Is Using Diet Pills to Increase Metabolism a Good Idea?

By Andrew Bicknell

We are fast becoming a society in search of instant gratification. More and more people are beginning to think and believe that somehow with all our scientific knowledge and research that losing weight and getting in shape should be an easy undertaking. Losing weight should be a lifestyle choice that is based on living a healthy life. Using a pill to lose weight might work for the short term, but without serious changes in eating and exercising habits most people will soon gain the weight back, particularly when they stop taking the pills.

Why?

Here's why. A diet pills primary ingredient is a stimulant of some sort such as caffeine. The nice thing about a stimulant like caffeine is that it does indeed increase the body's metabolism and suppresses the appetite. That might sound like the perfect weight loss recipe but unlike naturally increasing metabolism using an artificial stimulant only lasts as long as the drug is in your body.

The other thing that people who use diet pills must be aware of is that the pill is not the end all and be all of losing weight. Simply taking a pill and not changing their current eating habits will lead to few if any weight loss results. The pill will give a good starting point but without some serious lifestyle changes about eating and exercising it will not give the results asked for.

The problem with any diet pill, or stimulant for that matter, is that it is artificially stimulating the body's metabolic systems. The body reacts to this stimulation by an increase in metabolism brought about by certain hormones being released into the blood stream. This does burn off extra calories but it comes at a price. The body's supply of hormones is not infinite.

The adrenal glands supply a good portion of the body's hormones. If they are constantly bombarded with caffeine or other stimulants they will soon exhaust their supply of hormones, many of which are responsible for metabolism and weight control. Before long the body's inability to regulate itself naturally will begin to have affects, some of them serious.

With any appetite suppressant one has to be aware that not actually eating enough can also have the opposite effect they might be looking for. If the body goes into starvation mode its metabolism will actually begin to slow down to store it energy for the perceived lean times ahead. This is why anyone cutting calories, either through diet or with artificial means, needs to be careful with how much they are cutting. The body requires a certain amount of calories per day to function at peak efficiency. Take in to many calories and it gets stored as fat. Take in to few and the metabolism slows down protecting the fat stores it already has.

Using diet pills in conjunction with a healthy diet and exercise program can be a good way to start losing weight. They can give that initial boost to ones metabolism and start the weight coming off, which can be a great motivator. They are not, however, a good long term weight loss and maintenance solution. The best long term weight loss solution is a change to a healthier lifestyle that allows the body to naturally increase its metabolism to a level that burns calories at an optimum rate.

For more information about increasing your metabolism and for more information about how your metabolism works please click here.

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Healthy Choices Equal Healthy Weight Management

By Brenda Watson, N.D.

When it comes to healthy weight management, a little common sense goes a long way. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell us that eating fast food every day of the week is not conducive to our health, nor does it add up that a diet void of carbohydrates might possibly contain the essential nutrients that only fiber-rich whole grains, fruits and vegetables can provide. And no matter how you look at it, fatty meats and full-fat dairy products are simply not the way to a slimmer figure. Quite simply, if you want to shed the pounds, smart choices and a sensible eating plan are the only way to go.

Because science has proven that the only clinically proven way to lose weight is by reducing the amount of calories you consume each day, begin by keeping a journal of exactly what you eat, when you eat. This will help you be more aware of everything you put into your body. Purchase a book or consult an online resource to determine the amount of calories in your food and beverage, and decide where throughout your day you can make small changes that will likely have significant effects. For instance, instead of having that sugary soda with lunch, opt for unsweetened tea with lemon. In place of heavy salad dressings, choose a low-fat or light option, and drizzle instead of drenching your greens.

Try to plan ahead for your meals each week. This will help you avoid impulse purchases at the grocery store that may not support your commitment to healthy eating. Well-balanced options that are low in fat and calories include lean meats and chicken, fresh or frozen fruits and veggies, healthy nuts for snacking, low-fat dairy products and plenty of whole grains (whole wheat pasta, legumes, brown rice). Include plenty of high-fiber foods in your daily diet, as fiber has been shown to support weight loss by absorbing calories from the foods you eat and leading those calories out of the body.

Keeping track of your portion sizes is also extremely important. According to the American Diabetes Association, the guideline for a serving of meat, fish or poultry is three ounces—about the size of a deck of cards. A 1-cup serving of milk, yogurt or fresh vegetables is about the size of a baseball. A healthy serving of rice or cooked pasta is one-third of a cup, and three-quarters of a cup for dry cereal. An ounce of cheese is about the size of your thumb. However, a recent study at New York University found that commonly available food portions—when compared with the standard serving sizes recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture—were considerably higher.

Finally, finding the time to exercise is essential. Because aerobic exercise has been shown to significantly increase your metabolic rate, a regular workout (30 minutes a day, three times a week) can greatly accelerate your weight loss efforts—plus it provides significant benefits to your cardiovascular health. Building lean muscle mass is also important, since the greater your ratio of lean muscle mass to fat, the faster you will metabolize your food. This is because muscle cells are roughly eight times more metabolically demanding than fat cells.

So the next time you consider jumping on the bandwagon with the latest fad diet, think twice. Commit instead to making sensible changes in your diet and lifestyle, and you will soon be reaping the rewards of your efforts.

Digestive healthcare expert and naturopathic doctor Brenda Watson has been helping people restore and maintain their digestive health for more than 25 years. weight loss recipe

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