Dr. Hamish Meldrum under fire for comments, but he's spot on
It's not often that I find myself in agreement one of the leaders of a major health organization since most of the time they get it all backwards, but I have nothing but great admiration and respect for the head of the British Medical Association right now because of his response to the growing trend by obese people in the UK to pop a pill to deal with their weight problem rather than taking the appropriate actions to change their diet and health through lifestyle changes.
After reading what Dr. Hamish Meldrum was quoted as saying in this This Is London column, I just about jumped up out of my seat and cheered him for having the courage to say what needed to be said. Although he's getting railed by everybody and their momma for being insensitive and cruel towards fat people, I think he was simply stating what most people are already thinking but were too afraid to say out loud.
Dr. Meldrum has been disgusted by the trend he sees dieters using to seek out the next miracle "magic bullet" in the form of a pill that will help them lose weight. I've blogged about this many times before whenever the latest obesity pill is released and marketed to the public--Acomplia, Obestatin, Relacore, and most recently the over-the-counter weight loss drug called Alli.
The dirty secret behind these pills (in case you haven't heard and/or figured this out for yourself yet!) is you have to eat a low-fat, low-calorie diet in order for them to be effective. Jeepers creepers! If I have to do THAT in addition to taking these risky medicines, then I think I'll just stick with livin' la vida low-carb thank you very much!
Dr. Meldrum agrees that this constant obsession over the issue of obesity is very likely what is leading the overweight and obese to abdicate their responsibility to do something about it. Describing this issue as a disease has given doctors a license to treat it medically with drugs rather than insisting on their patients to try implementing effective lifestyle changes.
AMEN TO THAT! People don't like hearing the truth about their weight problem and then lash out at doctors who are forthright about it. That's why many doctors are turning a blind eye to their patient's obesity because they don't want to risk the scorn and even potential legal liability of confronting their patients with this (remember this Florida police chief who got fired for creatively trying to motivate his pudgy officers into shape?).
The bottom line, Dr. Meldrum says, is the medical profession is going about treating obesity in all the wrong ways without addressing the real problem.
"We are saying, 'This patient has a hyper-appetite problem' rather than, 'They are just greedy,'" he contended.
He added that obesity is not a medical issue, but rather a "societal" problem (that needs to be addresed by the individual) that will not go away just because of the creation of risky new pharmaceuticals which only serve to hide the symptoms of the bigger problem.
"We are in danger of over-medicalizing," Dr. Meldrum continued. "The evidence of anti-obesity drugs is not good. The evidence for effective intervention in primary care for obesity is very weak."
Then why is this the primary way we treat obesity in 2007? You see more news stories and attention given to anti-obesity drugs and gastric bypass surgery than you do the promotion of dietary changes and natural lifestyle interventions. There needs to be more confronting of obese people with these options rather than the more "extreme" measures that are currently considered the norm.
With self-imposed goals to reduce the number of obese people in the UK, doctors are trying to fudge the numbers artificially to make the cut. Dr. Meldrum is disgusted with this and says it is the wrong way to bring about changes.
Over a million obesity drug prescriptions were written in the UK last year raking in 47 million pounds in 2006 alone for the drug companies. This represented a sharp increase of 16 percent and those numbers are still on the rise.
The only thing that will work is lifestyle change and these medicinal responses have an "effectiveness...under dispute," Dr. Meldrum contended. Especially for children, simple changes in diet and physical activity could be all that's needed to bring about the necessary reductions in weight needed to live a long, healthy and productive life well into adulthood.
Lest his concerns are misunderstood (which they were!), Dr. Meldrum reiterated that he is open to all methods for treating the obese.
"I am not saying we should not look at how we can medically treat people who are very obese," he asserted. "But to me it is obviously an issue where prevention is better than cure."
I could not be more proud of Dr. Hamish Meldrum from the British Medical Association than I am right now for saying what needed to be said. We need even more fearless leaders in leading positions of health authority willing to speak out on behalf of the truth like this even when it is unpopular. That's the only way we'll ever see meaningful changes come about in regards to obesity and health.
THANK YOU Dr. Meldrum and NEVER stop talking about this issue!
Share your comments with Dr. Hamish Meldrum using this BMA contact page and be sure to share your gratitude to him for being so forthright on an issue of grave importance. Perhaps his American counterparts could follow suit? Yeah right, who am I kidding?!
