1 in 4 Americans report using diet pills—but most of them don’t lose any weight!
What’s going wrong? For some, it could be they’re buying low quality supplements. But many misunderstand how diet pills work. They aren’t magic, and they aren’t a quick fix!
Not long ago, stimulant diet pills flooded TV challenges with promises of effortless weight loss. Problem was, they were dangerous—causing adverse reactions, including heart trouble, in many people. After a few celebrity deaths, the FDA banned most stimulant ingredients.
You can still get diet pills, but you have to be careful what you buy. Avoid ones with stimulants, which still sneak through here and there. Beware “natural”—it’s a good first step to finding a quality supplement, but not the last! You still need to read the label, and if you take any medications, you should make sure the ingredients won’t interact!
How do you use diet pills successfully?
Today’s diet pills support weight loss. Many people, even with diet and exercise, need a little help (picture the married couple who works out and eats together, but only one of them loses any weight!). You still need the diet and exercise—a diet pill doesn’t make eating a tub of ice cream or the effects of a week long Netflix marathon disappear—a diet pill can help support those efforts, just not replace them!
How do you get started?
There are 3 strategies that are well endorsed for getting healthy (all of which focus on getting the recommended 2.5 hours of moderate exercise weekly):
1) Get an hour of moderate to intense exercise every other day, and on alternate days work specific muscle groups by lifting weights, doing push-ups, following a living room routine (you can find several on YouTube). You can even rest one day a week!
2) Just focus on getting 30 minutes of exercise daily, at least 5 days a week.
3) Don’t have time? Or want, additionally, to make your whole day healthier? Try sneaky exercise, or sneaking exercise into your regular routine. Things like taking the stairs, walking to lunch, finding ways to be more active during the day are all ways to integrate more movement into your day. You can get more ideas by following us on Twitter (@ColloidsGuy) or liking us on Facebook.
And of course, follow a healthier diet. Eat more fruits and veggies, lean proteins, and whole grains. You can plan and prep meals one day a week, including healthy snacks, so it’s easy to stay focused through the week. Pinterest has great recipes and tips for getting prep out of the way.
(Look around the internet for lots of diet and exercise tips—there are many great places where people are working together to get healthy! You can even find support by connecting with us on Facebook!).
Share your strategies in the comments!
