Fat chance: A diet pill won't make you thin

A surprisingly not bad, though not great, piece from MSNBC.

"In addition to Alli, there are about six prescription weight-loss drugs on the market. Some, like Alli, block the absorption of fat in the body. Others work in the brain to suppress appetite. But the reality is, no matter how many weight-loss pills you take, they don’t work by themselves.

'The pills we currently have don’t seem to be terribly effective for long-term weight loss,' says registered dietitian Anne Fletcher of Mankato, Minn. 'When people go off the pills, many put weight back on.'"

Now there's an understatement for you.

And even while on the malpractice known as a diet drug, the effects are minimal.

"When combined with diet and exercise, anti-obesity drugs can help someone lose about 5 to 10 percent more weight, research suggests."

So if you naturally lose an amazing 40 pounds, for example, a diet pill will change that to between 2 and 4 pounds more, i.e., you will lose 42 - 44 pounds. A negligible, costly and risky difference.

And 5 to 10 percent more weight represents the best result one can expect.

Most people do not achieve the best results.

Plus, you still have to do the diet and exercise things.

If you were willing to do them, you would not have turned to drugs.

"Still, the drug industry and many dieters remain convinced that a pill is the answer to the nation's growing obesity epidemic. Several new prescription diet pills are in late stage trials, including the experimental drug lorcaserin, a variation of Fen-phen which was pulled for causing heart problems. At least 30 companies are developing weight-loss drugs, with experts estimating that in the next few years there will be 10 to 15 medications meant to help dieters in different ways. The pharmaceutical research firm Decision Resources projects that the obesity drug market will grow in the U.S. from $222 million in 2006 to nearly $2 billion by 2016."

When the money is this good, you can bet that the drug companies will sell you useless crap since so many people are stupid enough to spend bucks on them.

"There’s no real data on how safe the pills are long-term, especially for young people. However, the Food and Drug Administration has only approved them for adults for up to two years of continuous use. According to an analysis of 30 trials done on adults taking anti-obesity drugs for one to four years, about 30 to 40 percent stopped taking them after a year, although it wasn't clear why.

In addition, side effects are common. Sibutramine can increase blood pressure and heart rate in some patients. Orlistat, which alters the absorption of fat in food, can have embarrassing intestinal side effects. Rimonabant (used in Europe, but awaiting approval in this country) may, for some users, cause nausea, anxiety, depression and insomnia."

Clearly, these rubbish pills are more harmful than good.

You remain fat because the diet and exercise advice you receive is intended to keep you fat.

Don't buy the pills. Don't have the surgery.

Lose weight properly and if you failed on a diet or pill or were subjected to the malpractice known as bariatric surgery, talk to a plaintiff's attorney.

Stop being a victim.

Remember, your victimization also hurts your kids.