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764218 tn?1234569759

Diet Pills?

I'm 20 year old girl, weigh 132 pounds, and i'm 5'6. I exercise (cardio and lifting light weights) about 2-4 times a week, depending on my schedule. I want to weigh 125 pounds and have been thinking about taking diet pills to help because I can't seem to lose more weight. Is it a safe idea? I've heard rumors of girls my age taking diet pills, and later on in life are overweight and can't lose the weight because they ruined their metabolism. Is this true? Do diet pills really work? Not sure what else to do!

ANY opinions much appreciated!
-Bryn
7 Responses
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579258 tn?1250649343
Welcome to MedHelp and the WL&D Community and thank you sincerely for asking about diet pills.  It seems we hear so many advertisements for diet pills and quick fix ways to lose weight that we tend to want to believe them.  However, the truth is that those companies are out to make a profit and they make all sorts of claims trying to get you to part with your money.  And, in short, they do not work and many times they are simply not safe.  

The safest, healthiest way to lose weight is to do naturally through modifying our diet and implementing exercise.  That is what this community is all about and the members here can provide you with great information, caring support and much encouragement and motivation.  

How are you keeping track of the amount of food you are eating?  Are you exercising?  What kinds of exercise do you like and are you open to try different types of exercise?  Hope you will provide us with some additional information as the members of this community stand ready to help you lose a few pounds if you're willing to implement some changes.

Very best wishes and hope you will consider being an active participant ... we're very glad you're here.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi,

I have asked myself this question quite a lot of times in the past years, as I was not enough motivated to go for a diet or sports. Last year, for the first time of my life I went for a diet - it was a high protein, low-carbs diet, and I really got rid of all the extra pounds and even more. For that time I also did fitness and swimming. It took me 6 months to get rid of my extra weight, and bear in mind, that were only 22 lbs, meaning they were not too much.
If you want to lose weight being 100% sure no side effects would occur, then you should be prepared for a long weight loss process. This of course also has its negative sides, many of my friends, being on the same diet as me, got quite a lot of health problems, mainly with the kidneys.
And meanwhile diet supplements are getting better and better. The fact that there are millions of people worldwide that take them and all that positive feedback is really amazing. Moreover, diet pills producers do really aim profit, but in order to get this profit, their products have to pass lots of tests, most of which medical tests.
My advice on this point:
1. Start with a diet + exercise. There are many online exercise programs that work. Some good review is placed here:

http://w8loss-tips.com/exercise-site-reviewed.html

And also on the same website, there are diet comparisons, for online eating plans, if you are not sure, what exactly to include in your daily eating plan:

http://w8loss-tips.com/diet-sites-reviewed.html

2. Do a very good research on weight loss supplements if you want to use some, consult a doctor, or a dietician, read a lot of information about them

I hope this helps! :)
Helpful - 0
649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
I would say that most of the weight loss products do not work.  Ali is the only one that is approved by the FDA as being safe and effective; however, I understand that it has some unpleasant side effects.  

The best and safest way to lose weight is through diet alterations and exercise. You need to figure out how many calories/day you need to maintain you current weight, then cut that amount enough to produce a calorie deficit.  Do not go below 1000-1200 calories/day.  

It would be a good idea to keep a journal of your food intake so you know exactly what you are eating and the nutritional content.  There are several web sites that are excellent for this - spark people and living strong are 2 of them. Include everything that goes into your mouth, including whatever you drink throughout the day.  

Try setting up the weight and exercise trackers here on MH - that will help you keep track of the type and amount of exercise you are getting.  

Sometimes, if you do the exact same kind of exercise or eat the same types of food for extended periods, your body gets used to it and will stop responding; so try changing the type/amount of food you eat as well as the types of exercise you get.  

Stick with the most natural foods you can - fresh (or frozen) fruits and veggies, lean cuts of meats, low fat or fat free dairy.  Eat several small meals throughout the day and make sure you get fiber and protein with each meal as they fill you up faster and because they take longer to break down, they will keep you feeling full longer.  Try to avoid white sugar, flour, rice, pasta, etc; instead opt for whole wheat varieties of bread, etc.  

Good luck and stick with us - you'll get all the help you need.  I'm sure there will be some more members chiming in with ideas as well.  
Helpful - 0
541150 tn?1306033843
I totally agree with the above. The safest way to lose weight is by eating healthy and exercising. I have tried weight loss pills with absolutely no results and awful side effects.
Helpful - 0
657315 tn?1319491387
Perhaps the reason you are having problems losing weight is because you are on the LOW end of the NORMAL BMI scale.  

For being 5' 6", and weighing 132, your current BMI is 21.3.  PLUS, you said you ARE currently exercising AND lifting light weights - so you are going to have some muscle tone about you!

I bet you look like a million bucks already.  Continue with the cardio and weight-training.  I would suggest continuing what you are already doing, but try to increase it to 5 days/week if possible.  The strength-training should be performed 2 times/week.

GOOD LUCK.  Please keep posting and let us know how you are doing.
Helpful - 0
703362 tn?1427766328
I would have to agree with the wonderful responses that you have received thus far.  By and large the products that you see advertised are often not healthy and FDA approved, do not work over the long term, and are really quite expensive.  Not to mention that this often sets people up for yo-yo dieting over their lives and they often end up heavier than they might have been without all of the yo-yo nonsense.  

I have also heard that Ali works well and is FDA approved, but has very very unpleasant side effects.  One of the reasons that it works so well is that the side effects are a very distasteful reminder of overindulging in too much fat in the diet.  The plan also works hand in hand with good nutrition and exercise, which is the tried and true method of choice with or without Ali.  

All that being said, I also think that you should give some heartful consideration to the comments of twehner5.  At 5'6" and 132 pounds, you are on the low end of the BMI scale.  Please do have a look at some calculators in reference to these figures so that you are able to compare for yourself.  There is an excellent one here at Med Help and you can find it at http://www.medhelp.org/calculators/show/1?community_id=129.  This will give you an excellent idea where you are healthwise with your height and weight, not just what the numbers on the scale tell you.  I would also imagine that with the types of workouts that you are doing that you have a bit of muscle on you, which is quite healthy.

Make sure that you are eating enough by calculating your calories taken in.  Not taking in enough calories per day is another way that you can definitely stall out your metabolism and weight loss will come to a complete stand still as a result.  This is something that I have to watch carefully myself.....if I find that I am not loosing, I can usually look back to my diet and see that I have not taken in enough calories for the job that I am asking my body to do.  

Best of luck to you!  Please do keep us posted.  ; )  
Helpful - 0
579258 tn?1250649343
FYI - MedHelp is currently developing a food tracker for our use.  You can also use your journal to write down what you are eating and the calorie content.  I've used calorieking.com to calculate the calories and then just write them down.  Even doing this for a week or two will help you become more aware of what you are taking in.  
Helpful - 0
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