Whats everyone's take on diet aids?

Good? Bad? So-so?

I'm kind of thinking of maybe trying one.
I was on one perscribed by my doctor a few years ago, and lost 40 pounds over 1 summer... But I really didn't like it because it made me feel like I was on speed. I was bouncing off the walls, couldn't sleep, and was rarely hungry (which was the only good part I guess)... Some of my friends thought I was secretly doing drugs...

So I really don't want to try that one again (I think it was something like phenteramine...Spelling??)

I've heard good things about Alli though...

What plan are you on and how long have you been on it? If all else fails and you really feel like you need some extra help, then Alli might be an idea. For now, why don't you give your plan a little more time to work? I'm one of those women who has tried numerous weight loss products. As you can see, they didn't help much except a loss for my pocketbook. No matter what you try or do, basically it all comes back to committment and planning.

The only one I know that has actually been properly tested, approved, and proven to work (in the sense that it does what it says it'll do) is Alli. The rest of them are just a waste of money and time.

Even so, I personally wouldn't waste the money on Alli - if you're capable of staying on plan while taking it, you're capable of staying on plan w/out it. Alli doesn't contain any magical ingredient that keeps you from eating or raises your metabolism or anything else. All it does is stop your body from properly processing the excess fat that you do eat - which results in .. um ... to put it delicately, possible embarrassing bathroom situations. From everything I can tell the actual benefit to Alli is that the risk of soiling yourself in public scares you into staying on plan.

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Yep, Phentermine. I've been on it since August and I've lost almost 30lbs from it. Were you taking the entire pill? I figured out that if I just took half that it would still be just as effective and I wouldn't be so jittery/anxious all the time and I could still fall asleep.

I've tried Hydroxycut, Trim Spa, and Zantrex. The Hydroxy and the Trim Spa didn't do crap and the Zantrex gave me lots of energy but one day I took it and I thought I was going to die.

As for Alli, I don't know too much about it except for hearing about the possibility of "oily discharge" if you don't eat what they tell you. Haha!

Hydroxycut doubled my heart rate and made my nose bleed -- I wouldn't bother with it.

~CGH~

I'm personally against any diet aids for MYSELF. I've never taken them and I don't intend to start.

i'm tempted, but in the end i don't think it would help all that much.

I was on alli for a month, and would still be on it if i had extra cash (even though it's not that much). I was losing like 2.5 pounds a week. not a big difference from my usual 1-2 pounds when I stick with my diet and exercise. but, the good thing about it is that alli scares you into eating right because you don't want those side effects (oily discharge). to be completely honest, i cheated a couple of times that month (meaning like i had more than 15 grams of fat per meal ) and absolutely nothing happened --no side effects. I never jittery or bad, or like I was not gonna be able to control myself at the dinner table. a lot of people make fun of it, but i liked it because t made me accountable for what i was putting in my mouth, and did seem to speed up my weight loss slightly.

I thought phentermine was banned? It is here in Canada anyways. I was on it about 12 years ago. Lost 25 lbs in a month and then they banned it! lol
It's a good thing though, they banned it because it causes serious heart/pulmonary (sp?) problems. I'm glad I wasn't on it that long.

I have tried all kinds of things over the years...weight watchers, herbal supplements, LA weightloss and others. Like Girly says...the only thing that shrunk was my bank account.

This is the first time I have had success and it is with just plain old exercise and portion control. I don't count calories, carbs or protien. I just have been eating sensibly. Exercise is the key though, it really is. We have to get our bodies moving for so many reasons. To strengthen, tone, build endurance, boost our metabolism and for the "feel good" endorphins

I'd give whatever plan you are following a chance before resorting to any aids. Hang in there! We all wish we could shrink into our desired body overnight. We didn't get fat overnight and we won't lose the fat overnight.

Hydroxy didn't do anything for me.

I did like Alli and felt it worked but do not go above the recommended fat limit! I did that thinking it would be okay and I had nasty oily dishcharge (TMI alert) so bad that I had to wear a pad. Eww. Lol.

I'm against all WL supplements/drugs. For me anyway. They might work for others. I have bad anxiety problems and get jittery from two cups of coffee which just makes my anxiety worse. So any of those pills or energy drinks send me through the roof. And I'm with the other ladies, I don't want any oily discharge. That and when I'm at my goal I wanna know I did it. I changed my lifestyle without any outside influence. I don't wanna depend on any drug to lose weight. I wouldn't ever wanna be stuck on some WL drug forever because I didn't think I could do it without.

That and I just think drugs should only be taken if you really need them. I'm a big believer in people are over medicated. People always want the easy way out. If there really was a miracle pill, celebrities wouldn't be heavy because lord knows they have enough money to buy it!

It was a combination pill, fenfluramine plus phentermine (fen-phen) that was banned by the FDA. Phentermine is still on the market.

I have tried a couple of "diet aids" in my time (but not Alli or hydroxycut), and what I found was that I spent a lot of money for nothing. Plus most of them are speedy--caffeine etc.--which wound me up like a knot.

Basically I had to make the changes anyway, and the only thing the pills etc. seemed to help was to separate me from some cash. My wallet got lighter...

Jay

Diet aides have never worked for me, and I've tried bunches, including a doctor's prescription. For me losing weight is entirely mental and if I'm not mentally on plan then no pill or potion is going to stop me from eating.

I tried Alli when I first started but it was something I was afraid of....no one wants oily stuff leaking out of their butt at the wrong times! hehe It helped me be honest with myself since the time before I tried WW I was totally being a sneak with food. I'm one of those people that would hide snack cakes in her closet and eat the entire box while hiding.

Other than that I have tried pretty much all the over the counter diet pills over my adult life & all they did was make me jittery.

IF you can be diigent about tracking everything you eat, and being proactive in planning your meals Alli is great, but if you want to cheat here and there and do what ever you want Alli is not the right one for you.

And IF you are a person who is impatient, and has alot to lose ALLI can give you that boost to help you stick with it. You just hav to be really dedicated. I lost 2-3 pounds a week instead of 1-2 pounds a week......and that is a good boost for me. I had NO accidents, leaking, etc with Alli, but I followed the plan exactly as it is meant to be used. I know people who had problems, but they also ate pepperoni Pizza with the pill.........DUH! When I had a meal out or ate at a friends house I would not take the pill, and never had a problem, I was on it for 3 months and lost 30 pounds.

Right now I cannot be on a low fat diet during the winter because I am having such a hard time with dry skin, so I am doing my best without.