Millions of Americans dream of the perfect diet pill.  They want something
that will burn fat with no effort, has no side effects, and will keep fat
away for life.
Many drugs have been marketed as diet wonders. But in every case, not only
did the drugs fail to be the panacea expected, they also produced side
effects such as depression, heart attacks, strokes, addiction, and even
death.  Some effects were serious enough to warrant removal of the drugs
from the market.
This year, a new diet drug, Qnexa, has been undergoing FDA review and in
July, an FDA panel voted against recommending approval citing concerns over
side effects.
Most people who use diet drugs have little understanding about their
effectiveness and side effects.  At the same time, they believe that if a
drug has been approved by the FDA it means it’s safe and effective.  But
how many drugs have been pulled off the shelves after the FDA has approved
them?  It’s important to understand that all drugs have side effects, that
FDA approval is not a guarantee of safety, and that the history of diet
drugs has not been good.
Research shows that, on average, people lose no more than 5-10 percent of
their weight while taking diet pills and this is if they are taken in
conjunction with “healthy diet and exercise.” Yet, millions of Americans,
even ones who are not obese, turn to diet pills to lose weight.  In most
cases, these are people who have turned to diet pills in the past, but have
regained their lost weight.  These yo-yo dieters unrealistically believe
that the next, new diet pill will be the one that works.
Most studies also show that even if the medications initially seem to
produce modest weight loss, in time they lose their effectiveness. And lost
weight is usually regained when the medications are discontinued.
Patients are supposed to be told that it’s extremely important to learn
good eating and exercise habits while taking diet pills.  Here lies the
real problem and it’s psychological in nature.
Humans have an uncanny ability to deny that anything bad could happen to
them. They can easily fool themselves into thinking that they will not be
the ones to experience negative consequences of diet drugs.
So, if you’re not concerned about the health risks of diet pills, then
consider this:
Diet pills are more likely to get you what you don’t want (weight gain)
rather than what you want (weight loss) because they:
•       Give a false sense of security. People depend on diet pills to take
care of the entire problem, and then believe — despite all evidence — they
won’t regain the weight.
•       Waste time. Most people on diet pills put little, if any, effort into
changing the lifestyle factors that made them heavy in the first place.
Before long, you’ve gone back to the old ways and regained the weight.
•       Benefit the wrong people. Even if the drugs don’t work in the
long-term, pharmaceutical companies still make a great deal of money,
especially if customers keep losing and regaining.
Diet pills have a limited effect on weight, they have no effect on behavior
change, they have poor long-term effects, and they psychologically
encourage people to think short-term.
Research results shows that  gradual lifestyle changes result in far better
results than diet pills.  It’s time to recognize the problems with diet
pills and give up waiting for the next panacea.

Originally published in St. Petersburg Times 9-25-10

Recently, on the Dr. Oz Show, diet pills were discussed.  Dr. Oz had several guests on the show who had used different types of diet pills and found the experience to be a disappointing one and, in some cases, a potentially dangerous one.

Appetite suppressants are a popular diet aid these days but it’s not the first time they have been popular.  Appetite suppressants resurface every decade or so.

The diet pill industry is currently a two billion dollar per year business so it’s obvious many people are using them in their attempts to lose weight and many people are making money on their popularity.  But are they safe and are they effective?

Dr. Oz points out that prescription appetite suppressants can be risky to use.  Some of the common side effects of such medications are problems with sleep, heart palpitations and an increase in heart rate.  These can result in an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

The Psychology of Using Diet Pills

From a psychological perspective there are also problems with prescription appetite suppressants that make them a poor choice for lasting weight loss.

• Crutch Effect – People tend to use appetite suppressants as a crutch.  The suppressant effect is real but it tends to make the individual have a false sense of security.  It feels so easy to lose weight that the person wants to think that it’s natural when it’s not.  The focus is on the weight being lost rapidly rather than the behavior changes that need to be made to make the weight loss permanent.
• Temporary Effect – Appetite suppressants are drugs that are not supposed to be taken for a long period of time and definitely not for a lifetime.  Their suppressant effect is also temporary.  As soon as the drug is discontinued, the appetite returns leaving the person back where they started and in a position to regain the lost weight.
• Denial Effect – The unnatural suppressant effect tends to make people want to deny that they are vulnerable to regaining their weight.  Instead, they tend to believe that “this will really be the last time” they fail at a diet.  In reality, the effect usually ends up being another cycle of weight lost and regained.
• Failure Effect – It’s a fact that 90% of dieting attempts fail.  It’s no less true with prescription appetite suppressants.  People on appetite suppressants tend to not  work as hard on behavior change as those that don’t use appetite suppressants.  Without behavior change, any weight loss is going to be temporary and disillusioning.

Natural Appetite Suppressants

If appetite suppression is what you’re looking for, there are some natural things that can be used in a healthy weight loss program that can help.

1. Aerobic exercise – this type of exercise is known to have an appetite suppressant effect when used on a regular basis.
2. Fiber – having a high fiber diet causes the sensation of more fullness and, therefore, faster satiation and less eating
3. Nutrition – a highly nutritious diet supplies the body with everything it needs and reduces cravings from the body that is trying to get us to eat what it lacks.
4. Water – water is filling and also eliminates cravings to eat that are mistaken for hunger rather than thirst.
5. Active lifestyle – a lifestyle that is active and fun leads to emotional balance.  This in turn prevents emotional cravings to eat.

Most people who are successful at managing their weight loss for a lifetime have done it by using the above five points rather than prescription appetite suppressants.  It’s in the overweight person’s best interest to become knowledgeable about the truth about diet pills.