Diet "pills"

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1/17/13 12:22 P

don't work

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1/17/13 11:57 A

There is no magic "pill"....losing weight means fewer calories, greater exercise output...period.

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1/17/13 11:00 A

My sister used some green tea supplement pills a few years ago and she did lose quite a bit of weight.....but then she went off of them and now she is heavier than she was before she started.

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1/17/13 10:18 A

No pills are not the answer.

Last year I succumb to temptation and bought raspberry ketone, what a waste of money

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1/17/13 10:10 A

They are a crutch

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1/17/13 10:04 A

yes, I have tried them a very long time ago and of course they work but the minute you stop and you haven't changed the way you eat it all comes back on. I do not recommend them.

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1/17/13 9:48 A

NO!
They are a waste of money, time and can compromise your health.

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1/17/13 5:19 A

pills are not the answer!

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1/17/13 4:27 A

No

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1/17/13 2:46 A

THEMEDI8OR04210 - the problem with diet pills is that there is NO evidence that any of the over the counter ones work. For starters, most of them are unregulated, and don't actually have to do what they claim to do.

The other problem is that they don't really "kickstart" your loss. What people usually mean when they say this is that they want a fast start to motivate themselves. What happens is that they can't maintain this quick weight loss (which usually happens anyway for most people because of fluid loss in response to healthy living) and get discouraged when the rate doesn't stay the same.

Another problem with diet pills is that they teach you nothing. Even if they did work, the side effects aren't worth it, and when you stop taking them, you haven't dealt with the core problem: your overeating.

If diet and exercise isn't working, you need to figure out why. Diet pills are not going to solve that problem, and when you stop them, you're going to be right back at square one: Not working. If it's not something you want to do for the rest of your life, it's a short term solution, and not worth trying. There are no shortcuts, quick fixes, or easy outs.

Usually when our nutrition and exercise regimens aren't working, it's because of the following:

1) We're underestimating the calories we eat. Only 11% of Americans accurately know what they're eating. If you're eyeballing it, the odds are you're overeating andd not even realizing. it.

2) We're overestimating the calories we burn. Don't trust that treadmill readout! ;)

3) You're not eating the right things. All calories are not created equal! Sometimes, it's more than just calories in/calories out.

5) You haven't actually changed anything. If you've been doing the same things and nothing changes... well, if nothing changes, nothing changes.

YOu mention cheat days... well, stop having cheat days. :) It sounds like you're still in the diet mentality. You don't have to have cheat days! There is nothing in the world I can't eat. All those diets that claim you can "eat what you want and still lose weight?" They're not appealing to me, because I already am, and I already do. The trick is not turning off your brain for a day and eating whatever you want, it's always allowing yourself the things you want... in moderation.

If your program's not working, post about it in the diet & nutrition and fitness forums, and let us help you figure out why.

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1/16/13 3:19 P

I'm a little confused over some of the answers here. I think the question was whether people would ever use them to "help" - which I take to mean along with diet and exercise. Did I read this wrong? Because it feels like most people answered as if they were talking about JUST using pills. My own answer would be: I wouldn't want to be on them forever, but if they helped give me a kick start I would certainly consider it. Actually I AM considering it, which is how I found this. Diet and exercise simply aren't cutting it and never have.For a long time I could hold steady using D&E, but any "cheater" days and the pounds just pack on. Then I hold steady there...So, yes, I probably will be trying the pill method. And if anyone has any advice what to try I'd love to hear it!

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5/2/12 11:14 A

I used a couple different ones when I was in college. They didn't really help and the last one I tried made my heart race. If you're going for a lifestyle change, you need to prepare for a different life. You wouldn't want to make diet pills a part of your new life, would you?

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5/2/12 11:09 A

No diet pills. I have tried different brands in the past, including Advocare's supplements and drinks. Now I have someone pitching Boresha to me. I wish people who are "friends" weren't always trying to sell me something. Diet pills and drinks don't work. If they do, it's temporary. OR you have to take them for the rest of your life to keep the weight off. Personally I don't think it's worth the time or the money. Just my two cents.

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5/2/12 10:45 A

I tried them & they messed me up so I will NEVER do them again!!

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5/2/12 10:42 A

NO!! They don't teach you how to make the right and healthy choices

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5/2/12 10:03 A

yes and they majorly screwed up my metabolism and i wound up gaining weight when I got off them. they don't teach you to eat right and the side effects are not worth it.