New OTC weight loss drug Alli at the center of obesity debate
Did you catch my latest podcast show about the new diet pill that everyone's talking about called Alli? If you missed it, then you need to go listen to what I think will go down as my favorite show ever! Hilarious doesn't even begin to describe it! :D
Anyways, here's what he said about the podcast on Alli:
Let me start by saying that you have A LOT of great information and good reading on your site, I really enjoy it.
I am in no way associated with any program, pill, or company so this is just a average Joe opinion here.
I just read your transcript from the program you did and it reads rather alarmist on one hand and used car salesman on the other. I got the sense of you pushing your way as the best & only way. When you say you are stuck taking it for the rest of your life, I sort of got a confused look.
From what I’ve read re this pill, it is not meant to be taken alone, but in conjunction with a healthier eating style. Ya you get the runs, and poo issues if you have to much fat in your diet, if its really bad just stop taking the pill. I have not taken it, I thought about it as an additional way to take off a few pounds faster in conjunction with my low carb, low to med fat intake.
If the runs are the worst of it I think some people would welcome the extra weight loss. As for being on it for a lifetime, that does not even make sense. If you get your weight down to a level where you can exercise, and you continue to eat healthy, why keep taking it?
Get to your ideal weight and maintain it. As for taking a multivitamin, how can that hurt ya? The key is to not rely on vitamins, diet pills, diets, or anything like that. Eat healthy and you won’t need them. If a pill helps you along the way and doesn’t hurt you, go for it.
Did this person even see all the possible negative reactions that Alli can cause? What's he been smokin'? Here was my response:
THANKS, LJM, but I respectfully disagree with you. There was nothing “alarmist” about my podcast (you REALLY need to listen to it, not just read the transcript!) except that which was found on the web site for both Alli and the FDA which approved the drug to be sold over-the-counter.
If you listen to virtually ANY of my previous podcasts, then you would know how ignorant your “I got the sense of you pushing your way as the best & only way” comment really is because I am all for people finding what works for them, following that plan exactly as prescribed, and then doing it for the rest of their life.
Livin’ la vida low-carb has been that for me and I realize it may not be for everyone. But this Alli is something tee-totally different because we’re not talking about a natural supplement to aid in weight loss. Instead, what we have is a truly dangerous drug that has not just gaseous side effects, but also the risk of COLON CANCER!!! Why even risk taking something like that just to lose only a few extra pounds.
I don’t say you’re stuck taking it for the rest of your life, that’s EXACTLY what the Alli commercial says when the announcer says, “You don’t just take Alli, you commit to it.” What do you think that means, LJM? Did you hear when I quoted from the FDA when they said if you ever get off the Alli pill, you will GAIN your weight back? Again, this is NOT me saying this, but the freakin’ group that approved this thing!
As for this “healthier eating style” crap, a high-carb, low-fat diet does NOT fit that description. When you lower the carbs, the fat is naturally going to increase as a percentage, so this Alli will become that much more harmful to people who are livin’ la vida low-carb. There’s just no wiggling out of this inevitable fate.
Face it, LJM, people are gonna still eat their high-carb and high-fat meals and will take this Alli OTC drug to ease their conscious about it. Boy, will THEY be in for a rude awakening!
I don’t know why people would put themselves through the torture of the side effects that Alli has just to lose a couple more pounds. Why not just work the low-carb plan you are on exactly as the author prescribes and the weight loss can and will happen as quickly as it needs to.
Don’t forget, I lost 180 pounds in 2004 without the use of any drugs or anything other than my all-natural, healthy low-carb Atkins diet. Alli would have been a disaster for me and I very likely would have given up from all the discouraging gas and “accidents.”
Finally, I cannot agree with you lumping vitamins in with something truly unhealthy like diet pills such as Alli. Vitamins are truly an important part of a healthy lifestyle and I have taken them daily for over three years. They are the lifeblood of ANY healthy living strategy and it is ignorant to think otherwise. They are completely safe, too!
While I appreciate your feedback, LJM, you could not be more off base if you tried. Again, you REALLY need to listen to this podcast show so you can hear how the information was presented and then check out past episodes so you won’t be as ignorant about my philosophy the next time you decide to mindlessly rant on a topic you obviously are clueless about.
