Diet Pills and all that that implies

Chef_Barbell wrote: »

fascha wrote: »

Gallowmere1984 wrote: »

fascha wrote: »

I take ephedrine and caffeine when cutting as it helps with energy and appetite control. I challenge anyone to tell me I'm taking the easy way out, I track everything I eat and I still have to be in a deficit lol it's a tool, like anything else. I don't have a problem with performance enhancing drugs either tbh. If you can drink and smoke I think if you'd like to add extra hormones to your body you should have autonomy over that.

Preaching to the choir here mate. I'm all for SARMS, Clen, Dbol, DMAA, Ephedera, etc. I'd posit the argument that those who don't enhance are looking for excuses to make for why they suck at any given thing.

Agreed. They hold onto that natty card as the ultimate excuse for a *kitten* physique as if enhancing just means you get to sit on your *kitten* and make gains LOL peasants

Who's they? :huh:

Gather the populations of BB.com and MFP, stand in the middle and throw a boomerang. I guarantee you hit 20-30.

I can understand the appeal and temporary utility of appetite suppressants. Especially at the beginning of a diet when you're adjusting to not eating as much. I've not used any other than caffeine in regular coffee/tea/soda, which doesn't seem to affect me much at all except for the volume of liquid being some help.

I can't imagine taking any kind of health risk to take a suppressant that works better for me. If I want to suppress hunger that badly, I'll keep an open can of cat food under my nose. I wouldn't want to even think about eating.

Most other diet pills are either placebos or have potentially dangerous side effects. No thanks.

I have finally given in and asked my doctor for help. I have been a binge eater most of my life, and food is my go-to drug to numb myself to life. No. I am not proud of where I am. I am ashamed. I have been grounded by my physical therapist from walking or any sort of impact exercise due to an Achilles tendon I keep reinjuring. I am pretty convinced if I werent lugging around that extra 150 pounds it might not be as much of an issue. Vyvanse is the med she put me on to try out. For the first time in my life I'm free from wanting to eat. I wish I could explain how surreal that is. When I am hungry and want to eat, I have the power to take my time and make better choices and the ability to stop and throw food away instead of cleaning my plate. I was the angriest person I know when the fda decided to call obesity a disease. NO addiction is a disease, it's a choice that our bodies or brains have become addicted to. BUT. That being said. It's opened the door for the help I'm in need of today. In the meantime... Yes, I can CHOOSE to overeat, but listening to my body and choosing not to is a habit I am now learning. The hope is, one day, when I stop the drug I'll have the new habit of listening to my body instead of the craving instilled in me so deeply I'll be in a better position to help myself!

MissJeans37 wrote: »

I have finally given in and asked my doctor for help. I have been a binge eater most of my life, and food is my go-to drug to numb myself to life. No. I am not proud of where I am. I am ashamed. I have been grounded by my physical therapist from walking or any sort of impact exercise due to an Achilles tendon I keep reinjuring. I am pretty convinced if I werent lugging around that extra 150 pounds it might not be as much of an issue. Vyvanse is the med she put me on to try out. For the first time in my life I'm free from wanting to eat. I wish I could explain how surreal that is. When I am hungry and want to eat, I have the power to take my time and make better choices and the ability to stop and throw food away instead of cleaning my plate. I was the angriest person I know when the fda decided to call obesity a disease. NO addiction is a disease, it's a choice that our bodies or brains have become addicted to. BUT. That being said. It's opened the door for the help I'm in need of today. In the meantime... Yes, I can CHOOSE to overeat, but listening to my body and choosing not to is a habit I am now learning. The hope is, one day, when I stop the drug I'll have the new habit of listening to my body instead of the craving instilled in me so deeply I'll be in a better position to help myself!

Sounds about like Suboxone for breaking opiate addiction...and replacing it with another dependancy

kimny72 wrote: »

138shades wrote: »

kimny72 wrote: »

If diet pills worked, no one would be overweight. Prescription pills may be able to curb your appetite, but it comes back when you stop taking them.

It's not a mental disorder.......the weight will come back if you return to the previous behaviors that made you overweight.

I don't like any medication but to say the weight comes back if you stop taking medication is ridiculous.

