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Have You Ever Taken Prescription Diet Pills?

FitSugar — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 03:47:52 PDT

There may be no magic pill for weight loss, but that doesn't stop the manufacture of diet pills. Although some are having trouble getting approved by the FDA and some pills (read Meridia, which has been on the market since 1997) risk failing reviews by the agency due to increased risk of heart attacks and strokes, many pharmaceutical companies have weight loss drugs and appetite suppressants in the works. Have any of these pill tempted you? Did they work for you?

Internet Weight Loss Supplements: A Bad Idea and Bad For You

FitSugar — Wed, 21 May 2008 12:00:00 PDT

We've all gotten the spam messages in our inbox about pills promising immediate weight loss, without the help of diet and exercise. Sure, it may seem tempting, but new research has found that weight-loss supplements widely available for purchase online often include ingredients that are potentially hazardous to your heart.

I am not a fan of weight-loss supplements - I believe that the benefits of exercise and eating healthy far outweigh losing a few quick pounds. However, I know a lot of folks still invest in weight-loss pills, so I wanted to be sure that if you do, you know which ingredients raise a red flag in terms of safety. For a starter list of ingredients in weight-loss supplements that could be dangerous for your heart,

Glucomannan: A Safe Way to Lose Weight?

FitSugar — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 07:30:00 PST

There is no shortage of crash diets and diet pills when it comes to losing weight fast and easy. Companies are even pushing natural supplements that they claim will help melt away pounds, like this one called Glucomannan. It's a water-soluble dietary fiber made from the corm (underground stem) of the Asian plant known as konjac. People take it because it slows down digestion and delays the absorption of glucose from the intestines. This supplement also absorbs a lot of water so it swells in your stomach, giving you a full feeling. Since it's natural, people think it's healthy and safe.

It's true that fiber is great to include in your diet, because it helps with constipation, and can lower total levels of cholesterol in the body, but is adding fiber in the form of glucomannan a good idea? To find out

read more Limited studies have been carried out to test whether this supplement really affects body weight. Not only that, but people taking glucomannan have suffered from intestinal and esophageal obstruction, and for that reason, it has been banned in several countries. Yikes! So if I were you, I'd steer clear of glucommanan until more research can be done. I know it's not easy to lose weight the good old fashioned way of eating right and exercising regularly, but it really is the most effective way to lose pounds and keep them off. Source

Have You Ever Tried Diet Pills?

FitSugar — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 03:00:00 PDT

Source

I was perusing through a magazine last night and saw a huge ad for Alli, the first FDA-approved over the counter diet pills, and that got me thinking. As women feeling the pressures of having the perfect Barbie-body, I'm sure we've all had thoughts about how to get a quick fix. So I want to know...

WTF?! Fit Edition - Italian Expanding Diet Pill

FitSugar — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 17:15:00 PDT

So what do you think is resting peacefully in that hand in the photo to the left? A jelly fish? Why no, it is a diet pill. When I saw this on WIRED all I could think to say was, to borrow a phrase my buddy Giggle is so fond of - WTF!?

This is a new diet pill, still in the testing phase, that turns into a clear, gelatinous blob the size of a tennis ball to help fill up your stomach. The pill, taken with 2 glasses of water, gives the user a fake-full sensation, like having eaten a "plate full of pasta," but without having to deal with all those unwanted calories. It seems the Italian creators of this "innovative" diet pill were inspired by the increasing size of Americans waistlines when they visited our fair country back in the 1990s.

The pill absorbs the two glasses of water you drink after swallowing it and expands in your stomach. Made of hydrogel, this "water balloon" could produce an effect similar to gastric banding -- without the surgery. The scientists behind the pill said "hydrogel" is made from "biocompatible" material, so the body just flushes it out. The WIRED article did not give any time frame for this flushing process.

The pill may be on the market in both the U.S. and EU later this year depending on how it fares in testing trials.

Is it just me - or does it look an awful lot like a silicone breast implant?

