What do diet pills actually do?

YearsWorthOfFAT
YearsWorthOfFAT Posts: 210
in Health and Weight Loss
Look; first of all; don't lecture me. Do not, i didn't say i want to use them. I'm just réally curious about what they do.
Like, you always hear; "they're bad they're bad they don't work" or exactly the opposite. All i get out of it: you lose weight or do not.. Is there ANYONE that knows what's in it and what it does?

Replies

  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    They empty your pockets
  • YearsWorthOfFAT
    YearsWorthOfFAT Posts: 210
    Clever.
  • Lulzaroonie
    Lulzaroonie Posts: 222 Member
    Many of them have ingredients, or claim to have ingredients that will apparently detox or help boost metabolism. 99% of diet pills have not been clinically tested, and the ones that claim they have cite findings from trials done on similar pills over 50 years ago.

    Rather than pay for a bunch of chemicals, or active ingredients you could get in your regular diet, you can exercise which boosts your metabolism with immediate effect (some tablets take two weeks to work apparently), and drink more water and eat more vegetables and fruit, giving you the detox.

    Also, diet pills are supposed to be take in conjunction with diet and exercise. If you took them and lose weight, what is it attributed to? The pills, or the effort you put in?
  • thecakelocker
    thecakelocker Posts: 407 Member
    Depends on the pill, generally they're just caffeine pills or diuretics mixed with hopes, dreams, and unregulated herb concoctions.
  • SenseiCole
    SenseiCole Posts: 429 Member
    I've used them and will never use them again :noway:

    yes you loss weight

    once you stop you pack it all back on and then some more

    they messed up my system really bad and years later still not right, don't sleep well, my body doesn't know when i'm full or if I am hungry or thirsty and the list goes on

    I hope this helps
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,224 Member
    Normally a substance that has properties that effects weight loss in a scientific but impractical sense is then taken out of context in a dose that is meaningless in a segment of nutrition that is not regulated, then adhering to the principal that a sucker is born every minute, takes advantage of that principal knowing full people will buy it even in the face of research that contradicts that promise.........Basically bullshyt baffles brains.:wink:
  • murphy612
    murphy612 Posts: 734 Member
    If you are asking about prescription diet pills, that's easy...... they are pretty much legalized speed. OTC stuff and suppliments? Who knows what's in those, but I've never heard anyone say they actually work, especially long term. They really are a waste of money. Eating healthy and losing weight is hard, and we all want that "magic pill", they just haven't come out with it yet.
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
    The only thing they have in common is that they empty out your wallet. That is all.

    There are some that suppress your hunger or attempt to. Some try to just push the water weight out. Some give you energy, making you think you're not hungry etc. In the end, none of them work
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Look; first of all; don't lecture me. Do not, i didn't say i want to use them. I'm just réally curious about what they do.
    Like, you always hear; "they're bad they're bad they don't work" or exactly the opposite. All i get out of it: you lose weight or do not.. Is there ANYONE that knows what's in it and what it does?

    there is only like 5000 different brands out there so unless you are asking about a specific one this is a pretty useless request...

    Like someone else said t he only thing that diet pills do is empty your pocket. My understanding is they mainly flush water from your system and all the weight is water loss, which is why when people stop them, they gain about four pounds back in water weight..