I didn't say the weight comes back. I said your appetite comes back. Prescription diet pills don't make you lose weight, they curb your appetite. When you stop taking them, your appetite comes back, at least that's my understanding.

And once the appetite comes back, the vast majority of the people who take the suppressants haven't learned how to control/curb/etc. their eating habits and resume the same patterns of eating that they had before taking the pills and THEN the weight comes back (usually with a few extra pounds to boot).

I've thought about this a lot recently. I see so much judgment directed at the way people choose to lose weight. People who elect to lose weight without the use of diet pills (or surgery for that matter) are characterized as losing weight the "hard" way, while those who elect to use those methods are taking the "easy" way. The subtext is that losing weight the "easy" way implies a person is lazy or maybe a cheat. I don't see it that way. Provided a person is losing weight responsibly (either under a doctor's care or following generally accepted guidelines) I don't see that one way is inherently superior to the other in terms of character strength.

As far as not being able to maintain once the weight is lost due to not learning how to eat normally, well, how many people (including me) using any method of weight loss bounce back up to our previous weight because we go back to our old eating habits. These boards are full of people (again including me) who are back for the nth time because they didn't learn to eat to maintain at a lower weight. I don't think that problem is specific to the use of diet pills.

I used to take Phentermine and I now say it's wayyyy better to train your body to lose weight without it. Everyone I knew who took it gained a ton more weight anytime they stopped taking it.

I'm not sure I'd call everyone on them lazy. I was young and ignorant once and I went to a weight loss clinic (where I thought I'd get counseling on nutrition/exercise/etc....but didn't) and was given a prescription for them. I stopped taking them because of heart palpitations. Looking back I shake my head at the fact that I thought I needed them. Hey, a doctor gave them to me and they know best, right? Granted that was years and years ago and information is much more readily available on nutrition and tools like MFP are everywhere to help people lose weight.

Gallowmere1984 wrote: »

Carlos_421 wrote: »

fascha wrote: »

Gallowmere1984 wrote: »

fascha wrote: »

I take ephedrine and caffeine when cutting as it helps with energy and appetite control. I challenge anyone to tell me I'm taking the easy way out, I track everything I eat and I still have to be in a deficit lol it's a tool, like anything else. I don't have a problem with performance enhancing drugs either tbh. If you can drink and smoke I think if you'd like to add extra hormones to your body you should have autonomy over that.

Preaching to the choir here mate. I'm all for SARMS, Clen, Dbol, DMAA, Ephedera, etc. I'd posit the argument that those who don't enhance are looking for excuses to make for why they suck at any given thing.

Agreed. They hold onto that natty card as the ultimate excuse for a *kitten* physique as if enhancing just means you get to sit on your *kitten* and make gains LOL peasants

I'm natty for my health's sake. Not for any kind of excuse, thanks.

Are you seriously implying that all natties have bad physiques and that they use "natty" as an excuse? Give me a break. Most of the guys I know who advertise their nattiness are bragging, "I didn't even need to ride the bike to look this awesome."

Not at all. My point was that every time in recent history that someone has accomplished something extraordinary in the performance department, we immediately see chimings of "dat celltech bro". While it's a valid point, it completely ignores the fact that people (athletes in particular) have been using every means available to them to get an edge, since time immemorial.

Once upon a time, caffeine and ephedra would have been viewed the same way Dbol is today, assuming people back then had the internet and a prescription pad for excuses for why they put up second place performances.

I was really just referring to fascha's insinuation that only people with pitiful physiques promote being natty.

And yeah, lots of people are too quick to call anyone bigger than them a juicer (I probably give genetic potential more credit than your average bb.com'er).

And I get that competitors have always sought out every advantage they can get. I would argue though, that once that advantage is gained by illegal/prohibited means, it's no longer a competitive advantage. It's an unfair advantage.

ETA: if someone wants to disregard the law in order to get as big/strong as they possibly can, it's no hair off my back. However, I don't think they should compete professionally in any kind of sport because I don't think the competition should have to practice the same illegal/unsafe methods in order to have a chance.

And I'm not saying that guys like Arnold aren't impressive. But I will say that I am less impressed than I was before I knew he juiced.

