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For many people the battle with the bulge is a lifelong struggle. On tonight's show Anita Rani looked at the dangers of taking slimming pills. Side effects of the tablets can include excruciating headaches, heart murmurs, addiction and in extreme cases heart attack
The drugs work a bit like amphetamines as they stimulate the central nervous system by mimicking the natural effect of adrenalin. Once that kicks in, heart rate increases and suppresses the appetite.
You can report suspected counterfeit medicines to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
Do any diets work?
The diet industry is big business. Adverts suggest that there are hundreds of ways to lose weight.
Over the years experts have suggested various ways of fighting the flab. Including cutting out carbohydrates, eating nothing but cabbage or drinking water to curb hunger. There's lots of info about eating for health at the British Dietetic Association website.
What diets do you think really work? Do you have any weight loss tips? Is it possible to stick to a diet and keep the weight off? Add your comment.
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The only diet that actually works is drop your calorie intake and get some excercise!
This is the only guaranteed way to lose weight and the only safe way. Even Weightwatchers is pointless. The only thing that stops people losing weight is lack of willpower.
Losing weight is easy. So easy it makes me mad to see how many tv shows are dedicated to it, how many magazines run articles week after week about it.
Stop eating so much rubbish, reduce your calorie intake and get off your backside and get some excercise. It's easy if you can be bothered. If you can't then you wont lose weight and will die young and fat.
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Being a person who has to work 24 7 at gaining then maintaining a reasonable weight. I am of course SO impressed to hear people who appear to be of normal weight to hight build telling me 'just eat properly and exercise'.
All well and good judging people who run to extream lengths to feel human, but before you do, consider that many of these people are already having to 'live a diet'. Not trying to find a simple short cut as was suggesed.
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It really upsets me when I see these lovely curvacelous women having to go to extreme lengths about their weight, often prompted by the government and other official bodies. For example, the couple unable to adopt a child because the man is overweight. I think people should be allowed to live their life the way they want. You can make people aware of health risks associated with being overweight - but we're not stupid, as a nation, we know we ought to lose weight if we're a wee bit chubby. It's just that sometimes it's important to live a little. I would like to congratulate the women in this part of the show for getting up there to talk about their weight - I think they all look fantastic.
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I was surprised that the advice offered was to see your GP. I have tried this and more so as my husband is just about to have a gastric banding. I think that I am overweight and do not want to end up having surgery but cannot get any help.
All newspaper and magazine articles, also web sites offer 'GP help' as a final solution. I was horrified that you were doing the same thing- please try harder and think again!!!!
Exercise? Lovely idea! Can't afford a personal trainer, local gym prices are extortionate and running on the streets of Hastings positively unsafe.
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Sorry but what a cop out! You don't need to pay to excercise and there are more choices than street running. What's wrong with some situps/pressups at home?
Get out of bed in the morning and do 20 situps/star-jumps. Then do 20 more before you go to bed at night. Combine this with low calorie intake and you will lose weight.
This is not just my opinion it's physics and it's a fact.
Also in response to Spinnyspace I am only of normal height/weight because I excercise and don't sit munching biscuits and chocolate all day. If I stopped excercising and increased my calorie intake than I too would be large, unhealthy and at high risk of heart attack.
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there is no doubt, that if you are overweight you are in danger of heart attack, diabetes, high blood pressure, and strokes, plus low self esteem, some people think fat people are happy, and jolly, maybe on the outside, but I myself am overweight after giving up the fags, and I'm not happy and jolly about it, even though I'm not grossly obese, I am trying to loose a few pounds, I would never, never!! take pills, a friend of mine did, and she became withdrawn and depressed, she was starving to death, we were afraid we would loose her, she is o/k now, but it taught me a lesson I can tell you!! diets are no good, you cannot diet your whole life, healthy food, and exercise, is the only way. Now!! if I can just take my own advice, ??
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I believe that the only way you can keep the weight off is by eating smaller portions of food and excercising. We put weight on if we consume more that we burn. I am content with how I look at a healthy size 12 but I work with 3 other ladies who are so obsessed about their weight. One has stopped eating carbs, the other weighs herself daily and then pigs out which is unhealthy. THe other lady has low self esteem and so eats. I am slowly educating them as to what they are doing to their bodies.
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Instead of ordering diet pills online, why not cycle to the chemist's (not neccessarily the nearest one) to pick them up!