Take care! :)
Care to add your two cents worth about Alli? Add your comments and join the conversation! And enjoy a laugh or two with this podcast. Kudos to my producer Kevin-Kennedy Spaien for having some fun with this one.
Have you considered becoming "committed" to Alli for weight loss?
Forgive me for not jumping for joy or being filled with excitement over the new over-the-counter weight loss drug being heavily promoted right now called Alli. But in Episode 61 of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" today, you'll hear exactly why anyone who is livin' la vida low-carb should stay very far away from this latest so-called miracle diet pill that some believe is the ever-elusive "magic bullet." But are they shooting themselves in the foot instead?
Let me warn you ahead of time...my producer had way to much FUN with this one. You'll see what I mean when you listen:
"The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" Episode 61 [13:30m]: Play in Popup | Download
Doesn't that just make you wanna run out and get your very own stash of Alli for yourself? NOT! It's truly amazing how a drug with so many well-known adverse side effects could actually be approved by the FDA to be sold over-the-counter while something as harmless as stevia has a tough time getting approved as a sweetener. That FDA is one messed up government entity, I'm telling you! This is a lawsuit worse than Vioxx or Avandia ever dreamed of becoming!
Low-carb podcasting is available to you anytime by:
Have you considered taking Alli, the OTC version of Xenical and orlistat, to help you shed a few extra pounds? Or did you, like one of my readers recently, decide against it because of the risky side effects? Tell us your thoughts about Alli and whether you would ever consider taking a drug like this one in conjunction with your low-carb lifestyle.
Oh, and have you seen what some creative marketing people who make other diet pills are doing lampooning the side effects of Alli? Check this out:
Um, in a word...EWWWWWWW! I think I'd be avoiding Alli if I were you.
Don't miss Thursday's episode of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" because we only have two interviews left from my trip to Nashville last month for the American Society of Bariatric Physicians obesity conference. Hear from the heart of a real doctor who is treating his overweight and obese patients with exactly what they need to be successful. And it ain't Alli!
In the same week when the media is going absolutely crazy with their feeding frenzy giving free publicity to the new over-the-counter GlaxoSmithKline weight loss drug called Alli, along comes a story like this one which just goes to show you the desperate attempts that some people are willing to make in the pursuit of getting thin--even if it's ILLEGAL!
I've blogged about the next great "magic pill" for weight loss from pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis before--it's called Acomplia. Like most diet pills, the dirty secret is you must eat a low-calorie diet along with them. Shhhh, don't tell anyone! ;)
But Acomplia is still very popular among Americans right now despite the fact that the FDA has not granted approval of it yet because of fears that it increases the risk of suicide. With close public scrutiny on them right now over the diabetes drug Avandia, which allegedly raises heart disease risk, the FDA is being cautious with Acomplia.
Nevertheless, European countries have already put their stamp of approval on Acomplia and hopeless Americans are smuggling the drug into the United States by bringing it back with them after visiting foreign lands and/or making the purchases over the Internet.
It was disheartening to read about a 60-something year old woman in the story who thinks Acomplia is all she can do to lose weight. NO! As much as people like this want to believe a drug is their best option, clearly it is not. There are too many questions about side effects with weight loss pills, so why not try a natural and effective weight loss method instead?
Like LIVIN' LA VIDA LOW-CARB!!! :D
If approved by the FDA in the U.S. sometime in July as expected, Acomplia could rake in over $3 BILLION dollars annually in profits for Sanofi. Now there's your REAL motive for pushing this drug and other such medications on the American people, not the promise of meaningful and lasting weight loss!
As for that new OTC pill Alli, I received an awesome e-mail from a reader in Fort Worth, Texas who was contemplating taking this to help her with her obesity. But in her research online, she found my blog post about it and changed her mind.
Here's what she wrote:
Hello! I have just discovered your blog while Googling to find some information on Alli/orlistat and how it could affect someone following the Atkins program. Your blog post was informative, helpful and inspiring! I just had to take a moment to write to you!
Hearing the ultra-hyped promotion for this new miracle pill, of course I was interested and had to do some research, but what I've found--well, lets say that instead of spending $60 on Alli tomorrow, I ordered some new low-carb cookbooks from Amazon instead!
I weigh close to 400 pounds, have 2 beautiful children and a loving husband that need me. I have got to get this weight off and doing it without surgery and medications is definitely the way I want to go.
