Diet Pills

dmisom79
dmisom79 Posts: 112
edited September 23 in Health and Weight Loss
How bad are they really for your body? I've been taking diet pills on and off for years and every time I try to go off them, I feel like I spiral out of control so I start taking them again. Even if they don't work for me, I feel like subconsiously they do. My problem is I have no willpower and I like energy and crave pills that take away or drastically reduce my appetite. I've had GREAT success in the past with the right pills but I know I would like to get off of them soon because I know they probably aren't good for my body and I don't want taking diet pills to hurt my chances of getting pregnant this year. Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

Replies

  • tvanderberg
    tvanderberg Posts: 59
    OH NO!!! Diet pills are BAD.....I say that because whatever weight you loose while using them drastically returns plus some once you stop. It's horrifying. I used them and mine were doctor prescribed. I dont suggest that anyone use them. Just find healthy alternatives that work for you. I promise in the long run you will be glad.
  • turboandrea
    turboandrea Posts: 108
    If diet pills actually worked, gyms would be out of business. BAD. There is no magic pill or answer. Eat less than you burn every day and you will lose weight; simple.

    You don't want to put random stuff into your body. Who knows what the long-term side effects could be?
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    OK so psychologically, diet pills are poison. And how you think about your lifestyle is super important to overall success.

    -diet pills make us think differently about our food.
    -they alter our body chemistry which means once you go off them you have to re-learn how to eat again or else risk gaining the weight back.
    -Some have physically addictive side effects or can be damaging to internal organs.
    -they are largely a placebo affect (especially OTC pills), in other words, you could do it without them if you just had the right mindset.

    Know that there's no secret to being healthy, it's just a lot of hard work. In most cases, my personal opinion is that they are a shortcut and a crutch. There are a few exceptions where they are truly the right way to go, but those cases are few and far between.
  • wriglucy
    wriglucy Posts: 1,064 Member
    OH NO!!! Diet pills are BAD.....I say that because whatever weight you loose while using them drastically returns plus some once you stop. It's horrifying. I used them and mine were doctor prescribed. I dont suggest that anyone use them. Just find healthy alternatives that work for you. I promise in the long run you will be glad.

    I agree. They usually cause your heart to work harder and can sometimes through off your electrolights. I'd stick to watching what you eat and working out. I know that I'd rather be a little chubbier and healthy and safe, than skinny and nervious about falling over from a heart attack at any time.
  • lutzsher
    lutzsher Posts: 1,153 Member
    I have found that by really cleaning up my diet and switching to ONLY healthy unprocessed "clean" food, stopping drinking coffee by 10am, and getting in about 8-10 glasses of water per day had drastically increased my energy.
    I used to "hit that brick wall" about 3pm everyday and now find that I never feel that way any longer. The diet change and getting in exercise works wonders for your energy levels.

    Your body will treat you the way you treat it . . . if you consume processed or "unnatural" substances it will not perform at its peak.
  • tuckers08
    tuckers08 Posts: 5
    diet pills really don't provide any benefit. the energy they give you just makes you jittery and makes your heart race. Eating foods high in B vitamins is a much better way to gain energy. Also, diet pills don't really help curb appetites. Instead, drink a cold glass of water, or eat a couple of celery sticks to make your hunger go away. I think this is especially helpful right before a meal because my stomach is kind of full so I don't eat as much.Chewing mint gum while deciding what to eat is a good idea because, the fresh breath will make you less likely hungry, and you can choose lower calorie foods
  • dmisom79
    dmisom79 Posts: 112
    Wow, it's like I knew the answer to this and I hear these comments every single day from my worried husband but maybe it takes hearing it from strangers to really work. I will just have to suck it up and do this the correct and hard way. I DON'T want to die from a heart attack, that's for sure. I still REALLY want babies! And the whole thing about when you stop them, you gain it all back plus some, that's SO true. Been there, done that. Your comment Turboandrea "Eat less than you burn every day and you will lose weight; simple." I gotcha. It sounds so easy. I hear that line from my hubby about once a week. Thanks for all the advice. Now I just have to follow through and throw these pills away. Easier said than done. They've been a crutch for years.
  • annadilynn
    annadilynn Posts: 84
    the only diet pill that really "seemed" like it worked for me was pulled from the market because it was causing people to die...I guess i got lucky...i guess you could say i got scared strait..lol...
  • carolinegeorgia
    carolinegeorgia Posts: 157
    have tried that, they work while u take them but u learn nothing and as soon as u stop u end up bigger then u started....... :(
  • Thomasm198
    Thomasm198 Posts: 3,189 Member
    Diet Pills in my opinion = VERY BAD.
  • dmisom79
    dmisom79 Posts: 112
    true carolinegeorgie, that's the experience i've had. so just have to get back to the basics i guess. i know it sounds silly but it's going to be hard to give up this crutch. i know i can do it though with willpower.
  • dmisom79
    dmisom79 Posts: 112
    OKAY, I DID IT. I threw them out today! I had a bit of a scare last night. Not sure completely if it was from the pills but it scared me enough to throw them away. I thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest last night. It was horrible. And my husband said to me "you're going to kill yourself with that stuff and leave me here alone to care for our babies by myself" We don't even have babies yet but he was just thinking out loud I suppose.
  • jessieinblue
    jessieinblue Posts: 287 Member
    OKAY, I DID IT. I threw them out today! I had a bit of a scare last night. Not sure completely if it was from the pills but it scared me enough to throw them away. I thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest last night. It was horrible. And my husband said to me "you're going to kill yourself with that stuff and leave me here alone to care for our babies by myself" We don't even have babies yet but he was just thinking out loud I suppose.

