Natural HealthWhy You Should Avoid These Weight Loss Solutions
If you decide to venture out on your own seeking one weight loss solution that fits well into your needs and wants, here I got some info for your reference so at least you won't get drifted away into buying something that could cause harm to your health. Here we go.
Slimming Pills
The fundamental ingredients in all different brands of pills are the same, it's just that some added with fruit flavor or other don't-know-what herbs or exotic stuff you hardly heard of which make the pill unique by itself in its own brand.
What these pills do to your body is basically to suppress your appetite so you don't eat more calories than you normally do. No such thing as eating just that small tiny little tablet can stimulate your metabolism throughout the day and help you burn TONS of fat. This is insane. (Only through a healthy diet plus a reasonable amount of exercise can achieve that.)
Simply put, the main purpose of pills boils down to just one thing — to control your calorie intake.
Years back I tried one of the famous brands in my country, Singapore. It appeared like a whirlwind making a blazing sweep on this very small island. Like many others, I bought it and was anticipating to see myself turning into a new "me" in weeks.
I bought 2 packs worth $200 over. But 3 weeks later it made me the same - as fat as before. But the funny thing is I took up its lucky draw and won 2nd prize (few thousands of cold hard cash) out of it. You know what, when I went to collect the prize, the person-in-charge eagerly asked me if I got any results with the pills. I shook my head. To cover up the embarrassment, he quickly said that I must control my diet and do more exercises in order to achieve fat loss effect, otherwise I will never succeed with the pills.
"HUH!"... was my reaction. I thought the pills should help me control my diet and they claimed in the ad that we can slim down just by taking the pills. So, it was all a hoax and I suddenly woke up to reality.
To rub it in, don't ever think that after "slimming down" with the pills you'll stop it. According to that "person-in-charge", it's best for you to take it regularly so that you can keep your fat at bay for life even though you've slimmed down. No wonder they can make so much money out of peddling that little "M&M's".
Where do you get so much money to pay for these so-called natural but in fact chemical-loaded pills?
So, whenever at the mention of slimming pills, I both hate and love it. Hate is because it just didn't work as incredible as it sounds but yet they still got the face to go around ripping people off, every now and then. Love is because it gave me a sudden windfall, albeit a small one.
News Flash: In September 2010, a 21 year-old young mother in Hong Kong gave birth. For fear that her weight will shoot up like many new mothers, she started to take slimming pills not long after her childbirth. In November 22, 2010 (2 months later), she died of heart attack. Doctors speculated that this could be due to the side effects of the pills not long after her childbirth.
In fact, this is nothing new, hundreds or even thousands of cases like that occur every day around the globe. But I still don't understand why people would risk their life for losing that extra mass? You have so many better and healthier options out there, why pill? Please, your life is too precious to lose just like that. Don't be the next victim.
Think about your kids, spouse, parents and your best friends before you take any risk. They're the one going to be affected the most should something untoward happen to you. Be a responsible person.
Meal Replacement Shake
If you observe carefully, you would have noticed that anything that is designed to replace normal meals comes with a fatal flaw.
Before I show you what it is, let's take a look at why this shake is not a solution in its own right.
If I ask you to consume the shake in place of your breakfast, you may not feel so bad in the morning since your "engine" has just started. And not long after will be your break time at the office pantry.
Well, lunch comes and you take the shake again. Guess what? You're going to feel miserable throughout the entire afternoon. Why?
That's because any shake will not be able to fill you up like real food. They're chemically processed and lots of nutrients were lost through manufacturing the powder or the ready-to-drink packages. They can never be compared to the all-round nutrients and the bulk feeling you can obtain from real meal.
Use your health sense and you'll realize that a shake can at best replace your snack, but never replace your meal. Case closed.
But why are those shakes selling like hot cakes, and able to garner so many raving fans over the years? Thanks to its MLM structure built into promoting the shakes.
Once you take away the MLM structure, I can guarantee it'll soon collapse as no one will ever recommend the shakes to anyone because it just ain't a practical solution for fat loss.
That's the fatal flaw so well hidden inside you'll never know why it's not working for people but yet it is in such great demand.
Acai Berry Supplement
Acai berry can flush out extra pounds and flatten tummies! Ever heard of such claim?
I'm sure you do, as MLM (multi-level marketing) companies work extremely hard trying to sell you health supplements containing extracts from this exotic fruit by using the above claim.
You read about Acai berry's ancient stories, testimonials and reviews that emphasize the "miracle cures" of this power fruit - its ability to prevent aging and help you shed 30 pounds in 30 days with regular consumption. They even claim celebrities lose fat from consuming their products.
The supplements don't come cheap though. Costing many times more than the whole fruit, you naturally want to know if you're really paying for a "miracle cure".
