Weight loss pills are one of those inventions that seem to be straight out of the future. When you think of weight loss pills you think of a drug that is too good to be true.
Imagine how awesome it would be if we could eat all the cake we wanted, be as lazy as we want and still end up losing weight.
Maybe the reason why this whole idea sounds too good to be true, is because it is just that. The rabbit hole of weight loss pills is quite a deep one and we would like to tour it for today.
Let us begin our journey by understanding what weight loss pills are, so that we can see why we go as far as claiming that they are evil.
What are weight loss pills?
Weight loss pills are supplements that are meant to help people in their attempt of losing weight. They work in two main ways: either by stopping fat absorption in the gut, or by causing loss of appetite.
The way weight loss pills work can differ widely, but the most dangerous ones, are the ones that work on suppressing appetite.
These pills usually have an effect on the serotonin receptors of your brain. Essentially tricking your brain into feeling satisfied with food only after consuming a little bit, or just less than normal.
One more thing that is important to note here is that weight loss pills are not actually categorized as pills by the FDA. Instead they are considered to be supplements.
A lot of the brands selling these products don’t want you to know that supplements are far less regulated than drugs and pills.
Now that we are a bit more familiar with the nature of these supplements, let us tell you what is it that makes them actually evil.
3 Reasons That Make Weight Loss Pills Evil
- There is essentially no science behind them
Just like we said, weight loss pills aren’t actually viewed as pills by the FDA. Meaning that there is far less testing done on them.
There are only 5 weight loss pills that are actually approved by the FDA. Now with these pills, you could say that they are the best. At least it seems so…
Well first the list of side-effects from these pills is quite a long one. Within it you will find small things like abdominal pain, all the way down to insomnia, increased pulse, increased blood pressure, dizziness and so on.
Then you have the case of Lorcaserin. A FDA approved weight loss pill that got withdrawn from US markets in February of this year.
The reason why Lorcaserin was withdrawn from shelves, was because of a study that found a link between this medication and cancer. Yes, cancer!
It is so unfortunate but, Lorcaserin is actually the silver lining here. All the other supplements that aren’t FDA approved have had basically no testing done on them.
Weight loss pills most of the time pray on the placebo effect, while marketing themselves as actual scientific achievements.
This is quite reckless and dangerous. This only goes to show how much we need a new set of rules for the administration and controlling of supplements.
Most of these companies take advantage of the ‘’wild wild west-like’’ nature of the supplements industry and have found loopholes in the system, to be able to make quite the huge claims, while not needing to provide any facts.
- The Side Effects Are Terrifying
We mentioned earlier that the side effects from weight loss pills can vary widely. You have some that actually cause minor side effects.
Most of the time, the weight loss pills that work by decreasing the amount of fat absorption in the gut, cause stomach aches and diarrhea.
One such pill is Orlistat. The list of side effects for this particular pill is quite small and seemingly not that bad. But at the same time, there are documented cases of severe liver injury caused by Orlistat.
Then there is Bupropion. Unlike Orlistat, this weight loss pill works by altering the chemistry within our brain.
Side effects include: insomnia, increased blood pressure, increased pulse, liver damage, etc. There are also documented cases of people having suicidal thoughts caused by Bupropion.
We have barely talked about a few that are actually FDA approved pills, and we haven’t even mentioned things like how some of these pills cause birth defects.
In most of the tame cases, such as with Orlistat, there is a huge emphasis on healthy diet and regular exercise. Most doctors will tell you that Orlistat on it’s own doesn’t work.
Above all else these pills are usually meant to treat other things. What makes weight loss pills evil, is the fact that there is no point in taking such a high risk to lose a tiny bit more weight.
- They Exist On The Back Of Our Insecurities
It is hard to avoid this point, but the entire point of weight loss pills is to make you lose weight. They target our greatest insecurities and provide a pseudo-solution.
We are by no means saying that no one should ever work to improve themselves and their bodies, that isn’t at all what we believe.
However, trying to sell someone a pill that you aren’t sure whether it works or not, because there is no science behind it is bad enough.
Add in the fact that most sellers know that people will buy weight loss pills precisely because they feel insecure, and you see why we view them as evil.
If you are trying to lose weight we suggest you try more scientific means of doing so. Instead of snake oils, maybe check out our top 10 weight loss tips for starters…
Beyond that, we hope that you can find the discipline and power necessary within you, to love yourself and to be able to change for the better, on top of that.
