Alli or Foe in Weight Loss Battle?

It is so tempting to want there to be a magic pill "out there" that will make us lose weight. I remember longing for such a pill for years...

Well, there are loads of pills and potions that claim to be the answer. One by one they are proven to be not effective at best...or downright dangerous!

I tried the liquid protein diet, which was later linked to deaths. I tried a certain shake named for a certain city...and the "all natural, safe" ingredients gave me the shakes, and did nothing for my weight loss goals.

Alli is the latest weight loss drug that is under investigation. If you don't know, alli is a non-prescription formula of Xenical. Both versions are being investigated because the FDA has received "more than 30 reports" of liver damage in patients who are taking one or the other of these drugs.

The investigation may just be starting...when it started is not clear...and the FDA "has not established a direct relationship between" these weight loss drugs and the liver damage.

I firmly believe that the only "magic" way to lose weight is to change your thinking. Relying on a pill only confirms your inability to do it yourself. Many of these drugs attempt to alter how your body processes foods, which can lead to all sorts of...err, interesting (?)...side effects. Even if you don't have liver damage, many cause distress in the digestive system, leakage (isn't that a pleasant way to let you know you might s&*t yourself?) as well as other issues.

If you can see beyond those issues, the pills & potions have other side effects that are potentially both psychological and physical...IF you actually lose weight using them (and that is a big if) then will you gain it back if you stop taking the drug? In other words...is this something you have to take for the rest of your life? How will that make you feel? Will you feel like you were empowered and healthy? Or will you feel all the credit goes to the drug? How will this drug interact with you as you age? If you need to take other medications will there be any complications?

Let us take measures that empower us. If you need short-term help that's one thing...it may be that you can take something short term to help you psychologically get over the "hump"...but we just don't know enough about the safety of these drugs to say we can safely take them for the rest of our lives.

Your mind can be your biggest ally in winning the weight loss battle--it can guarantee that you have weight loss success. Right now, if you are struggling with your weight then your mind is serving as your foe. The good news is you can change your thinking! You can succeed at losing weight--without drugs--safely and naturally.

Maybe I am super sensitive to some of these drugs and that is why when I have tried them I had adverse reactions right away. I don't know...back then I thought it was a curse, but now I see that it was/is a blessing. Because by being forced to rely on myself I came up with the ONLY permanent solution.

It doesn't matter what trick or tool you use to lose weight...if you decide to follow a diet, take a pill, exercise all day long...if you don't change your thinking then you will not be able to keep the weight off. My goal was to be able to drop the weight and KEEP it off. I was tired of the yo-yo dieting...

It took me time to get to the point where I could change my thinking about my weight and my health...but now there are more and more people who believe it is possible to change your thinking and change your life...it is not as foreign a concept as it was even just a few years ago! Even Oprah has had on her site recently information about using your mind to lose weight--and we know how much she has struggled with weight, following healthy diets only to fall off the wagon.

With all the support you have--from me as well as from lots of others--it makes it simpler for you to achieve this goal.

Stay as healthy as you can. Change your thinking. Refuse to diet and watch yourself lose weight! I'm here as proof it can be done. Keep in touch and let's turn the weight loss industry upside down!