Editor’s Note (June, 2015): Commenter Debbie once noted that Zephanol-HP was just "Liproxenol in a different bottle." Since the old Zephanol-HP site links now redirect to the sales site for Liproxenol Max, it seems reality has caught up with her observation. Zephanol-HP is no more.
I was alerted to the Zephanol-HP fat burner not by an email from a site visitor, but by reviewing the weekly list of search queries performed on this site. It’s one of the ways I stay on top of what visitors are looking for, and what perhaps needs to be added to UltimateFatBurner.com.
Anyhow, since last week’s list showed a pile of searches for a product called Zephanol-HP, I decided to have a closer look at it. Suffice to say I was not impressed. Really not impressed. First off, I can’t do a “traditional” review with an ingredient-by-ingredient breakdown, as they are not revealed anywhere on the main web site.
This was my first clue that something shady was going on; ingredient labels are required by law, and you can investigate product labels for every product stocked in any reputable online store. It is your right to know what is in the products you are taking. Not revealing the ingredients is not good, as it suggests the formula will not stand up to critique or criticism. Or that retailers do not want this product looked at too closely. Another thing to be concerned about is that nowhere is it revealed who is making this product – what company, where they are located, their physical contact data, and so on.
So instead of discussing the ingredients then, we’re going to take a look at some of the claims made on the web site, and show you how ridiculous they are…
Ridiculous, nonsensical, BS-claim #1:
“After years of scientific research and clinical studies comes the Ultimate Diet Pill. The Zephanol-HP capsule formula has been heralded by the medical community, leading newspapers, and weight loss specialists around the country. At last there is a safe, truly effective means to lose weight quickly.”
Isn’t it interesting that none of the highly respected people and organizations who “apparently” feel so strongly about this product are not willing to have their names associated with it? That’s not really much of an endorsement, is it?
The point of the matter is, the word of a real medical doctor holds a LOT of sway with the general public, so you can bet your “you-know-what” that if there really was a medical doctor somewhere who felt this way about this product, he or she would be featured front and center, in letters an inch tall. If there were leading newspapers featuring editorial articles (not ads) on the merits of Zephanol HP, don’t you think the retailers would link to it to demonstrate the authenticity of their claims? The fact that they have not speaks volumes.
The fact is, Zephanol HP has not been heralded by the medical community, leading newspapers or weight loss specialists anywhere… in any country.
Here’s what you need to know; endorsements from unnamed sources have no credibility because you cannot authenticate them.
Ridiculous, nonsensical, BS-claim #2:
“With the new Zephanol-HP Fat Liquidation plan featuring a remarkable Twice-A-Day Tablet – years of accumulated fat are quickly washed away.”
Wow. This product is a result of 4 years of scientific research, and its makers don’t even understand human physiology? Let me explain…
Why do we eat, and what is food to us?
Well, we eat for may reasons surely; for enjoyment, for social engagement, for fun, but the most important is that as living beings, food is our source of fuel, or energy. We need it to live, and thus we must eat every day, as long as we live. The energy of food is measured in a unit called a calorie.
Now when we eat something, the body uses the energy sourced from that food to perform its maintenance tasks (like maintaining a stable body temperature, keeping your heart beating and your brain operating) plus whatever else you happen to be doing. The problem arises when you take in more energy than you need. This is what happens when you eat a Big Mac meal for lunch and work a desk job. Your body requires minimal calories to sustain itself, and deposits the excess as fat.
Try this: think about a car for a minute. Its energy source is gasoline. If you fill your car up with gas, and then drive two blocks home and park it, what happens to the fuel? That’s correct; it sits in the tank until you use the car again.
Unfortunately, we are not cars. If your body cannot burn the energy you have provided it with, at the time you provide it, then it needs to be stored. While the body can store a limited amount of energy in the muscle cells and the liver, more often than not, this surplus of food energy is converted into fat and stored on your waistline, your butt, and your thighs.
To burn it off, you need to consume fewer calories than you require to sustain yourself, so the body is forced to turn to this stored energy source to make up the difference.
That’s how you lose weight. You can no more flush away fat then you can spin straw into gold. It’s a statement that is completely at odds with human physiology.
Ridiculous, nonsensical, BS-claim #3:
“You lose up to 5lbs of fat in the first 48 hours. You dissolve up to 10lbs of fat in the first 7 days. You lose up to 18lbs in just 2 short weeks.”
Again, this statement is completely at odds with reality (it will also get them into trouble with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the regulatory body whose job it is from marketers who use deceptive and unsubstantiated claims to market their products). Earlier I told you that fat was nothing more than stored energy. It’s also a pretty concentrated form of energy; 1 pound is the equivalent of about 3500 calories. Losing 5 pounds of fat in 2 days would be the equivalent to burning off 17,500 calories in stored energy.
So what, you say?
Well, if you remember that calories are an energy source, you’ll recognize that in order to burn them, you will have to do something. Despite what this retailer says, fat does not “flush away.” As an example, an hour of intense exercise on a treadmill might burn 500-600 calories for the average person. For the average person to create a caloric deficit of 17,500 calories, you would have to spend between 29-35 hours on a treadmill, working at near maximum capacity. Obviously, this is impossible in a 48 period.
