How to Lose Weight Faster without Diet Pills?

A US government-backed online health portal called PubMed says that they conducted a study in 2005-06 regarding the rampant use of diet and fat-burning pills in the country. Almost 45% of women aged between 25 and 34 confirmed that they took these diet pills and experienced several side effects.

A weight loss pill (or anti-obesity pill) refers to those pharmacological agents that are prescribed by healthcare experts to reduce or control weight. These medications (aka “fat burners”) are known to change the natural weight regulation process of the body through appetite or absorption of calories.

The Food and Drug Administration in the US has approved Orlistat (Xenical) and Rimonabant (Acomplia). These medicines reduce the absorption of intestinal fat absorption by inhibiting pancreatic lipase or by blocking the endocannabinoid system. But they should not be taken without a doctor’s consolation.

Fat Burning Pills

It is never a smart decision to stick with any shortcut, including weight loss. One should rather go for the more natural method of working out and having a proper diet to lose weight in a linear and calculated manner. This is indeed a time-consuming and natural way of staying healthy but is well worth it.

People with a Body Mass Index or BMI of more than 30 and eating disorders are at a greater risk of being affected by this new fad. Over a long period, these medicines may (and they do) cause a lot of wellness issues. You would often find people taking these medications left struggling with several types of physical and mental ailments over several years.

Did you know? Several thousand people live by these “guaranteed weight loss pills” across the world. Such medications compete for being the ‘best pill to lose belly fat’ out there, but the facts are not on their side.

How Do These Weight-Loss or Diet Pills Work?

The market is flooded with numerous over-the-counter anti-obesity or fat-burning pills that “offer” faster results for weight loss and people do fall for them. Most of these medications are spurious and of bad quality, and may even contain several harmful chemicals with severe side effects.

Most diet pills affect the following natural functions in our bodies:

• Appetite suppression

• Increased metabolism

• Increasing feeling of fullness so you eat less

• Slowing down fat production

• Preventing fat absorption from the foods you eat

As you would understand, each of these results interferes by creating imbalances among several biological processes. As you keep popping these “guaranteed weight loss pills” to beat your obesity, you keep on piling more misery for yourself- often detrimentally.

Tip: Always consult a healthcare expert online before taking any such medication, especially if the latter is not FDA-approved.

How Can These Weight Loss Supplements Be Harmful to Human Health?

These over-the-counter medicines instantly jumpstart several metabolic and fat-burning processes in our bodies. This brings along several health complications like nausea and irregular BP, and may even lead to a heart attack in some cases.

At the very least, you might be left allergic to some foods or medicines that you were previously immune to. Your digestive system and its constituent organs like the liver and pancreas can take a hit. As the body tries to filter out these harmful medicines, the kidneys work overtime and this might lead to their premature failure.

Hormonal disturbances are also very common. Obese persons often live with the guilt of being unattractive and they might develop suicidal thoughts after these pills fail to work as advertised. Such individuals start feeling worthless after being left with nothing more than a body that is now in worse shape, thanks to newly developed complications.

Disadvantages of anti-obesity medications

Please note that several medicinal salts seen in popular weight-loss products and medications have been banned by the FDA due to detrimental side effects like:

• Kidney problems

• Liver damage

• Insomnia

• Behavioral problems

• Irritability

• Increase in heart rate

• Heart palpitations

• High blood pressure

• Diarrhea

• Lack of appetite

• Irritation

• Rectal bleeding

• Vomiting and nausea

• Internal bleeding

• Brain fog

One should research each product thoroughly and measure the risks up against the benefits before purchasing. It is always welcomed to take up the matter with one’s doctor before trying any such supplement, especially if you have any existing health concerns or if you’re pregnant or nursing.

Did you know? Some dietary supplements are not classified as anti-obesity medications. They may be harmless and might even be effective at increasing your satiation. It is important to rely on an expert’s advice to select such products for yourself.

How to Lose Weight Faster without Taking These Supplements?

