Diet Pills???

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laurasimmons
laurasimmons Posts: 578 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Does anyone take a diet pill to help curb hunger and give you energy? If so what do you take and would you recommend it?
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  • gym_rat
    gym_rat Posts: 94
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    One of my favorite weight loss quotes goes something like "if you didn't need a pill to get fat, why would you need one to get skinny?"

    That being said, I tried hydroxycut back when I was 230lbs and it made me jittery and I felt like my heart was going to explode out of my chest. It did curb my appetite but then again, I felt like I was going to have a heart attack so I don't recommend it!
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    IMHO, diet pills = badness

    sorry.
  • AnnieeR
    AnnieeR Posts: 229
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    The most useful thing I ever read about diet pills was that if they did work, it would be HUGE headline news world wide and they would be flying off the shelves of every store.... And there would probably be far fewer people like us on sites like this.... :-/
  • laurasimmons
    laurasimmons Posts: 578 Member
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    All that is true and I knew it. I have lost 60 lbs already and haven't used a pill but I have been stuck here in this place and can't seem to get back on track.
  • thuelskamp
    thuelskamp Posts: 16 Member
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    I tried Slimquick and Metabolife Ultra (separately) for a few weeks. Both gave me heart palpitations on half the recommended dosage. I tried the full dose a couple times but it made me insanely jittery and way too hyper, even though they claim to have the same caffeine content as a cup of coffee. Just stay away from them, it's not worth it.
  • AKosky585
    AKosky585 Posts: 607 Member
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    Back when I was in high school and 50 pounds heavier than I am now, I tried several diet pills. They never really worked, and as soon as I stopped taking them, I gained weight I never even lost. I felt jittery and they didn't even curb my appetite much at all. I wouldn't recommend them. If you are stuck in the same place, try changing up your routine a bit.

    I did a huge report/study on diet pills for a class in college a few years back and in interviewing people, there were major health consequences for some of the people. Some had to have heart surgery, and others have to take medication the rest of their life because they messed their heart up so badly from palpatations and racing heart. Others have other organ problems now due to long term use or misuse.
  • shanerylee
    shanerylee Posts: 298 Member
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    I know how you feel. But you know I have tried diet pills, and fad diets in the past and all that leads to is feeling like crap and gaining your weight back and then some. There are so many long term issues from using fad diets, etc. My mom was a user of phen phen back in the 80's and she is really paying the price heart wise today. Do it right and be patient. Check into how to increase your resistant with your cardio workouts, etc. I heard that if you mix it up a bit, you will get off the plateau. Good luck.
  • Schula03
    Schula03 Posts: 171 Member
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    :wink: Sometimes you just need something to get started. Even if it doesn't work, you mind sometimes thinks it does. Do whatever you need to. I like to just take an array of vitamins, Fish oil pills etc.... Do whatever is best for you!
  • firepixie
    firepixie Posts: 65
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    Energy and weight loss doesn't come from a pill, it comes from taking care of yourself. The fact that so many diet pills are taken off the market for causing serious health problem for the people who take them is enough to keep me away from them. They just scare me... even the "herbal" ones.
  • melder76
    melder76 Posts: 1 Member
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    just a heads-up on diet pills, i have heard some people having 'crazy thoughts' on hydroxycut.
    I know it's difficult to surpress the cravings but the more you walk by the donuts or birthday cake at the office, the easier it gets. really.:smile:

    as for energy- a lot of reports have said increasing B vitamins help.
  • chgudnitz
    chgudnitz Posts: 4,079
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    They are bad. A lot of them cause long term damage to your heart and kidneys. There are no reasons why anyone would need to take them at all.
  • heather33
    heather33 Posts: 8
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    Theres this website check it out www.healthy-holistic-living.com and I was where you are at and i totally understand! but yeh this has alot of the answers i needed and it also has links you can go to that really help...Good luck and keep in touch..
    Heather:)
  • MariSama44
    MariSama44 Posts: 340 Member
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    Try drinking more green tea, or trying the capsules of extract (I'm taking them). It boosts metabolism, inhibits insulun production so sugar doesnt get immediately stored as fat AS MUCH, and plus its a great antioxidant and you could always use more of those. I take one before each meal, and two before dinner if its a big dinner. Feel great. Also, B12 could help too, and if you're not already taking a multivitamin please do invest in it. vitamins can make you feel so much better and get your body working efficiently. I could immediately tell a difference in how I feel after I started taking them.

