If someone walked up to you and told you that you could drink a special tea twice a day and lose 30 pounds, would you believe it?
What if someone said that you could eat whatever you wanted, never exercise and still lose 80 pounds just by taking a pill?
Even though it sounds unbelievable, it also sounds a little tempting. I don't think anyone would really mind losing weight without doing anything. But it's this kind of thinking that drives almost 3 million people to purchase diet pills in the United States alone, according to Women's Health magazine.
People don't like to be insecure about their weight. It is hard not to get swept up in the television and magazine ads. I usually hate it when people blame the media for their problems because "the media" don't tell them to go to McDonald's every day or watch six hours of television. In this case, though, the media practically bombard us with the temptation to find an easier solution.
A simple Google search for "diet pills" brought up over 3.5 million hits. Most sites promise that by simply buying their product, you'll be happy and, obviously, less fat. Some sites promised that you'd lose seven pounds in two days. I kept asking myself, "Is that even possible?"
It's not possible. There is only one FDA-approved diet pill, Alli, which means that Trimspa, Dexatrim Natural and a whole host of others have not been approved or tested by the FDA. They can put almost anything they want into their pills and write that it's safe and effective.
According to Something Fishy, a Web site that focuses on eating disorders, diet pills contain harmful chemicals and mixtures of substances that can lead to serious health risks, such as dependency and high blood pressure. "All natural" diet pills can contain too much of a certain vitamin or mineral, or a combination of both, which can be extremely toxic to your body. Diet pills may also contain laxatives and small amounts of ephedrine. The former can cause serious damage to your digestive system, and the latter is illegal in the United States.
Alli's Web site has information on what the pill is: "An FDA-approved pill with a plan." But what is this so-called plan? The pill prevents a person's body from absorbing 25 percent of the fat they usually eat, according to the site. If a person eats more than the usual 15 grams of fat, the pill causes anal leakage, according to an MSNBC article on the pill. This side effect is intended to discipline users to adopt low-fat diets over time.
The Alli Web site warns first-time users to "wear dark pants or bring an extra change of clothes to work" until they've adjusted to their new diets. "I've pooped my pants 3 times today, and sorry to get descriptive but it even leaked onto the couch at one point!" one Alli user wrote.
Not only is that gross, but it's also dangerous. It's not natural, and sure, people say it forces you to adopt healthier eating habits, but is it really worth two or three extra pounds to put your life at risk and embarrass yourself through chronic pooping?
It doesn't seem worth it to me. It seems a lot easier and much more gratifying to lose the weight the healthy way. After losing weight, I want to be able to tell people that I got in shape and ate better. I don't want to tell them that I put my life at risk or destroyed all of my inner organs.
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