    eat in a deficit and work out will always be better then some random diet pill....
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    oh and instead of posting a thread you could always research them on your own ...you know, pick something up and read it ...that way you can avoid having your thread dive bombed....
  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,262 Member
    thats a really good question. And one that will have too many answers, some more pleasant that others
  • semarsh12
    semarsh12 Posts: 77 Member
    Some like Orlistat (Xenical, Alli) are lipase inhibitors. Some people call them fat blockers, but they don't actually "block" fat, it just keeps it from breaking down into smaller parts so that it can't be abosorbed by your GI tract. Others are diuretics (lose water weight, risk dehydration) and others are stimulants (increased heart rate, blood pressure). Most of these over the counter products are not regulated by the FDA (because they are considered "supplements") and do not carry the rigorous testing required by other drugs. This also means that a lot of adverse effects go unreported.
  • lisagregory01
    lisagregory01 Posts: 35 Member
    I took Adipex once. One pill a day made me completely loose my appetite. I don't know how many calories I was eating but I bet is was 800 or less. I just didn't want food. I did loose weight! If only I knew then what I know now about diet and exercise I would have worked harder to keep it off. That said, they are dangerous. I wasn't being supervised by a doctor and now that I am 50 I don't think I would try it again.
  • Kat5343
    Kat5343 Posts: 451 Member
    Look; first of all; don't lecture me. Do not, i didn't say i want to use them. I'm just réally curious about what they do.
    Like, you always hear; "they're bad they're bad they don't work" or exactly the opposite. All i get out of it: you lose weight or do not.. Is there ANYONE that knows what's in it and what it does?


    I have been taking Adipex (not daily, just a few times a week). It keeps you from being hungry and makes you incredibly thirsty. Helps me with portion control and to drink my daily water requirement.
  • lauren3101
    lauren3101 Posts: 1,853 Member
    Depends what pills you take. The majority of them will contain caffine as it can help suppress your appetite, but you will get the same effect from drinking a cup of coffee. Others are diuretics, so they make you go to the toilet a lot and therefore lose a lot of water, giving you the impression that they work.

    There is a reason they all say 'to be used in conjunction with a healthy diet and exercise'. There's no miracle worker pill.
  • GreenChile3
    GreenChile3 Posts: 65
    They empty your pockets

    hehehe this^^
  • YearsWorthOfFAT
    YearsWorthOfFAT Posts: 210
    Thanks xD. I was just wondering since my friends talk about them. They use this brand from my local store called Kruidvat and it literally says 'slimming pil'. The back describes thats its a mix of spices that will help you lose or something..
  • Mmmmona
    Mmmmona Posts: 328 Member
    They do work, for a while. But they stop working after a few months.

    They give you energy and they take away your hunger pains.
  • Buff2022
    Buff2022 Posts: 373 Member
    I think the ones you can get from your Doctor can help someone who is obesed jump start weight loss. Meaning control the hunger until you have lost some weight. But the pill is only a TOOL the work has to be done. Eating right and working out. That is still the real answer.
  • synthomarsh
    synthomarsh Posts: 189 Member
    kill baby seals
  • briabner
    briabner Posts: 427 Member
    They give you false hope and drain your pockets. This statement is concerning over the counter diet pills. The ones that are regulated by the FDA and can only get from a prescription are the better route.
  • MaydayParadeGirl
    MaydayParadeGirl Posts: 190 Member
    i don't think that all the pillls don't work HOWEVER they dont' work the way peopel think they are meant to. if you read most diet boxes/instructions for the pills they tell you that you need to work out with them and a lot of people don't bother with that so they dont' see progress and then cry that they aren't working.

    for example i have fastin, but i'm not really using it as a diet pill and i've only taken it twice. the only thing i have noticed it do is make me shakey but full of energy. honestly it's supposed to 'curb the hunger' but i got hungry at the same time as i usually did after taking it as directed. and the crash from that 100mg of caffenine was a pain in the *kitten*. if you even consider using anything you really need to read into them all, do your research because some of them have side effects that aren't worth the risk.
  • purple4sure05
    purple4sure05 Posts: 287 Member
    One of my good friends was taking bee pollen pills, and her weight dropped significantly. It boosted her metabolism, she had a ton of energy, and never felt hungry. However, her weight was dropping so much that it became unhealthy and she had to stop, which made her weight skyrocket back up to its original proportions.
  • cals83
    cals83 Posts: 131
    I don't suggest stimulants. When I was in college I used to drink an energy drink every day (Red Bull, Mountain Dew Amp, Sobe something or another...) which have a lot of the same chemicals and ended up screwing up my thyroid. It took a few years for my thyroid to get back to normal without medication but as a result...I wouldn't recommend anything outside of the occasional cup of coffee/tea as an energy supplement.

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