I first tried Atkins two years ago and had lost nearly 60 pounds in three months. I felt awesome! But, unfortunately I went on a honeymoon and got into the "vacation" mentality and couldn't manage to get back into the right mindset.
Now, however, I've been on Induction for 2 weeks and I'm feeling fantastic already!
I had a moment today, wondering if I should change my diet to incorporate this new wonderful pill, seriously considering stopping the Atkins plan in favor of GlaxoSmithKline's slick advertising. But reading various web articles, especially your blog, has convinced me to keep on doing what I'm doing. Atkins is healthier, easier and faster than any diet I've ever tried. And if I feel good doing it, why change?
A low-fat diet filled with carbs would ruin any positive changes I've gained in the last few weeks, sugar is the enemy! One bagel for breakfast and I'd be craving sugar all over again. Don't want to go through that withdrawal ever again. Heh!
So, this was simply a long-winded way to say THANK YOU for your blog and I will now be a devoted reader and might even start a blog of my own weight loss via low-carb adventure--as well as get an order in for your book!
You are truly fantastic!
If only we could educate more people like this very intelligent woman before they fall prey to the allure of a pill like Alli or Acomplia, then these risky gimmicks would be used only as a very LAST resort rather than the primary tool for weight loss. My hope and prayer is that many more will learn the truth now rather than suffer the heartache and physical effects of these drugs later.
6-15-07 UPDATE: It turns out the author of that e-mail to me is a 35-year old Texas woman named Morgan MacLeoid and she has a blog called "Good Carbma" (now that's pretty creative!).
Morgan is wholeheartedly committed to livin' la vida low-carb now
Yes, ask shocking as it sounds, she seriously considered taking Alli and switching to a low-fat diet to do it. But now Morgan has thought better of that idea and is sticking with her all-natural low-carb plan.
Although she currently weighs more than 400 pounds, Morgan is committed to doing this for the sake of living a long and healthy life for those two precious kids of hers. You're gonna make it, Morgan, and I'm so proud of you for making this wise choice for yourself and your loved one. Let me know if I can help you along in this journey!
Majoras said the FTC is cracking down on weight loss pill marketing
This USA Today column reports that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has officially issued hefty fines to four different weight loss pill companies for making misleading statements to the public about the health claims of their products with blatantly false advertising.
FTC Commissioner Deborah Platt Majoras said the FTC zeroed in specifically on the following products in their investigation which led to these large monetary penalties:
Xenadrine EFX Fined $8 million and possibly as much as $12.8 million
One A Day Weight Smart Settled with a $3.2 million civil penalty
Cortislim Assessed with a $12 million fine
Trimspa Ordered to pay $1.5 million
This isn't the first time the FTC has come down hard on the marketers of weight loss pills. In November 2005, Cortislim, Relacore, and 25 other weight loss products were sued by the FTC for "deceptive" advertising.
Because the FTC does not have the authority to have products removed from store shelves, the only power they do have is to levy fines and insist on the manufacturers of these product cease their current unscrupulous marketing tactics.
Majoras said this is about the promotion, not the actual products themselves.
"What we challenge is the marketing of the claims," she said. "The marketers are required to back up the claims with the science and if they can't do that they can't make the claim. But we don't ban the products from the shelves."
Hmm, a product that needs to "back up the claims with the science," eh? I'm sure all of us could come up with a long laundry list of product claims being made about foods and products that lower cholesterol, promote weight loss, and make you heart healthy that are suspect at best and probably not supported by science. The dirty secret about all of these products is that you have to eat a low-calorie diet along with a regular exercise in order for them to work. Suckers! But this move by the FTC is a positive step to get these companies to wake up!
I think it is especially significant and symbolic that the FTC chose to announce this in the first week of the new year when millions of Americans are attempting weight loss programs. In other words, they have a captive audience tuning in for advice about losing weight and getting healthy. Advertisers of weight management products have now been put on notice to be forthright about the products they sell lest they be the next target of the FTC.
So, what's gonna happen to all those millions of dollars the FTC collects from these companies? Majoras says a portion of the money will be refunded to customers who purchased these products and felt like they were scammed by the marketing.
"We always try to get money back when consumers have been deceived," she said. "In this instance I'm pleased to say that I believe we're going to get millions back from some of these products to be able to return it to consumers."
