Your Complete Diet Pill Guide

Diet pills are one of the most controversial methods of weight loss. Some users swear by them and claim to have achieved impressive results while others are just disappointed in what they receive.

Since more than 60% of the United States’ population is considered overweight, the one magical solution has clearly not been found. But you don’t have to be one of the disappointed users if you exercise a little caution in choosing the right diet pill for your needs.

What Can You REALLY Expect from a Diet Pill?

We all want the quick fix to weight loss without having to exercise or diet. And diet pills advertise to give us exactly that. Unfortunately, not every diet pill that claims to “boost your energy,” “maximize physical performance,” or “melt away your fat” works as well as it is advertised.

Although results vary depending on the product you use, many diet pills are able to help you lose weight. In fact, the Mayo Clinic discovered that prescription diet pills, specifically, “were able to produce an average weight loss of 5 to 10 percent of total body weight.” ^[1] These results were achieved with the help of diet and exercise but the medications were responsible for part of the weight loss as well.

Types of Diet Pills – Which Diet Pill is Right for You?

The easiest way to find the best diet pill for you is to determine which aspect of weight loss you struggle with. Then choose the diet pill that combines these various components to assist in weight loss from multiple angles.

• Appetite Suppressants
• Metabolism Boosters
• Fat Burners
• Energy Boosters
• Detox Diet Pills
• Fat Blockers
• Carb Blockers
• Prescription Diet Pills

Used in the right combinations, these ingredients can maximize your ability to lose weight by increasing the effectiveness of workouts, reducing appetite, and assisting fat loss. Regardless of your goals, you can find the right diet pill for you if you look for products designed to support you in the areas you struggle.

Appetite Suppressants:

Dieters often say, “If only I didn’t have to eat, then I could lose weight.” Our lifestyles and eating habits have set our bodies up to crave sugar, fat, and salt. None of these is bad in and of itself, but when we routinely overindulge in high calorie foods weight gain is bound to happen.

The right appetite suppressants can keep you from craving unhealthy foods and can help you to recognize sooner that you have had enough to eat.

• Glucomannan- one of the best appetite suppressing ingredients, Glucomannan acts as a thickener. When ingested with water it forms a gel-like substance in your stomach making you feel fuller than you really are.
• Chromium- commonly used to regulate blood sugar and prevent food cravings. One study showed that chromium users consumed 365 fewer calories a day—which could lead to nearly a 40 pound weight loss in a year!

When to Use: Appetite suppressants are ideal when you struggle to control portion sizes and need to give up between-meal snacks. You may also benefit from using appetite suppressants if you are on a reduced calorie diet and have trouble sticking with it because you feel hungry throughout the day.

Metabolism Boosters:

Both Weight loss and weight gain are largely determined by metabolism. Your metabolism is essentially the rate at which you burn calories just to sustain normal functions like breathing and digestion.

If you have a slow metabolism, your body does not use as much energy so you have to limit the calories you consume…unless you use an effective metabolism booster. Doing so can help you to burn additional calories throughout the day without requiring any extra effort.

Key metabolism boosting ingredients include:

• Green Tea- one of the most popular metabolism boosting ingredients. Clinical studies show that green tea can assist in weight loss.
• Caffeine- stimulates the metabolism and encourages fat burn.
• Synephrine- quickly becoming the most popular alternative to ephedra. It works to boost metabolism in much the same way but is not associated with dangerous side effects.

When to Use: Metabolism boosters should be used if you need to burn more calories throughout the day or want to get more out of your workouts. They may be more effective when used with an appetite suppressant, a healthy diet, and regular exercise.

>> Click here to find the top recommended metabolism boosters that will have you slim in no time!

Fat Burners:

Many times when people lose weight they care only about the numbers on the scale. However, that number doesn’t tell the whole story.

For the best results you want to lose fat—not water weight and not muscle. Fat burners are essential in this process. Ingredients like Fucoxanthin target fat cells in adipose tissue. They help to lower body fat percentage. Fat burners may increase your metabolism as well but their primary purpose is to target fat deposits.

When to Use: When you’re struggling with fat in unsightly places a fat burner may be able to assist you. Fat burners are ideal if you have had a hard time maintaining your results because fat loss (as opposed to losing water weight) is the permanent solution to weight loss.

Energy Boosters:

Have you ever planned to work out the second you got home from work but after an eight hour day of seemingly endless problems you found that you didn’t have even an ounce of energy to pull your running shorts on? Energy boosters are ideal if you find yourself needing a little push to get through a tough workout.

Caffeine is probably the most widely used energy booster. In addition to giving you the energy you need, it can also improve your mental focus and may enhance your physical performance in the gym.

When to Use: Energy boosters are perfect for when you need an extra boost to get you through your workout. Since cutting back on calories often leaves you feeling tired and run-down, energy boosters can help to make up for eating less.

Detox Diet Pills:

It is estimated that we carry around several pounds of waste. If this is the reason for your pudgy middle, antioxidants and diuretics that eliminate toxins and waste may be ideal for you.

Detox diet pills are the perfect start to your diet. They can jump start your results and since they eliminate the toxins that have been dragging you down, they can leave you feeling rejuvenated, refreshed, and more energetic. In addition you can lose 5 to 10 pounds with detox diet pills in just a couple days which is a huge motivating factor when you’re beginning a diet!

