people who lost a lot of weight using diet pills

JackiLean

When I was in college, I took Hoodia, an appetite suppressant.

After a month on the pills, I stopped eating entirely. Literally. I had absolutely no hunger, so I lived off water and black coffee to keep me awake.

The longest I went without eating a single bite was 11 days. It was also during the beginning of my exams and I couldn't focus or concentrate on anything, so I went back to eating. I threw out the pills and never looked back.

But I did lose about 15 lbs at that point. Just by not eating.

It was SO STUPID.

Timshel_

I've seen a lot of people who have had success with sill diets. Right after they balloon right back up becuase they haven't changed the behavior or eating healthy.

EdwardNortonFan43

I'm sure it's because most people using them are still looking for a quick fix easy way out. Most of those who post on this site that they plan to use them are the people who ended up giving up when they realized no pill will make weight fall off. You have to still diet and you have to still work your butt of even more when you come off those pills. I'm not against them. I'm agasint people thinking it's magic and telling others that's the case. Truth to dieting is. Change your life style. WIth or without pills you still need to change that or you will fail.

So if you take them or not. GOOLUCK to you as it will always be a challenge and we're here for you.

I didn't go looking for diet pills for a quick and easy "way out" as you say. My doctor is the one who brought up the fact that I was overweight for my height and suggested putting me on the appetite suppressant. He also talked with me about eating healthy and excercising.

strangeone25

I started with them but only took them for one month as like others have said the pill also promoted healthy eating and exercise. So why spend 60.00 a month when I didn't need too. I will say they got me started for which I am grateful but glad that I did not stay on them long. They did help me to see just how much I had been eating versus how much I should be eating.

EdwardNortonFan43

You lost over 50 pounds within 3 months?! Wow, that's a lot more than I'm losing. Actually, after the first three weeks, my weight loss slowed tremendously. There were about three days that I didn't take the phentermine and immediately gained back seven pounds, but that was because I binged for those days. I'm trying to be good.

riveroflight

Such debate over diet supplements/pills Here's my take:

Can supplements 'do it all'? No. Can they help? Yes, certain ones can. Are they unhealthy? I'd stay away from the chemically ones that are based on 'boosting energy' ephedra-style, and go with the herbal ones. (Although, by the way, a *little* caffeine- green tea or a cup of coffee- right before exercise is a good thing.) This does seem to be a touchy subject on here, I think because people who are working hard on diet and exercise are threatened by the notion that diet pills *do* work, and are 'the easy way out'. It's okay people, they support, but don't replace diet and exercise. Just like exercise supports, but cannot replace, a healthy diet. I think some of the herbal/plant based ones, the ones that are actually 'food', can be considered as part of healthy diet, and their positive effects seen as such.

yoovie

because its against the terms of service probably? unsafe weightloss methods.

either that or because everyone here that is successful already knows better.

Muddy_Yogi

I define success as losing the weight and keeping it off. I have yet to see a thread out there that states, I took said pill to lose weight, lost the weight, stopped taking the harmful pill and still kept the weight off. When I meet a special snowflake that can prove this to me and also show me that they did not do significant damage to their body by doing so, then I will congradulate them. Until then...Yoovie is right, it is harmful and thus against terms of service for MFP.

melkhamilton

Such debate over diet supplements/pills Here's my take:

Can supplements 'do it all'? No. Can they help? Yes, certain ones can. Are they unhealthy? I'd stay away from the chemically ones that are based on 'boosting energy' ephedra-style, and go with the herbal ones. (Although, by the way, a *little* caffeine- green tea or a cup of coffee- right before exercise is a good thing.) This does seem to be a touchy subject on here, I think because people who are working hard on diet and exercise are threatened by the notion that diet pills *do* work, and are 'the easy way out'. It's okay people, they support, but don't replace diet and exercise. Just like exercise supports, but cannot replace, a healthy diet. I think some of the herbal/plant based ones, the ones that are actually 'food', can be considered as part of healthy diet, and their positive effects seen as such.

Good point. I think it's the culture of "immediate results" that is a huge turn-off here (and justifiably so.) Do diet pills work? Yes. Do they work long term? Heck no! I say the safest way is to try the gentle herbal ones to give you a push in the beginning of your weight loss plan, but you MUST change your lifestyle, exercise and eat right, and plan a time to stop using them. You have to know that they are a temporary tool. Too many people use them as a miracle cure with no effort involved.

briebuck

I took them, same results as drinking a LOT of caffine. same results for a very sedentary friend. gave me more energy at the gym, actually got her to go to the gym. but considering all of the other things in the pills I would stick to lots of sleep and lots of caffine if you need it to get pumped to work out ..........

