Welcome to Debate Club! Please be aware that this is a space for respectful debate, and that your ideas will be challenged here. Please remember to critique the argument, not the author.

Diet Pills and all that that implies

Options
245678

Replies

  • ForecasterJason
    ForecasterJason Posts: 2,577 Member
    Options
    It seems to me that they're pretty much worthless for most people.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Options
    madinagazieva93 wrote: »
    ill have to be honest about this one. 2 months ago I developed a binge eating pattern as a result of being unemployed and thus unmotivated and depressed. I tried to continue exercising and obsessed over 'clean eating', until my mother came for a visit and saw what a wreck I was. The situation climaxed when we went to a takeaway place to grab something quick to eat. Seeing all the available food overwhelmed me so much that I burst out in tears - I wanted all that food and I hated it because I thought it was gross and I hated myself for wanting it and stressing over it. To give you some background, at the time I had a fairly athletic body and weighed 60 kg with a height of 170 cm, which is considered healthy. It was nonetheless too much for me and my life revolved around trying to shed 3 kilos to go back to my ideal weight. Now my mother was a med student and while she hadn't been a doctor for long, she is well aware of what is dangerous. Her solution to my binge eating cycle was to buy me sibutramine pills (which in the country I currently live in are available over the counter without prescription). The 'speedy' effect that everyone talks about lasted for only one day and didn't bother me that much. Afterwards, my binge eating and obsession over food slowly subsided and I was able to focus on other things and slowly started losing weight. I had regained motivation to have a weekly exercise schedule and re-joined FitnessPal. I have been on this pill for about a month and the results are noticeable. I still eat 3 times a day and I indulge in sweets and fats, however I do it all in moderation. I know these pills do not work for everybody. While on the diet pills, I have still maintained discipline and perseverance and tried to make sure I am eating mind fully. What sibutramine did to me is help me get in touch with my body and get back on the weight loss track. I would, however not take any other diet pill and instead take fish oil supplements, which also help the body feel more satiated after less food. I have read a myriad of reviews about certain diet pills and was not convinced I their effectiveness simply based on the contents of the pill. Sibutramine however, helped me a LOT and helped me regain control of my life.

    Sibutramine, that's reductil, right? I think that's been banned here in Australia for quite a few years.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,547 Member
    Options
    Diet pills are usually nothing more than some caffeine and other ingredients that "apparently" have an effect on appetite.
    The con here is that YOU are in control of how much you eat even with an appetite suppressant. Wait what? Because once you stop using it, what you put in your mouth and how much you eat will be your own decision. That is unless of course you're willing to be on a drug the rest of your life. And even then, people will build a tolerance to it.
    Changing habits is what people need to do, not pop a pill an hope it changes it for them.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • owensy12
    owensy12 Posts: 88 Member
    Options
    Total waste of time.
  • wackyfunster
    wackyfunster Posts: 944 Member
    Options
    EC works quite well and is pretty mild in terms of side-effect profile if you are in good health and use it responsibly. Yohimbine can help with stubborn fat, but I find the sides to be unbearable. Someone else mentioned DNP, which is in a whole other category (that category being 'borderline suicidal' IMO... if you are taking a pesticide that interferes with the fundamental mechanisms of cellular respiration out of vanity, you really need to reexamine your life ). In all cases but the last, the actual impact is fairly small for most people on this board. If you're trying to go from 12% body fat to 8% then EC can be quite helpful. If you're going from 40% to 25%, it's not needed IMO.
  • markrgeary1
    markrgeary1 Posts: 853 Member
    Options
    Folks in Independence mo used to do a lot of diet things. Today many are still very skinny, mostly because they have zero teeth.

    What kind of diet pills you willing to put in your system?
  • luluinca
    luluinca Posts: 2,899 Member
    Options
    When I was in my 20's, about 40 years ago, there were weight loss clinics women (mostly young ones) would go to and they would basically peddle speed. I was a 22 year old college student, working part time as a waitress in a dinner house to pay the bills, and quite a few of the 25 to 35 year old waitresses went to one of these "clinics".

    One of my best friends there had a heart attack in the parking lot after work one night and died.....she was 26 and her death was attributed to amphetamines. Luckily for me I never tried them.
  • babypunkprincess
    babypunkprincess Posts: 109 Member
    Options
    I'm 28 and in my early 20 's i was obsessed with diet pills, i was anorexic and all that fun stuff. Now losing weight the healthy way is much better and diet pills are just *kitten*
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,547 Member
    Options
    Araeana wrote: »
    While I can definitely see the reasoning behind the negative light often cast on diet pills, I feel that it's not quite right to say they're all sugar pills or all people on them are lazy.

    I've been on phentermine for almost a week now, and for me it's about energy. My doctor and I are working closely to find a solution, and the pill is a very temporary measure. Without it (or at least some sort of powerful boost), I have enough energy to make breakfast and take the dogs outside to pee. Maybe two hours, four at most, and I'm fading into a weird state between awake and asleep, barely able to move for lack of energy. This has been an increasing problem for years, and had led to a lot of depression and, of course, weight gain.