Carlos_421 wrote: »

Gallowmere1984 wrote: »

Carlos_421 wrote: »

fascha wrote: »

Gallowmere1984 wrote: »

fascha wrote: »

I take ephedrine and caffeine when cutting as it helps with energy and appetite control. I challenge anyone to tell me I'm taking the easy way out, I track everything I eat and I still have to be in a deficit lol it's a tool, like anything else. I don't have a problem with performance enhancing drugs either tbh. If you can drink and smoke I think if you'd like to add extra hormones to your body you should have autonomy over that.

Preaching to the choir here mate. I'm all for SARMS, Clen, Dbol, DMAA, Ephedera, etc. I'd posit the argument that those who don't enhance are looking for excuses to make for why they suck at any given thing.

Agreed. They hold onto that natty card as the ultimate excuse for a *kitten* physique as if enhancing just means you get to sit on your *kitten* and make gains LOL peasants

I'm natty for my health's sake. Not for any kind of excuse, thanks.

Are you seriously implying that all natties have bad physiques and that they use "natty" as an excuse? Give me a break. Most of the guys I know who advertise their nattiness are bragging, "I didn't even need to ride the bike to look this awesome."

Not at all. My point was that every time in recent history that someone has accomplished something extraordinary in the performance department, we immediately see chimings of "dat celltech bro". While it's a valid point, it completely ignores the fact that people (athletes in particular) have been using every means available to them to get an edge, since time immemorial.

Once upon a time, caffeine and ephedra would have been viewed the same way Dbol is today, assuming people back then had the internet and a prescription pad for excuses for why they put up second place performances.

I was really just referring to fascha's insinuation that only people with pitiful physiques promote being natty.

And yeah, lots of people are too quick to call anyone bigger than them a juicer (I probably give genetic potential more credit than your average bb.com'er).

And I get that competitors have always sought out every advantage they can get. I would argue though, that once that advantage is gained by illegal/prohibited means, it's no longer a competitive advantage. It's an unfair advantage.

ETA: if someone wants to disregard the law in order to get as big/strong as they possibly can, it's no hair off my back. However, I don't think they should compete professionally in any kind of sport because I don't think the competition should have to practice the same illegal/unsafe methods in order to have a chance.

And I'm not saying that guys like Arnold aren't impressive. But I will say that I am less impressed than I was before I knew he juiced.

Fair enough. Your train of thought would be synonymous with an MFPer showing up one day, eating 4000 kcals per day, and losing 3 lbs. per week, winning a contest, then revealing that they are a meth user.

That being said, there are plenty of legal PHs that work, though none qualify as "natty" and will give you manboobs, bacne, and liver problems if not cycled properly. I'd say that my biggest issue with all of it is the hypocrisy required by the majority to condemn one that's illegal, being meh on one that's legal, but being perfectly fine with simulants and the like. At least your view is more consistent.

amanda_qed wrote: »

For anyone looking to increase energy, I recommend asking your doctor about getting B12 shots. I get one monthly (can be injected at home, if comfortable doing it yourself) and it helps give that extra boost.

I also think there is a benefit to Alli. Not so much for long-term weight loss, but it's been great for conditioning my behavior toward positive habits. When I get a craving for pizza or fast food, remembering the awful stomachache and other side effect that would result helps me resist.

Strong first post.

Maybe some pills do have benefits whilst on a healthy diet. I'm not a scientific researcher! All I do know is I took a load when yoyo dieting in the past and it led to bad things. The worst being a horrific rash all over my body from supposed "all natural" ingredients...

As a few people have already mentioned, the ECA/Ephedrine/Ephedra products do seem to have a good effect on fat - certainly when I've used them, but you just can't use them and expect success if your diet is crap or you're not exercising - it's pointless. There's also Clenbuterol which is heading into darker areas of supplementation, adjacent to steroids but the side effects are horrendous. The vast majority of all supplements are hoax and marketing *kitten*, you're better off counting calories on here, avoiding alcohol, drinking lots of water, and working out.

alexpn wrote: »

Just for anyone interested - Ephedrine is REASONABLY close to amphetamines in terms of molecular structure. It's banned in many countries (probably because it works and the Health Boards don't like it!)

Unfortunately, anything that actually works is eventually banned somewhere. I can't tell of it's the fault of a nanny state, or a moronic public that wants everything to be completely safe, even in the hands our dimmest bulbs. Safe and effective rarely coexist.