    YAYYAYAYY! GOOD FOR YOU!

    Okay, enough yelling, but seriously -- I am SUPER proud of you! Don't go back! Don't go back! There is so much support here on MFP and it sounds like you have a really wonderful supportive husband too. No more pills! :D
  • Black_Swan
    Black_Swan Posts: 770 Member
    You really did a good thing, pills are totally bad and dont make you any healthier - but right decisions do!
  • carl1738
    carl1738 Posts: 444 Member
    Good for you for throwing them out!
  • conniehill
    conniehill Posts: 3
    Diet pills may work for a short period of time but when u stop them the weight comes back. ... diet pills can be very unhealthy and can cause serious damage to the heart.... the smart approach is to toss them in the trash and work thru the detoxification and then move foreward. you may want to check with ur doctor b4 tossing them. make sure there will b no harm in doing that.
  • dmisom79
    dmisom79 Posts: 112
    Thank you ALL so much for your help and advice! You have no idea how much it's truly appreciated. :happy:
  • xinzya
    xinzya Posts: 15
    glad to hear you threw them out...I started very slowly- like most of the posts here- I gave up soda and it was actually easy to do- I accidentally grabbed a sip from my daughters cup the other day and it was gross- so that was conquered- then I gave up chips..then french fries- just substituted these things for healthier things- and can I tell you- the cookie monster was a novice compared to me when it came to sweets- if I can do it w/o diet pills- anyone can :) Good Luck
  • Thomasm198
    Thomasm198 Posts: 3,189 Member
    OKAY, I DID IT. I threw them out today!
    Glad to hear you threw them out.
  • kidtechnical
    kidtechnical Posts: 146
    edited to delete this post - dreadful typos!!
  • kidtechnical
    kidtechnical Posts: 146
    Good for you! As a midwife, I would say that if you think you could get pregnant (and really, that is any woman of childbearing age, regardless of contraception) then you don't need to worry about the effect of a healthy balanced diet on you or baby. On the other hand you would worry about the affect of diet pills because the damage they cause in pregnancy is unknown, this is because it would be unethical to research their effects on pregnant women (and chances are your baby would be exposed to the diet pills for approx 6 weeks minimum before you would have the first inclination that you are pregnant).
  • dmisom79
    dmisom79 Posts: 112
    Okay everyone, so it's been 9 days since I took my last diet pill and I have to say i feel great. Still have energy and all that so i'm attributing that to my continuous workouts. I think it's helping. So, just wanted to give you an update but I will continue to need encouragement with this. Thanks so much!
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
    Based on your posts, I think I know what you were taking. I believe, that if you have made it nine days without, that you have them beat. Trust me....
    Never underestimate the strength of your own will.
  • kidtechnical
    kidtechnical Posts: 146
    Well done, you're doing great.
  • stephaniesummers
    stephaniesummers Posts: 1
    Joe alone with babies?!? I may have the heart attack for you! :) Hee hee! Seriously tho, this is the first time I have tried to diet without pills...it's discouraging since "normally" i would have dropped 20 lbs by now, with half the exercise I am currently doing! But you are right, it never lasts! I have lost my "baby weight" twice in 3 years....no such thing as baby weight twice for one kiddo! lol I keep telling myself this is going to take longer=it will last longer! btw, just curious, what were you taking?
  • dmisom79
    dmisom79 Posts: 112
    @Steph - I know, we don't want to leave my poor hubby alone with the babies. That would be catastrophic! He, he...i'm with ya Steph. I normally see much quicker results but the "good" effects of the pills goes away in about 3-4 weeks and they stop working so it's discouraging and then I go on to the next big thing. This past time I was taking Stacker 2's. Right before that VPX Incinerator Meltdown. I've done them all. Even the ones with ephedra when they were legal. But we can do it girl! WITHOUT THE PILLS!!!
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