I hear a lot of blanket statements in regard to diet pills. “Diet pills are dangerous!” “I could never have lost weight without diet pills.” These are two common extremes taken when discussing appetite suppressants. But like so many aspects of dieting, the key to success is to take a moderate stance.
First of all, diet pills–like any over-the-counter substance you use–are not taken without risks. Think about Tylenol, which is one of the most common medicines used in the United States. Most people take it as needed without any negative impact. But if you were to take a dose of it every four hours for a period of a year or more, there could be serious consequences.
Diet pills can be a very useful tool if you are trying to lose weight. One of the most common struggles dieters have is learning to work through the hunger that comes from reduced portion sizes. There is a wide variety of diet supplements on the market that can help to curb that hunger. But it is important to know the risks and limitations involved before adding a bottle of appetite suppressants to your grocery list.
First of all, it is important to know that if you have a significant amount of weight to lose, you will probably be dieting for longer than it is safe to take diet pills on a daily basis. The period of time to take the pills should be limited to between three and six months. When I started dieting, I used an appetite suppressant for the first three months. Since that time, I have a bottle on hand for times when I need it. An example of that time would be after a “big eating day” like Thanksgiving. We stretch our stomachs a bit on these days and fill our bodies with high-fat foods. For many dieters having a high-fat day can easily turn into a string of high-fat days without careful planning. So I follow a day like that with one dose of diet pills to help myself get back on track. This amounts to a couple doses of diet pills every other month or so.
Something else to be mindful of is that most diet supplements contain caffeine and/or other stimulants. For that reason, they have the potential to raise your blood pressure and increase your heart rate. Again, when diet pills are used as directed and within the time-frame I have discussed, this risk seems as though it should be a small one for the general public. The problem is that many people who are carrying extra weight are already at risk for heart problems and have a much higher potential to have a high blood pressure prior to ingesting the pills. For this reason, it is important to talk to your doctor before taking any diet pills. If you are clinically overweight, your doctor may even want to prescribe an appetite suppressant for you and monitor your progress. If the caffeine in the pills is the only concern, you may want to mention to your doctor that many companies are now releasing two versions of their appetite suppressants–one with caffeine and one without.
Finally, an important thing to remember is that a diet pill is just a tool that is to be used while you are learning healthy eating and exercise habits. It can help curb your appetite while your body is adjusting to your new lifestyle. But no pill can be a substitute for a moderate diet filled with foods from all of the food groups. And especially, a pill cannot keep you from eating out of stress, loneliness or boredom. If you are an emotional eater, then a diet pill is nothing more than a bandage on a wound that needs much deeper exploration in order to heal. Appetite suppressants are only that. They contain no secrets and no magic. They can be helpful, as long as you approach them realistically.
*The views and methods discussed here were approved for me, by my physician. Please note that everyone is different. What has been safe for me may not be safe for you. It is extremely important to discuss appetite suppressants, dieting and exercise with your doctor before you begin a new plan.*
