Published On:Tuesday, January 26, 2010

By JEFFARAH GIBSON

MANY persons desperate to lose weight are turning to diet pills instead of exercise to shed unwanted pounds.

Ads for quick fix products promise to revitalise energy and help users become happier healthy people. But can they really deliver, and help one to lose those extra pounds and maintain their new body weight?

Andrew Chan health coach and fitness manager at Jemi Health & Wellness Center told Tribune Health that he frowns on the idea of using these anti-obesity drugs to help with weight loss, since the best way to shed those pounds is to do it naturally.

"I don't believe in diet pills at all. And I will not encourage anyone to take diet pills," he said.

When these pills are taken, they work by increasing the heart rate he said.

"Most diet pills have ingredients that speed up the heart rate. So for instance if a person is already overweight this mean that their heart is already beating at a slightly abnormal level, and taking the pills on top of that causes the heart to speed about two times faster," he explained.

"Also exercising alone increases the heart rate, so exercising on top of an already increased heart rate can cause serious problems."

When this pressure increases on the heart, Mr Chan explained that it can and has resulted in a heart attack.

An online article published by msnbc.com on May 1, 2009 titled "FDA warns dieters: Stop Hydroxycut use now" reported that US government officials warned dieters to immediately stop the use of the popular diet pill since it had been linked to cases such as serious liver problems and caused at least one death.

"That was not even the first time Hydroxycut had been recalled. When the manufacturers first introduced Hydroxycut it was recalled because there were so many complaints from persons saying they have been experiencing heart attacks.

"When the pills were recalled the first time they changed the formula, and then it was recalled for a second time, which shows that there is something wrong with using them," Mr Chan said.

Some people who are struggling with weight loss, become ecstatic when they hear of personal testimonies from friends or family members who have taken diet pills. And while these drugs can work in some instances, its not as simple as taking a pill and waking up the next morning ten pounds lighter.

"In life when you want to reach a goal you must work for it, you can't sit around do nothing and expect to get everything handed to you on a silver platter. This is the same way with weight loss, even if you take the pills it must be accompanied by proper diet and exercise which in fact will cause you to lose the weight even if you don't take them," Mr Chan said.

And since the pills contain ingredients like caffeine, there is a possibility that dependency can occur when a person ceases to take the pills.

And what people may not know is that diet pills have side effects as well. They may come in the form of mood swings, heart problems, kidney problems, potential dependency, and metabolism disruption just to name a few.

"The side effects that are associated the use of the pills is even worse than the weight problem one might have," Mr Chan said.

He said if persons insist on taking the pills, they should consult with a physician beforehand.

And although dealing with a weight problem might be a difficult task, Mr Chan said that you can never go wrong with proper diet and exercise.

"Its just that simple and it is a lifestyle process that persons must adapt, you cannot just exercise to lose the weight because after you lose the weight and stop exercising, pounds will return. But the important thing to remember is that things take time, and it might take a much longer time doing it the natural way, in the end you won't have nothing to worry about," he said.

"So go to a doctor get a full body examination, and then seek a nutritionist, or a fitness personnel. Make time for the important things in your life and then you will see the changes beginning to occur.