New weight loss pill that claims to be safe.

[Happyinwonerland]

This is basically what supposed weight loss pills/gimmicks have promised for ages! There are no magic pills, only balanced eating, true desire to lose, exercise and lots of perseverance! Some people love to jump at the chance of miracle weight loss and not have to work for it.
Granted, it's not easy to keep a healthy weight. My beta blocker for PACs hold my metabolism down where I have to keep my caloric intake at 1,200 and exercise a lot, but for my health it's worth it.

But, like you say, those are not exciting losses - or very helpful weight losses for that length of time.

I guess the difference is that this pill is FDA approved, which will make people think it is somehow going to do what they hope.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

I'm still waiting for food in pill form. Where is the future?!

As someone who has struggled with eating disorders all my life, I've been wishing for this for years. If you take food out of the equation, simply make it about clinical nutrition, you could help a lot of people with eating disorders. When the urge to abstain from food hits, I can't eat but I can force myself to take a pill. Sometimes eating certain foods can trigger a binge but I can't imagine that a nutrition pill would do that.

 

[GreatLakes]

I'm still waiting for food in pill form. Where is the future?!

While not exactly a magic food pill you can get pretty close with a smoothie. I wouldn't suggest it replace every meal but with the right blender you can make a pretty complete meal out of some greens, fresh fruit, seeds and/or nuts, and some nut butter or good protein powder.

 

[tvguy]

Losing weight is simple. Eat less, exercise more. But there is a difference between simple and EASY.

 

[Chirple]

When you are obese, losing weight is not simple. Changing your diet and incorporating some type of activity are the components that will help you move forward; however, the first step is acknowledging that there is a problem. The mental change has to come first or a person will fall back into poor habits again (and again). Been there, done that more times than I can count. I get why people want that glimmer of hope in any capacity, but I think for many of them the mental change isn't there yet.

 

[AntimonyER]

When you are obese, losing weight is not simple. Changing your diet and incorporating some type of activity are the components that will help you move forward; however, the first step is acknowledging that there is a problem. The mental change has to come first or a person will fall back into poor habits again (and again). Been there, done that more times than I can count. I get why people want that glimmer of hope in any capacity, but I think for many of them the mental change isn't there yet.

The funny thing is, what finally worked for me is telling myself it WAS simple. Simple math (which is what tvguy was getting at I think). I am a numbers guy, so turning it into a math problem, and going crazy with the numbers tracking, worked for me, kept me in the game when those setbacks, plateaus, and temptations hit. My reward was putting in the numbers at the end of every week, and watching my weight graph (thats right, a graph, I am a nerd) take another step down.

 

[wenrob]

When you are obese, losing weight is not simple. Changing your diet and incorporating some type of activity are the components that will help you move forward; however, the first step is acknowledging that there is a problem. The mental change has to come first or a person will fall back into poor habits again (and again). Been there, done that more times than I can count. I get why people want that glimmer of hope in any capacity, but I think for many of them the mental change isn't there yet.

How you lose weight, calories in/calories out, *is* simple. It’s math and nothing more. Adherence and wrapping your head around it is the hard part. I’m pretty sure that’s what TV Guy is getting at. Simple doesn’t always mean easy.

I do agree that if you don’t have your head in the game and don’t have your “why” it will always be a struggle. When the initial motivation fades (and it will) you need to find it within yourself to press on anyway.

 

[Kogo Shuko]

Weight loss is not easy. It's not as easy as knowing how to be healthy and then being healthy. I know. I struggle with this every day. I KNOW exactly how to eat healthy, and I know how to exercise. But emotionally/mentally I am unable to do it unless I am in a really good place. And for the past little while, I have not been in a really good place mentally, and so am unable to accomplish what I need to do.

It is not as simple as "just eat less of". There are some people out there that can't FIND a happy medium, because their personality/emotions/issues does not let them take only a small portion.

Food is an addiction for some people, but the problem is they can't remove that addiction from their life. Heck, I can enjoy eating SALTINES. Or plain pasta.

