I was on Twitter earlier today and met a young lady who mentioned that she needed to lose weight. Within seconds she was spammed by bots advertising the latest miracle weight loss pill. I know how she feels, it's happened to me. It got me thinking about all the different commercials and ads I've seen that sponsor safe and effective weight loss, and my past experiences of taking a few of them.
Let me just say, several of them just made me sick or jittery beyond belief, and I was still the same weight. I stopped taking them and realized I just needed to "eat less and move more" (as a very funny Scottish-American comedian once advised).
I do understand the need for them. Some people have difficulty losing weight the normal way. Recent studies have shown that more and more people are getting overweight every year. This happens not only to adults but even to kids who have just started in school. A lot of factors cause this to happen such as genetics, overeating, the type of food taken into the body and as people age, the metabolism slows down making it harder than before to burn the food that was just consumed.
There are many ways to solve this problem. Some have decided to undergo surgery, while others have decided to change their diet and exercise more often.
Since this takes time and most people can’t wait to get rid of the extra weight, these people have decided to take the fastest way out which is through the use of weight loss drugs.
Okay, here's my little disclaimer: I personally DO NOT advocate the use of pills to help you lose weight. I'm all for doing the old fashioned way by healthy diet and exercise. For those of you that feel you must use them, it's entirely your decision but I would advise that you check with your physician before you start taking them.
In the 1950’s until the late 90’s, doctors prescribed drugs for weight loss. The drug works by increasing the serotonin levels in the brain that makes the brain believe that the stomach is already full and thus, increases the person’s metabolic rate. It was only after scientists discovered that these drugs had side effects and were related to cause heart valve disease that these were taken off the shelves. Later on, new drugs were developed and prescribed by doctors and many of which are still waiting for FDA approval.
Most people have known friends or family members who have tried using diet pills and have seen tremendous improvement. The idea that a simple drug can change everything without the need to change the diet or sacrificing anything is very tempting. This has made consumers spend millions of dollars every year and has given drug companies a lot of money making and selling the drug.
Diet pills can be purchased either over-the-counter or prescribed by a doctor. Even with the advances in medical technology, these drugs can still cause a lot of health related problems which can be unpleasant such as diarrhea and vomiting, harmful such as tightness in the chest and urinary tract problems and fatal such as a heart attack or a stroke. An overdose of the diet pills can cause tremors, confusion, hallucinations, shallow breathing, renal failure, heart attack and convulsions.
The side effects vary depending on the lifestyle and health of the person and can be minimized as long as one consults the doctor first before buying it. That was not true in my case. My doctor thought it would be safe for me to use, but we both didn't anticipate how the caffeine and other stimulants in the pills would affect me.
Should one decide to stop using the drugs, studies have shown that there are also side effects. These include noticeable mood swings, hyper-activity, and pain in the stomach, insomnia and nightmares, severe irritability, extreme fatigue, depression, nausea, vomiting and trembling.
A lot of clinical tests will show that the drugs taken to lose weight really work. But this can only work if it is done with a low calorie diet and an exercise plan.
A good diet should have food from all the food groups. This should have vitamins, minerals and fiber. A lot can come from oats, rice, potatoes and cereals. The best still come from vegetables and fruits since these have phytochemicals, enzymes and micronutrients that are essential for a healthy diet.
A person can jog every morning, sign up and workout in a gym or purchase an exercise DVD or program that they think they'd enjoy using at home. Just like taking any medicine, one should first consult the doctor before undergoing any form of exercise.
The best exercise plan should have cardiovascular and weight training exercises. This helps burn calories and increase the muscle to fat ratio that will increase ones metabolism and lose weight.
I don't know about you, but I don't think it's worth it. I'd rather take it slow and feel healthy than take the quick route and end up in a hospital (or worse).
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