    Edit: I've tried hydroxycut max or whatever. and it didnt do anything for me, exept make me retain water. It also made me feel uncomfortable and took away my energy. there is no magic pill, and frankly I would completely stay away from the "diet" asile at your local grocery store/walmart/target. do the research and pick simple, herbs or vitamins instead of chemicals, if you need any kind of boost. Those pills will ruin your body.
  • jlbay
    jlbay Posts: 473 Member
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    I'm embarrassed to admit I tried diet pills about 20 lbs ago out of desperation. You can go to these weight loss clinics here and they will give them to you. It was Phentermine that I took. It is an appetite suppressant. I will say that it worked - sort of. I NEVER thought about food. I didn't ever feel hungry and I forgot to eat. It would be dinner time and I would be about to pass out or snarling at my husband and realize that i hadn't eaten all day. I would have to force myself to eat. No joke, no exaggeration.

    However, I felt high-as-a-kite. I was told they are "well tolerated," but I am pretty sensitive to medications in general. My heart raced, I couldn't concentrate and I felt HIGH. I was on the lowest dosage. In the back of my mind, I felt it was not a good idea. I felt bad about taking them, because I worried about what it might/could do to my body. I lost about 3 lbs over a three week period. I was exercising, but I wasn't tracking my food very well, relying on the pills. It didn't make sense to me that I didn't lose more, as I really had no appetite, but perhaps my body went into starvation mode or I was retaining water or ??? Whatever the reason, I never ate, but I didn't really lose a bunch of weight. I only tried it for 3 weeks. I wouldn't take it again, nor would I recommend it. I've had the same or better results with MFP.
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
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    pick simple, herbs or vitamins instead of chemicals, if you need any kind of boost. Those pills will ruin your body.

    First let me say I think diet pills are a bad thing.

    Secondly, a little pet peeve of mine (sorry) is that so many people seem to be under the impression that just because something is "natural" means it's automatically safe (I'm not implying that you do Mari! I'm just using part of your post as an example of something that could be misinterpreted by someone else -- forgive me!).
    So, like Mari says -- do your research, good thorough research, before deciding to use any herbal supplement. Herbs are, afterall, also made of chemicals. :wink:
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
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    double post
  • CasperO
    CasperO Posts: 2,913 Member
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    I like to do this way cool little diet pill they sell at Kroger. Comes in a little clear box. Tictac, or something like that.

    So I take one of those, and then I ride my bicycle on this fun 14 mile loop thru town. I do that and watch my food intake with MFP and it works like crazy.

    Try it! Tictac,,, in the little clear box. :laugh:
  • 08sweek
    08sweek Posts: 38 Member
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    A lot of the people I see saying things against diet pills have had siginificant weight losses by lifestyle changes alone, for some people even working out and eating right for months can have little to no affect on your body ( I know, I've lost 7 lbs since last June... exercising and eating right the whole time). The best thing to do is talk to your doctor. There are several things out there that can help and are FDA approved. Caffeine helps some people in small doses, for me, it helps keep me away from the Coca Cola, I always think I need, while some people have a hard time with caffeine in any dose.
    My best advice is to seek advice from someone with the knowledge (not necessarily just MFP). If you have a doctor who has been very supportive of your decision to lose weight (or perhaps advised it in the first place) they will be able to give you some options.
    :)
  • Carleybby
    Carleybby Posts: 158
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    When I was younger, I was put on Xenical by the doctor.

    It cut 1/3 of the fat out of your meal..
    It works in the first couple months, but your body gets used to it.

    You could talk to your doctor.
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
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    A lot of the people I see saying things against diet pills have had siginificant weight losses by lifestyle changes alone, for some people even working out and eating right for months can have little to no affect on your body ( I know, I've lost 7 lbs since last June... exercising and eating right the whole time).

    I may be wrong, but it seems you're suggesting that because many of us are having success with proper diet and exercise, we can't possibly understand the need for a diet pill & that's the reason we're naysaying?

    I feel a need to explain that 6 months ago I would've told you absolutely that "I've tried everything and still can't lose weight." I had even tried (what I thought was) proper diet & exercise about 5 years ago (I lost weight & then gained it all back plus 20 pounds). I was kidding myself. I'm going to go out on a limb and say very few people actually have a medical condition that will keep a person severely overweight when they're eating a proper healthy diet and exercising. These conditions do exist, absolutely, but their instances are relatively rare.

    Of course, it probably wouldn't hurt to visit your MD if you honestly feel you're doing what you need to do to lose weight. But first, try being honest with yourself and **educating** yourself on a healthy diet of real and quality food. Educate yourself on how to lose weight in a healthy way (your MD can be part of this process if you'd like, but remember MD's aren't necessarily educated on proper nutrition & weight loss strategies). Be honest with yourself about logging and tracking every single bite of food that goes in your mouth. Be honest with yourself about the intensity of your exercise program & the amount of calories you burn. See a registered dietician if you feel you must. Diet pills are 100% unnecessary to achieve healthy weight loss.

    I know, I can say all that because I've lost 54 pounds in 5 months, right?
    My point is that I would've said (and did say!) I don't understand why I can't lose weight before I started educating myself. :wink:

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