Weight Loss Pills and Diet Scams - Pharmacist tells you the real story about weight loss products

"Lose 10 pounds in 10 minutes"

"Eat BIG and GET small"

"Diet Pill boosts metabolism, burns body fat, injects energy, and transforms you life!"

Yep...you've read them all before. Unscrupulous manufacturers and advertisements offering unbelievable results in record time. You want to lose weight. You have tried everything. You have gone on the pineapple diet, the blood type diet, the full moon diet, and have even contemplated that tofu/cabbage/jelly bean diet. Okay, some of these are nonsense. But seriously...can you tell which ones?

As a retail pharmacist I probably spend more time researching and answering questions about diet pills than I do about heart drugs, diabetes drugs and mental health drugs combined. Why? Because most of us need to lose some weight, and the shelves are stuffed with products promising immediate results. Which one do you chose?

What I would like to do in this post is provide you with some guides that explain what these products claim to do, give you examples, and tell you if they work.

MOOD ENHANCEMENT: For example: Saint John's wort. This herb has been looked at for depression and is often tossed into weight loss supplements. This is silliness. Here is the logic: Overweight people are not happy. Skinny people are happy. Make someone happy...and you make them skinny!! These manufacturers not only need to review their science notes from grade school, but their logic notes too.

WATER ELIMINATION: For example: Dandelion. This is just brilliant. Have you ever weighed yourself before and after bladder elimination? With a sensitive enough scale...you should weigh less afterwards. Presto. Weight loss. I call this the pee-plan. Of course, the moment you take your first sip of anything...the weight comes back. Save your money on this one.

FAT METABOLISM AGENTS: These agents claim to either 1) Slow down the body's ability to MAKE fat or 2) Increase the body's ability to burn fat. Examples include HCA (hydroxycitric acid), Green Tea, CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), Licorice and vitamin B5. This sounds GREAT!!! Burn baby burn! But do they work????

Well...for all you supplement guru's who have written me off as a skeptic of all things natural....I've got news for you. There seems to be some evidence that HCA, CLA and green tea might work. Ha!! Take that! Studies both in mice, rats, and humans have shown some positive results. HOWEVER...you must always bear in mind that the studies are almost NEVER done with the same exact product you find sitting on the pharmacy shelf and there is little to no guarantee that the drug store product actually contains enough active ingredient to do you any good. Also, for ever study with positive results, there are also studies showing no positive results. The evidence is just not conclusive..and the products tend to be expensive. Not to mention that we really don't know about how they might interact with your other meds. Take all that for what its worth.

ENERGY & STIMULANT PRODUCTS: For example, ephedra, bitter orange, caffeine, guarana. Please, please stay away from diet products that use these! Ephedra was banned by the FDA in April 2004. I know our crazy government sometimes bans stupid stuff. But ephedra killed people. It killed people even in normal recommended doses. It just ain't safe.

FAT BLOCKERS: Alli is here! First, lets say it right. It is pronounced "Al" (as in short for Albert) then "eye". Alli. Practice that a few times. Alli works by decreasing the absoption of fat from foods into your body. This reduces the calories your body takes in from a meal, and that undigested fat passes through and passes out. And yes...get ready for some unique bowel movements, gas, maybe cramping or bloating. Your body doesn't really care to have that fat pass all the way through undigested. But it won't kill you...just maybe embarrass you in an elevator. How much weight could you lose? Expect maybe 3-5 pounds total in a year. Add up the cost. Is it worth it?

That covers most of what is out there. In another post I'll provide what I believe is the best plan out there! Best wishes...all this diet talk is making me hungry!