How exactly are they gonna do this? How do they know if I purchased these products? Are they going to require proof of purchase like a receipt? Who keeps stuff like this anyway? While it's nice to say the money will be returned to the people who bought them, the reality is that many will be left with only the lesson learned that you can't circumvent weight loss with some gimmicky products like these. But, in my not-so-humble opinion, that's a lesson worth MUCH more than the few dollars you may get back from this.
If I were an FTC Commissioner (don't I wish for just a day!), then what I would do is use that money to pay for public service announcements to air nationwide in every major media market throughout the month of January on radio, television, and print publications that would state the following:
"If you are one of the two out of three Americans who are overweight or obese today and want to lose weight, the Federal Trade Commission would like to offer this simple, yet effective advice to you. Decide today that you really want to lose weight, find an effective and proven weight loss plan that fits your lifestyle, implement that plan exactly as it is written until you reach your goal weight, and then keep doing that plan for the rest of your life. If you do that, then you will never succumb to the temptation to try any of the plethora of weight loss pills and gimmicks that are available to you. We wish you well in your weight loss efforts in 2007 and urge you to find the support you need to help you succeed. Best wishes, FTC"
Now wouldn't THAT be an awesome message that would get the point across that you don't need all these crappy weight loss fad diet pills and other garbage products to lose weight anyway? I sure think so!
Interestingly, Majoras appeared on NBC's Today show this morning and revealed the most agregious violation was by the people behind Xenadrine EFX who presented a study showing their product produced weight loss better than the placebo.
"They not only didn't have studies to support the claim, they actually had a study that went the other way," she told Today.
Anna Nicole Smith pushes her weight loss story with Trimspa
Majoras added that Americans should avoid the hype of celebrities like Anna Nicole Smith promoting Trimspa and these slick infomercials because they are "not a substitute for science."
"That's what Americans need to understand. You're not going to find weight loss in a bottle of pills that claims it has the latest scientific breakthrough or miracle ingredient. Paying for fad science is a good way to lose cash, not pounds," she concluded.
That is certainly true, but we also need the media and pharmaceutical companies to stop getting all giddy and overhyping every new diet pill that comes out promising "weight loss in a bottle" too, Ms. Majoras. Drugs like Xenical and the so-called obesity vaccine just get people all worked up over nothing and it simply delays the inevitable steps they need to take to attain permanent weight loss, namely lifestyle changes and incorporating science-based dietary measures. That's why I chose livin' la vida low-carb and now I'm nearly 200 pounds lighter because of it. I'm living proof that you don't need any diet pills to lose weight!
THANK YOU FTC for standing up against these unscrupulous marketing tactics. I sincerely hope the fines will continue to be assessed with increasing regularity until the message gets through the thick skulls of these marketers that they can't prey on these innocent people looking for weight loss hope any longer. Now, if we can just get the FDA and USDA to stop monopolizing nutritional information in the United States, then MAYBE we can move forward in the obesity debate. Fat chance!
I am not one who usually cares a bit in the world about what the latest teeny-bopper, talentless "superstar" is doing in her life, but this National Ledger story about the struggle one of the biggest names in entertainment is having trying to lose weight after having a baby recently caught my attention.
We all know Britney Spears, right? She's that "virtuous" young girl who encouraged people to "hit me one more time" before she recanted and told us "oops, I did it again." Yeah, you get the picture.
What is incredibly ironic about this story is how so many little girls have been out there looking up to the Pop Princess Spears for what a girl should look like since she splashed on the scene in the 1990s: pretty, thin, skimpy clothes, and the like.
Now look at her! No, not that parody picture that I put at the top of the blog post, but at her DESPERATION to lose that last 20 pounds of baby fat just months after giving birth to her first child. What's the matter, Britney, are you feeling the pressure to look a certain way?!
Sadly, that's exactly what Britney Spears has done to hundreds of thousands of little girls when she jumped around stage wearing her midriff shirts and other such trashy outfits sporting an impossible figure for the average girl to attain. Now the tables are turned and we're supposed to feel sorry for her?! LOL!
This story notes that Spears has been offered BIG MONEY by several weight loss companies to become their spokesperson. But, she's decided against doing those programs in favor of one that apparently is much more appealing to this role model for little girls. Wanna know what she's doing -- SHE'S TAKING DIET PILLS!