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For my 2009 New Year's resolution I decided to lose weight and blog about it and have lost about 10 pounds simply exercising and counting calories.
Yesterday, I got a book by Paul McKenna called "I Can Make You Thin" and it makes a lot of sense. It is not a diet at all. It has to do with how you think about food and how to eat like your body wants you to. I haven't finished the book or gotten to the hypnosis CD included, but I think this guy is on to something!
When I'm finished reading and have more information, I'll write about it at:
http://LoseWeightWithNate.com/
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I take a diet pill before every meal, and by the time I wake up, the food has gone....
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If you can afford the upkeep, and vet fees, and you have the time, why not get a dog, they wont let you vegetate on the couch, walkies can be fun! and you will get to know all the other dog walkers, therefore making new friends, and at the same time, losing a few pounds, there are lots of nice homeless dogs looking to be adopted, why not!! give it a try.
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It was about four months ago when I ran into an old friend of mine at Starbucks and he told me about an amazing product that surpresses the appetiteand burns fat cells. Well I said here we go again. I have tried pills.diet shakes, and special meals. Of course nothing seem to help long term. I kept an open mindsince this one was unique and had three government pattents. I thought maybe this is the one to help me get rid of those stubron pounds. My friend Mike told methis product took ten years to develop. The herbs and vitamins had to have cynergy and taste great. It also came with a money back guarantee. I felt I had nothing to lose but weight. Now four months later I am at my weight of 30 years ago. I am 6' and weigh 235. Not bad since four months before I was 290. Went from a 42 waist to a 38. I accomplished this with very little exercise and still ate what ever I wanted. I made a voul to share this life changing product with every one I meet. It's fun and simple. I call it a Miracle on a Stick
http://essanceofhealth.blogspot.com/
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Of course diets work, if you stick with them. Eat less, do more - and you will lose weight.
The trick lies in changing your lifestyle permanently - it's no good starving for a month and then going back to the fish-and-chip and deep fried Mars bar diet - the fat will come back (because you're putting it back in).
As for slimming pills - any allopathic pills have harsh effect and therefore negative side-effects - try something natural!
I recently tried Green Tea extract capsules (315mg, H&B). I only used 1 a day, in the morning - and it had me running around cheerfully doing jobs, where I might otherwise have been moping around feeling middle-aged and overweight. In addition, since then (and without constant use), I have lost half a stone in weight.
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I still don't believe tablets are good for you, what happens when you stop, the pounds will find their back to your hips, unless you are to take them forever, and then you have to worry about the effects of long term use, not all herbs and vitamins, are suitable for every one.
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Not always as simple as 'less calories more exercise'
I eat healthy and watch calories (1700 - 1750 per day), I also exercise 6 days a week (cardiovascular and light weights) for 1 to 1 1/2 hours and I cannot lose weight, I am stuck between 217 and 220 lbs (obese) and no-one seems to know why I am not losing, my dietician or my GP.
I am an Insulin Diabetic and I am convinced that this is something to do with it, so it's NOT as simple as you think.
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All weight loss programs work to some extent. The hard part is finding one that you can live with for the rest of your life.
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Yes, we diabetics have a problem with weight. Either the medication gets us too thin or, if we can't tolerate it the alternative medication makes you retain fluid and you pile the weight on. In ten years of tablet controlled diabetes I have incrased my weight by 50 % and have gone from a size 10 to 24. And nothing works in the way of diet. You have to have a regular food intake, so if somebody knows of a miracle way of losing weight, I'd be eternally grateful
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There never seems to be much advice for the older age group. I have always struggled to keep the weight down and after years and years of 'healthy eating' I have no areas to cut down on. I don't eat crisps, chips, pies, etc. but do eat porridge for breakfast, salad at lunch and good protein with veg for the evening meal, as a rule. I love ice cream and the odd glass of wine too and subscribe to the 'a little of what you fancy does you good' mantra. I walk as much as I can and ensure I walk at least 3 x a week for betwwen 30 mins and 1 1/2 hours. and I STILL can put weight on very easily. At over 60 vigorous exercise is out of the question (and not advised anyway). Anyone else in the same boat and are there any other ideas out there?
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The answer to the question do diets really work is very simple! Of course they do. The problem is that we are always looking for that way to lose weight fast and we fall for programs that simply won't work.
Have you tried fasting to lose weight? I have and trust me, it works wonders! ;-)
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