Truth Behind Weight Loss Products

      The biggest mistake people make when trying to lose weight is trying to find a shortcut.  I'm sure we have all seen the commercials for weight loss pills, fat burning creams , liquids, shakes, powders and the list goes on. The market for weight loss products is a multi billion dollar industry. Why? Because everyone is always in search of some magical product that will melt the fat away effortlessly. In reality, this product doesn't exist, usually any product that provides results tends to cause negative side effects even those who claim to be side-effect free.  I can tell you from personal experience that all of those products are gimmicks because I have used them all. I spent over $2,000 dollars in the past five years buying weight loss products.

I have used HCG (3 times), Hydroxycut, Jillian Michael's fat burner, Fruta Planta, Alli, LipoFuze, Lean System, fat burning creams, a few detox cleanses etc. All of these products require you to adapt to a healthy lifestyle in order for them to work, of course if you eat healthy you are going to lose weight but that weight loss is not coming from the product is coming from YOU and YOUR EFFORT !

Myth #1 : If it's FDA approved it must be safe

       A lot of people assume that just because a product is on the shelf and it's approved by the FDA then it must be safe : WRONG!. You all have seen or heard the commercial for the popular product Hydroxycut , this product has caused 23 people liver damage and one death. Yet the product is still available to you thanks to the FDA. Don't believe me ? See for yourself CBS report  .  There are some products in the market that will give you the results you desire with one side effect ; death! The biggest chemical compound for many of these weight loss pills is simply Ephedra and pure caffeine. For those aren't familiar with the term, Ephedra is a plant which contains Ephedrine and pseudo ephedrine ; a compound that stimulates the heart to beat faster, your metabolism to speed up and constricts blood vessels. This compound is utilized in the medical field to treat anaphylaxis shock, not weight loss. One of the most popular Ephedra based product is Xenadrine which has caused 1400 medical complaints of health problems including high blood pressure, strokes, heart attacks, liver failures and 80 deaths. Yet is still available for purchase..Ironic, isn't it?

Myth #2 : If It's Herbal/All Natural it is safe

         False! A majority of "herbal/natural" weight loss pills are extremely dangerous especially since many of these products aren't even regulated by the FDA.  I was a consumer or should I say VICTIM of an all natural herbal pill called Fruta Planta. A friend of mine recommended it to me, she had lost 50 lbs effortlessly. I decided to try it too, specially since it was easily available online for about $20 dollars. I remember I lost about 10 lbs within one month, I started feeling dehydrated all of the time and then one day I collapsed and was taken to the emergency room. One year later I found out that Fruta Planta was being recalled due to 2 deaths and 3 heart attacks. The pill contained a substance called Sibutramine which is the main compound in Meridia. Sibutramine has been banned in every continent due to the fatal side effects. In the United States there were 29 deaths  caused by Sibutramine (Meridia).  

Myth #3: Don't be Fooled by the Paid Actors

   One of the things that captures my attention when watching the infomercials for these weight loss products is the "astonishing" results . You always see someone who was "fat" and within a few months turns into ripped, muscular and thin. What a lot of people tend to forget are that the majority of the time those "real customers" are simply paid body builders or fitness models. They simply use the old " reverse" trick. For those that aren't familiar, the reserve trick consists of hiring a toned person, snapping a few photographs of them, you give them 2 weeks to load up on sugar and carbohydrates to give them that bloated look , take another set of photographs and those become your "before" photos. It's simple, cheap and the trick works wonders. Do you really think that person got a six pack, toned biceps ,muscular legs,  lose 100 lbs in 4 months and got a tan based on a diet pill? Nope, the results are as fake ad the product they are advertising.

Check out this video just for a quick laugh : Body Transformation Within Hours

I learned my lesson the hard way : " There is no shortcut to a toned beautiful body, and if there is, it usually involves a high risk ". So next time you are watching a late night infomercial or at your local Walgreens and see a weight loss product simply remember that "a beautiful body is not worth dying for , it's worth working hard for".  

Till Next time my friends,

Gisselle xoxoxo :-D