I understand completely why someone would want that miracle pill. That being said, the miracle pill isn't going to fix the underlying psychological issues. To me, the root of the problem lies there. Although I admit I sometimes dream of an appetite suppressant.

I think this is just another hoax to try to get fat peoples' money (and people who aren't fat, but think they are).

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I don't think an appetite suppressant will help people with an emotional/psychological food addiction.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

While not exactly a magic food pill you can get pretty close with a smoothie. I wouldn't suggest it replace every meal but with the right blender you can make a pretty complete meal out of some greens, fresh fruit, seeds and/or nuts, and some nut butter or good protein powder.

But then that mess would have to go past my taste buds. Yuck.


But a pill that helped that little? Not worth my time.

I will continue plugging along my current track and keep losing the weight slowly.

 

[GreatLakes]

But then that mess would have to go past my taste buds. Yuck.


But a pill that helped that little? Not worth my time.

I will continue plugging along my current track and keep losing the weight slowly.

There are lots of recipes out there for really good smoothies. My favorite has unsweetened almond milk, baby spinach, bananas, flax seed, and almond butter.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

There are lots of recipes out there for really good smoothies. My favorite has unsweetened almond milk, baby spinach, bananas, flax seed, and almond butter.

It is all a matter of opinion.

In my opinion, a "good smoothie" is a mythical beast, never seen, only talked about.

 

[lauracitawita]

I remember hearing Elton John say that he has drug, drinking and food addiction. The toughest one for him to deal with was his food addiction because you have to eat. It's like telling a smoker to just have 3 cigarettes a day instead of an entire pack like they usually do. The addiction is too strong.

Also, everyone is different. My husband was a smoker for years, tried the patch and hasn't smoked since and doesn't even think about it. I have a friend who quit 20 years ago and says they think about smoking every single day and miss it like crazy.

One person may have an eating disorder and find a program that works and doesn't look back. Others will have tried, succeeded and failed over and over again. I don't think we fully know how our DNA impacts our weight issues. It obviously isn't just an easy fix, otherwise everyone would be at an ideal weight.

 

[PollyannaMom]

How you lose weight, calories in/calories out, *is* simple. It’s math and nothing more. Adherence and wrapping your head around it is the hard part. I’m pretty sure that’s what TV Guy is getting at. Simple doesn’t always mean easy.

So true!

And it's not even completely simple, either, because it's not just about calories. - You still need to carefully work all your nutritional requirements into those fewer calories you're now eating.

Plus, if you're going around hungry all the time, you're going to be miserable. (And that's going to affect everything from your work to your personal relationships.) So you need to figure out a way around that, too.

The only time I ever found it easy to lose weight was when I was breastfeeding.

 

[Klayfish]

So true!

And it's not even completely simple, either, because it's not just about calories. - You still need to carefully work all your nutritional requirements into those fewer calories you're now eating.

Plus, if you're going around hungry all the time, you're going to be miserable. (And that's going to affect everything from your work to your personal relationships.) So you need to figure out a way around that, too.

The only time I ever found it easy to lose weight was when I was breastfeeding.

Can't say I agree with this. At the end of the day it really is about calories in vs calories out. Basic nutrition requirements aren't that hard. If you want to get really far down the road of healthy nutrition, yes, it takes work. But giving yourself the basics the body needs isn't that difficult (barring unusual medical conditions).

You don't need to walk around hungry all the time. There are a ton of filling and low calorie/healthy food options out there. Generally speaking, fruits and veggies are pretty much unlimited...you can eat them until your heart is content.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

I guess the difference is that this pill is FDA approved, which will make people think it is somehow going to do what they hope.

ahahaha that just means that the side effects aren't likely to be fatal if you choose to take more than the labeled dosage... unlike so many of the "magic weight loss" pills that are passed around with fad diets.

Remember when Alle (sp?) was the Next Big Thing? It kept fat from being absorbed into your body... which basically meant, if you ate fatty food in any quantity, you needed to find a toilet quickly while you exploded? LOL That was a funny, short-lived diet fad! Not surprisingly it did not work for most people because they still wanted to be able to suck back 2-3 Starbucks a day AND eat 3-4 meals a day, plus snacks. And you did not have time to do that when you were squatting for 1/3 of your day!

