To Pay or not to Pay?

Is a diet sold at a flat rate trustworthy? and if this really was the big secret to weight-loss, why isn't it everywhere? Why don't doctors recommend it?

If you walk into your local pharmacy you'll see aisles and shelves filled with diet pills, supplements, and ofcourse countless meal replacement products. If you talk to your pharmacist, they don't tell you which diet they use, or whether they have personally seen any evidence to support the claims on this product, but  they will still sell you something. The fact is, the 16 year old behind the counter reads the label and her guess is as good as yours, but we still trust their opinion because of the medical affiliation. 

(I could have found any picture, but it was hard to pass up this cheerfully suspect fellow passing out pills)

Currently, I am on my own diet, and it has actually been working quite steadily! Being so close to my goal weight, and within a technically healthy weight range for my height, I can't expect massive losses at a time, that only happens when you are sincerely over weight. When it comes down to it, resilience is key. Over the course of one week I may only lose 1-2 kgs, this may go up and down, but by the end of the month, I've usually lost 3-5 kgs, which is a massive difference at a smaller weight, every kilo lost is extremely obvious in my overall appearance, its actually kind of shocking. This is why you should never give up, even if a lack of immediate results is a little discouraging. 

So anyway back to store or online bought diets, and whether or not they're worth the price.

In my experience the only store-bought diet I would endorse is a meal replacement, as most meal replacements work off of the same concept: The meal is reasonably filling, low- carb and/or low- fat. Meaning you don't overeat as the size and portion of your meal is completely controlled. A good quality meal replacement will also have a healthy portion of vitamins and minerals to replace those you miss out on from food and will have a very detailed explanation of the science behind their product, how it works, and what the ingredients are. Taste is another matter, some people find them bland, chalky, and not at all like the flavour on the wrapping, but as I said these diets are for the most part similar in concept and effectiveness so if you dislike the taste of one brand, try another! Many brands offer free samples of their wares so try as many as you need too until you find something reasonably edible. I personally love the flavours of the Celebrity Slim range, cookies and cream is my fave ;)

Now diet pills, I haven't taken many of these as I've never found their explanation of how the theorised weight-loss will occur entirely plausible. Infact, in many cases I have found they don't even cause a loss of water weight, I honestly believe they do absolutely nothing other than putting the dietee in the mindset of a dieter, helping them to make better motivated decisions on their diet throughout the day. 

My older sister, one of two, works in a pharmacy, selling these exact pills all day long, and she herself has admitted in seeing no dramatic weight-loss in her customers. Early last year she was given a free box of ThermoBlast ® diet pills, which work by increasing your metabolism, heating your body temperature ever so slightly, helping you burn more calories throughout the day. She gave them to me to try and after two weeks, nothing! They made absolutely no difference. 

I have two sisters, the other has tried many diets with me, and is sort of my weight-loss buddy. Together we tried drinking "Metamucil" for its fibre benefits which claim to detox your system, increasing weight-loss and oh yes, we were detoxified. Unfortunately, a fight to the death with your sister for the bathroom isn't the most convenient diet. 

One day we were walking through our pharmacy guru sister's store, and we saw a huge poster of Kim Kardashian standing next to a diet drink. We were intrigued and both bought the concoction which the gorgeous socialite herself claimed to have helped her lose pounds and, no surprise, increase metabolism! I don't think anyone actually understands what this "metabolism" is, its been so hyped and overused by advertisements and the like. 

Regardless we both followed the instructions to the letter and, other than losing a bit of water weight, it was a waste of money. 

Many of these diet drinks, where you still eat food and "the drink helps you lose weight",  work off of the idea that many athletes follow to meet their weight requirements. When we drink excessive amounts of water, our kidneys release the excess and then some, of the fluids retained in our body, in this way we can indeed lose massive amounts of weight, water weight.  

So diet pills and drinks? I wouldn't recommend them. 

Meal replacements, provided they are good-quality and don't cause any malnutrition or tiredness in the dieter, can be quite useful especially if you are particularly overweight and have trouble with portion control. 

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Now that we have covered diet products, what about diets involving actual food? 

We've all seen the ads, gourmet meals delivered to your door, a book filled with low-fat recipes to follow, and even perfectly planned, balanced menus consisting of easy to find foods and ingredients and all you have to do is buy the book, pay for the food and/or deliveries and follow it! 

This approach is quite plausible, although I think it would work best if you had everyone in your household on board with it, just to keep those less than healthy foods in the house to a minimum. Otherwise, the "diet book, balanced menus of food you buy yourself" concept could be a better option. There's only one payment not including your regular groceries and what you do and don't eat is completely up to you, I think this would be especially good for those of us who like to cook. 

Whatever you decide, do your research! 

Check product reviews, read the fine print, and don't be afraid to take your questions to a qualified professional like your local GP, some of these products can be dangerous, others are completely useless so know your facts first! 

By the way, I would love to hear from some of my fellow dieters out there about your successes and failures! Which products you stand by and anything your unsure about eg. "Portion control", "How many grams of carbohydrates should I be eating?" etc.

As always, 

Eat clean, Exercise and Moisturise!

Rosie.x