Now that's the spirit, Britney. Let's show those little impressionable fans of yours that you don't need to alter your eating and exercise habits, but just pop a pill to make it all better no matter what the problem is! Sheeez! Are you kidding me?!
Could it be those carb-loaded, calorie-busting junk-food binges have contributed to the little tummy that you've got now? Hmmmmm?
Okay, so here's where Britney Spears is right now: She's 24-years-old, 5'5" tall and weighs 140 pounds.
To reach her goal of 120 pounds, all she needs to do is lose 2 pounds a week for the next 10 weeks. That's it! This isn't too demanding and is completely achievable with a little commitment to a good diet and exercise routine. What a role model THAT would be to see Britney Spears show those screaming fans, wouldn't it?!
Instead, though, she'll be downing a pill from Canada that promises people can lose "35 pounds in six weeks." Does anyone else wanna scream at this? :-~
The article notes that Spears is "at her wit's end."
"She wants to lose weight, but she's having the most difficult time doing it. Britney is feeling awful about herself right now."
It sounds like there are much deeper issues there than the inability to lose weight. I know it can't be easy being in the constant spotlight, but Spears hasn't helped herself in the public relations department. What an opportunity for her to do something constructive by being an example for her fans while brushing off past mistakes. And she'll get skinnier in the process, too!
If that doesn't happen and she messes up, then she can always say "Oops, I did it again!" Sorry, couldn't resist!
2-15-06 UPDATE: Well, it looks like Britney Spears isn't the ONLY pop music star with a slight weight problem!
But for Janet Jackson, the infamous "wardrobe malfunction" incident at the Super Bowl two years ago and trauma over her brother Michael's child molestation trial caused her to put on some extra weight.
According to this Monsters & Critics story, her record company Virgin has ordered her to lose 20 pounds by September or her new CD will not come out and they may drop her from the label. Nevermind the fact that her last album, "Damita Jo," was a dismal failure.
Janet Jackson, I have the same advice for you as I did for Britney Spears: Lose just 2 pounds a week over the next 10 weeks and you'll lose that 20 pounds before May comes. She supposedly is on a "diet" now and hired a personal trainer to help her get there.
I don't know why the media is making such a big deal about these pop stars NEEDING to lose weight when all they have is 20 pounds to lose.
Try sincerely needing to lose over 100 pounds and I'll show you something that takes commitment, persistance, and self-motivation. These highly-paid "entertainers" don't even know what it means to have an obesity problem that requires you to change your lifestyle forever to get your weight under control! Puhleeez! Don't get me started.
If you are trying to lose weight, then I must warn you of a new weight loss drug called Acomplia.
A much-heralded study was recently released by European researchers that found a group of 1,500 obese or overweight people lost more weight taking this pill than those who took a placebo. Supposedly their waist size got smaller, cholesterol dropped, triglycerides went down, became insulin resistant, and other health benefits after taking Acomplia.
But they also had their calorie intake reduced, which means less food for the participants. Everyone knows you can LOSE weight by taking in less calories. What nobody wants to talk about is how you can't keep eating that way without ALWAYS feeling so hungry. It's the dirty little secret about low-fat, low-calorie that you never read about in the media.
Even the researchers aren't so sure this new miracle weight loss drug will last over the long-term.
"How this finding will translate into prolonged weight loss in clinical practice has yet to be determined," the researchers write in their report.
Manufactured by the third-largest pharmaceutical company in the world Sanofi-Aventis, Acomplia is not yet available for consumer purchase. Tests are still being conducted about the drug's effect on the brain since it blocks appetite control receptors.
My concern about this new weight loss drug is that it does nothing to address the root cause of obesity -- bad eating habits! Unless your lifestyle changes to keep the weight off, people who take this drug will see all of that weight pour right back on them and then some. It's the problem with any weight loss measure that doesn't have a long-term plan for maintaining weight loss.
That's what is wrong with low-fat and it is definitely what is wrong with this pill. This pie in the sky mentality by the drug company will leave a lot of people getting even fatter along with the wallets of the drug company. They know the lure of weight loss is BIG BUSINESS for them!
For me, I'd rather be livin' la vida low-carb and not worry about things like side effects and weight gain after getting off the diet or pill. Why do so many people want to make losing weight akin to rocket science?! The answer: DO LOW-CARB!
