No Such Thing as a Magic Weight Loss Pill

For sustainable weight loss, turn to your weight loss surgeon and don’t fall for any gimmicks.

After struggling with obesity for a long time, it is tempting to fall for the hype about new weight loss secrets that are just being revealed. Whether it’s an infomercial featuring celebrities that were never overweight to begin with or newspaper articles claiming that the new weight loss drug is the one we’ve all been waiting for, the false ads will tug on our heartstrings and make us want to try it, just in-case.

This is why the weight loss industry is booming. Americans spend billions of dollars on fad diets every year, and if they work, the weight usually comes back soon after it’s gone. People come up with an idea that sounds just odd enough, and boom—thousands of orders are put in for the next magic pill that will help us lose weight without changing our diet or so much as lifting a finger.

This isn’t just unrealistic, it’s a lie. Even after undergoing weight loss surgery, losing weight and keeping it off for good is hard to do. It takes determination, motivation and effort. No pill in this world is going to change that.

Don’t Fall for the Hype

This may be a healthy reminder in wake of the news that the FDA has approved the first weight loss medication in over a decade. While the new pill isn’t quite the same as the over-the-counter weight loss remedies that you will find everywhere from food stores to gas stations, the medication is also not an express ticket to skinny jeans.

The new medication is called Belviq (lorcaserin) and the weight loss benefits that it can provide are modest at best. First, in order to sustain the benefits the medicine can offer, you will need to take it permanently. Once you remove the medication from your diet, any weight that you managed to lose will likely return. On top of this, the medication only provides minimal weight loss assistance.

When compared in a placebo trial, the new FDA-approved medication helped people lose just over three percent of their initial weight. This means that for every 100 pounds that you weigh, this medication could help you lose about three to five pounds. So, a person that weighs 300 pounds might experience a weight loss of 15 pounds by taking this medication—but that weight loss is over the course of one or two years. For a lot of people struggling with their weight and facing severe obesity-related conditions, this is not enough weight loss, and it is not fast enough.

When it comes to losing weight, don’t fall for the latest and “greatest” items to take the weight loss world by storm. The fact that this weight loss medication has gotten the FDA seal of approval means that it might actually help some people lose weight, but what works for some doesn’t work for everyone.

For a lot of us, making permanent changes requires a bigger step than taking a pill. For a lot of people, weight loss surgery is still the best way to lose weight. Your weight loss surgeon can help you determine what is best for you.