Mark my words. There are lots of companies out there that are going to try to sell you something that makes losing weight easy. African herbal compounds that you eat to magically reduce appetite seems to be the latest craze. But in my book The Tortoise Diet Win the Race to Lose! I discuss the fallacies hidden in relying on looking for the easy way.
Im sure that sometime soon a company will succeed in developing a diet pill that really does help you lose weight without harmful side effects. I'm sure that company will be wildly successful, but I, for one, won't be taking such a pill.
Why, you ask would I not take this pill, or potion, or herbal African compound? Because I don't believe that relying on any kind of hare-brained quick fix supports my commitment to lose weight permanently and improve my health - even if the FDA deems these drugs safe.
Let's evaluate the two types of compounds that are currently in the works. One is touted as being able to somehow block the absorption of calories. What do you think is going to happen to your health if you take a pill to lose weight, but because of this pill you are able to get away with eating even more of the junky foods that have contributed to your excess weight? If a pill promises to magically "melt fat" with no effort on your part, you will almost surely be incredibly tempted to eat even more junky, salty, sweet, and fattening foods than you do now.
There may not be any weight consequences whatsoever for this kind of eating, but it's likely that your health will suffer. You will have very little incentive to work at improving your health by changing your eating habits, and you probably won't make exercise a top priority either! My prediction is by continuing the poor health habits that have caused you to become overweight; you will eventually have a serious health crisis on your hands. Yes, you might lose weight by taking such a pill, but possibly at the expense of a serious disease. Will it be worth it? After a doctor visit or two, I'm sure your answer will be no. Then you will be faced with exactly the same problem you have now ... changing poor nutritional habits into good ones.
A second type of pill or herbal compound may act by reducing the appetite, which will damage your health in yet another way. Most people dont include enough healthy foods in their diets now to prevent disease, let alone after artificially reducing their appetites. Remember when I talked about phytonutrients and how important they are in fighting disease? Phytonutrients are only found in colorful foods like vegetables and fruits, foods that also contain many vitamins and essential minerals. What about fiber and its role in preventing colon cancer and other diseases? As with the pill that "melts fat", if you haven't developed good eating habits before this kind of pill is available, you could be setting yourself up for major health problems.
If all that isn't enough to convince you not to take pills or herbal compounds to lose weight, how about the fact that you're still going to have to exercise to prevent losing too much muscle? Quick weight loss, whether it's by starving yourself, or whether it's done with the help of a pill, doesn't work. The old adage of let the buyer beware applies.
My advice is simple: Dont pop pills, swallow potions or chew African herbal compounds to lose weight. Eat healthy food, take a few vitamins, and spend the rest of the money you save on a good pair of walking shoes! |
