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By: Steve Hodas

Several people have expressed interest in the Cybergenics program. This may answer some questions. About two months ago I decided to go on my first-ever diet. Over the past couple of years I'd gone from being definitely slim to definitely not. Within the past year I'd gone from about 150 to 180 lbs (I'm 5'8" with a deep chest, broad shoulders, and no ass), from a 33" to a 36" waist and my face was getting fat. I'd noticed ads for Cybergenics' Cybertrim product and thought I'd give it a try. Cybertrim is not their muscle-building product, which I think is called Cybergenics Phase 1, but rather is strictly intended for fat loss. For those of you who just want the short answer, I lost 17 lbs in six weeks, going from 29% to 19% bodyfat. Details follow.

The Cybertrim 6 Week Megafat Loss System consists of a sixty page booklet, four bottles of pills, a cassette tape, a wall chart for keeping track of your progress, and a set of plastic skin-fold calipers. You'll need an accomplice to take the skin-fold measurements. The plan itself consists of the proverbial sensible-program-of-diet-and-excercise augmented by the pills and detailed in the booklet. The booklet begins with a fairly thorough explanation of body composition and a set of detailed instructions, with photographs, on how to determine your lean body mass and fat percentage using caliper measurements on your bicep, tricep, subscapular area, and superiliac crest. Tables for translating the measurements into body-fat percentages are divided by gender and age. You're advised to pay greater attention to body-fat reduction than weight loss because it's presumed that you'll be adding muscle as you're losing fat.

Following this is a long and detailed discussion of dietary components and behavior, explaining how and why to alter your diet in what seems to be a very sensible manner. Since this was my first diet I can't compare it with anything else, but they prescribe a 1200-1500 cal/day intake that is very low in fat and simple carbohydrates and relatively high in protein and complex carbs. They reccommend allocating the calories over three meals, and cutting out caffeine, alcohol, and red meat. The booklet presents several differnet sample days of menus, each of which distributes your allotment of protein, vegetable, complex carb, and fruit somewhat differently to suit your preference.

Lastly, the booklet discusses excercise. Unlike their muscle-building program, the Cybergenics fat-loss plan suggests a moderate and reasonable commitment to both aerobic and anaerobic workouts. I settled on going to the gym four times per week. On each visit I begin with 24 minutes on the Lifecycle, for an indicated ~200 calories, followed by a slightly-serious free weight workout on either shoulders, chest/back, or arms. I follow this with another 24 minute/200 calorie ride on the Lifecycle. I probably don't need to tell you how good it feels to get aerobically fit for the first time, and my strength has also improved considerably. I'm surprised to find that I look forward to going to work out.

The cassette tape serves as a motivational introduction to the program, and stresses the importance of changing behavior patterns to achieve lasting results. Neither the booklet nor the tape make specific promises for results.

Finally, there's the Cybertrim 'formula' itself, according to the booklet, the formula consists of the following:

"Four special supplement formulas to help attack and maintain the highest rate of fat loss possible:

-Sustained release essential growth blend consisting of vitamins, minerals and other essential growth factors. This multi-nutrient formula is designed to help maintain total nutrient balance and provide essential biochemical factors for efficient metabolism.

-Night-time formula contains the amino acids Arginine, Lysine, and Glycine which have all been shown to increase the amount of growth hormone (a hormone needed to burn fat). Medium Chain triglycerides are also provided to act as a catalyst for fat metabolism.

-The Lipotropic Complex contains a unique combination of nutrients that are proven to improve the metabolism of fatty acids, and thus, increase the rate of fat loss.

-The Amino Citrus Fiber Complex has several actions on fat loss, including appetite control, fat sequestering, and increased retention time of meals in the stomach, causing a longer sensation of saity [sic]. Several components of this formula have been clinically proven to significantly increase the rate of fat loss."

Cybertrim Ingredients

The following list of ingredients is taken from the bottle labels themselves. All the bottles are labeled as being "Not for use by pregnant or lactating women".

#1: VITAMINS/MINERALS PLUS (1x/day with a glass of water)- Calcium Phosphate, Whey, Vitamin E, Lecithin, Ferrous Fumerate, Lemon Bioflavonoids, Choline Bitartrate, Stearic (vegetable) acid, Potassium Chloride, PABA, Wheat Germ, Hesperidin, Rutin, Zinc Oxide, Magnesium Oxide, Vitamin A Acetate, Manganese Sulfate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Kelp, Selenium Methionate, Magnesium Stearate, Copper Sulfate, Silica, Pyfidoxine HCl, Riboflavin, Thiamine HCl, Chromium Picolinate, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Molybdinate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin K.

% US RDA per Cybertab: 100%- Vitamins A, D, E, B1 (Thiamine), C, B2, Niacin, B6, Folate, B12, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid, Iron, Zinc, Iodine, Copper; 25%- Calcium, Magnesium; 12.5%- Magnesium.

#2: SUPERLIPOTROPIC COMPLEX PLUS FIBER (3x/day prior to meals, with a glass of water)- Calcium Phosphate, Whey, Choline Bitartrate, Natural Fiber Complex, Inisitol, Taurine, Glycine, Lecithin, dl-Methionine, Carnitine Tartrate, Inosine, Ferulic Acid, DL-P henylalanine, Magnesium Stearate, Lipoic Acid.

#3: NIGHT-TIME FORMULA (1 before bedtime, with a glass of water)- Glycine, Calcium Phosphate, L-Lysine, L-Arginine, Medium Chain Triglycerides, Acacia, Magnesium Stearate.

#4: SUPER AMINO CITRUS FIBER COMPLEX (3x/day prior to meals, with a glass of water)- Amino Citrus Fiber Complex 1400mg (from a blend of plasma proteins, vegetable and citrus fibers and digestible gums), Dicalcium Phosphate, Whey and Magnesium Stearate.

Something in one of these is a mild diuretic; for the first couple of weeks I was pissing constantly. After that it seemed to have little diuretic effect. Interestingly, the count of pills in the bottle varied pretty widely, with two being short and two being long. None had the number of pills listed on the label. The vitamin pill was the shortest (two days worth) and #3 was longest, by three days. None of the pills tasted bad or were poorly formed.

The Results:

As I said, I lost 17 pounds over the six weeks, and went from 29% to 19% body-fat. Here are the specifics, week by week.

                Start   W.1     W.2     W.3     W.4*    W.5*    W.6 


Skin Fold, mm   80      56      48      38      36      36      36 


Weight, lbs     182     178     176     172     169     166     165 


% fat           28.8    24.2    22.4    19.7    19      19      19 


Lean Mass, lbs  130     135     136.6   138     137     134     134 


Body Fat, lbs   52      43      39.4    34      32      32      31 

*Note: Something is clearly aberrant in the Week 4/5 measurements. It seems unlikely that the three pounds lost in that interval came from lean mass rather than fat. Probably the measurements were somehow messed up.

So there you have it. I'm pretty pleased with the results, especially considering how relatively painless it was. Overall, I found the plan to be reasonable, well-thought out, sensible, and even educational.

Order Cybertrim

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