.

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    1. Colleen - for sure, hormones play a huge role in belly fat, the slowing of our metabolism, and weight gain, especially after menopause. But, there are so many other factors too. I like that you do HIIT every other day - but hope that it's balanced with longer lower intensity exercises sessions as well. While I don't know your exercise routine specifically - I do know that working out in the wrong zone, won't help you necessarily switch up your metabolism. Also, two and a half months isn't a long enough time to change your metabolism, depending on how long you've been "fighting" it. Also, stress seems to be a major predictor of belly fat in many women. What's your stress level? (I have a stress survey on my website under Training/resources). Finally - what I'm really getting at in this article is that a pill is not going to make a difference unless all the other aspects of lifestyle are in sync too - nutrition, emotional wellbeing, and physical activity. And - their marketing irks me. "When was the last time you were happy with your body? Age 40?" Really? They are totally getting emotionally hooked because 90% of women probably don't like their bodies!

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  7. I took amberen and my hot flashes and night sweats stopped, l was less moodier and l did loss weight in my mid section. I am not a fan of taking any medications other than vitamins so l was a skeptic in the beginning but Amberen worked for me!

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  9. To Anonymous and Anonymous...because I get a large volume of spam, I do not reply to responses left without names. I would be happy to engage in a conversation however, if meaningful. Kathy

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    1. I've used amberen for a few years to deal with night sweats. After reading her article, I've decided to stop using it. I did the lifestyle changes. I cut out mycotoxic foods (grains, sugar, corn, peanuts, pistachios, processed foods, anti-biotic and growth hormone injected meats), which changed my gut flora and boosted my immune system. No more pharma for me, use lots of herbs and spices. Been doing this for about seven years now and the lifestyle choices have reversed cancer cells, severe arthritis, chronic UTI's and yeast infections, lowered my bad cholesterol and increased my HDL's. I'm almost 50 and people think I'm in my 30's.

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  10. Amberen actually worked for me in the hot flashes and night sweats..which I am grateful for..I haven't lost a ton of weight, a little but I eat very healthy and work out at least every other day...I don't think the weight will ever fall off which depresses me a ton..was a size 8 even after 5 children and all of a sudden I look in the mirror and boom there is my mother lol...but I will continue to take it for the hot flashes and night sweats...

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    1. Carylann - I agree that Amberen probably helps w/ the hot flashes and night sweats, all of which are wretched. I remember waking up soaked in the middle of the night, for weeks at a time, then, like magic, they were gone for a month, then, back on for a month - and so it went for about a year. I still wake up "warm" once in awhile, but not like it was. That being said, stick w/ Amberen for those if it helps.

      With regard to being a size 8, getting belly fat: I get angry when Amberen touts their product as the solution for belly fat, promising with their slick marketing that you'll look and feel sexier again. Of course, who doesn't want to feel better and sexier, especially women menopausal. It's a hook and a line that many women cling to, because they want to feel better emotionally about themselves.

      So, know that you can look better, feel better, but it'll take some work to get there. Changing your exercise habits does more for you (both your looks and your health) than just about anything. Stubborn belly fat can come off - probably a combination of high intensity intervals and long endurance training. But it has to be consistent. Changing what you eat (now and forever) is a lifestyle change, not a diet, and should lean towards vegetables, lean meats, fruits, and should stay away from carb rich foods (rice, pasta, bread) and processed foods.

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  11. I never bought it to "Loose Weight" so I was not disappointed. I did however try it to help w/ my mood swings and hot flashes and I could not be happier. If you want to loose weight, she is right...change your lifestyle but it is still really hard at my age ~ 50. Especially in my stomach and with "every time of the month" I feel like a balloon. But Amberen has really helped w/ the PMS/Menopause symptoms. It may not for you but I am happy it did for me and so is he. In fact I am placing my 4th or 5th order right now. I DO NOT go the 3 months without! I do however skip everywhere from 1-3 days during MOST weeks. Thx for reading ~

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  12. Lifestyle changes are important - we need to adjust the way we live to the season we are in: food, movement, and factors like stress, sleep, supplements, spirituality. All of these are cogs in our health, weight, shape, and happiness.

    However, calling "menopause" a "state of life" that can be addressed with diet and exercise and a "live with it" attitude is INCREDIBLY irresponsible as well as demeaning to your audience. Telling women "not to focus" on their belly fat is like telling someone not to think about red bicycles - it's just unhelpful.

    Did you take Amberen? Do you have any studies to cite? Any expert scientific opinions? Even some anecdotal evidence? NO? Then this article isn't "the truth" - it's the opinion of someone who has no experience with the product. And that means you gave away your credibility for the drama of it.

    Menopause brings extreme new realities into a woman's life. She will need new strategies for being healthy and for looking the way she wants. She will need to sift through the symptoms - hot flashes, poor sleep, loss of bone mass, moodiness, loss of libido, etc - and work with professionals (clearly not you) to see which ones need remediation and what that will look like.

    Feeling good inside your body, feeling good about your body - this crucial to our ability to enjoy this one walk on this Earth. Happiness with ourselves is part of the meaning of life. Dismissing possible solutions without evidence and dismissing women who seek solutions and won't accept suffering makes you an awful advocate for women's health. Do better.

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  24. I agree with the lady who asked you if you had ever used Amberen. I eat very well---as much fresh greens as possible, etc.etc.etc. And I exercise using multiple tools and techniques. Not going into them here. But the hot flashes and trouble sleeping were awful anyway. Amberen made all that go away. And it is not the usual stuff, as you say. If you go to their site, and really explore it, you will see that it was developed by scientists originally for astronauts to deal with weightlessness. It has been clinically tested and makes available, to physicians and patients alike, the results and the safe and effective nature of the product.

    I am suggesting strongly that, before you bash a product so resoundingly, you look at it in detail. You could dissuade women who could really use the help from getting it!

    It's always good the make healthy changes permanently for optimal health. But struggling through the very real symptoms of peri- and menopause unnecessarily because of what someone, who hadn't used or investigated the product, said about it is a misuse of internet space. I'm sorry. You can make your point about healthful living without bashing a product for no good reason.

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