FDA: Watch Out for Brazilian Diet Pills

If you've been looking at so-called Brazilian Diet Pills--usually sold over the Internet as Herbathin or Emagrece Sim--don't look, don't touch, walk the other way. The FDA says tests have revealed they may contain tranquilizers, antidepressants and stimulants:

The pills are billed as all-natural but may contain active ingredients, including controlled substances, normally found only in prescription drugs like Librium and Prozac.

Their use can lead to serious side effects or injury, the FDA said. The active ingredient in Librium, chlordiazepoxide, can be habit-forming.

"There are dangers to consumers who purchase diet pills that contain drugs of unknown origin and quality," said Dr. Steven Galson, director of the FDA's center for drug evaluation and research.

Another ingredient in the pills, Fenproporex, is a stimulant that the body converts to amphetamine.

Users of the diet pills have flunked drug tests after their urine tested positive for amphetamines, said Terry Hall, laboratory director of Toxicology Testing Service Inc. in Miami.

Don't screw around with antidepressants. I've been on them for 15 years. Just don't do it without medical supervision.

Seriously, the best way to lose weight is the simplest--and the hardest.

1. Look at your underlying issues: Are you a compulsive eater? Deal with it. You don't have to be. I was for a good 15 or more years. I'm not any more. If people are interested I can write more about it.
2. Exercise: It doesn't even have to be much. I'm building up to 30 minutes a day or so on the treadmill. You don't have to join a gym, or buy equipment, or practice a method. Just walk.
3. Eat real food: If all you did was avoid processed food, you'd drop weight right there. Don't eat anything "white"--white flour, white sugar. Don't eat fast food, don't eat junk food. This is not as hard as you think. Once you start eating real food, and that includes good fats like olive oil, coconut oil, grass-fed butter and quality animal fats, your cravings for crap go way, way down. Don't eat "diet" food and don't starve yourself.
4. Figure out what eating plan works for you: Some people need to limit carbs, some people need to combine foods certain ways, some people need less protein, some more, some need to time their meals certain ways. After a lot of experimentation I've found that I can't eat carbs during the day, I can't eat wheat, I need to space my meals out, and I need a goodly amount of animal protein and fat. For you it could be totally different. Do your research and figure it out. It helps to know your lineage and learn what your ancestors ate. Being Eurotrash, I had to work a little harder at it, but eventually my diet became clear.

Does it work? Well, when I started my serious food and nutrition research after my heart attack, I weighed around 270. I'd weighed a little less before the heart attack but the forced inactivity brought my weight up. Today I weigh 235, and the weight is still coming off. I'm hoping this time next year to be under 200 for the first time in 20 years.

There is no shortcut to these things, and there is no one-size-fits-all, as any fat girl can tell you--it's true for clothes and diet. You gotta do the research and figure out what works for YOU.

Categories: Brazil, diet, pill, drugs, dieting, weight_loss, warning, FDA