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5/2/12 9:16 A

After I had my daughter, I had a hard time controlling my appetite. So I went to a weight loss clinic, and they did give me a 30 day supply of phentermine along with a meal plan guide. I did lose some weight, but I didnt change anything other than I just ate less since I wasn't hungry. I didnt want to be "addicted" to the diet pills, so I always gave myself a break. I stopped using the pills and ended up gaining the weight back minus 10 pounds. I was still 10 pounds heavier than when I started.

Then I decided I wanted to not only lose weight, but to be healthy AND fit. So I started counting calories, which really helped and I added exercise and am doing much better. It really is a life style change, otherwise you gain it all back in the end. I did go to another weight loss clinic, but I sat down with the nutrionist and went over meal plannning I decided I didn't want to take any pills, and they did a body composition analysis and they were able to give me my BMR, so that made it helpful in determining how many calories a day I need to eat. They had me between 1200-1500 a day, more on days I do heavy exercise.

And as a side note, at the first place I went too, they had me on 1,000 which is way to low, which of course I had no clue of the first time.

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5/2/12 9:11 A

tried them. they work for a while but when I stopped I regained the weight. They dont help you change your eating habits so when your body gets use to them they stop working.

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5/2/12 8:54 A

A pharmacist's perspective.....won't work over the long haul and may produce long term side effects (we're not just talking caffeine here.) Remember phen-fen? People that took the combination did lose weight however many suffered severe problems such as pulmonary hypertension. (There's not an easy treatment for that condition). The hard truth is that we need to adopt healthier lifestyles, eating nutritious foods & keeping active.

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5/2/12 8:46 A

No

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5/2/12 8:40 A

no never

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5/1/12 10:01 P

Nono

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5/1/12 9:59 P

Over a year ago I used Alli for a little while. If you're having trouble cutting back on your fat levels, that will certainly teach you a lesson. Also, it doesn't make you feel jittery or "high". I'm not using it now simply because I want to be as natural as possible, but I can definitely see how it can help some people.

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5/1/12 9:49 P

I have tried diet pills from GNC that helped supress appetite. Got decent results, but did not solve the problem. I still had to diet and excersise

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4/30/12 8:31 A

Never

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4/30/12 8:26 A

no!! diet and excercise

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4/30/12 3:27 A

NO!!

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4/30/12 1:31 A

I'd be interested to know how that would solve the problem!

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4/30/12 1:17 A

NO WAY!!!!!!

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4/29/12 11:43 P

Ixne

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4/29/12 10:50 P

If you want solid advice a dietitian is the ticket- anyone whom takes a few education modules can call themselfs nutritionist.. A dietitian has the better education and they don't recommend diet pills..
They also have the education rights to work with people whom had diabetes and can contact doctors if necessary to provide doctors with information.. I found the dietitians at the hospital treating my husband wonderful and provided safe information how to get around food allergies and phospate issues safely..
Pay the extra money they know what they are doing..

Edited by: REDSHOES2011 at: 4/29/2012 (22:53)

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4/29/12 10:24 P

Well thank you allot your input. I have an appointment to meet with a nutritionist in 2 weeks so hopefully I will get some insight.

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4/29/12 10:00 P

I spent many years believing that if I just moved more and ate less, my weight would come off. After many years, I finally sought out the help of a weight management clinic and it has changed my life. They have taught me to eat differently. I eat carbs and fruits and lots of protein and veggies. I eat every three hours and I don't eat carbs after 4:00. AND I take a supplement that suppresses my appetite. It is all under a doctor's and nutritionist's care and I meet with them just about every month. I do not do any other exercise than I did before starting with this clinic and yet I have lost about 25 lbs in the last 10 weeks. I am glad I stopped believing that I was not doing enough exercise or eating too much and found the help that I needed.

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4/29/12 8:28 P

Like most drugs it is way too easy to depend on them, when all you need to do is eat healthy and exercise and you will lose the weight.

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4/29/12 8:21 P

Nope! They are a waste of money and they don't help.

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4/29/12 7:09 P

People spend the money on them... what a waste!

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4/29/12 7:08 P

THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS...stop looking. Eating right and exercise is the only way...period.

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4/29/12 6:59 P

Nope. "Diet" pills scare me.

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4/29/12 6:32 P

Does anyone use a dietary supplement to help with their weight loss? If so what? And does it actually help?