Elcella - anyone else trying it?

[Weekendofthoughts97]

Hi, name changed for this, I’ve purchased a month’s supply to try and I’m coming up to a week and think it’s really helped me to quieten the food thoughts. However taking it as recommended at lunch and dinner means the mornings are hard so I’m experimenting when’s best to take it. Just wondered if anyone else is trying it and how they’ve found it?

I am still on Bottle 1 but it really seems to work so far. In the first week I cautiously took half the amount advised in case it made me feel ill (it didn't). Now on the the full 2 x4 capsules per day, taking the first lot about 8-9am and the second lot about 2pm.

I am finding that the appetite suppressant effect is apparent in the morning but stronger in the afternoon/evening after the second dose. I was surprised but pleased to unexpectedly feel a bit of mood improvement too.
Completely different to WLI which I have tried both versions of and personally hated.

Scale down about 2lb so far. I would be very happy with their suggested average of 6kg total weight loss over 3 months.
Anyway we will see how long it continues.

So l revisited this in desperation.

Im on my 1st bottle second time around. This time I’ve really tried to listen to it. Somethings happening. I no longer feel threatened by chocolate and am not dreading Christmas because of this!

I still haven’t lost any weight, but I’ve been unwell and not able to move much. But I’m not gaining which is a start. And I’m only /2 way though first bottle.

Iys annoying that you have to sign up for 3 month though. But l guess it’s what’s needed.

For them to make money yes, otherwise the psychosomatic impact would wear off and no one would buy a second or third bottle. The fact it’s over the counter tells you everything you need to know, and the blurb on the delivery method is marketing spiel to get people to buy it.

it happens also with weight loss injections. 15 percent of people it doesn’t work for. And others not very well, but they desperately want to believe it works, it’s costing so much and it works for everyone else, right.,and so they race up ghe doses, hit 15 mg, then get diet fatigue and can no longer kid themselves, so they declare it stopped working, it didn’t, blood sugar, insulin, is still managed as before, digestion still slowed etc, for them they could always have pushed through the appetite suppression, as they never really had it, but as they spent so much money on it, they are determined if should work. Until they realise if doesn’t, and don’t want to admit they spent so much money on something that didn’t work for them,

however, there is something to be said for the placebo effect, and if spending hundreds of pounds helps people diet, as they want to believe it works, then I think it’s all good. Losing weight is the aim. But you need to keep it off and I think people taking elcella deep down know, so would never consider doing it for life, and most never more than 3 months,

No it’s not this at all.

I can keep it off, it’s antidepressants that have piled it on.

I can’t tolerate weight loss jabs. They give me horrific insomnia and anxiety and I’m sick of it. I’d take them if l could.

This is doing something even if it is placebo. What else would you suggest?

@Wildfairy I don't think it's placebo effect so far and I'm the very definition of a sceptic. Believe me, if I think it's not working I won't buy any more.
To me, the (women) scientists who invented it seem very credible. They also have their university behind them. It would have to be a hell of a hoax.

Started mine today - most surprising thing happened
took first lot at 9am suddenly at 12 I was ravenous - haven’t felt like that in a very long time!
took second at 2pm around 4:30 began to feel shaky as though blood sugar dropped - felt better after eating.

Weird - was it the Elcella? Or would it have happened anyway?
let’s see what tomorrow brings.

Yes, something a bit similar, although not so intense as yours sounds, it's quite hard to explain.

I definitely feel better after eating something though.
In the past I've had success from fasting, but this approach seems more like - eat as normal, but smaller amounts, less urge to eat snacks between meals, plus the effect of not being hungry seems to build up over the course of the day to mean less hungry for a big dinner or snacks in the evening

Hi! Do you have an update on your progress. Thinking of purchasing today would love to hear more stories as the reviews online are limited x

I’m on 2nd bottle.

Still waiting to feel a massive effect. Very very slight (very)

@DeeSantina Long but HTH.
I'm just about to start Bottle 2.
I started cautiously - 2 x 2 per day. Then I went up to 2 x 4. Then I moved back to 2 x 2. Now I am trying 2 x 3.
So I have not actually finished the first full bottle (because I haven't taken 2 x 4 each day) but have been going for 1 month.
I experimented with the doses (a) for caution because I tried Ozempic and Mounjaro both before, for a few weeks each, but really really hated the side effects so stopped and (b) to try and find the amount and timing of Elcella that works for me.
The summary so far.
Obviously it's very expensive.
However it seems to work (for me, so far). Meaning that I have seen a strong reduction in food noise, particularly after the second dose of the day and I'm eating less overall. My DH commented that this was noticeable. I've also had some mood improvement - like a slightly sunnier feeling. After one month it has all translated into a weight loss on the scales of about 3lb. And I can now do up a certain pair of jeans, which I couldn't before. The food noise reduction feeling is great. I've had a big bar of Tony's Chocolonely in the cupboard for a few days now (ie I haven't eaten it all up immediately). I also seem to be able to go longer without food and the journalist in the Times described walking past a cake shop ... me the same. This feels quite liberating, just as with the WLI. Do I think it is a placebo effect? No. Because like everyone else on here I've been on various diets and things for years.
I experimented with the timing of the dose of the capsules because I found that if I took Elcella on an empty stomach I seemed to feel kind of light-headed for at least a couple of hours. So for last couple of weeks I've taken them directly after a meal (breakfast and lunch) which seems to have got rid of the light-headed feeling.
There was a journalist from the ipaper who recently reviewed it. She commented that it made her feel more thirsty. I agree with this - I feel more thirsty too.
The TMI - obviously it's supposed to be working in your gut. So there are some effects for pooping. But without going into detail, for me these have been good not bad.
Looking at the info about the capsules, they are supposed to not dissolve in your acidic stomach, travel down into your intestine and then dissolve when they get to a certain more alkaline spot. So I have been trying to keep stomach-alkalising things eg Rennies or other things like certain teas out of the frame around the time of taking the capsules. I would actually be fascinated to know if any of the capsules are making it to the right place, or just some of them. For example, if you take proton pump inhibitor medication for acid stomach, does Elcella still work?
I can say at the end of one month that it's seemed to work for me so far and on that basis I've bought the second bottle. Will it still work in Month 2 - I don't know.
If anyone from the Elcella company reads this. It would be great to have a bit more info on your website eg a blog post about different ways to take the capsules eg before meals, after meals etc, different effects consumers are reporting etc. IMO honest reviews are much more powerful than blanket Slimming World magazine-type success stories.

