Review Of Different Ways To Lose Weight

by Heather McLaughlin

Nowadays there are many different ways to approach a weight loss plan. There are prescription drugs, over the counter medications, prepackaged eating plans with allotted calories and even a myriad of surgeries to help someone reduce their weight.

It can be difficult for a confused consumer to try and decide how best to approach their own method for healthy, permanent weight loss. I’m going to look into the pro’s and con’s of each of the methods listed above.

1. Prescription Drugs. Prescription drugs must be prescribed by a doctor in order to access them. The use of these drugs could cause side effects like dry mouth, heart irregularities, feelings of anxiety or nervousness or possibly have interactions with other drugs you are on. Just like any weight loss plan, the patient will still be responsible for eating a healthier diet and getting regular exercise to see these drugs perform any miracle and some could even be addicting. On the other hand, when most doctors prescribe these types of pills the doctor will oversee your progress, possibly requiring you to do a weekly or monthly weigh-in and monitor any side effects you might have. This sort of supervision is helpful to many a dieter.
Like any type of diet, if the “loser” doesn’t adhere to good habits after going off the medication they could start to gain the weight back.

2. Over The Counter Medications. Over the counter medications that are available without a prescription and are readily available at places like Wal-Mart, Target or your local drug store. These types of pills are usually blends of herbs that are said to boost metabolism, alleviate hunger and aid in quick weight loss. Like prescription drugs the dieter will still have to make modifications to their diet and get regular exercise to see any real results. These pills won’t magically melt off pounds if the work isn’t done and if healthy habits aren’t instilled any weight lost could creep back. A lot of these pills aren’t approved by the FDA as being effective and could cost up to $50.00 for a months supply.

3. Prepackaged Meals. Prepackaged meals offer convenience and ease for a dieter. There are many different types of prepackaged meals available from Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice which offer controlled calories in a single serving size that can be prepared in a
matter of moments in a microwave. There are also subscription based meal plans, like Jenny Craig that let you pick and choose your meals and are delivered to your door. The downfall with this sort of plan is that they can be expensive over time and don’t really teach the dieter how to prepare their own meals causing a dependency on the product. Some also tend to be high in sodium counts, despite being relatively low in calories. Even if you are watching the amount of calories you take in, exercise will still be important to achieving your weight loss goals, especially if you have a lot of weight to lose.

4. Weight Loss Surgery. Weight loss surgery is probably the most drastic way to go about losing weight. There are bariatric, lapband and liposuction procedures that help to reduce weight by shrinking the size of the stomach or sucking the fat off. (liposuction) These procedures require a stay in the hospital and like any surgical procedure have risks of their own.
A lot of insurance companies might not cover this and view it as an ‘elective’ surgery, so don’t be surprised if the out of pocket expense is high. Patients must also meet certain requirements
before a doctor will consider doing this operation.

When you decide to lose weight you should mull over all of the options available to you and decide what method caters to your unique weight loss goals.. and always remember..

Where there’s a will there’s a way!

Hard work and dedication always pays off in the end and making long term lifestyle changes is one way to take off weight for the long term and never look back again, whether you use any of these methods or not.