Hey, wake up! Think about this. Any miracle food that promises fast-track solution to weight loss can't be real. Shedding 30 pounds in 30 days? Oh come on, if that's really true, why obesity is still a global headache today? Weight loss specialists and doctors would go out of job then.
These so-called weight loss supplements are nothing more than just marketing hype, which the MLM health companies try to impress you with unrealistically exaggerated claims. (Note: Their claims are NOT proven by ANY solid medical research, but some will tell you otherwise - what audacity!)
Honestly, they only deliver empty promises since this Acai berry juice is merely new addition to the fad diet foods.
"Best" part is, some of them even got themselves into hot soup for capitalizing on celebrities' (such as Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Oz) valuable reputation and intellectual property rights to lure consumers into ordering their products on the false premise that they have been tested or recommended by this and that celebrities when they have not.
But why still so many people fall for that? Thanks to the MLM structure (same as that in meal-replacement shake).
Even though the product doesn't work as awesome as it promises, distributors / affiliates of the products will still sell hard and inflate the claims with phony testimonials and comments to make it sound and look compelling and convincing, so that they can expect a big fat check mailing to their doorsteps every single month.
My friend, Terry (weighing about 180 pounds), commented that his constipation got cured and he lost a few pounds after drinking Acai berry juice (bought from his cousin who's an Acai berry MLMer) for a couple of months (I thought he should've lost 60 pounds by then since it claims to help people lose 30 pounds in 30 days?!).
But Terry wasn't sure what else contains in that juice or even if the juice comes from the genuine stuff. As long as it works for him, he's willing to spend the money and take the risk. He's that desperate.
Well, I recommended him to drink smoothie blended from vegetables and common fruits (strawberries, blue berries, bananas and others), which works just as "miraculous" as his Acai berry juice. More importantly, it costs so much cheaper and safer to consume because you know exactly what you feed your stomach with.
Why flush about $2,000 a year down the toilet on a questionable product when you can use them on proven vegetarian weight loss diet to genuinely improve your health and lose your fat?
I believe Acai berry does have its nutritional values like its berry-family fruits such as raspberry, cranberry, strawberry, blueberry etc. But as for fat loss effect, I'm afraid not. Many scientists and researchers have proven its plentiful antioxidant properties but none has said that it can help people to shape up.
My advice for you — stay alert and don't get conned by those MLM companies, distributors and affiliates. Even though they offer you free trial, be extra careful as they'll put you on an auto-bill and auto-ship program so your credit card will get charged every month. And this can easily add up to over $150 a month.
Last but not least, don't ever flash a thought of joining as a distributor or affiliate as their unscrupulous exploitation on the celebrities' reputation without endorsement from the celebrities themselves may land you in hot soup. So steer clear of such MLM scam and you're safe.
Eat Right for Your Blood Type
This diet is created based on hypothesis rather than scientific, logic and common sense.
It says that those with blood type O and B should eat meat every day in order to survive strong and help lose fat. Ironically, no matter which blood group you belong to, go with more meat and you'll see your health deteriorating — cancers and other degenerative diseases will soon knock on your door (thanks to the toxins produced when animals are killed, the diseases and illnesses attached to them when they were alive, no matter how organic you preserve them.)
If you make a visit down to hospitals and check with those cancer patients... you'll discover that they all come from various blood types. But they have one thing in common, they used to eat lots of meat, and relatively less fruits and vegetables.
Of course, highly-processed food (even the plant-based type) do also play a part in promoting cancers. But you can't get any worse than a meat-eater when you eat as much processed food as them.
I've seen vegetarians (several of my friends and their children) who belong to blood type O and B so radiant and healthy that it instantly impresses me and dispels the myth of the blood type diet.
"Dieters will get moderate amounts of fiber, fruits and vegetables on the Type O plan, but they will also get lots of cholesterol, fat, and saturated fat. We advise people to use their blood type when donating blood and use common sense when it comes to choosing a healthy diet. Researchers have known for years that people who follow a plant-based eating plan are slimmer than those who don't." ~ Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Fat-Burning Creams and Lotions
Lots of advertisements claim that applying these watery stuffs can help you tone up by melting away fat, improving circulation, and removing toxins because of the natural herbal extracts, caffeine and vitamins in them.
Though these are easy and cheap methods, there's very little evidence that they work. Some creams may cause skin allergic reactions. You'll realize that the ugly excess fat still stick around your body like a Koala clinging to a eucalyptus tree even after numerous applications of the creams or lotions. Go ahead and waste your money and effort, if that's what you believe.
Hydration Diet
Also known as water weight loss. An extremely dangerous technique to lose fat. It requires you to drink more water than you normally would.
It states that even when you feel hungry, you should drink water to delay the hunger in order to eat less food.
