Diet Pills - Think Before you POP!

I was asked this question since October – how did you lose this weight without pills?

Today when we watch shows everyone is advertising to lose weight and keep it off, but there is always a catch – a magic pill. Now, do not get me wrong I love Dr. Oz, and because he recommended something I did actually look into some of the pills he suggested like Green Coffee Beans. Now before I changed my lifestyle, I did run to the store, rather online, and purchased a bottle of Green Coffee Beans. I took them almost every day, and did not see any major results, but then again I did not track my results. The pills did not make me sick or anything, but I just did not purchase anymore AFTER the bottle finished.

The problem most people have with pills is, you have to make sure you have enough in stock, and if you run out on the week you have low funds, chances are you will not purchase them again – so where does this leave you? Back on the same road you was on in the first place – living unhealthy. So before you decide to incorporate these “magic pills” make sure you are doing what is best for your overall health, not just to satisfy the number on your scale.

Pills are not the way to lose weight. There is no such thing as magic pills with no serious health conditions. In the past, I’ve taken pills such as Stacker 2, Green Coffee Beans, Green Tea, , Alli, Phentermine, and Slim Quick. The only one prescribed by a doctor was Phentermine, and I had another doctor who recommended Alli. But, regardless of what all of these pills came with serious side effects, and when I took them, I did not feel good about my decisions. For instance, when I took Stacker 2 I was literally sweating all day even when I was idle and my heart was racing rapidly all day. Taking Phentermine was an experience because it is an appetite suppressant. I was not as hungry as I thought, but I suffered emotionally. Even the doctor warned me about the possibility of me experiencing some emotional side effects; he did not want me to use this long term; therefore, it was not going to be a long term solution.

Developing a healthy lifestyle especially for those looking to lose weight means you have to find ways to change your outlook on life as it comes to food and exercising. You cannot want to depend on a pill to help you because chances are, once you go back to the regular rituals without the pills, you are going to revert back to your original state. The only pill one needs is pills that are going to work and make you feel better – like multivitamins. It is difficult to not want to buy these magic diet pills because we see the awesome before and after pictures of the models on the packages and the advertisements read you can lose 20 pounds in 20 days, but you have to think about the long term damage it will impact.

Researchers have looked at the diet pill industry, and have concluded these pills cause major damage on those who become dependent on diet pills. Prescription diet pills can assist in your weight loss, but it does come with a long list of dangerous side effects if taken long term (Dyer, 2009). So, if prescription pills come with side effects, then imagine the dangers associated with diet pills people purchase at the drug stores daily. In 2012, a young mother started to take the popular drug, Hydroxycut, and after only taking it for four days she had only slept one hour, and stabbed her daughter with scissors (Ritter, 2012). While it is not fully proven whether the drug had link to the mother’s rage, the fact she was “high” on this drug could lead one to understand why she was sleep-deprived. In 2009, the makers of Hydroxycut pulled the product from shelves because they received reports that an ingredient, hydroxycitric acid (HCA), used in their formula caused liver damage; presently the company reported they no longer include this ingredient (Smith, 2013).

As you seek to enter this long term healthy living journey you have to remember you did not gain the weight overnight, and you will not lose it overnight. It takes time to reprogram your mind and body because we do not want to force ourselves into a dangerous situation. Eating right and making better decisions will lead you into the direction of healthy. Listening to people and their success on these diet pills should not be the option you seek because just like they are not sure of the dangers the pills have on their body, you do not know how it is going to react to your body. Think before you do!

Resources

Dyer, A. (2009). Facts on Dangers of Diet Pill. Retrieved from Livestrong.com: http://www.livestrong.com/article/3175-facts-dangers-diet-pills/

Ritter, K. (2012, March 14). Danielle Yvonne Slaughter Allegedly Used Scissors To Stab, Kill Daughter Citing 'Evil Presence' . Huff Post .

Smith, D. M. (2013, February). Hydroxycut. Retrieved from WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/diet/hydroxycitric-acid-hydroxycut