Belly fat can decrease your confidence and put your heart and other organs at serious risk. But even the best exercises, eating habits and diet pills cannot guarantee you will lose belly fat once it gathers around your middle. Supplements, exercise and diet can help you lose weight and become healthier, but may not get rid of all of your belly fat, especially if you are middle-aged or elderly.
Appetite Suppressants
Prescription appetite suppressants may help you in the battle against belly fat, but they must be used cautiously. As of 2011, only three appetite suppressants were approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The most commonly prescribed diet drug is phentermine, though your doctor may opt to prescribe a similar drug such as diethylpropion or phendimetrazine. You should not take such drugs for more than 12 weeks at a time and must avoid them completely if you have abused drugs or alcohol in the past or have a serious medical problem such as high blood pressure.
Lipase Inhibitors
Orlistat is a lipase inhibitor that literally blocks fat from the food you eat from being digested in your body. While this drug will not necessarily burn pre-existing belly fat, it may prevent you from gaining more abdominal fat. If you eat high-fat meals and take orlistat, you risk suffering side effects such as gas that leaks oil onto your clothing, uncontrollable bowel movements and severe abdominal pain. You can buy orlistat as Alli over-the-counter or ask your doctor for prescription-strength Xenical.
Additional Options
Some drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration for other health conditions are also used "off label" to help you win the battle against belly fat. Your options include the antidepressant bupropion, the diabetes drug metformin or drugs typically used to treat seizures, such as topiramate or zonisamide.
Diet and Exercise Tips
You must engage in regular exercise to reduce the circumference of your abdomen. Most people hoping to lose belly fat should exercise about 150 minutes per week. Abdominal crunches are not necessarily a guarantee for you to shed belly fat. You should reduce the amount of food you eat and limit your consumption of alcohol if you hope to lose weight around your middle.
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