Well, I do encourage you to drink a glass of water before meal to lubricate your esophagus and help you control your calorie intake, but not to the extent of drinking excessive water daily to reduce calorie intake.
Check out this woman in UK who has been awarded more than 800,000 pounds of hard cash after she suffered permanent brain damage while on a hydration diet.
Even though she has gotten such a "fortune", money can't buy back her health.
Water is essential to aid in detox and help you stay hydrated. But excessive consumption can cause water poisoning (hyponatremia) which can then result in seizures and even death. So, don't try this even with the advice of a so-called nutritionist or dietitian.
A true nutritionist or dietitian will always put your health care on the priority list. And a true nutritionist or dietitian is one who's a vegetarian / vegan and promote healthy plant-based diets.
Mesotherapy
This approach involves injecting medications and / or plant extracts into layers of fat which will stimulate the metabolism of fat cells and accelerate their elimination.
Though this treatment is gaining popularity, there is actually very little data on efficacy and safety.
The formulation used in injections has not been standardized and some clinics or weight management centers are not licensed to perform such injections. Thus, it comes no surprise that allergic or irritant reactions and infections have been consistently reported with mesotherapy.
Liposuction
A cosmetic surgery using a hollow tube and a suction device to help remove fat from any parts of your body. However, the death toll as a consequence of post-operative complications rates between 20 and 100 deaths per 100,000 procedures. People who go with lipo usually want a quick fix to help them lose fat and sculpt their body without going through exercising and dieting. Though death rate is pretty low, most people suffer some sorts of complications, and this number has gone unreported.
Read this: Promising CEO in Singapore died of lipo
Gastric Banding
Usually a final resort proposed for extremely obese people whose lives are at stake and need immediate weight loss solution. Like liposuction, it involves risks. Death rate is about 50 deaths per 100,000 operations.
Body Wrap
A weird way to wrap yourself up like a mummy but yet you're losing water weight instead of fat mass. However, it's a cheap way to cheat yourself — just buy some plastic film roll or wrap sheets and you can do in the comfort of your home. But again, you won't lose fat with it. Not even a millimeter.
B12 Shot
Vitamin B12 is one of the key nutrients we all need. But some people claim that it can help you boost metabolism and lose fat by injecting B12 directly into your muscle.
Let me warn you: You may experience side effects of bloated stomach, heavier and longer menstrual cycle (for women), difficulty in breathing and swallowing, tightness of chest, racing heartbeat, etc.
In fact, we don't need this jab of B12 into muscle for fat loss (very risky), so long as we eat healthily and supplement our meals with adequate amount of B12 (5 to 10 micrograms daily), our metabolism will function normally and burn fat effectively. And you don't get a single side effect. Period.
Note: We need only about 1.5 microgram of B12 per day. But due to the fact that our body may not fully absorb what we consume, so taking in 5 to 10 micrograms of B12 daily should ensure you won't suffer a B12 deficiency.
Tobacco Smoking
Some people smoke to help them control their weight as tobacco contains high level of nicotine that is effective in suppressing hunger so you don't overeat.
But alas, this way of shedding pounds is so idiotic that wise people would never touch. It does nothing positive to your health and 5 - 8 million people died of smoking worldwide every year.
If you think it looks cool on you, tell you what, a survey reported that 86% of people find their opposite sex who smoke look repulsive rather than attractive. "Best part" is, you stink too.
Low-Carb, High-Protein Diet
Many crash diets come and go. But Atkins' diet is one crash diet that survives. Why?
Thanks to the compelling promise "Atkins... change you from a fat-storing to a fat-burning machine" (as quoted in Atkins' website).
Over the years, Atkins' diet (aka ketogenic diet) has created some success stories that helped to boost its credibility to an overweight population.
In addition, dieters love this fad diet because Dr. Atkins promises them fat loss while carry on indulging in all their favorite (but toxin-laden) steaks, roasts, fried eggs, bacon, meat and butter they want at each meal.
The only restriction Atkins' diet asks of them is to control their carb intake.
That's not too difficult for an obese looking for effective fat-melting formula. After all, comparing to other fad diets that require fasting, cutting out your favorite foods or eating specially concocted meal-replacement shakes, Atkins' diet offers an irresistible weight loss deal with seemingly minimum effort. Hence, it's no surprise Atkins' diet remains popular in America with steady sales growth since millions of Americans love eating meat and other high-fat foods. This diet simply tells people what they want to hear.
However, if Atkins' diet is the ultimate solution, why didn't we see a drop in obese population? Because of its serious side effects on one's health.
Atkins' weight loss approach focuses on low-carbohydrate (low-carb), high-protein and high-fat diet. This contradicts the traditional diet of high-carb, low-protein foods that supported Mankind well for centuries.
