It goes something like this: you begin taking weight loss tablets because a friend suggested them, or because you read something about them on the internet. The goal is to lose weight fast, and all this expectation is deposited in that tiny tablet.

After a few days, finally, the miracle happens. The long-awaited slimming begins to show signs in the mirror. Your clothes begin to fit again, the euphoria of your new image is the confirmation that it was worth investing in these tablets.

In the short term, the remedies have an effect, but soon your body begins to resist.

The pounds that went away come back just as quickly, like magic. In many cases, your weight increases beyond what you recorded before you began using the weight loss tablets. Discouragement, sadness and depression are the feelings that most define this moment.

Frustrated, you search for a dietitian. “What have I done wrong?” Is the question you may ask. And I say: your first mistake was that you began taking a medication on your own, without consulting a doctor beforehand.

What I described above is the kind of situation that I commonly encounter in my practice. Taking weight loss tablets without a follow-up is very risky, and unfortunately, quite common in the US, a country obsessed with beauty and aesthetic standards. Just look at how easy it is to find advertisements about such products on the internet.

It’s easy to buy many substances on the internet, some of which may have been banned in other parts of the world for many years – not least because of their long-term negative consequences. And it has been proven that, to date, none of them have worked without side effects. At least don’t buy them without a medical prescription to avoid the most dangerous ones!

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Remedies for Weight Loss and Psychological Disorders

Loving yourself, taking care of your body and wanting to be happy with your own looks is normal. The problem is when it becomes an obsession.

Those who live controlled by every millimeter of their waist end up putting their brain in a very delicate emotional state, which is the alternation of feelings: by getting thinner, you feel euphoric. When you get a little fatter, you hit the floor.

The rebound effect that weight loss tablets cause in your body reflects in your mental health. This is confirmed by the words of Dr. Eduardo Aratangy, a psychiatrist at the Department of Eating Disorders at the Institute of Psychiatry at Hospital das Clínicas in São Paulo, Brazil, where I also do research. The country still allows some substances otherwise banned elsewhere in the world (but available on the internet) and Dr. Aratangy has been able to study their effects.

In an interview, he emphasized the psychological problems triggered by drugs that help lose weight rapidly. He says that, from a scientific point of view, there is little data on the safety of using these drugs in the long run.

Aratangy emphasizes that Cases of depression due to the use of weight loss tablets are very common and he states that in young women, the use of amphetamines has been a major cause of depressive syndromes for many years. Amphetamines were commonly used for weight loss in the past and sometimes still are, even though they’re generally not approved by the FDA for this purpose.

The explanation he gives in the interview is quite clear. These drugs work by speeding up your metabolism and making you spend more energy than you consume. Because of this, the results appear quickly, but they really mess-up your metabolism.

With the discontinuation of treatment, your body will try to recover from all of this confusion that has been established in your metabolism. And this triggers a physical and mental imbalance.

The psychiatrist also points out that some weight loss tablets are indeed appropriate (under medical guidance) for some slow metabolism situations, but that these cases are “the exception of the exception” in his words.

Healthy, sustainable and natural weight loss

As a dietitian, I study weight loss based on nutrition. I don’t work with medicines, but if a patient really wants to take them, I indicate an endocrinologist I trust so that he can do an evaluation and supervise the medicine’s possible use.

My other recommendation is that people try, before taking drastic measures, to reevaluate their relationship with food.

Always look for a healthy, more holistic weight loss solution. Review how you eat and your relationship with food! Also review your health and your lifestyle. There are many factors to work on that help in healthy weight loss: how is your thyroid? Are you sleeping well? Do you have a lot of stress in your life? Try to practice mindful eating, respecting your cues of hunger and satiety. Your healthy weight will be achieved gradually and will be easier to maintain.

Don’t throw money away with dubious medications; Don’t put your health at risk. Look for balance and you will quickly discover that eating should not be seen as a problem, but rather a very pleasurable part of life.

How about learning my Sophie Effect method, which teaches you to transform your relationship with food and to listen to your body’s signals again? It includes six weeks of videos and materials that will explain eating habits, and how you can regain the pleasure of eating. Check it out!