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Have You Ever Tried Diet Pills?

FitSugar — Tue, 05 May 2009 03:30:00 -0700

As of last Friday, Hydroxycut diet aids have been voluntarily recalled after a warning from the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA had received 23 reports of "serious health problems ranging from jaundice and elevated liver enzymes, an indicator of potential liver injury, to liver damage requiring liver transplants" after using the supplement.

Hydroxycut pills, drinks, and powders are promoted as weight loss supplements that increase energy while boosting the metabolism. If you are using any Hydroxycut products, the FDA urges you to stop using them.

I am not a fan of diet aids as they represent a "magic pill" approach to weight loss, when I believe that losing weight requires sustainable lifestyle changes. However, we are a society hoping to have our cake and eat it too, and diet pills represent a quick fix. I am wondering . . .

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Wynonna Judd Uses Alli Diet Pills - Should You?

FitSugar — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 03:30:00 -0800

Wynonna Judd has been struggling with her weight both in and out of the public eye. In 2003, she opened up to Oprah about how her cholesterol levels were putting her at risk for a heart attack, and three years later, she checked into a treatment center for food addiction. Wynonna will be turning 45 in May, and she recently opened up to People magazine about the changes she's making to become more healthy.

Wynonna is planning ahead for meals, cooking more at home, and taking walks with her children. She is also taking Alli over-the-counter diet pills to lose weight, and is even a spokesperson for the diet aid. These pills act as a fat blocker, preventing your body from absorbing a quarter of the fat you consume. To find out more about Alli and see if it's effective at losing weight, read more.

Let me begin with the cautions found directly on the Alli website. It says that Alli can cause:

gas with oily spotting
loose stools
more frequent stools that may be hard to control

It also says that "You may feel an urgent need to go to the bathroom. Until you have a sense of any treatment effects, it's probably a smart idea to wear dark pants, and bring a change of clothes with you to work." Yikes! The website also says that if by dieting alone, you lose 10 pounds, you could lose up to 15 pounds if you diet and take Alli. Is five more pounds really worth it if it puts you at risk for repeatedly soiling your pants? I'd say no on that one. Not only that, but what happens when people use Alli, lose weight, and then go off those pills? They probably gain all the weight back.

If you're trying to lose weight for good, I'd avoid the diet pills. Eat a healthy diet with appropriate portion sizes, and exercise regularly. Not only will you melt away pounds and strengthen your body, but you'll become healthier, reduce your risk for heart problems and cancer, and will no doubt improve your quality and length of life.

In case you were curious, here's a commercial for Alli featuring Wynonna.

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Is Hoodia Safe For Appetite Suppressant?

FitSugar — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:30:00 -0700

When it comes to losing weight, I'm very wary of appetite suppressants. For one, I don't think popping pills instead of eating is healthy whatsoever, and I also worry about the effects of these pills on the body. One such pill, Hoodia gordonii (called hoodia for short), is gaining popularity. It's a cactus-like succulent plant only found in southern Africa, and it's been used for centuries by bushmen who needed to control their hunger on long journeys. South African scientists tested this plant and found it contains a molecule that seems to prevent hunger, which they call P57. The scientists patented this compound to use as a diet aid and licensed it to a British pharmaceutical company, Phytopharm. Scientists from Phytopharm say "P57 acts on the brain in a manner similar to glucose. It tricks the brain into thinking you are full even when you have not eaten. It reduces interest in food, and delays the time before hunger sets in." Interesting.

To find out if it's safe read more.

Just so you know, hoodia has not been evaluated by the FDA for safety, effectiveness, or purity. That means that all potential risks and advantages of hoodia may not be known. Additionally, there are no regulated manufacturing standards in place for these compounds, so that means many of the diet pills that claim to contain hoodia may not contain any of this compound at all. Phytopharm is the only licensed producer of hoodia, and they have yet to make a product, so the hoodia pills in stores right now are most likely just a waste of money.

That info alone would make me steer clear of hoodia pills, but the choice is up to you. If you are thinking about taking hoodia (or any other diet pills for that matter), talk to your doctor first.

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Over the Counter Alli: Cool or Not?

FitSugar — Thu, 17 May 2007 04:00:00 -0700

Do you guys remember me telling you about Alli the first OTC Diet pill approved by the FDA? The one that causes anal leakage? Remember?

Personally, I was hoping it would never really happen, but it has been announced the pills will go on sale on June 15th, 2007 at drugstores nationwide. I am curious if I am the only one that thinks the FDA should focus a little more on tainted foods hitting shelves in grocery stores than giving us another reason not to exercise and eat healthy. Oh wait; Alli claims that it’s only for you if you can commit to eating more sensibly and getting more physically active. Why can't we commit to doing that without anal leakage? Maybe I am a cynic, but what do you guys think about it?

First Over the Counter Diet Pill Approved by FDA

FitSugar — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 13:00:00 -0800

I have a pretty bad opinion of weight loss pills, I am not convinced there is a magic bullet. Nor am I convinced that diet pills are the answer to losing weight.

The FDA doesn't agree with me and has recently said the fat-blocking weight-loss pill Orlistat (aka Xenical), which has been available by prescription, can be sold in a reduced-strength version over the counter. The new version will be sold as alli (pronounced AL-eye by GlaxoSmithKline) and is the first nonprescription diet pill to be approved by the FDA. Alli is intended for people 18 and older to use along with a reduced-calorie, low-fat diet and exercise.

Alli will contain half the dose of Xenical prescription capsules and is expected to run $1-$2 a day. The company estimated 5 million to 6 million Americans a year would buy the drug over the counter. The important safety information directly from Myalli.com are as follows:

When using this product:

Take a multivitamin once a day, at bedtime. alli can reduce the absorption of some vitamins.

