Weight loss pills

It is widely known that excess weight can lead to many health problems and diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, sleep apnea, depression, osteoarthritis, and much more. If you suffer from obesity and do not want to end up with severe consequences, you need to undertake some serious actions, such as a well-balanced diet, intake of effective weight loss pills and a good fitness program. For most people, the combination of these three elements is an effective way to shed excess weight and improve health.

People who are trying to lose weight should be aware of the fact that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) only approves a select handful of weight loss pills. These are such drugs as Xenical and Meridia, for those whose body mass index is more than thirty. However, it is known that these pills are somewhat less than effective. With the help of these weight loss pills, one will likely lose only 8 to 20 pounds per year. Because people can lose twenty pounds when they combine the intake of weight loss pills, an effective exercise plan, diet and counseling, it is difficult to gauge the effectiveness of the pills by themselves. In addition, well-supervised weight loss pill trials have a high dropout rate and decreased weight loss. This means that for some people, weight loss pills are not the solution to obesity, especially taking into account the expense factor.

This comes as no surprise. Even weight loss surgery is considered to be only a temporary solution to an obesity problem if the patient does not stick to a severe post-operative weight loss regimen. To sum it up, in general all radical methods such as weight loss surgery and obesity drugs are bound to fail because they create the impression that you do not have to control the situation anymore. Therefore, you tend to regain all that you have lost as a result of an operation or pills. However, only those people who lose weight and do not gain it back, and who change their habits and lifestyles can achieve permanent health benefits.

This is not, however, a popular notion. No pharmaceutical company will claim that their drugs are useless, because it will not be able to maintain its profits. No bariatric doctor will state that his or her operations have only short-term results, because that could dash the hopes of desperate obese clients. Finally, no overweight person wants to give up the belief that there is a quick and easy ways to return to normal weight. Many people are waiting for that ultimate weight loss pill, but it has not yet been invented.

Not only those people who suffer from chronic obesity these days are taking weight loss pills. There are millions of people who take these drugs although they may want to lose less than forty pounds. For example, the University of Michigan has published a study that proves that more than 25% of female student take diet pills, laxatives and diuretics in an effort to reduce their weight.

The problem is that it is difficult to assess non-prescription weight loss pills. They are simply not regulated at the same level as prescription drugs. This means that not all of their ingredients and dosages are appropriately tested, and the reporting of all harmful effects is not obligatory. In addition, there are not as many clinical trials conducted on weight loss pills that do not require a prescription. However, pharmaceutical companies make millions of dollars on these pills after aggressively and expensively advertising them. The FDA has discovered that it is nearly impossible to prohibit non-prescription pills, even with reports of injuries and illnesses.

In the past few years, herbal diet and over-the-counter pills have become extremely popular. They are actually being advertised as a way of ensuring that you are eating healthy. The pills contain some vitamins and other substances that are said to make herbal diet pill safer and healthier than other pills. However, these statements have not been clinically proven and some pharmaceutical companies that specialize in production of these drugs are under FDA and FTC investigations. This fact only serves to point out our eagerness to be able to eat what we want, and still lose weight.

There are two ways in which weight loss or over-the-counter pills can affect your weight: altering the chemistry of your body and curbing appetite or interfering with digestion to increase calorie intake. Appetite suppressing pills contain amphetamine-like ingredients like ephedra, or they boost serotonin or norepinephine levels. Drugs that affect digestion include fat-blocking elements known as lipase inhibitors, which include Chitosan and Xenical, carb-blockers as well as fiber bulking agents known as glucomannan.

In most cases, weight loss drugs are safe as long as they are being taken properly and under the guidance of medical supervision. Once the manufacturer’s instructions are disregarded, the problems begin. Some of these weight loss pills have a number of adverse effects such as heart problems, blood pressure issues, strokes and more. Over-the-counter drugs have an even wider range of adverse effects such as high levels of blood pressure, heart problems such as irregular heartbeats, palpitations, blurred vision, intestinal blockages, dizziness, insomnia, headaches, and depression. There are some cases where both non-prescription weight loss pills and prescription pills can result in life-threatening conditions. This means that safety is always important when it comes to obesity pills. Of course, one could argue that wars, cigarettes, and cars kill more people than obesity drugs, but it is always better to reduce the risk by consulting a doctor.

The real problem with weight loss pills lies in reliability. However, many people experience weight and motivation being affected by taking weight loss pills. These people became totally unsure about what they can eat and what they cannot, they lose their confidence and begin to rely on different non-prescription weight loss drugs. For some people, they lose record-breaking amounts of weight, and then gain more than they lost when they stop taking the pills. Long story short, weight loss pills can really serve to control your body and your mind and result in undesired dependencies.

You should always pay attention to the small print in weight loss product ads. While the ads themselves are screaming something like “Lose Weight Without Any Effort,” the small prints says that you should combine the intake of the drug with a balanced diet, or eat just a couple of times a day, or quit eating any high-calorie food at all. It can also be a combination of those three recommendations plus exercise. To sum it up, the small print is always more important that the whole ad. No long-term weight loss is possible without a low-calorie diet and exercise.

If you decide that you simply must take weight loss pills, consider the following tips. First of all, you need to look for a well-balanced diet that will help you to control your caloric intake. Try to stick to it as carefully as you can. In addition, try to focus on healthy eating and not simply on the calorie reduction. This is far easier than trying to count calories. Then, join an online weight loss forum and communicate with other people to get more motivation and encouragement. Having other people to lean on and to get advice from, you will be able to go through the process of losing weight faster and more effectively. This is a proven fact, and it demonstrates the benefit of people power to popping pills.

Last updated on Feb 15th, 2009 and filed under Weight Loss. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

2 Responses for “Weight loss pills”

  1. Healthy Development says:

    Weight loss pills can be effective and safe if they’ve been evaluated by FDA and used appropriately. But a correct lifestyle is the key to healthy and long term weight loss.

  2. Never give up! says:

    My sister, who is a nurse, was an overweight. This harmed her in her work … and also for her self-esteem. She followed and tried full of schemes, methods or tricks to lose weight; without success.

    Until she came across this ad on the Internet. It changed her life for the better! … Her new problem now is to renew her wardrobe. All her clothes are suddenly become too large for her. She is really happy about her discovery and she is really in good shape!

    This is another proof that we should never give up.

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