Im wondering if anyone uses pills that assist fat burning or energy for workouts, like Jillian Michael's or anything related? Or do you go all natural? I understand the pills wont be the miracle, it'll be through hard work. But Im wondering if it'll be the missing piece of the puzzle. Between school and working its hard to find the motivation and energy and excitement of cutting back calories, eating better foods, and busting my ***. And then how long should one take them before they can live without them? Or would I lose all the muscle and become weak again once I'm off them?

I don't think there's a pill out there that is safe to use and will do anything at all to help you lose weight. You might as well decide purple M&M's are the magic pill and take one of those 30 minutes before every meal. Then drink plenty of water, eat a healthy meal, limit your portion sizes and snacks, and try to use the stairs rather than the elevator. The purple M&Ms will work, I promise you and you'll lose weight if you just follow the purple M&M plan.

No, seriously, every pill out there includes "eat blah blah blah, exercise blah blah blah" as part of the instructions. The only ones that don't are the ones that are actually dangerous, probably illegal (or will be once a couple more people die from using them), and not worth the risk.

Plus, if you don't learn portion control and to gauge your calories the old fashioned way you'll just gain all the weight back right away. Counting calories isn't hard once you get in the habit, eating better food isn't any harder than eating bad food really, and if you don't have time to exercise then just focus on the food habits for now - exercise is a very good thing but it's not the main part of losing weight. You'll probably lose faster and more steadily if you exercise but if you eat right you'll lose weight without adding gym time to your schedule.

I'd also like to note that Jillian Michaels is being sued by a couple different people over those pills. Some are due to the pills themselves being dangerous, some are due to fake claims.

I suggest you google it, you'll find a ton of info.

I personally used akavar to get started, it helped me control my cravings and gave me energy, but I would not take it longer than one bottle and I would take half the dose they recommend. I took the full dose (two pills) and I had way too much energy, I almost felt nervous, and then I had to run to the bathroom. On one pill it helped me learn to eat less.

But that's just me, I mostly did the work on my own.

The best advice I can give is to look at the maintainers forum. I don't know anyone who has lost weight and kept it off that has used any supplements.

I do use "fat burners" to help with weight loss, but I use them for what they are. I use D4 Thermal Shock and even though it supposedly "melts fat off your body", I take it with the expectations that it will curb my appetite, and give me more energy to work out, which it does. This indirectly causes me to lose more weight while taking it, but of course, I'm pretty sure I would have the same results without it if I ate less and worked out more. The D4 just makes it easier.

It says it's a thermogenic and I do feel hotter when I use it so it may be working slightly, but I definitely don't think it will melt fat off of my body without hard work and dedication. I think a lot of people buy into the hype and feel like these pills will do all the work for them, but they're called supplements for a reason, no matter what the seller claims.

One final thing I've noticed is the better the pill works, the more dangerous it is. I know body builders that take T3 (synthetic thyroid hormone) or DNP (a pesticide...ewww) and they definitely get a boost in fat loss, but at the price of metabolic shutdown or worse. Plenty have ended up in the hospital, especially DNP users, especially since the lethal dose is only 4x that of the effective dose. So just something to think about.

I've tried different weight loss pills.. most of them are just simply caffeine pills.. which does help me burn more calories at the gym.. that's about it.. more energy to burn fat, but you still have to do it yourself.. I've noticed I can burn about 300 more cals per hour with caffeine pills or diet pills whatever.

Thanks girls!! I guess im going the old fashion way...itll be tough

I have heard the same about Jillian Michaels pills - about the lawsuits.

Frankly, as much as I love Jillian; I'm a little disappointed she would put her name to such things.

Ive only tried one weight loss pill, they were full of caffeine and did absoloutley nothing for me!

I'd love a quick fix too - but there isnt one; hard work and patience.

I don't take any diet pills, but i have drank the 5-hour energy when i don't get enough sleep. What i have found at the gym is if i have drunk a 5-hour energy, i can't work out as hard because my heart rate goes too high and makes me dizzy. My usual heart rate on the elliptical is around 150-160, but if i have had an energy drink it can easily hit 170+ and just max out and then i dont feel so well and have to slow down. It might just be me but be careful doing hard cardio on diet pill/energy supplements.

I take green tea supplements that supposedly have fat-burning abilities, but I know darn well they're just caffeine with some extra fancy herbal things in them. What's available OTC today is so ridiculously ineffective, you'd be better off with just No-Doz or nothing at all.

I only take the green tea stuff instead of No-Doz because it's actually cheaper.

I've drank Jillian Michaels Power Packets that say they build stamina and energy and stuff.. and it DOES. Only thing is it's got Oxydrene in it which I know nothing about, but honestly it's the only thing that is working for me. Green tea don't give me any of that, as with other natural energy boosters.. I ACTUALLY feel like working out after drinking her Power Packets.

I can't say for sure because I've never taking any of these pills, but I do know that most of them, if not all of them, are NOT FDA approved. This means the company can say the pill does "blah blah blah" and it contains "blah blah and blah", but they don't have to prove any claims to the FDA. Who knows what's in these pills. Hard work and will power might be the only way.

Dont waste your money. I tried her cleanse pills and felt NOTHING. Hope she liked my donation to her riches.

I just drink a cup of coffee before I work out. It has virtually no calories, and the caffeine gives me the little kick that I need to get started.

Its also pretty darn cheap!

This!

I have a strong cup of coffee every morning. Gives me that boost to get me going in the morning and I know what's in it.....caffeine.