There was a great piece in The Breeze, a student newspaper at James Madison University talking about our tendencies to want the quick fix with a pill or a fad diet.

They had a great intro:

Want uncontrollable bowel movements, an increased heart rate, kidney problems and constant food cravings? With a few payments you can get a bottle of over-sized pills, have pre-made meals sent to your home, or receive detailed instructions on how to maintain these symptoms.

With the uncontrollable bowel movements, author Meg Ebersole was certainly referencing Alli, GSK’s FDA-approved-paint-soiling-bring-an-extra-set-of-clothes-to-work masterpiece (read the full Alli review).  The increased heart rate was attributable to ephedra, now banned, but can also be attributed to caffeine if taken to extremes.  Constant food cravings could come from any fad diet.

The takeaways from the article IMO, include these:

1. If it’s too good to be true (both with diet pill and diet plan claims), it is.
2. With dieting, it doesn’t need to be all or nothing.  You can start small and in moderation.
3. Diets with “induction phases” such as Atkins or South Beach can be harmful.
4. Avoid short-term fixes and focus on long-term lifestyle changes.

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