There's another photo and if you want to see it you are just going to have to

read more This photo illustrates the "before" and "after" shots of the pill. What you swallow and what two glasses of water can do to it once it is housed in your stomach. I am not sure you can tell, but I am thinking this is pretty bad idea. I know obesity is on the rise on an international level, but I really do believe we can all learn to control our appetites and begin to exercise more. I really do. Do you?

Are Your Birth Control Pills Safe?

Shape — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:06:17 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar.

Last year during my annual exam, when I complained to my doctor about my terrible PMS, she was quick to pull out her pad and give me a prescription for the birth control pill Yaz. "You're going to love this," she said. "All of my patients that are on it think it's the best. It's even helped some of them lose weight!"

Less PMS and not having to worry about my weight? I was sold, even though I'd only intended to talk to her about lifestyle and/or diet modifications since my birth control needs were already taken care of. Before I stopped into the pharmacy, however, I looked up the pill online (Paging Dr. Google!). The results were anything but the lovefest I'd been promised. In fact, the information I found scared me so badly that I never filled that prescription.

Am I Normal? Your Top Six Sex Questions Answered

It quickly became evident that I wasn't the only woman concerned when Yaz and it's sister pill Yazmin, two of the most popular pills on the market, came up for review by the FDA after reports that the manufacturer may have hid and minimized critical health risks. But is the hysteria warranted?

Find out how safe birth control pills are after the break!

Whoopi Goldberg Gets Gassy With Dr. Oz

FitSugar — Thu, 26 May 2011 16:47:01 PDT

Dr. Oz couldn't leave The View today without dispensing some helpful diet tips. He talked about a fiber tablet that he thinks everyone should take before meals that will help to curtail the amount of food your body will want to eat during the meal. The only drawback to the pill is that it may leave a person feeling gassy. Whoopi had no problem with this side effect and let everyone in the studio know about it.

The Health Risks Associated With Diet Pills

Heather Dale — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 11:49:30 PDT

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, right? I always find the infomercials produced by diet pill companies entertaining; you know, the ones where they promise significant weight loss in just one to two weeks. I'm sure if I drastically restricted my food intake and took appetite-suppressant medications for seven or more days, then these claims might not be so far off. But at what cost?

When we surveyed you all on this topic a while back, many of you answered that you had tried diet pills before. Although I'm not part of this group, I've often wondered if these pills are worth it - and by worth it, I mean, are they worth enduring some of the less than desirable side effects like cramping, gas, diarrhea, and increased blood pressure and heart rate to shed pounds the "quick fix" way? What happens when you stop taking the pills? And are the pills that are supposed to be used in conjunction with physical activity and a well-balanced diet any better?

Keep reading to learn more on the health risks associated with these drugs.

Have You Ever Taken a Dietary Supplement to Lose Weight?

FitSugar — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 12:34:47 PDT

Losing weight is no easy task. It takes time to find the right combination of willpower, diet, and exercise to work for yourself, so it's no wonder that there's no end to products that promise to help you out. Anything from Snooki-endorsed Zantrex to tasteless, calorie-less fiber that fills your belly without adding calories are currently on the market touting fast results for dropping pounds.

Taking dietary supplements carries certain risks. For one, they aren't FDA-approved and can contain unsafe ingredients, and for another, you could just be wasting your money on buying expensive pills that aren't effective (one of the main ingredients in Zantrex, for example, is just lots of caffeine). Have you ever tried them?

Healthy Dose Link Time: Seasonal Veggie Pot Pie Recipe

Susi May — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 10:12:55 PST

Serve up seasonal veggies in hearty, healthy pot pie recipes - Vegetarian Times
Thinking of going vegan? Four tips to transitioning to a plant-based diet - Huff Po
Your birth control pill may be causing prostate cancer (at least indirectly) - Blisstree
Quick fitness tricks to get more out of your sweat sessions - Fitness
Fight chronic pain with the foods you eat - Prevention
Three meal plans, with different calorie counts, for a healthy T-day feast - SparkPeople