| Written by Doug Gibson, on 21-07-2008 11:34 |
Sensible Fitness: The Skinny on Weight Loss Supplements
Our fitness guru overviews all the major magic pills on the market and slims it down to two options, sure to slim anyone down.
Question:
There are tons of weight loss supplements to choose from. Which one is the most effective?
- Judy
Answer:
Aahhhh, the magic pill. Every advertisement you see is very convincing and it makes choosing the best one much harder. They all have extraordinary claims of the pounds melting away without diet and exercise and many people have been suckered into buying them.
Let me help you sort through the hype so that your money is well spent: Don’t buy any of them. At least don’t buy any of them with the intentions of getting the same results you see in the advertisements. There is a reason they all have the fine print stating: "These results are not typical," or "As a part of a healthy diet and exercise program."
There isn't a magic pill out there. When something works, some dork takes 10 times the recommended dose to get better results and dies, which causes the government to step in and ban it. Ephedra, a natural weight loss supplement, was banned when a few people died after taking it. Ironically, aspirin allegedly causes thousands of deaths per year but it remains legal, which could be a testament to the power of the drug company's lobbyists.
While some supplements have medical studies that back their effectiveness, these are often studies funded by the company that produces them. Many times, these studies will show that a product helps an individual burn a ridiculously small number of calories, and then they tout the drug as a fat-burner that melts the pounds away. The world would be a better place if multiple independent studies were conducted to prove that a product produced significant results before being marketed as such. Until then, be a skeptic or kiss your money goodbye!
My general opinion is to stay away from weight loss supplements. You are chasing something that might be one percent effective, while ignoring the 99 percent of ineffectiveness. Put your attention toward changing the behaviors that are making you overweight rather than looking for a pill to fix your poor lifestyle choices. Your money would be better spent on a dietician, trainer, psychologist or on an entry fee to a fitness event (5K walk, 1/2 marathon, etc.) that will increase your commitment to a healthy lifestyle.
If there was a pill that worked, it would rock our fattened society and be the headlines of the New York Times (and Cincy Chic, of course). So don't worry, it won't sneak under the radar. A healthy diet and consistent exercise are the magic pills, so spend your money on whatever it takes to make those two things happen.
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