“It’s the holiday season again.”This simple sentence brings up all kinds of images before our eyes.Holidays mean family, visiting neighbors, going to parties, getting dressed up and going out, going to concerts.It means food drives, maybe volunteering at the local soup kitchen.It means decorations.
Holidays also mean mistletoe, pine trees perhaps, and tinsel.Holidays also mean gingerbread, mincemeat, fruitcake, turkey, ham, cookies, pecan pie, apple pie, pumpkin pie, champagne, red wine, white wine, restaurants, hors d’oeuvres, cheese, popcorn, hot chocolate, cider, wassail, chocolate cake, any other kind of cake, tarts, candy canes, and chocolate chocolate chocolate.And it’s when we get to this last part that our mouths start to drool and, at the same time, fear fills our hearts…and our stomachs.
The holidays are both wonderful and terrible because they involve so much good (really rich) food.Holidays can mean the end and the ruin of that diet you’ve been so good at the last 10 months.Holidays can mean the return of that ghetto bootie you’ve been desperate to get rid of.Holidays can mean saying hello again to that beer belly that your wife hates so much.I’m too lazy to even diet the rest of the year, but when I hear the word “holiday,” I start to dread too.Holidays can mean all of this, but they don’t have to!There are lots of ways to make sure that you don’t gain that universally feared weight during the holidays, and during the rest of the year too.Because we all know that holidays aren’t just a November/December thing-Valentine’s Day, Easter, the Fourth of July, Memorial Day barbecues-it seems like there’s danger lurking in every month of the year.
Maybe you’re afraid of the holidays.Maybe you’re just afraid of food generally.You’ve tried following the Food Guide Pyramid, you’ve tried exercising, you’ve tried the Atkins Diet and every other fad diet and medical diet that’s come out.Nothing’s worked.But you’ve seen ads for prescription diet pills, and wondered about them.Seems easy enough.But after the huge Fenphen scandal, you’re asking yourself, “Are prescription diet pills safe?”This is a good question to ask.The answer is complicated, but here are some basic responses.
Obesity is more than just being slightly overweight.Obesity is a serious medical problem.Obesity is one of the leading causes of death in the United States.It leads to heart disease and failure and a number of other health problems.It’s a chronic health problem, just like arthritis, diabetes, or high cholesterol and blood pressure.These chronic health problems use prescription drugs for treatment.Obesity can be treated with prescription drugs too, with usually mild side effects (though side effects can be deadly-if taking prescription diet pills, be very careful and monitor yourself carefully).Prescription diet pills are not meant to cure anything.They are meant to be used with a balanced, healthy diet and exercise so that you can lose weight and keep it off.
Prescription diet pills are safe for people who have:
? a BMI of 30 without obesity-caused and related problems
? a BMI of 27 + with obesity-caused problems (go here: https://www.webmd.com/content/article/46/2731_1657 for a definition of BMI)
Prescription diet pills that are currently considered safe by the FDA are only meant to be used for a few weeks or months.Most of them are appetite-suppressants.Some are:
Didrex, Tenuate, Sanorex, Mazanor, Apidex-P, Ionamin, Bontril, Meridia.Some of these can even be purchased over the counter.
There are some problems and dangers in taking prescription diet pills.You should know what these are.
1.Addition.
2.Tolerance developed over a period of time.
3.Dangerous and/or unpleasant side effects.These can include numerous bowel movements, inability to control bowel movements, increased flatulence with discharge, and other potentially embarrassing side effects.Also possible are insomnia, thirst, sleepiness, lightheadedness, headaches, increased anxiety, sleepiness, dry mouth, and increased heart rate, blood pressure, sweating, and constipation.
Prescription diet pills can be safe if you qualify for them.But make sure that you talk to your doctor!You’re not meant to be on them for a long time, and you need to be carefully watched in case you develop any dangerous side effects.