Follow a well-balanced, reduced-calorie, low-fat diet. Try starting this diet before taking alli capsules.

Alli capsules work by preventing the absorption of some of the fat you eat. The fat passes out of your body so you may have bowel changes.

You may get:
-gas with oily spotting
-loose stools
-more frequent stools that may be hard to control.

In studies, most people lost 5-10 pounds over 6 months.

To these points I say: Scary. Duh. Weird. Gross. That's it?!?!

The FDA also said that people who have had organ transplants should not take OTC Orlistat because of possible drug interactions. In addition, anyone taking blood-thinning medicines or being treated for diabetes or thyroid disease should consult a physician before using Orlistat.

I am seriously outraged that the FDA will approve something that causes anal leakage yet Stevia, the non-caloric herb has yet to gain the FDA's approval.

This is a backwards world we're living in.

Have You Ever Tried Diet Pills?

FitSugar — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 03:00:00 -0700

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I was perusing through a magazine last night and saw a huge ad for Alli, the first FDA-approved over the counter diet pills, and that got me thinking. As women feeling the pressures of having the perfect Barbie-body, I'm sure we've all had thoughts about how to get a quick fix. So I want to know...

WTF?! Fit Edition - Italian Expanding Diet Pill

FitSugar — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 17:15:00 -0700

So what do you think is resting peacefully in that hand in the photo to the left? A jelly fish? Why no, it is a diet pill. When I saw this on WIRED all I could think to say was, to borrow a phrase my buddy Giggle is so fond of - WTF!?

This is a new diet pill, still in the testing phase, that turns into a clear, gelatinous blob the size of a tennis ball to help fill up your stomach. The pill, taken with 2 glasses of water, gives the user a fake-full sensation, like having eaten a "plate full of pasta," but without having to deal with all those unwanted calories. It seems the Italian creators of this "innovative" diet pill were inspired by the increasing size of Americans waistlines when they visited our fair country back in the 1990s.

The pill absorbs the two glasses of water you drink after swallowing it and expands in your stomach. Made of hydrogel, this "water balloon" could produce an effect similar to gastric banding -- without the surgery. The scientists behind the pill said "hydrogel" is made from "biocompatible" material, so the body just flushes it out. The WIRED article did not give any time frame for this flushing process.

The pill may be on the market in both the U.S. and EU later this year depending on how it fares in testing trials.

Is it just me - or does it look an awful lot like a silicone breast implant?

There's another photo and if you want to see it you are just going to have to read more

This photo illustrates the "before" and "after" shots of the pill. What you swallow and what two glasses of water can do to it once it is housed in your stomach.

I am not sure you can tell, but I am thinking this is pretty bad idea. I know obesity is on the rise on an international level, but I really do believe we can all learn to control our appetites and begin to exercise more. I really do. Do you?

Glucomannan: A Safe Way to Lose Weight?

FitSugar — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 07:30:00 -0800

There is no shortage of crash diets and diet pills when it comes to losing weight fast and easy. Companies are even pushing natural supplements that they claim will help melt away pounds, like this one called Glucomannan. It's a water-soluble dietary fiber made from the corm (underground stem) of the Asian plant known as konjac. People take it because it slows down digestion and delays the absorption of glucose from the intestines. This supplement also absorbs a lot of water so it swells in your stomach, giving you a full feeling. Since it's natural, people think it's healthy and safe.

It's true that fiber is great to include in your diet, because it helps with constipation, and can lower total levels of cholesterol in the body, but is adding fiber in the form of glucomannan a good idea? To find out read more

Limited studies have been carried out to test whether this supplement really affects body weight. Not only that, but people taking glucomannan have suffered from intestinal and esophageal obstruction, and for that reason, it has been banned in several countries. Yikes!

So if I were you, I'd steer clear of glucommanan until more research can be done. I know it's not easy to lose weight the good old fashioned way of eating right and exercising regularly, but it really is the most effective way to lose pounds and keep them off.

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Internet Weight Loss Supplements: A Bad Idea and Bad For You

FitSugar — Wed, 21 May 2008 12:00:00 -0700

We've all gotten the spam messages in our inbox about pills promising immediate weight loss, without the help of diet and exercise. Sure, it may seem tempting, but new research has found that weight-loss supplements widely available for purchase online often include ingredients that are potentially hazardous to your heart.

I am not a fan of weight-loss supplements - I believe that the benefits of exercise and eating healthy far outweigh losing a few quick pounds. However, I know a lot of folks still invest in weight-loss pills, so I wanted to be sure that if you do, you know which ingredients raise a red flag in terms of safety. For a starter list of ingredients in weight-loss supplements that could be dangerous for your heart, read more.

Ma huang (also known as Chinese ephedra)
Bitter orange
Camellia sinensis
Green tea
Buckwheat
Guarana
Korean ginseng
Licorice root
Synephrine HCl
Caffeine anhydrous
Citrus aurantium

I was surprised to see that green tea made the list, but it does contain caffeine. It is better to drink your green tea than take it in a supplement form mixed with other questionable ingredients.

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Healthy Dose Link Time

FitSugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:00:53 -0800

Research indicates that Wii Fit won't really make you so - Daily Spark
Along with diet pills, Kim Kardashian is selling salads - That's Fit
Star of film Precious began dieting when she was just six - FitCeleb
New iPhone app simulates plastic surgery? - Never Say Diet
Boogie your pounds off and dance the night away - Shape
The color inside your Sigg bottle indicates its BPA status - Fit Bottomed Girls
Jude Law likes to do his workout on his balcony - Social Workout