Considering Phentermine? – Think Again
It’s that time of year again when everyone and their mother is starting a new diet or workout plan. ( I am no exception). What I’ve noticed recently is the huge increase of Spam email that I’m getting for the weight loss drug Phentermine.
Normally I get the odd 1-2 emails that slip past my spam filters and make it to my inbox. In the past 5 days however, I have received no less than 25 per day.
Why so many? Simply put it’s a numbers game and my spam filters have captured 8000 spam emails, that’s a 10 fold increase over normal rates so naturally the number that are getting through would also increase.
Looking at all these wasted emails it got me thinking about Phentermine, what it is and why it is so popular. If you don’t know by now I am against diet pills and do not recommend them unless your obesity situation is extreme.
What is Phentermine?
Phentermine is an appetite suppressant that is taken orally as a tablet or in capsule form. This drug is only available by prescription (legally anyway).
Phentermine works by “stimulating the hypothalamus gland and affecting certain neurotransmitters to decrease appetite” according to the manufactures website. “The hypothalamus is the region of the brain that controls the autonomic nervous system, regulating sleep cycles, body temperature, appetite, etc”
This is why many Phentermine users report insomnia, fatigue, hot flashes etc.. as you are messing with a gland that regulates all of this stuff.
Phentermine Side Effects
As with any drug Phentermine has its side effects and they can range from mild to sever to down right crazy. I am just going to list a few of the more notable ones (along with my smart ass comments).
Depression – You shouldn’t be sad when you’re losing weight!
Drowsiness/Tiredness – Usually because you are up all night or can’t sleep.
Increased blood pressure - Again, your blood pressure should be dropping as you are losing weight and becoming healthier, not the opposite.
These are listed as less common to rare:
Change in sexual desire - That could be a good thing for some of you 
Clumsiness/Confusion/Blurred vision - As long as you look good does it really matter if you can’t see properly, drop stuff and have no idea where you are?
Nausea or Vomiting/Stomach pain - Lose weight by not being able eat and throwing up everything that does make it into you? Sounds a lot like my Lose 9 pounds in 4 days diet plan don’t you think?
This is my favorite one and has to do with the symptoms if you over dose on Phentermine, which is possible apparently.
Hostility with urge to attack – This is exactly the type of person I want in the gym with me when I forget to put the weights back on the rack or wipe down the treadmill!
In all seriousness, I don’t mean to make light of the serious side effects that this weight loss pill can produce. I just want you to be aware that taking Phentermine carries risks and in my opinion they are not worth the benefits of dropping a few extra pounds.
My Beef with Phentermine?
First let me be clear that I have never tried Phentermine so I am not a “user” and my experience with the drug is obviously limited. However, I do know people that have tried it and I’ve read a lot of postings in forums about the experiences that other Phentermine users have had with this weight loss pill.
What bothers me the most about Phentermine is that it is supposed to be used “in conjunction with diet, exercise, and behavior therapy” and even then it “may” help you lose weight. Which begs the question, If you are able to maintain a proper diet, a regular exercise plan and are working to change your behavior/habits then why do you need Phentermine at all?
You may be thinking, “well taking Phentermine will help me lose weight more quickly than diet and exercise alone” the answer is well yeah it probably will but not by the massive amounts you are thinking of.
Although I couldn’t find a ton of clinical studies about Phentermine and weight loss on the Pubmed government site, I did see one that showed a small amount (under 5 pounds) of additional weight loss when it was combined with another drug over a 24 week period vs. a placebo group. (do your own research though as I am not a Doctor)
The last thing I want to say about Phentermine and it’s effects follows this quote on how to take Phentermine: “Take Phentermine about 30 minutes to 1 hour before a meal” You know what else works just as well 30 minutes before a meal? Drinking a Bottle/Cup of water and it costs waaaaaay less. (Phentermine costs about $500-$600 for 180 pills, you do the math)
What are your thoughts, as I am sure there are many supporters of this weight loss pill and weight loss pills in general. Let me know in the comments below and I look forward to some interesting discussions.