 

[PollyannaMom]

...You don't need to walk around hungry all the time. There are a ton of filling and low calorie/healthy food options out there. Generally speaking, fruits and veggies are pretty much unlimited...you can eat them until your heart is content.

Which is convenient for me, because I happen to like them...but not so easy for everyone. A lot of people really don't like those things, and it's a sacrifice to eat them instead of what they really want. And I know you excluded "unusual medical conditions" - but I think that applies to a lot more people than you think. - Someone with high blood pressure has to avoid salt, so there go cheap and easy canned veggies. Someone with diabetes has to carefully watch even the sugar in fruit. Allergies, braces...all kinds of everyday things knock otherwise healthy foods off individual people's lists.

Not to mention the mental toll that constantly exercising will power takes:
http://healthland.time.com/2011/03/22/the-cranky-dieter-explained-self-control-makes-you-angry/

I'm not saying you're wrong about the math of weight loss! I just think that the more we keep insisting it's so "easy", the more people will feel defeated before they even start, and just give up.

 

[Christine]

Can't say I agree with this. At the end of the day it really is about calories in vs calories out. Basic nutrition requirements aren't that hard. If you want to get really far down the road of healthy nutrition, yes, it takes work. But giving yourself the basics the body needs isn't that difficult (barring unusual medical conditions).

You don't need to walk around hungry all the time. There are a ton of filling and low calorie/healthy food options out there. Generally speaking, fruits and veggies are pretty much unlimited...you can eat them until your heart is content.

I'm a 54 y/o women who has never really been overweight but since my 40s, I've been dealing with 10 lbs that comes on and off. I have an office job and a long commute (and for a long time I had kids, sports, etc). Bottom line is that I'm not active and never have been. So, as I've aged and have been dealing with trying to keep the 10 lbs off, I actually have to get down to about 1300 calories to lose VERY SLOWLY. It's disheartening. I've spend a lot of time on MyFitnessPal. On that amount of calories I never feel satisfied, ever. Also, I do find, when tracking, that at that low of calories, I do fall short on some of the RDAs. It's hard to get the recommended levels of anything in at that low of calories. My maintenance is about 1500-1600 per day and I can usually hit my targets with that. But I still feel hungry. Maybe not like I'm going to eat my arm off, but I definitely am always left wanting. I'm always sure to get enough protein as well as "volume" foods, but it's just the way it is. I've always had a good appetite, even as a child. I've just been lucky that my metabolism was great for most of my life. Now, not so much.

 

[ABC123XYZ]

Sure, absolutely. I can understand the desperation from the sense of needing to work hard to stay healthy and how it can be tough. It's never "easy", especially in our current society. We all have our own challenges. I like junk food too, love it in fact. DW has a ton of challenges too (including thyroid), but at the end of the day it's all about hard work and dedication. It's definitely a personal choice to die fat and happy instead of eating healthy, and everyone gets to make their own decision on that. However, I just cringe at the "I'm looking for a miracle instant solution to weight loss" solution. If you want to maintain a healthy body mass, it takes some effort. No way around it. My life is insanely busy, like many people. But I pack all my food in advance and spend time preparing, so I don't grab a bag of peanut M&Ms...though I do love them....mmmmmmmm.....

I'm not sure what

Sure, absolutely. I can understand the desperation from the sense of needing to work hard to stay healthy and how it can be tough. It's never "easy", especially in our current society. We all have our own challenges. I like junk food too, love it in fact. DW has a ton of challenges too (including thyroid), but at the end of the day it's all about hard work and dedication. It's definitely a personal choice to die fat and happy instead of eating healthy, and everyone gets to make their own decision on that. However, I just cringe at the "I'm looking for a miracle instant solution to weight loss" solution. If you want to maintain a healthy body mass, it takes some effort. No way around it. My life is insanely busy, like many people. But I pack all my food in advance and spend time preparing, so I don't grab a bag of peanut M&Ms...though I do love them....mmmmmmmm.....

