A Caution About Diet Pills
by Ask a Healer
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Are you considering prescription diet pills to help you lose weight? There are important considerations and potential consequences to that decision.Please note that this article primarily talks about prescription weight loss supplements and not their over-the-counter counterparts.
Many OTC weight supplements are just expensive diuretics or purgatives. Others are little more than large doses of caffiene. Because they don't require a prescription, some may assume they are safer than prescription diet pills and use more than the recommended dosage. I lean toward the herbal or nutritional supplements like garcinia gambogia or supplements that contain herbs like cardamom or black pepper for weight loss support. However, if you read on you'll see that I don't recommend depending on any weight loss supplement for healthy, safe weightloss. There are dietary changes and lifestyle changes you may also need to consider.
Positive Changes or Pill Popping?
You may have guessed by now that I don't personally feel that any of the OTC non-nutritional and non-herbal formulas provide true weight loss support and some contain ingredients that can adversely effect the nervous system, place strain on the kidneys and mess with the metabolic setpoint over time. There are some nutritionally based products that naturally
support faster metabolism and easier weight gain, and also some good herbal combinations. Talk with a nutritionist or herbalist about those options rather than the simple stimulant/diuretic/purge formulas.
Are you already using prescription diet pills? If so, please visit the FDA's page on dietary supplements warnings and safety to see what they might be saying about your drug of choice for weight loss. Even if your particular pill isn't on the warnings and safety page, should you elect to use prescription diet pills as part of your weight loss program, if that's all you do the weight loss will most likely be temporary. If you use stimulant diet pills repeatedly, you run the risk of messing up your metabolic set point to the degree that losing weight becomes progressively harder. This is because any thermogenic supplement changes your setpoint artificially. Because the weight can often return plus a few pounds once you go off the medication, repeated use and the yo-yo dieting that usually accompanies such a choice can effect your health over time, as well. Slow and steady wins the race, when it comes to healthy weight loss.
Permanently Resetting Metabolic Setpoint:
While there are many prescription diet pills that arethermogenic and
definitely jump start a sluggish
metabolism so that weight falls off quickly at first, the brutal truth is that
the body does not allow you to lose weight faster than what is considered
healthy to the system.
What does that mean? Basically that the body protects it's own life and views rapid weight loss as a threat. Losing weight too fast is a sure recipe for gaining back the weight plus some. The weight comes back on faster than it left, plus a
few pounds.
Why Holistic Weight Loss is Slower:
In order to begin to retrain your
metabolic energy system, an overweight person who has been that way any
length of time should expect to stay with any weight loss regimen at least 3
months and to maintain a healthy lifestyle of eating for at least 3 years after
that time, for the change to be permanent.
Of course, after 3 years, why
would you ever go back to the old ways! Patience will pay dividends of better
rest, more emotional balance, more energy, better health AND permanent weight
loss. It's the best way to put an end to struggles with weight.
Most who want to lose weight, want to lose it yesterday. The appeal of prescription drugs is that you can see apparent results quickly. However, the longterm effect can be disappointing. With the holistic approach to weight loss, the entire lifestyle is considered and tweaked for health's sake. Emotional eating and eating while stressed are two very significant areas to examine in the holistic approach to losing weight permanently. In keeping with the wholistic, whole-being approach of the wholistic health professional, your general state of health aside from weight issues is also carefully assessed. Underlying conditions that can make weight loss harder include chronic stress, digestive problems, eliminatory congestion, parasites, blood issues, thyroid issues, insomnia, systemic yeast and heavy metals.
If you are dealing with any type of health probem or condition in addition to the weight, your body will place the priority on healing first, which means that a holistic approach to weight control may first result in a balancing of the health concerns, before the weight starts to come off. This is exactly as it should be. An overweight person will have better success in losing weight if they first focus on any pressing or serious health conditions and challenges within the system. Strengthen the system first and then the weight will more naturally leave.
Unresolved anger is often a hidden emotional factor in weight gain. When we "stuff" our feelings, we tend to also stuff our face! If you feel that unresolved anger issues might be a factor in your struggles with weight, seek anger management assistance.
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Weight Loss Disclaimer: While I believe it is always healthier to support the body in restoring it's own natural weight regulating system, prescription weight loss supplements can sometimes be used with good result in an otherwise healthy individual. I would strongly suggest discussing the risks of taking such supplements if you have kidney or liver problems and also would strongly suggest discussing longterm risks of addiction.