Indeed, carbohydrate has served us very well. We derive energy to fuel our bodily activities from calories that come mainly from carbohydrate, protein and fat. Among the three, carb provides the quickest source of energy because they require least effort to break down (due to their relatively simpler structure) in order to release energy for use.
Remember that Atkins' diet demands you to restrict carb intake?
When you keep to that for some time, your body will react unnaturally by forcing it to burn the animal protein from your last meal first before moving on to your muscle and stored fat for fuel. This process is known as ketosis.
In a state of ketosis, you lose large amount of water and appetite so you eat fewer calories and, therefore, you lose weight. Don't be too happy yet... what come along are conditions such as bad breath, nausea, constipation, headache, irritability, and giddiness and muscle loss.
"But I feel my responsibility as a doctor is to tell people that this is a hazardous diet. And if you look at the science, for example, research paid for by Dr. Atkins himself, you see that 70 percent of the people were constipated, 60 percent had bad breath, many have headaches. The evidence is clear; this is not a healthy diet. You can lose weight, but you sacrifice your health for a short-term weight loss. And that's what is important for people to focus on, and that's what this issue has done is got us to focus on the health issues. You can have health and weight loss.", said Dr. John McDougall, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
That's not all. Your kidneys get further stress from the dehydration and metabolizing of animal-based protein.
Whereas burning of carb breaks the carb right down into its two original components - carbon dioxide and water, metabolizing of animal protein releases nitrogen and leaves behind harmful waste products like toxic urea. This becomes extra work for your kidneys as they must process and excrete the toxic urea from your body.
In the long run, it could lead to kidney disease or worse, kidney failure. Bear in mind that there's no cure yet for kidney failure, unless you go through a transplant.
On top of that, Atkins' diet restricts your fruit and veggie intake because they belong to the carb sources. But you're going to lose out a lot on these important phytonutrients that can protect you against cancers and other life-threatening diseases.
At this point, let me ask you a question. If you suffer from health problems, specifically the ones mentioned above, and your doctor tells you that Atkins' diet may be the cause of your health problems, would you still continue with this diet?
Likely not.
That's why many certified nutrition experts and weight loss specialists say the weight loss effect from Atkins' diet serves only temporary. And people who lose weight quickly on this diet find it difficult to adopt it as their permanent lifestyle because they will suffer the unfavorable effects sooner or later, and then completely give it up for health's sake.
Guess what happens when you get off this diet? You start eating more than before and you gain back what you've lost, sometimes even more.
Many medical reports actually already proved that low-carb, high-protein diet could damage your health.
"No question the Atkins' Diet causes people to lose weight. In fact, I often questioned whether Dr. Atkins was on his own diet, because of the fact that all the time I knew him he was obviously overweight. The scientific evidence clearly shows that these high [protein] diets are damaging to health. We have the Heart Association report that the nutrition committee came out and said that this diet will increase your risk of dying of heart disease, damage your bones, your kidneys. The weight loss is temporary at best.", said Dr. John McDougall in an interview for Atkins' Diet is Dangerous... Find Out Why.
Really, you don't have to restrict carb to lose fat and feel great. Just make sure you choose the natural, fibrous complex carb from fruits and vegetables.
These power foods get digested more slowly, thereby releasing energy gradually over longer period of time. For that reason, you won't feel hungry so soon which makes it natural for you to control your caloric intake. Furthermore, these foods carry tons of natural vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that benefit you.
As a general guide, an adult should obtain 60 to 70% of their calories from complex carb, 5 to 10% from protein and 20 to 30% from fat.
Common sense tells us that a true, healthy weight loss should not generate any side effect as opposed to what Atkins' diet (and other low-carb, high-protein diets) causes (i.e. bad breath, nausea, constipation, headache, irritability, potential kidney and heart failure). Agree?
Note: If you replace animal protein with plant-based protein, though you may not get as worse as those indulging in animal protein, you're still prone to the side effects of bad breath, headache and so on. So, are you gonna give it a try on Atkins' diet? Your common sense will tell you "please don't".To Conclude...
You should be pretty safe if you avoid the aforementioned types of solutions.
Just bear this in mind: Anything that goes against the nature of your body functioning should be discarded immediately.
Don't lose your mind out of desperation. Evaluate each and every solution you come across by asking yourself these, "How does it help me lose weight?", "Will it affect my health?", "Any side effect?", "Does it really work?", then go Google to find out more about the method used before you jump in.
If it so happens that it doesn't help you shed pounds but it does provide good nutrients to your body, then in my opinion, you can't get any worse than those who get conned into using Blood Type diet, High-protein diet, Hydration Diet, Meal replacement shake and slimming pills.
What you've lost may just be the money and time, plus some faith in the product. But if it turns out to have side effects, then even if you've gotten a nice figure out of the diet or solution, you wouldn't live long to enjoy. So, what's the point? Agree?