Weight loss, pills, and maintenance
I was having a conversation with a friend, and we were talking about weight loss in general. The topics of pills come up and I made an incorrect statement. I said that there were no pills that have demonstrated that they work for weight loss. I proclaimed that they were all snake oil. I was wrong because there are some pills which do help dieters lose weight.
Here is some information from the Mayo clinic.It turns out there are over-the-counter medicines that do have an effect. Alli is notable, because it is a weaker form of a prescription drug. The way it works is to prevent fat from being metabolized. The unused fat eventually ends up in the toilet (you probably can guess the side effects).
Here's the catch, the prescription strength drug can help an individual lose 7-10 lbs... in 1 year. Alli is going to be less effective.
The big concern I have is whether something like that is even worth it. Besides the side effects from not digesting fats, I don't see myself trying something like this any time soon. First, fats are needed by the body to transport some fat soluble vitamins in the body. While we know the major vitamins and minerals, I'm sure there are still lots of unexplored areas in nutrition science that concern me when someone tries to reduce weight by cutting only one source of calories. Second is the question of how the body learns to handle fats while on the drug. How long will it take for the body to crave more fat because the fat it is given isn't digested? Third is whether this will help anyone maintain weight loss.
I know, I'm only 38% finished my weight loss, but my mind has been very concerned about maintenance lately. As one can quickly spot from my weight records:
I am a yo-yo dieter (or scientifically I am weight cycling). Like everyone else, I don't want to weight cycle for the rest of my life. I want to maintain a healthy weight and stick with it.
From my experience, the moment I stop paying attention to my food, I start having problems. On the whole, it is more about mindfulness than anything else (for me). I know exactly how, I know the why, and I can do it. But those don't matter if it is ignored. Pizza lunch buffets are not healthy, but I don't seem to care when I am "maintaining" or at the end of an incomplete dieting cycle. This is what needs to change.
So when there is a pill which can help someone lose weight, it needs to be something that a person could also take while maintaining. Unfortunately, Alli is only going to allow continued behavior. It could be helpful for someone who really needs to lose a significant amount of weight, but it doesn't seem like a small loss is worth it for anyone.
Recently I had heard of a doctor who wants to change the idea of weight loss from being something quick, to being something very slow. One would determine how many calories it takes to maintain a goal weight and eat that amount. After about 3 years, one reaches the goal weight and the diet is not changed. This forces the dieter to understand a maintenance diet and not weight loss diets. I think this is clever, but I'm not going to do it this round. If I have trouble before I reach my goal weight doing what I'm doing, I may give it a shot but I feel that I should take advantage of my ability to sustain weight loss right now.
There is a blog I am reading describing one woman's struggle to maintain weight. I'll review it before my diet is finished. For now, I'll just say that it seems extremely emotionally bent and I don't think that her experience needs to be the only weight maintenance experience that she could be having. I want to remain mindful of my weight maintenance, but I don't want it to an experience like she is describing. I honestly believe that it should be enough.
