Pills

Weight loss that comes in pill-form can be an alluring concept. Although weight-loss pills can support dieting and exercise plans, they are rarely a definitive lasting solution to weight-loss. Some pills, like the popular Hydroxycut, are merely caffeine in capsules. Other pills, like those that sport the herb hoodia, are not proven to help with weight-loss at all. The following is a look at popular diet pills, both prescribed and over-the-counter, that actually provide weight-loss results.

Over-the-counter diet pills

  1. Alli: This popular diet pill actually prevents your body from digesting 25% of the fat you consume by attaching to enzymes that break down fat. Alli is unique because it is an over-the-counter drug that has been FDA approved. Alli can help dieters block between 100 to 200 calories a day. However, eat too much fat, and the results aren’t pretty. Alli users have been known to run quickly to the bathroom because they are unable to control their bowels. The drug is recommended by doctors, but only for those who have a BMI of at least 25. The health risks involved with excessive weight gain outweigh the risks of using Alli. Alli users may experience vitamin loss, which can be especially dangerous for a user who does not have a lot of excess fat on his or her body.
  2. Lipofuze: This is a drug that has gotten extremely positive results from a variety of reviewers and testers. The reason is its effective combination of natural ingredients that combat weight-gain. Lipofuze combines ingredients like green tea, ginger, and guggelsterones (which help stimulate the thyroid resulting in an increase in metabolism.) Four of the ingredients are clinically proven fat-burners. The side-effects are fairly minimal since there are no stimulants to cause jittery behavior. Most tout this as a wonder-drug.

Prescription diet pills

  1. Meridia: You have probably seen commercials for this over-the-counter prescription diet pills. Meridia was created to be a short-term exercise and dieting support pill. It was created for obese people to help jumpstart weight-loss. Meridia works similarly to antidepressants by boosting chemicals in the nervous system in order to help suppress appetite. There are a plethora of contraindications and risks involved with taking this drug. Therefore, you and your doctor should decide if the benefits of taking this drug outweigh the risks. Patients have been known to lose up to 10% of their body weight as a result of taking Meridia. Whenever taking ANY prescription weight-loss pill, you should stay under the watchful eye of your doctor.
  2. Xenical: Similar to Alli, Xenical blocks up to 33% of fat from being absorbed into the body. Like Alli, taking Xenical can result in vitamin deficiency. It is ONLY prescribed to the truly obese and requires a low-fat diet. Considered a last-resort diet pill, Xenical is only prescribed to those who have not had weight-loss success through diet and exercise or through other diet pills. If patients take Xenical properly and follow the dieting support recommended for Xenical users, their weight-loss success is extremely high.

Diet pills should compliment… your diet!

Before taking any diet pill, prescription or over-the-counter, talk to your doctor. Do not be fooled by gimmicks: if a diet pill offers fast results, don’t expect those results to last, especially when you do not institute a proper exercise and diet routine. Diet pills should compliment diet and exercise plans. They should not BE the diet and exercise plan!