November 29, 2007
Weight Loss Pills
Do you ever notice that the most admired and said to be most popular girls in school are the sexiest, slimmest and most flaunting girls? They are the ones that upon passing by make the guys stop and take a second look. This does not only apply to women, but men as well. The most heart-throbbed, crushed on guys are those with firm-cut bodies, most of the time carrying footballs or basketballs. From these observations, it becomes a known fact, not only for the young generation, that men and women are obsessed with their weights, and why not? Whenever you turn on the television or open a magazine all you see are beautiful people flaunting their beautiful bodies. This constant image of seeing sexy idealistic people puts a message in our minds that this is the way all men and women should look in order to be beautiful. And because of this, we subject ourselves to abusing our health by taking these dangerous weight loss pills.
Approximately 50 million Americans go on a diet each year — yet only 5 percent keep the weight they lose off ( Morris,Jane). Many people trying to lose weight continually struggle to find a successful weight loss method. Unfortunately, there is no exact cure. The only proven way to lose weight and keep it off is by making permanent lifestyle changes. In order to accomplish this, you must eat healthier, watch portion sizes and be active. These are not words that are placed on any bottle of a drug. Even if you choose to use an over-the-counter weight loss product or participate in a weight loss program, the bottom line is that you still must eat fewer calories than you burn to lose weight. When selecting a weight loss product or program, you should gather as much information as possible. High costs, pressure to buy special foods or pills, and fraudulent claims are just a few of the things commercials leave out of there ads. Acknowledging that the occurrence of overweight and obesity has increased in the U.S. and that more knowledgeable consumers are needed to reverse this trend, all people involved need to agree to work to: develop and broadcast consumer and trade materials; develop unpaid means for providing customer information; improve the collection, understanding and distribution of outcome and risk of the pills; and identify the research that is needed (Papazian, Ruth). Ads for diet pills are everywhere on TV and the radio, in magazines and newspapers, even on the Internet. They tempt you with heartfelt comments, unbelievable before-and-after pictures and the expected money-back guarantees. All you have to do is run out and purchase the latest, hottest, this-one-has-got-to-work weight loss miracle in a bottle!
There are many different types of weight loss supplements that people claim will always work. I have found some examples of pills that celebrities take that are supposed to work without any questions. The first example is chitosan supplements. “These pills contain a dietary fiber derived from the shells of shellfish. The commercials claim that taking the pills will reduce fat absorption, lower cholesterol and promote weight loss. Typical recommendations are to take 2 – 6 grams of chitosan per day, divided into doses of 1 gram with each meal” (Morris, Jane). On the label, it just tells you how fast you are going to lose weight if you just follow everything is says to do. After researching it, you learn that studies have shown “weight loss occurs only when chitosan supplements are combined with a low-fat, reduced calorie diet.”(Papazian, Ruth). The second example is chromium supplements. These pills claim that it will lower blood sugar reduce body fat, control hunger; reduce cholesterol and high levels, and increase muscle mass. These pills are usually available at any drug store, and are always promoted on television. Now on the bottle itself, it tells you all of the positive aspects of this pill. On the other hand it does not tell you all of the weakness it contains. “One form of chromium, called chromium picolinate, may cause adverse side effects, including anemia, memory loss and DNA damage”(Morris, Jane). There is no way of ever gaining knowledge of this information by just looking at commercial, or advertisement. My last example of a pill that claims to work is spirulina supplements or also known as algae tablets. According to the advertisement, you take the tablets as an appetite suppressant before meals, or 2) replace evening meals with 6-10 spirulina tablets, or 3) in a modified fast, take only spirulina and drink juice for several days. Now not only will this not work for you, but it is also extremely unhealthy (Weight Loss Institute). This causes many weakness such as if it is taken in large amounts on top of an adequate diet, spirulina could lead to toxic levels of certain nutrients. This also does not teach sound or proper eating habits.
