Should I Take Weight Loss Pills? Questions You Should Answer First

Should I Take Weight Loss Pills? Questions You Should Answer First

A common question that you'll hear a lot of people ask when they're looking to lose weight is would it be beneficial for them to use weight loss pills. I think that weight loss pills an in fact be a solid way to increase the results of an already well put together weight loss program. They only become an issue when people don't put enough thought into their diet and training programs, thinking that they can use the weight loss pills to "fill in the gaps". This doesn't work and you're only going to end up frustrated. I'm going to go through a few different questions that you should ask yourself when looking to add any weight loss supplement into your program.

How long have I been dieting?

This question is important because you need to have realistic expectations set. If you're wanting to lose 30lbs in a month, that's not realistic. You need to realize that you shouldn't be looking to lose more that 2lbs a week, so before you think that it's time to "step on the gas" and start adding supplements, make sure that it's not just your impatience talking.

How structured has your diet been?

This is a big one, and one that most people don't want brought to light. Dieting is the hardest part of losing weight, for everybody. It's also the most important, and there's nothing that you can take that will take the place of it (I wish there was!). You need to be keeping track of what you're eating in either a spread sheet, an online diet tracking program, something that will hold you accountable to staying consistent with your diet. When I'm working with someone on their diet and they tell me that they want to start taking a weight loss supplement, I ask them to show me their food log from three months ago. If they can't do that, then I tell them that they haven't been serious enough about what they're eating for long enough. It takes time to see results.

How many times have gone off your diet?

Yep, I'm still on diet, because that's where 99% of people's problems lie. If you are only eating clean 4-5 days out of the week, that's probably why you aren't happy with your results. Some people can get away with not being strict with their diet and still remain lean, that's just where their body fat set point is. Don't worry about other people, worry about yourself. Find out how strict you need to stay with your diet and stick to that, being upset about your metabolism is only wasting energy.

I hope these questions gave you some food for thought. Many people get frustrated and forget to look at the big picture. It's easy to get focused on results and not take the time to pinpoint areas in your current set up that might be holding you back. I can promise you this, if you're not seeing results, taking a diet pill is not the answer. It simply isn't a big enough part of the equation to make that much of a difference. I hope this advice was helpful, best of luck to you.