Do weight loss drugs work and if so, how? Here's a look at the prescription meds that are currently available and the answers to those questions.
If you visited your doctor, today, and asked for some medication to help you lose weight, he or she could prescribe a lipase inhibitor, a mood altering drug or a stimulant.
Other choices are being researched, at this time, but it will be several years before they are available.
In that length of time, if you took the right approach, you could weigh less, look better and be healthier.
Lipase inhibitors suppress the production of an enzyme that breaks down dietary fat, so that the body can use it for energy.
The success rate of this type of medication is very low.
Most people stop taking them before they achieve the desired results, because of unwanted side effects, which include stomach cramps, diarrhea and rectal leakage.
The idea behind lipase inhibitors is similar to those of low-fat or fat-free diets.
"If you don't eat fat, you can't get fat.
" The idea is somewhat reasonable, in that fat is needed for producing hormones, creating energy, building new cells and a variety of other purposes.
If you are not getting any in your diet, the body will be required to use some of your fat stores, but it will always try to keep some on reserve.
In order to do that, it will slow down, decreasing the rate at which you burn calories.
The other weight loss drugs are basically appetite suppressants.
Anti-depressants and other mood altering drugs have been used for this purpose, as well as some, like sibutramine, that are specifically designed to increase levels of certain chemicals produced by the brain.
Like other weight loss drugs, they are not without side effects.
Some of which include increased blood pressure, dry mouth, heart problems, constipation and insomnia.
There is no reason to risk these health problems, since the medications are largely ineffective.
Here's what you can do.
Learn how to eat and exercise correctly.
Consult a doctor of naturopathic medicine, concerning your physical ability to exercise, particularly if you are severely overweight.
There are several worthwhile books that can help those of you that want to "go it alone".
I'm not talking about diet books.
Dieting is a waste of your time and money.
So, in my opinion, are weight loss drugs.
The best way to lose fat and keep it off is to build muscle.
Regular aerobic activity (the kind of exercise that causes you to breathe hard) helps you burn fat while you are performing the exercise.
Strength training, which builds muscle, helps your body burn more calories, when it is at rest.
In other words, it increases your metabolism.
Diets don't work and make people fatter, in the long run, because they decrease your metabolism.
You need to eat.
You should only cut your caloric intake slightly, if at all.
Even weight loss drugs don't work without diet and exercise.
Learning about all of your options is the best decision you can make.