I’ve received several emails as of late asking why I’ve changed my recommendations to include Thermodrenix and PatenTrim as the #1 and #2 respective spots in our diet pill comparison chart. The reason is simple: they’re better than what we had recommended before.
Some people are making the claim that we’re somehow being inconsistent…that would be like saying that your favorite dessert is pie, and then having some unbelievably good brownie that you now say is your favorite dessert. Opinions change because everything’s always changing — especially in the diet pill arena.
What hasn’t changed though? Well, for one, we haven’t changed the fact that we look first at ingredients and then at the amounts of those ingredients. If research were to ever surface (highly unlikely) that points out that Hoodia is effective (and the research were valid) then we would change our opinion on that worthless, fad ingredient. Until that happens though, we stay by what we’re saying.
The same goes for our recommended pills. As it currently stands, there are no other contenders when it comes to the amounts of those clinically researched and backed ingredients. So those are what we recommend.
Apparently Arena Pharmaceutical is hoping for just that. They’re showing promise in early trials that they can get the effect of the once-popular fen-phen without the nasty heart valve side effects.
I’d give it a long while before subjecting myself to this stuff. The last time a company messed with fen-phen they were plagued (and still are to a degree) with hundreds of millions of dollars in lawsuits.
Not to mention the fact that people’s health was seriously put at risk.
This article had me laughing.
My favorite tidbits:
…the ad claims, the Skinny Pill will “melt away fat 12 times faster than a full hour of military aerobics” while you sit in your favorite armchair happily devouring a heaping bowl of Triple Brownie Chocolate ice cream with a side of cherry cheesecake. Of course, the teensy fine print I read with my neutron microscope suggests that “results may vary.”
and this one:
…the ad promises that my excess fat and flab will disappear right before my very eyes. I guess The Skinny Pill produces hallucinations, as well.
Well, according to this story, that’s what we might have in the next decade. Good or bad, nothing can replace good ol’ fashioned discipline — eating less and exercising more.
And everyone knows the scary stories about the people that get their stomach stapled and then eat more than they should anyway and the staples bust (mental picture not desired, but I’m getting one).
This pill is supposed to keep your stomach from expanding as you eat more food - essentially the same thin as the staples - I just hope you don’t overeat with a non-expanding stomach…what will bust then?
According to this source, there are some dangerous pills (available on the internet) shipping from Brazil. Do your homework before purchasing a diet pill. Your body should not be a guinea pig. Be careful with it!
If they’re anything like her Jenny Craig commercials, I’m not holding my breath. Stay tuned for much of the same in 2009. (source).
I caught this article and couldn’t help but think of Lipovox.
The founder of that diet pill formulation claimed their acne cleared up and they lost weight. According to Dr. Perricone, that’s to be expected.
What I find amusing is the fact that Lipovox was libeled by various sites on the internet for “making such outlandish claims.” Maybe they weren’t so outlandish afterall. (Hype? Definitely).
Two researchers at Wayne State University have developed a pill they say will allow you to eat a normal diet and lose weight without exercise.They call it Alpha-Fibe FBCX and it’s a natural fiber made from corn.
There’s always something new. I’ll do a more in-depth of review of Alpha-Fibe later. I loved their description of Alpha-Fibe being like a candy coating on M&M’s “lock[ing] the fat so it leaves the body without causing any problems.”
I believe the jury is still out on this one. The key is that you could still eat plenty of carbohydrates or protein and your calorie surplus would cause you to gain weight. As with Alli (I reviewed Alli as well), you’ll need to watch your diet to have the pill work its “magic”.
In one of many articles mentioning Alli (read CC’s Alli review for the poop–er–scoop) it looks like Wal-Mart “saved customers more than $14 million over prescription costs by offering Alli, the only FDA-approved OTC weight-loss product, at a great value. The drug has since become its best-selling OTC diet product.”
It’s too bad that Alli has so many nasty side-effects.
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:
- If it’s too good to be true (both with diet pill and diet plan claims), it is.
- With dieting, it doesn’t need to be all or nothing. You can start small and in moderation.
- Diets with “induction phases” such as Atkins or South Beach can be harmful.
- Avoid short-term fixes and focus on long-term lifestyle changes.
