people who lost a lot of weight using diet pills

ash8184

Ahhhh.

I hope no one bashes you for this thread. Instead I just hope they answer you and not be judgemental.

Personally, I have used diet pills in the past, to get my weight loss started (by a physician mind you, not myself) and the one I was on was Meridia. It did help me with my appetite, and it did help me lose weight. I was only on it for 2 months... just long enough to get my weight loss started and my appetite under control. I lost 24 lbs in 2 months on it, and then after I went off, I didn't change anything, (because my stomach shrank) and I lost another 60 lbs in 7 months.

I don't down anyone that is using diet pills. Just like I don't down anyone who is only eating 1,200 calories. I've learned... judge not, because it is THEIR business, and THEIR bodies. Do they work? Well.... that was prescription, and it worked for me, and it got me started and that is what I wanted/needed at the time. The other diet pills... I haven't used.

Hope this helps? What diet pills are you referring to exactly?

I really like the way you phrased this, because I totally agree that pills should be totally short-term and to jump-start weight loss. When I was at my heaviest, once I'd lost the first 5lbs, it seemed so much easier to stick with a program. I used a diet pill for a month or so and it created long-lasting habits, so even when I went off of it, I stuck to the same healthful habits. Definitely not a long-term fix, but if I had to choose between being almost 400lbs again and taking diet pills for a month to jump start weight loss, I'd definitely pick the latter.

As a side note, I had WLS about 5 years ago and have kept most of the weight off that I've lost (and am working to getting to my ultimate GW). Diet pills are the same as WLS in this regard... if you eat too much, you stretch your stomach out, and you might as well have not even had the surgery to begin with (which is why WLS is only a tool and not an easy fix). However, for someone who has battled with obesity for most of her life, it is a meaningful, long-lasting lifestyle change. It's all about using these things as a tool to jump start weight loss to create a lifetime of healthy habits.

retirehappy

There are two commonly prescribed medications which, "off-label", can assist with weight loss:
Metformin, which is prescribed to diabetics to overcome insulin resistance, and
Bupropion, or Wellbutrin, which is an anti-depressant.

I take Wellbutrin (I've also struggled with depression my whole life) and it does help me in several ways but...it doesn't count calories for me, it doesn't pick the healthy foods when I shop, it doesn't spend an hour making nutritious meals each day, and it doesn't place one foot in front of the other when I go running...I have to do all that myself. It doesnt speed up my metabolism or burn fat faster or flush toxins either, lol.

But, it does help me stick to making better choices. It doesn't work for everyone, but it seems to target and quiet the part of my mind that spends all day screaming "FEED ME!!" and it seems to help me make better decisions when it comes to diet and fitness. I HATE the idea of promoting a pill, because I am doing the work, but Wellbutrin helps me get my head together in a way that allows me to do what I have to do to get healthy.

Thanks for sharing your story.

All the best in your weight loss journey, you have it figured out. :flowerforyou:

Buff2022

Save want to finish reading

happieharpie

I took Meridia in 1997 or so and lost about 65 pounds and instantaneously gained it back. I meanREALLY instantaneously, plus the guilt over paying so much for it and then gaining all the weight back PLUS, WAS ABSOLUTE MISERY.
I SERIOUSLY DOUBT THAT i'd ever try a medication again.

almostanangel21

I've taken OTC diet pills in the past when I had an eating disorder, but ironically I didn't take them to lose weight. I was working a lot, and ephedra made it possible for me to run on empty a lot longer. My coworkers would bum them off me if they hadn't gotten a good night's sleep; my girlfriends would ask me for them before we went out dancing so they'd have more energy. I finally went off them when I found myself completely unable to sleep, crying from sheer weariness but still wired to the gills. Yes, they were unhealthy, but they helped me to realize overall that the way I was living wasn't healthy. Nowadays, the OTC diet pills are mostly B-vitamins, fiber, and caffeine. So, in a way, I'm still taking diet pills - I pop a B-50 if I have a big assignment I'm working on, I have a cup of really good coffee first thing every morning, and I get about 30 grams of fiber daily from my diet. Much healthier, far cheaper, and a lot more pleasant IMO.

teamAmelia

I can't speak for anyone else's opinion or on all diet pills, but:
1-I'm not sure how diet pills work, but I'm sure all of them recommend exercise and/or a sensible diet (the latter is what really causes weight loss).
2-Some of them don't even work (see number 1) or are harmful.
3-Even if they do work, the person will stop losing weight once they stop taking them, and if they want to continue to lose, they'll have to continue taking them or start a real diet, which is what they should have done in the first place.

BrianSharpe

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

Shoot me know, I'm agreeing with Rigger......:laugh:

The best thing that can be said for most (not all) over-the-counter products is that they won't kill you.

arcana7609

I just find it funny how most shortcuts (shakes, pills, etc.) have a fine print that reads something like 'must be taken in conjunction with daily exercise and healthy eating,' so really, they do nothing lol.

This is what I found with Nutrisystem. It was here is some freeze dried overpriced crap to eat....now make sure to add in healthy vegetables and fruit.

I was like if i am going to do that I might as well just not eat your junk. It was ridiculus like $280 bucks a month for things you added water to and cooked in a microwave....yeah...healthy.

teamAmelia

I just find it funny how most shortcuts (shakes, pills, etc.) have a fine print that reads something like 'must be taken in conjunction with daily exercise and healthy eating,' so really, they do nothing lol.

This is what I found with Nutrisystem. It was here is some freeze dried overpriced crap to eat....now make sure to add in healthy vegetables and fruit.

I was like if i am going to do that I might as well just not eat your junk. It was ridiculus like $280 bucks a month for things you added water to and cooked in a microwave....yeah...healthy.

Nutrisystem/Weight Watchers are basically smaller (correct) portions of foods that you'd eat anyway. LOL. Just make your own food and watch the portion sizes. Much cheaper and probably tastier.

meex

Personally I have lost 25 kgs and I have 10kgs to go, I have been trying on and off to lose these 10kgs for the past 2 years and NOTHING WORKS even going to the gym 7 days a week (burning between 500cal -1500cals a day) and eating between 900-1500cals for 3 months I only lost around 3 kgs!!! I went to the doctor desperate for help and she put me on duromine. I have been losing 2khs a week for the last fortnight so for me it is just a kick starter. I know how to lose weight and I still eat healthy and exercise. Diet pills were just a way to fix my metabolism I guess. Some people lose the weight easily but I am not one of those people.

BrianSharpe

Personally I have lost 25 kgs and I have 10kgs to go, I have been trying on and off to lose these 10kgs for the past 2 years and NOTHING WORKS even going to the gym 7 days a week (burning between 500cal -1500cals a day) and eating between 900-1500cals for 3 months I only lost around 3 kgs!!! I went to the doctor desperate for help and she put me on duromine. I have been losing 2khs a week for the last fortnight so for me it is just a kick starter. I know how to lose weight and I still eat healthy and exercise. Diet pills were just a way to fix my metabolism I guess. Some people lose the weight easily but I am not one of those people.

I'd probably find your story more credible if you were logging your food intake (went back over a week in your diary and no entries)

The fact that you did lose an additional 3kgs, albeit at a slower rate, suggests that you were maintaining a caloric deficit just a smaller one than you were estimating..........

But, I suspect that the OP's question related more to over-the-counter products which aren't subject to double-blind clinical trials and dosage standardization etc in the same manner a prescription product is.