What about the calories you burn daily? If you’re a relatively inactive woman weighing 150 pounds, you won’t require anymore than 1500-2000 calories per day. That’s 3,000-4,000 calories in two days. The makers of Zephanol are suggesting that their product will cause a person like this to burn off or flush out an additional 14,000 calories—as many calories as required for an entire week—in a mere two days. Again, impossible. There is no product or compound in the world that can do this!
Ridiculous, nonsensical, BS-claim #4:
“… if you begin to lose more than 15lbs/week we suggest you stop taking the product for 3 days. After three days you can re-start Zephanol-HP. Even though Zephanol-HP is 100% safe, it’s wise to not lose too much weight too quickly.”
Hahahahahahaha! That’s rich; 15 pounds in one week. Seriously, warning people not to lose weight to quickly is an old and cheesy strategy used by retailers to convince consumers that their product is so effective and powerful that they have to buy it, right now! In reality, there is no diet pill on the planet—over the counter product or prescription—that works this well.
The Bottom Line on Zephanol-HP
The sales copy and claims for Zephanol are so ridiculous they would be funny, if it were not for the fact that desperate consumers are falling victim to the claims. In fact, Zephanol-HP reminds me of Fat Foe, a bogus, made up product created by the FTC and the Competition Bureau of Canada to show how easy it is to dupe consumers with an official looking web site, bogus doctor’s testimonials, and more.
The bottom line is this; anyone who has such disregard for truth in advertising and overall disdain for consumers is not someone with whom you should consider doing business. Bad behavior should not be rewarded. Additionally, such disdain in advertising rarely transfers over to stellar, respectful customer support. The fact that the ingredients are not revealed show the retailers do not have enough confidence in their product to expose it to criticism.
None of this bodes well for Zephanol. Save your money. Do not buy this product.
November 27, 2012
FWIW Paul, a summary of the ingredients is tucked away in the FAQ page:
“Zephanol-HP contains the following all-natural ingredients: betaine, choline bitartrate, chromium picolinate, guarana extract, gymnema sylvestris, inositol, L-carnitine, and L-methionine. These ingredients are 100% natural and safe.”
Of the ingredients listed here, the only ones worth a damn for even modest weight loss are the chromium picolinate (blood sugar control), guarana extract (caffeine) and Gymnema sylvestre (more blood sugar control). While the rest are healthful enough, they’re pretty useless for stimulating fat loss when taken orally, in the kind of doses likely to be supplied by a product like this.
As an aside, the 4 BS claims noted above are the tip of the iceberg! I got a huge laugh out of these whoppers:
1. Here is what one M.D. said about this sensational diet aid: “It’s the best appetite suppressor I’ve ever run into; and this is my 49th year of medical practice.”
Who is this MD? Why is s/he anonymous?
Even worse, what does this so-called endorsement even mean? Is it based on personal use? If so, what does 49 years of medical practice have to do with anything? Is it based on patient experience? If so, why doesn’t s/he actually say this? The way this statement is phrased suggests that it’s invented… a real MD would be more specific.
2. Another top weight loss specialist had this to say: “…One of the best things in our arsenal against obesity… any normal person will lose weight… even people with unhealthy diets, who don’t improve their eating habits.”
Same questions: who is this person? Why is s/he anonymous? If we don’t know who s/he is, how can we assess the claim that s/he is a “top” weight loss specialist?
3. The nation’s largest newspaper reported the breakthrough of the Zephanol-HP formula this way:
“An amazing weight loss pill has been developed that will enable virtually anyone to lose weight easily – without trying to diet, without giving up favorite foods – and with no fear of dangerous side effects.”
ROFLMAO! The “nation’s largest newspaper” – so how come there’s no name… or better yet, a link to the relevant article?
Even worse, your average reporter would not make such a judgment. S/he would be quoting someone else (presumably a doctor or researcher). Who was it? You’d think that whoever quoted this bit would know!
If this even happened (which I very much doubt), the quote was likely from an ad for the product itself – which isn’t exactly a “report.”
4. Even a panel of experts for the Government has reported enthusiastically that this amazing formula is both safe and effective!
Ok, now we’re off the deep end of ridiculous. Any official government report of this nature would be publicly available on the relevant agency’s web site. There’s no earthly reason to not have a download link or reprint available, if such a report (or meeting transcript) existed.
Even sillier: they can’t be more specific than “a panel of experts for the Government”??? This is the epitome of dumb: what “the government” are they referring to? Is it the US… or Uganda? Is it federal? State/province? City/county? What was the agency? What was the purpose of the panel and its report? What sort of experts were they? Why would they be “enthusiastically” reporting on the effectiveness and safety of a formula when there’s no published scientific evidence of either?
The mind reels.
The lack of report; as well as any confirming information (such as a title, date, agency, etc.) that could be used to verify its existence, pretty much falsifies this claim.
Seriously: the FAIL is strong with one. Run, do not walk, away from Zephanol-HP.
June 10, 2013
I believe its Liproxenol in a different bottle and Liproxenol didn’t work