I'm not sure what article you and the OP read, but that one certainly did not tout Belviq as a "miracle pill."

What is did say, was that it was safe for long term use as it caused no cardiac problems after being used long term, as opposed to other diet pills

Why is it that overweight people are automatically assumed to be stupid and lazy? A new tool in aiding people to lose weight comes out and people want to assume that overweight people are stupid and believe that they just swallow the pill and, poof! they will lose weight. No one says "Ehrmagad! There is a new diabetes medication out. All these diabetics will think that they just take this miracle drug and it will cure their diabetes." The assumption was made that diabetics know to use these medicines in conjunction with diet to lower their blood augar and A1C, and to help keep it there.

No doctor prescribes a weight loss pill and sends their patient out into the world to go be skinny. They counsel them on diet and exercise.

Why is it automatically assumed that if you are overweight it's because you can't be bothered to do anything about it?

Obesity, weight gain, and eating habits are a very complex emotional, physical, functional, cultural and socioeconomic thing. The is no one good answer or treatment for anyone.

What this article states is that this medicine is safe for long term use, because it won't damage your heart and is safe for use by people who have existing cardiac problems. It also very clearly stated that the action of the medication is to stimulate the area ofthe brain that signals the feeling of fullness and that it is to be used in conjunction with a diet plan. It is a tool to help people stay on plan with a diet.

I have seen many of your posts about diet, nutrition, and your lifestyle. From reading them I am of the opinion that you don't have a very healthy relationship with food, although you are very quick to tell everyone how trim, healthy, and athletic you are. Preparing a week's meals and eating the same thing over and over reheated and thawed and making sure you haul those same foods everywhere, even in theme parks, so as not to deviate from rhe plan. Calling any meals that deviate from the pre-prepared meals "cheat meals," as if going off any preconceived plan is bad. The word "cheat" implies anegative. Descriptions of dry sandwiches and condescending people who put condiments on sandwiches as "slathering" them.

I also think there are very few people who would enjoy your lifestyle, or have the luxury to do it. Being up and out before dawn and running hither and yon for the next 18 hours with only 20 minutes to spend in your house. Some people enjoy meals with their families or just spending time talking, or being at home. as opposed to running from one activity to the next. Some people have to work 2 jobs, or are single parents who have small children, or have jobs with odd or varying hours. Life is not so simple for everyone that every day, every meal can be planned out a week ahead of time.

As another person mentioned, too, money plays a factor. You can get a generic brand of Kraft dinner for 59 cents a box. 2 boxes and you have a $1.20 meal for your family. Fresh food costs much more than processed food, and depending on your living situation you may not have access to a large variety, even canned or frozen.

Eating disorders come in varying forms. Some people overeat. Some under. Some binge. Some purge. Some are very rigid with their diet. Some emotionally eat. Some emotionally fast.

Some people have a slow metabolism that requires a drastic cut in calories. Some people burn calories faster. Some bodies have different intake needs and tolerances. Exercise only counts about 20% when it comes to weight loss. 80% is diet.

This is why different diets work for different people. Example, some people drop a lot of weight on keto. Other people just gain because their bodies process fats and carbs differently. There is so much we don't know about DNA.

Physiologically, in theory it may be as easy as, "just eat less," but there are so many other factors. Humans are complex in a lot of ways and the notion that weight loss is a one size fits all formula is ridiculous.

Portraying overweight people in the negative is wrong. People struggle. If there is a tool that can help some people, and it's used properly, it is a good thing. People want to denigrate overweight people for being overweight, but then ridicule them when they try to use tools, such as particular diets, medications, and surgery.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I've always had a good appetite, even as a child. I've just been lucky that my metabolism was great for most of my life. Now, not so much.

Exactly how I feel! I always counted myself lucky that I "liked the right stuff"... but I could have treats too and not worry. Now that I'm older, I feel like I'm gaining weight eating the same things I always have.