*Edited to add the info about feeling thirsty.

I started 9th December - do fine 2 weeks.
i agree about timing - first two days I had terrible shakes like blood sugar was dropping massively - so reduced time before expected meal, this seemed to sort it.

over Christmas I’ve just made sure I’ve taken them twice a day - not worried overly about timings, as meals have been all over the place.
I definitely haven’t eaten as much, my bowels are more regular (better than when on WLI)
I've felt much better too.
My waist measurement has dropped by small amount and weight by about a 1lb - a win at this time of year!

Just wondering how you have got on? Have you continued and did you experience any weight loss? @superbiensur

I am coming to the end of my third bottle (but had a 3 week break before this bottle so not sure if that set me back). On the one hand I really have felt the appetite fall more significantly on this bottle, on the other it has been Christmas eating season - I have manage to maintain my weight despite eating unhealthier food and portions though (and I usually gain loads over this period). My sweet cravings - usually my total downfall - have noticeably reduced. Going to give another bottle a go and lean into January healthy eating and will report back if the loss accelerates - I can definitely feel it has kicked in much more than in the early weeks, it's not placebo for me

But it definitely has to be alongside calorie counting in my case - an aid to that (as for my height and age, I need help to stick to lower calories)

How do you think you're losing inches (Not even centimetres!) whilst not losing fat? It makes no sense. You can't be shrinking without losing body mass. Are you sure you're measuring properly? It took me a lot of fat loss to see more than an inch loss over my body.

@superbiensur have you lost weight? And if so how much?

I am losing weight as well (now one stone down after 3 months) but the inch loss around my middle shows the loss of visceral fat. I always carried stubborn weight in this area & I’m delighted to see it visibly reducing. After 3 months I’m working on reducing the dosage to see what works and I’m now down to 2 capsules twice a day. Food noise has not returned & I’m still having 3 small meals a day with no snacking, not even over Christmas. My goal is to be on minimal Elcella or none at all if I can maintain this pattern without it. This product works for me. I’ve been super-disciplined in following the guidance & being patient. I think the high cost made me determined to stick with it for the 13 weeks as otherwise the money would have been wasted.

About 3 pounds but I'd say it's only really kicked in more strongly over the last couple of weeks so am expecting more from now on. Still very expensive for that result!

🙄

Thank you @hungrymungry for your details response. I too have a big fear of side affects so will be doing the same with starting 2 x 2 a day. I am very paranoid of even feeling light headed so thank you for the tip about eating after food.

im starting tomorrow so will keep everyone updated. Will also read up on the ipaper review.

I’ve got Long Covid. I struggled with sensitivity to drugs before it, and now it’s a nightmare. I can’t even take some supplements.

Elcelka made me a bit thirsty and very very mild tummy ache. Nothing else😵

On side effects, meaning (in my book) an unwanted negative effect. I don't quite agree with what the Elcella company says about this. They say they aren't any. But from my own experience so far they seem to be very, very mild compared to WLI. Like, a minor or fleeting discomfort from Elcella compared to a full blown and incapacitating or frightening side effect from WLI (although I recognise some lucky ppl have no side effects from WLI).
Feeling extra thirsty (is this the body trying to wash the supplement away maybe?)
Feeling somewhat light headed or as @CuriousBat said, shaky (is this to do with blood sugar?)
A mild tummy ache as @ArseInTheCoOpWindow said. I have had this too. I would compare it to a having a hint of period pain (is this to do with microbes battling it out in the gut?)
Light sleeping. I didn't mention this in the post above but I find if I take the second dose too late in the day I don't sleep as well. So I have been trying to take the second dose by 3pm latest.

But as I would see it these are really mild inconveniences compared to the side effects from taking WLI which I have also tried.
So far (leaving aside the cost) the benefits have outweighed the inconveniences.
I seem to have more energy overall (eg I seem to be able to do more in a gym workout now). (This may be to do with the MCT component of the supplement??)
I feel less tired in the late afternoon (MCT again?)
I've got less food noise. Yesterday I only ate one square of chocolate and that was only because I remembered I hadn't eaten any and then thought "aha I should have some". This is completely different from what I am normally like.

I've had no side effects from Elcella at all. I briefly tried WLI and had cold/flu symptoms, severe constipation and low mood, hence preferring this option for now even though jury's out on the results at this stage.

Yes I definitely think it was low blood sugar - seems to be ok now 2 weeks on, we’ll see how I fair going back to work tomorrow

I think they kicked in about 3 days ago. So about 6 weeks in.

Suddenly couldn’t finish and sandwich and no real interest now. Food noise definitely reduced!