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Iphone Weight Loss
iPhones are known for their numerous uses, but can they really help you lose weight?
According to countless testimonials and reviews, they can. So, I decided to give it a try. And guess what? It worked! The apps helped me keep track of what I was eating and how to exercise. It was like having my own personal trainer. I lost 5 pounds in 3 weeks. And, as an added bonus, all of the apps I used were free.
This probably sounds like an infomercial, but, here is a summary of the free iPhone applications I would recommend using to lose weight.
First, I needed a basic iphone weight loss application that would help me keep track of calories in vs. calorie burned.
Lose It! (Rated: 4 stars)
Lose It! is similar to other diet tracking apps. It has a vast database of nutritional information and a large food bank that allows you to find your food item for purposes of determining caloric intake. But, what I liked about Lose It! was its “Friends” feature. This feature allowed me to connect with my friends and view their goals and accomplishments. We were able to encourage each other to stick to our diets and reach our goals. I really liked this personal touch.
Next, to help me insure that I lost weight in a healthy way, and not through starvation, I needed an application to help me workout.
Six Pack App (Rated: 3.5 stars)
The Six Pack App has exercises to work out my abs, chest, back, arms, shoulders, and legs. I liked the fact that the app had pictures of all exercises so that I could have a visual of what the exercise should entail. This iphone weight loss app gives general information, steps, tips, specific rules and muscle location for each exercise. My favorite part of this app is that I could incorporate a customized workout, including stretches and yoga.
Finally, I needed medical advice from time to time regarding the aches and pains I was feeling as I began working out.
WebMD Mobile (Rated: 3.5 stars)
WebMD is a unique app that allows those, like me, who are often worried about their health to save a trip to the doctor’s office. You can check your symptoms, access drug & treatment information, get first aid tips, and even check local health listings. For the symptom checker, you don’t even need to know what your symptom is called- there is a visual of a human body that you can use to locate your symptoms. The app provides warnings, uses, side effects, precautions, overdose information, and images for drugs and treatments so you can learn more about your prescriptions. In case you have a medical emergency, you can use this app to find local health listings.
If you want to lose weight, try these apps. And if they aren’t a good fit, there are many other weight loss apps available for your iPhone.
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Author Bio: Drake MacDonald is an educator. He is currently on staff at Online Schools, where he researches areas of higher learning, how to pick schools online, and education. In his spare time, he enjoys staying fit, watching football, and spending time in the outdoors.
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Lose 9 pounds in 4 days!
I just discovered an incredible new way to drop 9 pounds in 4 days and it doesn’t cost you a penny!………The secret is………….getting the FLU 
Yeah I know, I wish there was an easier way to lose the weight that quickly too but their isn’t really. I am just recovering from the Flu, which is the first time I’ve had it in about 15 years. That was a great streak I had going of FLU free years but 2010 has been a particularly bad year for my family and I and ending it with the FLU just seems like a perfect fit.
As you have probably noticed already the post count for the year is around 12 which for me is terrible. My goal for 2010 was 52 with at least a new post every week but life happens and priorities change. Weight loss weaponshad to take a backseat to other online projects and offline situations. As a result, posts, comments and readership dropped (surprisingly not as much as I had expected though).
The other thing that happened…weight gain. I managed to pack on a lot of the weight that I had lost over the past few years and am back up to 205 lbs. That has also added to the stress of putting up posts on this site. How could I offer advice about losing weight when I was gaining weight myself. I couldn’t and can’t, not until I start losing the weight again and I get back on track.
For now I will just be sharing my expereinces in what I’m doing to lose weight and get back in shape. I’m not an expert in this, I have no professional training but I do have a lot of expereince which I think is just as important.
I want the weight loss weapons blog to become an interactive place again, I will be responding to comments, linking to other related fitness and health sites and changing the theme back to a more user/comment friendly one I think. After this is the perfect time of year to do it as the rest of the world will be making resolutions I guess you can consider “improving this site” my resolution.
What are your thoughts and what would you like to see on this site in 2011.
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