For people who want an easy way to lose weight, diet foods and diet pills seem to be the most appealing solutions.
Diet Foods
It is now extremely common to go to the supermarket and find foods and drinks available in its regular form and its “diet” counterpart. Foods and drinks that are called “diet” undergo modifications, typically decreasing the amount of certain substances present in the original versions. Usually, high-calorie components are substituted with low-calorie replacements. For example, whole grain foods use fiber, which contains no calories, as a replacement for starch.
Diet foods are usual components of a weight loss regimen, and are patronized most commonly by individuals who want to be thinner. These diet foods and drinks usually contain words such as “light”, “lite”, “low”, “no”, “zero” and “free”. Each of these terms has a specific amount of substances allowed in the product. For example, “light” or “lite” foods contain 1/3 less calories or 1/2 less fat compared to the original, and 50% less sodium content.
There was a lot of controversy regarding the use of various terms to describe diet foods. In January of the year 1993, the FDA and the Food Safety and Inspection Service qualified the use of these terms.
Diet foods and drinks will only work when consumed in the right amount. It is crucial that the individual understands how to adjust the diet and compute the calorie content of the food being eaten. Consciously replacing regular food with diet food can help the individual achieve a slow but generally steady weight loss.
Diet Pills
When conservative measures, such as diet and exercise, don’t work, people usually turn to medications. Researches have estimated that over billion is spent every year on diet pills. A study in 1992 revealed that almost 22,000 individuals use prescription weight loss pills. Of this number, 10% used multiple drugs in order to induce weight loss.
There are many diet pills available in the market, a number of which require prescriptions from a licensed physician. Diet pills that can be bought over-the-counter are usually herbal supplements containing substances that are not regulated.
Diet pills provide quick and easy weight loss, with few side effects. Unlike diet foods, most diet pills should only be used for a short period of time. Longer administration can result in increased tolerance to the drug and serious side effects.
Diet pills are recommended for people who are obese and require rapid weight loss. Remember that using diet pills is not a substitute for a reasonable diet and exercise regimen. Diet pills should be used as an adjunct, helping the individual’s weight loss plan to kick off.
Combination Therapy
The combination of dietary therapy and drug therapy has been theorized to improve weight loss further. This is because the intake of weight loss pills actually promotes adherence of the individual to the diet regimen. Both diet foods and diet pills will work best when combined with healthy exercise and changes in habits and behavior.