Even though those were just some of the very many poor diet pills that people claim to use and work, there are many other alternative ways a person can choice to diet. Most advertisements and commercials tell people how easy it is, and can be to lose weight. This is not true when it comes to pills. Take for example the group Overeaters Anonymous. This diet consists of group meetings, a twelve-step program that deals with physical, spiritual and emotional aspects of overeating. There are no “diets,” weigh-ins or lectures on food and weight. Their primary purpose is to stop compulsive eating. With these types of advertisements, it is hard to decipher whether or not this type of program will actually work, but I personally feel this is a healthier and more stable way to go about it. Another type of group, which is very popular to our generation today, is the weight watchers program. This consists of group meetings for education and support. Individual counseling is available as well as emphasis on meal planning. Calories are not counted daily, and lifestyle fit and convenience is dominant. Weight Watchers food is available, not required. The winning points plan gives points to food. Each person receives a daily point allowance based on current weight. They also must plan to stay within their daily allotment. The difference between pills and this type of program is it is nutritionally balanced, emphasizes slow, steady weight loss and teaches you how to maintain an ideal weight. Along with this, you need a personal daily exercise plan. No good or bad foods. Some other examples are Atkins and the South Beach Diet. The point I am trying to make by comparing the pills to the programs is that the advertisements clearly tell you what you are getting into when it comes to the programs. The commercials for pills just show you a bottle that says “want to lose weight fast take one of these and it will”.
There are many reasons to proceed with extreme caution when using diet pills. While it’s true that sometimes you may actually lose a little weight with them, the pounds return once you stop taking the product. Most of these weight loss quick fixes include a small-print recommendation that you also adopt a lower-calorie diet and an exercise program — which is going to help you lose weight anyway. And supplements generally aren’t well regulated, so the actual content of the active ingredients in diet pills can vary widely from product to product. Even more worrisome, all diet pills have potentially dangerous side effects. Everyone knows that people who take prescription medications need to check with their physicians before using any type of weight loss supplement. But even healthy people who aren’t taking any other meds have experienced negative health effects from diet pills. The bottom line is you should always check with your physician before you take anything that promises to let go of the weight. When many people want to lose weight, they usually look towards their role model for advice. For many people that role model is their favorite celebrity. Whether it is Anna Nicole Smith advertising for trim spa, or Pamela Anderson with one of her famous work out videos, people want to know what their secret is. I can tell you one thing, which it is not diet pills. Ninety-nine percent of all celebrities have something that not too many normal Americans have. That is, a personal chef, a personal trainer, and all the money in the world to afford this. The reason many young people, especially girls wanting to lose weight take the pills, is because a lot of celebrities promote them in order to gain a little extra cash. The main answer to all of this is diet pills simply just don’t work. According to an article I discovered, “Americans are reported to spend between $30-50 billion each year on diet and weight loss programs, products and pills; $6 billion of this is said to be spent on weight loss products and pills that are fraudulent.”(Collins, Anne). Along with the expense of buying them to stay consistent, you also have to consider the dangers and side effects that go along with it. There are many diet scams out there that claim quick and easy weight loss… most of them don’t work, and in addition can contain harmful chemicals and mixtures of substances that could put you at serious health risks. The side effects and dangers of over the counter diet and weight loss pills can vary a great deal because many of these pills contain a blend of ingredients and because dosage instructions may be poor. Typical side effects may include; nervousness, tremor, diarrhea, bulging eyes, racing heartbeat, high blood pressure and sometimes even heart failure. For most Americans now, the only choice today is herbal diet pills. These are diet pills that are made with all natural ingredients, no chemicals or addictive qualities. Excessive use of diet pills by American women stems from the idea that thinness is ideal. This idea is obviously unlikely to change in the near future, so the use of diet pills and other unhealthy fat diets is likely to increase. If women remain unaware of the health risks associated with the use and abuse of these unregulated drugs, rates of sickness and even death are also likely to increase. In 1997, the use of diet pills directly caused seventeen deaths (Cohen, Rebecca). Medical professionals guess that a lot of other deaths are indirectly related to weight-loss drugs. The Food and Drug Administration ruling of natural substances such as ephedrine and caffeine would lessen the widespread use of diet pills. Without such regulation, advertisement of these drugs will continue to attract young women to unintentionally abuse their bodies and risk their health.
