| 12 February |
Are you Overweight? |
Being an overweight person in today’s world is becoming a normal condition; the worrying factor is that school children are also affected by this, according to recent studies. Although there are many ways to lose weight, some still choose the ‘easy’ surgical option, whereas others opt for a healthy lifestyle by taking regular exercise and making changes to their diet. Impatience to see results usually means that overweight people can frequently resort to using weight loss pills to achieve that fast result they crave.
These drugs usually work buy telling the brain it’s no longer hungry, stimulating metabolism to aid the shedding of excess fat. Unfortunately for the manufacturers, it was found that incidence of heart valve disease were connected to the use of the weight control pills and were rapidly removed from the shelves. Since then, newer drugs have been developed and doctors continue to prescribe them although they are still awaiting FDA certification.
The chances are that if you asked enough people, someone will say they have used them and been happy with the results. To many it is a wonder drug and let’s be honest, if you could lose weight that easily without having to sacrifice anything in the process, you would take them as well. Many millions of dollars are spent each year in The United States alone whilst the drug manufacturers spend huge sums on further research into weight loss drugs.
The more recent weight control pills can be prescribed by your doctor, dietitian or purchased in a drug store and despite the advances made in the drug manufacture, there are still dangers including vomiting and stomach problems. But they are not the only side effects and some can be more harmful than others. These include heart attacks, tremors, strokes, hallucinations and renal failure.
It is always a good idea to see your doctor first before you take any course of drugs; this can lower the possibility of some side effects occurring, although this may depend on the genetic makeup of the person using them. Other problems may also occur when the pills are discontinued. The side effects experienced by users of weight loss pills can include noticeable mood swings, hyper-activity, stomach pains, insomnia, nightmares, severe irritability, extreme fatigue, depression, nausea, vomiting and trembling.
Despite all the bad publicity, weight loss drugs do work but they are more successful if they are used in conjunction with a low calorie diet and regular exercise, preferably using a properly worked out exercise regime. This means eating a good diet containing food from all the food groups that includes vitamins and minerals; fiber can be found in oats, rice, potatoes, cereals, vegetables and fruits.
Of course this should always be combined with a successful exercise routine which will use up excess calories and provide a good all round fitness workout. The most efficient exercise should be regular and contain a mixture of cardiovascular (walking, swimming etc.) and weight training using machines to build muscle, burn off excess calories and lose the extra pounds.