Will a Diet Pill Trim Your Waistline or Just Your Wallet?

Every diet pill ad I’ve ever seen has marketed the product as being the revolutionary solution to all my dieting woes. Some diet pill ads even claim to cause you to lose weight in your sleep. I would love to just take a pill before bed and be able to slide easily into my “skinny jeans” in the morning, and I’ll bet you would too.

When I started looking into how diet pills work, I noticed that not only are there tons of them on the market, but so many of them work in different ways to effect weight loss. Some pills are meant to decrease appetite while others change the way the body processes food.

With the weight loss industry amassing several billion dollars a year in sales, it’s clear that most of us are searching for the winning edge to stay in shape and we’re willing to spend money to get it. In fact, the cost of a single bottle of diet pills in the U.S. Can be as much as 100 dollars.

One of the most common types of diet pills is the appetite suppressant. They work by increasing serotonin levels in the brain, which in turn affects appetite. There has been some controversy surrounding appetite suppressants and phenylpropanolamine and ephedrine were at one time banned from dietary supplements.

Appetite suppressants do seem to reduce appetite but there are sometimes negative side effects. One of the most common side effects is sensations like you might get from taking a stimulant drug. Pulmonary hypertension and heart valve damage have also been reported.

Such negative news makes finding a safe, effective diet pill seem like a scary venture. Those of us who are very overweight often have the option of seeking medical assistance in our weight loss journey.

If you have a BMI of 30 or higher, or if you have a BMI of 27 or higher and obesity-related health problems, your doctor may offer a prescription diet pill such as Meridia or Xenical. These two medications have been FDA approved for long term use to combat obesity.

Diet pills like Xenical are fat absorption blockers. Prescription strength fat blockers keep the body from absorbing about 30% of consumed fat. An over-the-counter version, called Alli, works at about half the strength of Xenical.

I am pleased to report that both of these products have proven to be successful in aiding weight loss. Unfortunately, users of fat absorption blockers can also expect some side effects. The most common side effect is gastro-intestinal problems, including involuntary stool leakage.

While many diet pills seem very promising, the truth is that most of them require diet modification and exercise from the user, and all of them have side effects. A lot of diet pill takers have gotten excellent results from appetite suppressants, fat blockers, metabolism boosters, or herbal supplements along with healthy eating and moderate exercise.

I’m still looking for that magic cure.

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

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