ErinMLB

I think there is a huge difference between causation and correlation, and people get confused. A lot of people just starting out on a "healthy living" change, or diet will do diet pills , they will take them at the same time as their big kick start to eating healthy and exercising. All of a sudden they think the diet pills caused their weight loos. Wrong, it correlates to it, but there is no peer reviewed medical journals to prove causation. There ARE peer reviewed medical studies to prove that many diet pills can cause detrimental health effects.
Example of correlation, say every morning I decide to spin around in circle five times while saying "flying monkey butt" and then proceed to eat healthy with my calorie range, do a moderate work out routine and a followed this same plan for a week, pretend at the end of the week I step on my scale and I've lost two pounds. So I decided it was the spinning around saying flying monkey that was the cause of it. Wrong, it was being healthy, that was the causation.

Yah for being healthy! boo for trying short cuts .

mspoopoo

It's all fun and games until someone gets sick or dies and then they or their families want to sue someone.

People are weak and want a quick fix.

shellylb52

Back in the late 90's when phen phen was really popular, I had a very good friend who had a Doctor prescribe them to her. She was a larger girl who struggled with her weight her entire life. She took them off and on for 3 years. She was diagnosed with a damaged heart in 2005 (she was part of the class action suit against the drug company) and she collapsed and died in June of 2006, leaving a 16 year old son. I miss her terribly. I think there is a definite risk that should be considered.

Kevalicious99

If it was that easy .. and really was a viable good option we would all be on diet pills. But the truth is that there is no such pill ... if there was it would make Prozac look like a multi vitamin. Pharmaceuticals spend billions of dollars on research every year .. and if a good easy way to lose weight was possible, they would be all over it.

navyrigger46

Simple, it's because they don't work, they are not intended to work. Ask yourself this, what kind of business want's to eliminate it's customers? Diet companies have a vested interest in fat people, and all businesses like repeat customers.

Rigger

Urban_Princess

I remember in highschool, one of my friends and her sister used Herbal Magic pills. Her sister lost a lot but my friend said it is because she didn't eat a lot (my friend gave the example of her not eating appetizers, desserts, or pasta at family meals). Whereas my friend ate decently and found weight loss but at a slower rate. Based on that I think it is purely psychological. I tried pills but it was years ago. I realized I was only losing weight because you had to drink a lot of water when taking the pill (and you had to take the pill 3 times a day). For all I know it was a placebo. Waste of money, IMHO.

broox80

I took Phen Fen when I was 16. I went from a size 14 to a size 4 in about 2 months. It made me CRAZY!!!! It also made me develop an unhealthy relationship with food and weight all together. It also gave me a heart condition. I know that for me I could go and lose a bunch of weight quick with diet pills, only to regain it after stopping them. To me the only way is to eat at a deficit and exercise. Eating more fiber makes me fuller as does drinking more water. And I dont have jitters or side effects from a pill.

davert123

I am sure diet pills are ok if you use them on a calorie controlled diet :-) They can reduce fat absorption or carb uptake but the figures I've seen show they are going to remove a couple hundred calories . They are not going to protect you from eating big macs all day and going for a 2 mile walk would most probably increase your calorie deficit the same and is good for your body at the same time..

Benji_Applebaum

Cocaine is my choice for rapid weight loss.

MakePeasNotWar

Such debate over diet supplements/pills Here's my take:

Can supplements 'do it all'? No. Can they help? Yes, certain ones can. Are they unhealthy? I'd stay away from the chemically ones that are based on 'boosting energy' ephedra-style, and go with the herbal ones. (Although, by the way, a *little* caffeine- green tea or a cup of coffee- right before exercise is a good thing.) This does seem to be a touchy subject on here, I think because people who are working hard on diet and exercise are threatened by the notion that diet pills *do* work, and are 'the easy way out'. It's okay people, they support, but don't replace diet and exercise. Just like exercise supports, but cannot replace, a healthy diet. I think some of the herbal/plant based ones, the ones that are actually 'food', can be considered as part of healthy diet, and their positive effects seen as such.

^^this