Do Weight Loss Pills Work?

"Lose Weight Now!" "Slim Down Instantly!" "Control Your Cravings!" The ads for weight loss pills promise overweight individuals the moon and more. But do they work? Is there really a magic pill that will help you melt away your unwanted pounds and become the skinny person you envision?

Think about it this way: if weight loss pills really worked as well as they were advertised to work, would there be any overweight people in this world? Probably a few, but not nearly as many as there currently are. If there was a "magic pill" that did what it promised to do, people would be flocking to the store to buy it, and we would not have the problem with weight that our country currently experiences.

Before you spend your hard-earned money on the new weight loss pills, you need to know that there are very few scientific studies done to prove that these pills work as advertised. They are tested somewhat for safety, although that is debatable in many cases, but thorough effectiveness testing is lacking.

If you do decide to use weight loss pills in your current weight loss attempt, you need to know that there are two main categories. Some weight loss pills work by trapping fat. These contain an ingredient called Chitosan that binds to the fat that you consume, keeping it from being digested. This does work if you are already controlling the amount of calories you eat, because it keeps you from absorbing some of the fat you consume. However, if you eat a high-fat diet, you will have problems with diarrhea and other stomach complaints.

The other category of weight loss pill is a fat burning product. These contain stimulants, usually herbs, that stimulate your body's natural ability to burn fat. They also increase energy. This does effectively help you to lose weight , but it can cause unwanted side effects like increased blood pressure, shakiness, and dizziness.

So do they work? Yes and no. These products will increase your metabolism or block fat from being absorbed, but they will only lead to tremendous amounts of weight loss if you use them along with a healthy diet and plenty of exercise. Also, the effects of the pills can be duplicated by diet and exercise alone in most cases, and this is much more affordable. Just as with fad diets, weight loss pills may work, but the best way to lose weight is to control your caloric intake while increasing the amount of calories you burn through exercise.