    For me, I'm using the time on phentermine as a reset. I never experienced that manic high that some people describe, but since day 2 of taking it, I have the energy of someone healthy. I can stay up all day, do chores, play with dogs (I still don't quite have enough energy to walk them alone), and make a plan for how I want to manage this going forward, when there won't be a pill (joining MyFitnessPal is part of that effort).

    I fully agree that there is no magic pill that will melt away pounds for you. Diet and (when possible) exercise are the only solution to that. But sometimes perscribed diet pills have a role to play in getting back on your feet so you can take better care of yourself in the future.
    Have you identified why you don't have energy? Is it hormonal, genetic, etc?

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • mysticwryter
    mysticwryter Posts: 111 Member
    Options
    Didn't get into the Stacker craze or Hydroxycut. I have used pre-workouts that had CLA in them or had protein with thermogenic ingredients (mostly capsasin), but nothing that would be considered a diet pill. I still take protein with thermogenic ingredients, multi-vitamins, fish oil, and sometimes CLA when it's available.
  • Araeana
    Araeana Posts: 2 Member
    Options
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Araeana wrote: »
    While I can definitely see the reasoning behind the negative light often cast on diet pills, I feel that it's not quite right to say they're all sugar pills or all people on them are lazy.

    I've been on phentermine for almost a week now, and for me it's about energy. My doctor and I are working closely to find a solution, and the pill is a very temporary measure. Without it (or at least some sort of powerful boost), I have enough energy to make breakfast and take the dogs outside to pee. Maybe two hours, four at most, and I'm fading into a weird state between awake and asleep, barely able to move for lack of energy. This has been an increasing problem for years, and had led to a lot of depression and, of course, weight gain.

    For me, I'm using the time on phentermine as a reset. I never experienced that manic high that some people describe, but since day 2 of taking it, I have the energy of someone healthy. I can stay up all day, do chores, play with dogs (I still don't quite have enough energy to walk them alone), and make a plan for how I want to manage this going forward, when there won't be a pill (joining MyFitnessPal is part of that effort).

    I fully agree that there is no magic pill that will melt away pounds for you. Diet and (when possible) exercise are the only solution to that. But sometimes perscribed diet pills have a role to play in getting back on your feet so you can take better care of yourself in the future.
    Have you identified why you don't have energy? Is it hormonal, genetic, etc?

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png


    We're still figuring it out, but for now we don't know. So far we've checked my thyroid and blood levels, which came back normal. I'm scheduled for imaging this coming week (my thyroid is visibly swollen and it's constricting slightly, which is why we're seemingly beating a dead horse). Dr. also suggested some non-pill management of depression/stress in the meantime (yoga, hiking, whatever I have the energy to do).
  • bshrom
    bshrom Posts: 71 Member
    Options
    Diet pills are a joke. They are unhealthy and can do more harm than good. There is no replacement for hard work and clean eating.
  • Sandra448
    Sandra448 Posts: 22 Member
    Options
    I got sucked in by an article about a celebrity's weight loss and also the author of the article having good results. The author seemed sincere on only recommending something that they tried and worked. The link to the pills was offering them for $10. Being cautious, I looked for any fine print for recurring charges. Long story short, 2 weeks later they charged me $150 and never sent me anything. What scams and frauds.

    I was hopeful for some quicker results while eating healthier, but am now convinced there are no shortcuts, just a lot of hard work.

    Be aware of scams unless it's from a company you trust
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Options
    Sandra448 wrote: »
    I got sucked in by an article about a celebrity's weight loss and also the author of the article having good results. The author seemed sincere on only recommending something that they tried and worked. The link to the pills was offering them for $10. Being cautious, I looked for any fine print for recurring charges. Long story short, 2 weeks later they charged me $150 and never sent me anything. What scams and frauds.

    I was hopeful for some quicker results while eating healthier, but am now convinced there are no shortcuts, just a lot of hard work.

    Be aware of scams unless it's from a company you trust

    @Sandra448 It didnt happen to be Garcinia Cambogia?
  • grinning_chick
    grinning_chick Posts: 765 Member
    Options
    The OTC diet pill industry is like the online dating industry is like any industry that monetarily capitalizes on human emotions. Hopes and dreams, wants and desires - powerful motivators. In these instances, to part with money over.
  • BodyzLanguage
    BodyzLanguage Posts: 200 Member
    Options
    I could be long winded, however I'm likely to have the same conclusion if I were also brief. Forget em'. Do it the old fashion way which has worked for centuries for millions of people. Put the sweat equity in and I promise you you'll be on your way to lasting change. I stress "lasting" because you build up the correct habits along the way to maintain the lighter you. So basically, don't do it.. Cheaters never prosper.

Categories