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If you have opened a magazine, turned on the radio, or glanced at the T.V. lately then you know there is an overabundance of weight loss supplements currently on the market. Some claim that you will lose 5 pounds in a week, others claim that you will lose 3 dress sizes in a month, and my personal favorite claims that you will lose 20 pounds in 10 days.
Do these pills really have the ability to “melt away pounds” or “burn fat in your sleep”? The correct answer is probably on the tip of your tongue… No! No matter how much we enjoy the fantasy of a magic pill turning us into a supermodel, deep down we know that this is simply not realistic.
$30 billion dollar industry thrives on our false hope of miraculous weight loss supplements itching to effortlessly turn us into svelte hard bodies. It is time that we came face to face with the real facts about weight loss as we cast off all misconceptions.
In reality, research shows that 95% of weight loss induced by supplements will be gained back in no less than 3 years.(usually much sooner!) The Food and Drug Administration has gone so far as to declare that a weight loss supplement with a proven record of long-term success DOESN’T EXSIST!
And to think that billions of dollars are spend on products that are PROVEN to not work!
How is this possible? You ask. Isn’t it against the law to make false claims about a pill?
This is where things get
hairy…
These so-called weight loss supplements are acknowledged as ‘food’
by the FDA and are therefore not evaluated for their safety and effectiveness. So you are telling me that weight loss supplements can make outrageous claims without backing them up? Yep. Sad, but true.
Here are the hard facts
about magical weight loss pills:
-
Most weight loss
supplements contain appetite suppressants that have been known to cause
reactions in some people that lead to strokes, heart attacks, panic attacks,
and even death.
- Quite often the few pounds that you do end up losing with weight loss supplements are due to the diuretics that they contain. A diuretic is a substance that flushes water out of your body, providing a quick and temporary dip on the scale.
- Weight loss supplements are expensive! It may be easy to justify the cost to yourself when you believe that your hard earned money is being spent on sculpting your figure, but don’t be fooled! The useless pills cost the manufacturer only pennies to produce, while they charge you an arm and a leg.
- Next time you see a stunning before and after picture of the guy or gal that lost 200 pounds by taking a certain supplement, beware! There is a higher probability of you being struck by lightening tonight than that claim being true. Most spokespersons and testimonials for weight loss supplements are false, and are only there to entice an unsuspecting public.
- Weight loss supplement companies admit that their products will not work without the accompaniment of calorie restriction and an increase in physical activity.
These products -- which are promoted as being ephedra-free and safe for dieters -- have been shown to cause increased heart rate among healthy people and harmful health effects in some people, report scientists who worked on the study.
The study by University of California San Francisco is the first to examine the effects of these re-formulated dietary supplements. Researchers examined the effects on blood pressure and heart rate of two dietary supplements containing bitter orange extract.
Bitter orange extract has commonly replaced ephedra in weight control products since ephedra was banned by the FDA in 2004 due to concerns about health risks and side effects.
The UCSF study involved 10 healthy adults given single doses of one of the two supplements or a placebo. The two supplements tested were Advantra Z and Xenadrine EFX. Single doses of both products increased heart rate by an average of 11 to 16 beats per minute over baseline, the scientists found. This would be the equivalent of an 18 percent increase if baseline rate is 80 beats per minute. In addition, Xenadrine EFX also significantly increased blood pressure by 7 to 12 percent. Xenadrine EFX appears to have similar acute cardiovascular stimulant actions as banned ephedra products, according to their report.
"These findings indicate that ephedra-free dietary supplements could have some of the same adverse health effects associated with previously available ephedra products, such as Metabolife 356 and Ripped Fuel," said Christine Haller, MD, UCSF assistant professor of medicine and lead author of the paper.
The predominant constituent of bitter orange is synephrine, which in pharmaceutical form is commonly used to treat low blood pressure and nasal congestion.
Advantra Z contains only bitter orange, while one dose of Xenadrine EFX contains several other ingredients, including caffeine equivalent to the amount in 3 cups of coffee, the researchers found.
The increased blood pressure from taking Xenadrine EFX is likely not due to caffeine alone, they concluded, but potentially related to the actions or interaction of other constituents in the multi-ingredient supplement.
The scientists call for longer term dosing studies and suggest doctors should caution patients about using ephedra-free weight-loss dietary supplements and should monitor blood pressure in those who choose to use the products.
In particular, people with health condition that could be worsened by the effects,such ashypertension, heart disease or other pre-existing conditions should avoid the supplements.
"Consumers should be aware that ephedra-free dietary supplements have not been extensively tested for safety and the health effects are not well known," Haller noted.
The research is published in the September issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
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"I decided to try TexasFitChicks bootcamp when a friend posted on facebook that she needed a buddy to go with her. At first I could barely do 3 jumping jacks without stopping, but on bootcamp days I had so much more energy I knew it was helping me. The girls in the class were so much fun that I looked forward to seeing everyone even if I went home sore! I reminded myself that soreness = progress! I followed the Weight Watcher diet (with a weekend treat now and then) added some walking on my off days and continued to see the pounds come off. When I signed up for my second 5 weeks of bootcamp I realized that not only could I keep up with most of the exercises, I was challenging myself beyond what I thought I would ever be able to do. After my second 5 weeks of bootcamp, I'm down 20 pounds and 3 sizes in my clothes. I've never been an athletic person and at 51 yrs old I can safely say that I'm in the best shape I've been in my life! Last week one of my friends told me I was looking "buff". That might be the best compliment anyone has ever given me! " - CATE R. (Plano, Texas Fit Chicks Boot Camp)
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Parts of article from a news release provided by The National Institutues of Health.
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Great article on weight loss products which is ephedra free. Thanks for nice blog write up.
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