Diet Pills | The Cruel Truth
Aug 9th, 2009 by Enrico
“Hey, friend! Want to lose 5 pounds in just 1 week? It’s easy, all you have to do is take this pill before lunch and dinner, and you’ll be on your way to losing that hard-to-lose fat around your thighs!”
Sound familiar? Well, it should considering the oversaturation of diet pills on the market today. You can’t watch TV or open a health-related magazine without spotting yet another new weight loss pill. And why is there always a new pill on the market, you ask? Because “this” one really works! Sure..
Where did this all start?
Dieting Pills can find their roots all the way back to the early 1900s where ingesting tapeworms was thought to control weight. What we didn’t know or didn’t care to realize is that the tapeworm eats on the foods you eat and grows inside of you. Not only does this deprive you of precious vitamins and minerals, but it can actually be fatal. Thankfully, today, the FDA has banned them and the purchase or import of tapeworms is illegal.
In the 1950s, doctors first started prescribing diet pills. The pills they were prescribing were amphetamines, which are psychostimulant drugs that increased alertness and focus while decreasing fatigue and appetite. They were first extensively used in World War II on the German Army. Even Hitler used amphetamines for its effects. However, due to amphetamines’ intense break-down/crash period and a host of other problems including cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and respiratory issues, the drugs were forgone.
In the 1970s, an “appetite-suppressant candy” was introduced called Ayds. This candy enjoyed great sales success until the early 1980s, when AIDS awareness became more mainstream. The Ayds company, Carlay Company of Chicago, reported sales drops of nearly 50%.
Our Modern-day Diet Pills:
Today, diet pills come in all shapes and sizes as there are literally hundreds of different brands. Most of these pills are either metabolism boosters or appetite suppressants. However, there are some serious problems related to both of these types of products:
Metabolism Boosters:
The Problem:
“Metabolism boosters” are what makes up the majority of diet pills on the market today. Hydroxycut, one of the most advertised diet pills, is a “metabolism booster.” I specifically put “metabolism boosters” in quotes because these products do not increase the body’s metabolic function in a natural way. The contents of these pills are primarily stimulants in the form of caffeine, guarana, or taurine. These stimulants will burn calories(unnaturally), but at the expense of your heart with dangerous side effects such as increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, and anxiety.
When the main users of these pills are the obese, a group that already has overworked hearts and high blood pressure from weight, the pills become even more harmful. Obese individuals could face serious heart problems or permanent damage.
Not obese? Are you of the 9 out of 10 Americans that rely on coffee to get them through the day? One cup of coffee generally equates to 100mg of caffeine. Diet pills usually contain 200-300mg of caffeine, or 2-3 cups of coffee. If, on a daily basis, you have more than 500-600mg of coffee, you are likely to have problems like muscle tremors, nausea, headaches, and gastrointestinal issues.
The Solution:
Boost your metabolism the natural way. Eating smaller meals throughout the day, building lean muscle, exercising regularly, and getting 7-8 hours of sleep every night are just a couple ways of kick starting your metabolism.
Appetite Suppressants:
The Problem:
These products are a bit trickier to understand because they can actually help those that have a serious problem of eating more than their body needs. However, appetite suppressants are a double-edged sword. They will cut your caloric intake, but at the loss of vitamins and minerals. Your body gets hungry for a reason. Either it needs energy, or you are lacking essential vitamins and minerals. When you have cravings for something in particular like sweets or chocolate, your body really is in need of nutrients. Dr. Colleen Huber has compiled a list found here of what your cravings really mean.
The Solution:
Eating foods that are high in protein and fiber will fill you up faster than any other foods, and without spending too much of your recommended daily caloric intake budget. Also, taking a multivitamin and drinking plenty of water should crush any potential cravings.
Conclusion:
Let’s face it. We live in a society where instant gratification is all we want. We want to have perfect bodies, and we want it in 30 days or less. Like many decisions in life, we can choose the short-term, high-risk option with “easy come, easy go” results, or we can choose the long-term, safe investment with lasting results. The cruel truth here is your body isn’t worth gambling on.