One thing to note with diuretics is that although the weight generally comes off quickly, it usually is not sustainable for a long period of time.

When to Use: Detox diet pills are for you if you are bloated and concerned primarily with short-term weight loss or you need to eliminate toxins. Most dieters benefit from starting their diet with a detox diet pill.

Fat Blockers:

Do you consume a diet high in fats? Fat blockers bind to the fat in your diet helping it to pass through without being digested. The FDA approved diet pill Alli uses a fat blocker to help you lose weight. While it can be an effective means of weight loss, there are typically unpleasant and often embarrassing side effects that come along with these diet pills.

Fat blockers are best used when you know you will be eating a meal high in fat. They should be used just before or during the meal to absorb the most fat.

When to Use: Use fat blockers if you feel you are not losing weight because you consume too much fat. Even after you reach your goal weight fat blockers can continue to be used when you know you will be eating a high fat meal to help you more easily maintain your weight.

Carb Blockers:

Carb blockers are similar to fat blockers except that they prevent the carbs in your diet from being absorbed by your body. The idea is that if you don’t absorb the food you won’t hold onto any excess calories.

Phase 2 is a patented carb blocker. It prevents the enzyme alpha-amylase from binding with the starches you consume. Doing so prevents the carbohydrates from being broken down into molecules the body can absorb. Thus the carbs you consume pass through the body without allowing time for you to store them.

Some carb blockers also regulate insulin which may reduce future sugar cravings. Carb blockers are most effective when taken with a meal high in carbs.

When to Use: Carb blockers are ideal for you if you struggle to limit your carbohydrate intake and feel that’s what is holding you back from losing weight. They are especially beneficial on your “cheat” days when you know you will be indulging in a lot of carbs.

Prescription Diet Pills:

Prescription diet pills are generally given to individuals who meet one of the following requirements ^[1]:

• Your BMI is greater than 30
• Your BMI is greater than 27 but you also have at least one serious medical problem related to obesity, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart problems.

Contrary to prescription diet pills, over the counter diet pills can be used by anyone regardless of BMI. This is partly due to the fact that prescription diet pills are generally accompanied by more side effects and may not be as safe to use so they are regulated more stringently.

Prescription diet pills are often more specialized than over the counter diet pills. Rather than combining several components to attack fat from multiple angles, prescription diet pills frequently target only one aspect of weight loss. For example:

• Orlistat blocks the absorption of fat but does nothing to affect appetite.
• Diethylpropion decreases appetite and increases satiety but skips over anything relating to fat loss.

When to Use: Prescription diet pills may be right for you if you meet the requirements and feel comfortable with potential side effects. For more information on how prescription diet pills can help you, be sure to consult with your healthcare provider.

Common Diet Pill Questions

Q: Are diet pills safe?

A: Many dieters are concerned about potential side effects. If you look for diet pills with safe and effective ingredients, you can use them without having to worry about your health. With any medication you have to determine if the potential side effects outweigh any benefits.

For example, caffeine often causes jitteriness, insomnia, and headaches but usually only to those who are sensitive. Other ingredients may cause stomach discomfort. But you can limit side effects by choosing products with safe ingredients in safe amounts.

Q: Do diet pills cause dependency?

A: Many dieters are concerned that diet pills will cause dependency. Some diet pills with stimulants have the potential to cause dependency but generally if you follow the instructions you will be able to safely use the diet pill. If you are still concerned, look for a diet pill without stimulants to avoid the possibility of dependency.

Q: Do I have to exercise?

A: For the best results exercise is essential. Although some diet pills advertise that exercise is not necessary, it’s still important to incorporate regular exercise for improved health and to increase the possibility that you sustain your weight loss results.

Q: Do I have to starve?

A: No one wants to go hungry while on a diet. In fact, that’s one of the benefits to using an appetite suppressant is that you can follow a lower calorie diet without feeling hungry.

But some diets require you to eat just 500 calories a day—this is not safe. The lowest you should ever go is 1200 calories a day for women and 1500 calories a day for men. If you choose foods high in nutritional value you can feel satisfied without overeating.

Q: How do I find a diet pill that works?

A: To increase your chances of finding a diet pill that works, make sure that the right amounts of the active ingredients are used. Many times a diet pill will advertise that it uses a clinically proven ingredient but will include so little of the active ingredient that you can’t possibly achieve the same results shown in any clinical studies.

Watch out for products that are advertised to work but are not backed up by research. Media hype does not make an ingredient effective!

You can also look at real customer reviews. By reading unbiased reactions to diet pills you can determine if a product is worth trying and whether or not it could work for you.

Q: Will I be able to keep the weight off?

A: We hear so often, “I’m sick of yo-yo dieting, I just want to lose the weight and stay the same size.” Diet pills that rely entirely on diuretics will not help you to sustain your weight loss results. However, if you incorporate diet and lifestyle changes it will be more likely that you will be able to keep the weight off if you have used appetite suppressants and fat burners.

Ready to Lose Weight?

We all have that special even we want to look fabulous for. Rather than putting off your weight loss because it seems too hard, choose one of the best diet pills and give yourself the help you need to fit into your favorite outfit and look amazing on your big day!

References
1. Mayo Clinic Staff. (Feb. 9, 2012). Prescription weight-loss drugs: Can they help you? MayoClinic.com. Retrieved July 11, 2012, from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/weight-loss-drugs/WT00013