Long term side effects of phentermine

Before we discuss the long term side effects of phentermine let's look at its history. Phentermine was designed in the 1950's as a weight loss drug. It works as an appetite suppressant. It is a stimulant which triggers a "fight or flight" response in your body, which then causes your appetite to be suppressed. Doesn't sound too bad so far, does it? Let's now look at some of phentermine's possible side effects:

• It can be habit forming and addictive
• You may get withdrawal symptoms if you try and stop taking it
• Some people get an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing, hives, swelling)
• Irregular heart beat
• Headaches
• Blurred vision
• High blood pressure
• Insomnia
• Anxiety
• Confusion
• Diarrhoea
• Tremors
• Impotence and loss of sex drive
• Dizziness
• Hallucinations

The list goes on and on.

So why would anyone in their right mind take a drug like this? A drug that has such horrible side effects. Answer? Because they want to lose weight. Fast. And they're willing to take a drug to get what they want. Rather than do things the "hard" way, i.e cut down on junk food and do some exercise (which works every time!), they choose to pop a pill. Not keen on that idea, personally....

Look at it this way: taking a pill to help you lose weight (for weight read fat) is only a short term solution. I almost 100% guarantee that any weight lost while taking drugs of any kind (assuming you lose any at all) will soon magically reappear. And bring it's friends along, so most of the time you put back on more than you lost! You can only fool your body temporarily; internal systems are smart and have kept mankind going for thousands of years. So if you have not made any other lifestyle changes, your body will rebound back to it's "set" weight quicker than you can say "Hand me a Doner Kebab". And that's the truth; ask any dieter what happens when they come off their diet. Within three months they are back to their old weight, many are pounds heavier than before they started the diet!

Any short term solution to fat loss is doomed to fail. I know it's true and you know it's true. So what's the real reason people look for a short term solution like drugs for fat loss? They believe changing their lifestyle to ensure safe long term fat loss is too damned hard. (Actually, it isn't - but more on that later). They would much rather pop a pill, go on the latest diet or buy some weird exercise gadget that a stick-thin celebrity is promoting, in an attempt to avoid the real reason they are fat. THEY EAT TOO MUCH and exercise to little! Harsh words, but oh so true.

One of the main problems people have with fat loss is the time scale they set. If you do some research you'll find adverts for "Lose 10lbs in a week!" or "Drop 4 dress sizes in a month". Well the only way to lose 10 lbs in a week is to cut your head off! After all, it took you a lot longer than a week or a month to put all that weight on and swell to that dress size, so how can you possibly expect to lose in that time? The body gains fat easily and loses it reluctantly. Why? Because it's an incredibly important inbuilt failsafe which maximised our chances of survival in times of famine or when we couldn't find a woolly mammoth to eat. The immovable fact is that you simply cannot safely and permanently lose that much weight, that quickly. So sorry, but you may not. (That's a line from "The Last Samurai". Yes, I know I'm sad!)

Let me explain it this way. Results (i.e fat loss) = Effort (healthier eating with portion control, plus exercise) x Time. To get the results we want, this has to be sustainable. We're thinking long-term here. Attempts to make a huge effort for a short time are ultimately doomed to fail because the extra effort is not sustainable in the long term (remember the dieters).

What works is changing your timescale. Accept that losing 4 dress sizes will take time and effort. Make simple changes to what you eat and the amount of exercise you do. Your goal should be a 1-2 pound a week weight loss. No, you won't lose 10 lbs by Tuesday, but when you do lose it (probably 5/6 weeks on Tuesday) you'll be able to keep it off.

So, the first thing you need to do is reset your internal clock. Set a date in the future (at least six months from now, depending on how much fat you have to lose), and vow to make the small changes required in your eating and exercise habits that will allow you to lose 1-2 pounds a week for the next 26 or more weeks. Honestly - 1 pound a week weight loss requires eating only 3500 calories a week less. That's only 500 calories a day! The 500 calories a day saving can be made up of eating 250 cals less and burning off the other 250 exercising. An hour walking will burn 200-250 calories. In a year you'll lose 50-100pounds just by making this one change!

Make small changes that you can stick to FOREVER. Try cutting down on the amount of sugar you have in your coffee, eat one less cake a day, eat a little bit less of processed food, eat out less...Never deprive yourself completely of anything. If you really want it, eat it.Just eat less of it!

I could go on and on and on and on :) But I won't. Lucky you! I'll leave you with a list of things to do I'd like you to start implementing. TODAY

• Set your intent to lose 1-2 lbs a week.
• Imagine yourself 50-100 lbs lighter in one years time. What does it feel like? What are you wearing? Don't you feel (and look) just great!
• Make small changes to your eating habits - Ditch some of the junk!
• Take some exercise - Walk for an extra 30 mins a day, take the stairs not the elevator, join a gym...

Just do it. There is no "try", there is "do and "don't do". The sooner you get started, the quicker you'll see results. No more short cuts that lead nowhere but downhill. Take the high and narrow path and discover for yourself the joys of being fit and healthy.

All the best,

Laura