You may have come across promotions on the internet by companies giving away 'free samples' of their supplements.  All you have to do is pay for the shipping and handling.

I see them from time to time and usually have a look to see where the catch is.  More often than not you will find buried in the small print of the terms and conditions that you are committing to a regular monthly shipment of the product and that it is automatic UNLESS you specifically cancel it.

But, even that can  be problematic as many of these companies do not provide phone numbers, physical addresses or even email addresses.  The only point of contact is through a webform.  Often these companies are not even companies at all but individual marketers working from home without the infrastructure to support customer complaints etc. 

In some cases they may be a company with premises but they choose to ignore the complaints until they get so severe that the FTC or some other authority steps in.  These people and companies do the industry a gross disservice so it is pleasing when they are caught up and brought to court such as Ultralife Fitness Inc in Utah. But, then they got off lightly.

They were giving away 'free' samples of Hoodia but then continuing to bill the people who were taking advantage of this offer.  For more details about what they were doing please click here.

I don't know if the Hoodia was genuine but probably not.  We investigated Hoodia a few years ago but the evidence supporting its efficacy was weak. But, more importantly it was almost impossible to get the genuine ingredient as it is a restricted export from South Africa.  We purchased some samples from a major US ingredient supplier who had all the 'supporting documents' but when we sent it away to a laboratory for testing it did not contain Hoodia at all. 

There is no miracle weight loss substance.  The only way to safely and permanently lose weight is by adhering to the simple equation which is burning more calories than you eat.  Easier said than done I agree...but the only way at the end of the day.  Some ingredients may help reduce hunger but the best solution is to focus on your general overall health.

When you are healthy and feel well it is much easier to moderate and/or modify your diet.  Often hunger is a symptom of a nutrient deficiency which can lead to cravings.  Many people have found that their weight loss goals have been aided by a combination of Total Balance and Omega 3.  This is understandable as the Total Balance will give a boost to the health of your organs and general system which in turn creates more energy and makes it easier to eat less and exercise more.