Even Beware Of Natural Weight Loss Remedies

Before diving into the subject of weight loss remedies I want to make it clear that there are absolutely none that I would recommend. There is no substitute for good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle that includes properly intentioned exercise.

However, there is a reality in play here that must be recognized... and that is that many people, including me, have and will look for help beyond the aforementioned model. Put another way, we just want a pill or a potion to make the fat go away. Wouldn't it be wonderful if it was that simple?

The weight loss market is huge. So big in fact that Americans spend about 35 billion dollars a year on related products and services. Consequently we are bombarded with numerous products backed by massive advertising campaigns. Everywhere you turn, from TV to the internet, billboards to bus signs, and magazines to newspapers... hype abounds.

Most of those offers appeal to our desire for a quick diet fix. Behind it all is somebody trying to make a buck. Just imagine how much there is to be made by capturing just 1 percent of a 35 billion dollar market. Even a 10th of 1 percent. But sadly, where there is so much money to be made, there is also an abundance of greed and deception.

I am 63 years old and have fought with a weight problem since childhood. Happily I now have it under control but it took me years of trying numerous weight loss remedies, losing weight, and then putting it all back on (plus some)... to finally come to my senses. The very thing that I had avoided all those many years was the thing that ultimately worked.

That thing required a CHANGE in lifestyle. Bad habits had to be corrected. Healthy eating and exercise had to become a lifelong pursuit and not just something tackled on a 2 week crash diet program.

Did you ever take a weight loss remedy that contained ephedra? I did. I theorized that it was better to go through some discomfort than to be fat.
I look back on that experience as an act of stupidity and absurd foolishness. Yes, I heard about people dying from taking the stuff… but surely that wouldn’t happen to me. It was worth the risk, so I thought.

So what exactly is ephedra and why is it so bad? Ephedra is a stimulant and a thermogenic. In other words it hypes the body up and heats it up, stimulates the brain, juices up the heart rate, constricts blood vessels which drives blood pressure up, and expands bronchial tubes which makes it easier to breathe. Well, at least you can breathe better.

Don’t you love those TV ads for meds that are required by law to list the potential side-effects? Just imagine a fast talking announcer spitting out these possible maladies as a result of ingesting ephedra: “severe skin reactions, hypertension, irritability, nervousness, dizziness, trembling, headache, insomnia, profuse perspiration, dehydration, itchy scalp and skin, vomiting, hyperthermia, irregular heartbeat, seizures, heart attack, stroke, or death.”

I realize that ephedra is old news…but it should serve as a reminder that so many from the current crop of weight loss remedies have some of or many of those same possible side effects. Just one element from that list should be cause for concern.

And then someone says, “I’ll stick with home remedies.” One popular, seemingly safe household fix, is vinegar. “Yum. Yum!” Let’s just drink some vinegar and we won’t have to go through all the hassles of healthy eating and exercise.

And what about the side effects? Mr. Announcer do your thing! “Those who take vinegar may experience tooth enamel erosion, lowered potassium levels that can lead to osteoporosis, skin problems, tissue damage, nausea, and heartburn. Vinegar can also be harmful when taken with some prescription medicines.”

Tricking the body into losing weight is quite simply unnatural…even when attempted with so-called natural remedies. The smart choice is to use the weight loss remedies that have stood the test of time. Give up your Twinkies and Ding Dongs and give your body a chance for the lifetime of good health for which it was designed.

Choose a good health diet and make a commitment for life!

By: Richard Weirich

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Richard Weirich co-hosts the internationally popular Health at Last Radio and has written numerous publications on weight loss, health, and wellness. To find out more about weight loss remedies you can visit the author's website here.