AS A VERY LARGE PERSON,I DO NOT LIKE IT AND HAVE MANY AILMENTS DUE TO THE FAT. I AM DISABLED AND CANNOT WORK, SO THIS SUBJECT HITS AT HOME. INSTEAD OF 500.00 OF MEDICINE EVERY MONTH WHY CAN'T MEDICARE SPEND 30.00 FOR DIET PILLS OR A ONE TIME COMPLETE COVERAGE OF LAP BANDING? THEY WOULD SAVE MONEY,I COULD GO BACK TO WORK WITHOUT ALL MY BACK,LEG AND DIABETES PROBLEMS AND WE COULD ALL BE HAPPY.

they should bring back ephedra, that was the only diet pill that worked! But alas, the FDA banned it. Apparently, despite the millions of people who used it safely and lost weight, a few people abused it and dropped dead! I hope your health improves. I agree, if the government needs to be involved in healthcare at all, they should be a little more than drug dealers.

Seriously??!! Because you would rather take a pill that will not change your habits or have lapband surgery, that also, will not change your habits and could possibly have negative physiological impacts....??? I can assure you that I could help solve some of your discomforts and ailments, and I am so sure, I am willing to offer this assistance to you free of charge. That's how passionate I am about what I do as a health and fitness professional. Trust me, pills are not the way to go... The body is the most sophisticated organism/machine (i use that term loosely) on the planet. Americans need to stop medicating it and allow it to do what it know how to do. If you provide me with your email address, I will be more than happy to assist you any way I can. : )

Fit2live,

I agree with you wholeheartedly.I am an overweight woman and while I am comfortable with myself and love my body and have no health problems to speak of, I just can't agree with anyone who says diet pills are a good way to go. I have seen what they do to people. In my office about 50% of the women working there, including myself, decided to start going to a gym. We all signed up and with the exception of myself they all starting taking diet pills prescribed by a nurse practioner who worked there 1 day a week. They all lost more weight than I did but they also started getting infections much easier and their hair started falling out. I know these women personally and they did not abuse these drugs. Nevertheless it happened. Another example is my 5'2'' sister who weighs about 115lbs and felt she needed to lose a few pounds so she took alli. While I don't think this impacted her body in any adverse way that wasn't warned of on the packaging it did cause some embarrassing situations when she could not control her bowels. I think that we as overweight people who want to be healthier and losee weight should do what my doctor suggested. DON"T GO ON DIETS, make lifestyle changes. The difference is, don't try to change yourself all at once but when you are grocery shoppong make a conscious decision to chose things that progessively get healthier. For example instead of buying a ceareal high in sugar, try Multigrain cheerios, THEY ARE SWEET. and delicious. I'm not saying you should start out eating nothing but vegetables but to PROGESS to that.

I'd love to hear from you fit2live.

samantha-ross@hotmail.com

snross1026,

Sounds like you have already started to make some positive changes!! Good for you!! It is all about perpetual progress, that's what I tell all my clients, whether they are athletes or working out because of health related issues. Give yourself the room to make small changes and you will see victories add up.

And about the Alli...from what I understand...emabarassing yes. In the way of anal leakage, to put it bluntly. It basically causes your body to "rid" itself of the toxins, so to speak, if you eat high fat, cholesterol ladden foods. Not exactly convenient, but that is how it deters you from eating less than healthy foods. I've not had a chance to do extensive research on the product just yet, but one of my clients informed me of the experiences her sister has had with it.

Feel free to send me any of your questions, and/or concerns...I've provided the email address my freelance clients use, I also work as a corporate wellness coordinator.

profoundfitness@bellsouth.net