Diet pills, prescription as well as over-the-counter drugs, are formulated to make you feel less hungry. The side effects, however, range from irritating to dangerous, according to Dr. Wayne Andersen, a nutritional interventionist. Some diet pills use a drug that is similar to amphetamines called phenteramine, which can increase your heart rate and blood pressure. Another drug added to some weight-loss pills, an anticonvulsant called topiramate, could cause mental clouding and loss of focus, says Andersen. The healthiest way to drop a few pounds is to decrease the amount you eat and become more active.
Step 1
Total your daily calorie needs. Nadia Giordana, author of "Thinking Skinny," says 1,200 is the minimum number of calories a person needs each day to fulfill nutritional needs.
Step 2
Track calories in a food diary. Record everything you eat. Calculate the number of calories you consume as the day goes on so that you do not overeat. If you count your calories at night, there's more of a chance of surpassing your goal.
Step 3
Exercise every day. Track the calories you burn at a website such as the Calories Burned search form at CalorieLab. If you burn 500 calories a day, according to the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, you can lose one pound a week.
Step 4
Avoid high-calorie foods. Foods, beverages and condiments, including whole milk, butter, mayonnaise and ketchup, just to name a few, can add up to hundreds of extra calories. Before you eat anything, check calorie content with the USDA's National Nutrient Database. You can get diet-plan suggestions at the Food Network's online Healthy Eating channel.
Tips and Warnings
- A website such as SparkPeople will give you menu suggestions based on the amount of weight you want to lose. A person who exercises often needs to eat more calories, says Becky Hand, a registered dietitian. So if eating 1,200 calories is proving to be challenging, you can add calories to your goal after spending time in the gym.
- The NIH warns that fad diets do not always provide your body with all the nutrients you need.
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