The best way to stay slim and beat that extra flab on your waistline, belly, or thighs is to eat healthily, sleep properly, meditate, and exercise in a well-advised manner. It is just as important to say ‘no’ to cravings and obsessive or compulsive eating habits and to stick to a schedule of everything else.

It is just as important to stay positive and accepting of one’s body shape. You would also do well to remember that there is a reason that God made you thus, and you should not be in a desperate hurry to get rid of it, especially at such a high cost!

How to lose weight fast in as little as 2 weeks?

While it is not possible to see a miraculous change in such a short time, starting on a positive note and making some healthy changes to your lifestyle would surely help. Here are some simple ways that you can use to shed some extra pounds off your belly and waist in a fortnight:

Chew your food slowly

We’ve all heard the age-old saying that we should chew each bite 30 times. Even though “30” might be taking it too far, there is some merit to it all. Have you noticed that after a big meal, you feel full but after a few minutes have passed, you feel like you have overeaten?

That’s because when you eat, your body releases some hormones that tell your mind that you are no longer hungry. Funnily enough, that process takes about 20 minutes. So chewing slowly makes us eat slowly and this prevents us from overeating.

Drink a glass of water when you’re hungry

Here is a nifty little trick – whenever you feel hungry, drink a glass of water and wait for a bit. If you still feel a bit hungry, feel free to eat. If not, wait for the next mealtime. As amazing as it may sound, many times our brains mistake simple thirst for hunger.

That is because both needs are controlled by the hypothalamus, and this proximity confuses the smartest part of our bodies. Furthermore, a study conducted in the UK proved that people who drank a glass of water 30 minutes before a meal, lost on average more weight than those who didn’t, considering that both groups ate the same meal.

Also read: Being Skinny or Obese Is Not the End of the World!

Cut out the snacks

This one is a toughie! Whether it’s sitting down to watch something or simply staying awake during that boring online meeting, snacks have become an integral part of our lives. The sad truth is that in most cases they are quite bad for us. We could opt for a healthier choice, but it should also be good for our digestive system too because that’s when the magic happens!

Plan your meals

As mentioned above, having an eating pattern is important. Your body needs to know that it will receive food regularly so that it will not go into an emergency mode and start storing fat for rainy days. Additionally, having a meal plan will help you make better nutritional choices, and it will prevent you from overeating. Furthermore, it will save you some money, and who doesn’t like that?

Will Fasting Help Me Stay in Shape?

Yes, provided it is done in a calculated and planned manner.

Fasting can be quite difficult for obsessive eaters or those with certain medical conditions. If you are a registered healthcare professional, you should discourage your patients from taking any such unapproved medications. You might want to recommend a more fitness-centric lifestyle and restricted eating habits (with regular fasting) for the best results

Losing weight is a complex and time-intensive process. It is thus advised that you achieve your goal by taking the simple steps described above and staying consistent with your dietary choices.

Special Case: Does Intermittent Fasting Work?

Yes, intermittent fasting does work. It has proven to be more effective than any other “diet” out there and it allows you to eat the same amount of food that you normally would. There is just one condition – you have to do it within a given time frame.

One of the most popular methods is called Lean Gains and it asks you to fast for 14-16 hours in the day and eat throughout the rest of the time. The rest of the meals are quite the same, so you can still enjoy them with your family.

Also read: Benefits of intermittent fasting for faster weight loss

Stay in Shape by Regularly Working out and Doing Yoga!

You probably already know about the benefits of exercising and meditating regularly. You can go for some specific exercises and yoga asanas that help in weight loss to start on a winning note. Increased and regular physical activity tunes your body to lose that unwanted flab quickly.

Our virtual fitness and personal training experts advise starting with some warmup exercises and then doing endurance exercises like HIIT and Pilates every day. Not only will this practice boost your stamina, but it will also help you develop lean body mass and burn extra fat in your body.

We encourage our readers to never resort to shortcuts like abrupt dieting, staying hungry, or taking medications without supervision. You may never go very far with them but you would surely sabotage your physical and mental composition forever.

Remember, obesity is not the end of the world- it’s only a challenge you can accomplish. All you need is to start today and persevere with a positive frame of mind to beat it!