Is it a good idea to take slimming pills?

Taking diet pills to hasten your slimming treatment may not be a good idea. Slimming pills are often merely a combination of diuretics and caffeine. You might lose a couple of pounds initially, but the results are short-lived. The dehydration caused can be dangerous. Overdosing on weight loss pills has proved fatal in the recent past. They pose other threats to health as well, including organ failure and even strokes. Before you decide to take pills to lose weight, consider the following.

Consequences of taking weight loss pills

Orlistat and phentermine are licensed in Singapore. However, medication should not be taken without consulting your doctor. The number of people ordering unregulated drugs on online stores for unmonitored weight loss programs has increased. Overdosing on Fluoxetine caused the death of a 22-year old student in China in 2016. Popular Singaporean celebrities like Andrea de Cruz and Cheryl Miles have had bad experiences with slimming pills as well. Let’s take a look at the side-effects of different kinds of slimming medications.

Appetite suppressing pills

Stimulants in nature, this type of weight loss pills can induce conditions like nervousness, palpitation, irritation, and abnormal heart rates. A lot of them have been taken off the market after it was found that they pose serious threat to life. Slimming pills that suppress the appetite have also been found to increase blood pressure. Hair loss and constipation have been reported in some cases.

Metabolism boosting pills

Metabolism boosting slimming pills often trigger increased heart rates and palpitations. Other side-effects, including physiological and psychological changes are quite similar to what most appetite suppressants trigger.

Fat-absorption reducing pills

Pills that work on the principle of absorbing fat from food stored in the intestines can cause liver injury. The symptoms include loss of appetite, itching, yellowed skin and eyes, pale colored stools and brownish color of urine.

What’s the truth behind herbal pills?

These are available over the counter at chemists. Herbals pills are being advertised aggressively as having less side effects. They claim to be 100% natural and packed with vitamins and calcium. However, certain medications sold online contain dangerous amounts of stimulants like sibutramine. Other common ingredients include Chromium, fiber, and fat burning substances. Fiber is delivered in the form of laxatives, too much of which can result in bowel disease. Some herbal pills also contain substances similar to amphetamine. Common side effects of herbal pills include headaches, vomiting, elevated blood pressure, and insomnia, among others.

Are there any safer alternatives?

The most popular way to achieve your weight loss goal is by burning calorie through diet management and exercise like going for a long walk for a start. However, for obese people or those with specific health problems, alternative slimming treatments are also available. Safer alternatives like Yoga and Traditional Chinese Medicine have no side effects. Moreover, they can help deal with lifestyle diseases like diabetes.

TCM slimming treatment involves techniques like acupuncture and massage, besides specialized treatments like guasha and cupping. Chinese medicine relies on establishing a healthy ying-yang harmony within the body. Coupled with the right exercise and diet, TCM slimming can be an effective and safe way to lose weight.

How to speed up your metabolism

It is a well-known fact that an active metabolism burns calories faster and thus speeds up your weight loss program. However, you have to train your body to break food down more efficiently. Though genetics do play a role in determining your BMR, you can improve it with proper diet and exercise. Alternative techniques like TCM slimming can also help you lose weight. Here are some practical ways you can speed up your metabolism.

Get more sleep

A poor metabolism could be because of insufficient sleep. If you are regularly sleeping for 4 hours or less, your body will find it difficult to process carbohydrates. Exhaustion throughout the day forces the body to conserve calories and leave you feeling tired. It also lessen your determination to for for long walks to get started in leading a healthy lifestyle. Visit the slimming center early in the day. Warm baths make falling asleep easier.

Eat a protein-based diet

Building muscle is integral to losing weight faster. Even as you work out, a protein-based diet can help you develop muscle. This translates into a higher BMR, allowing you to burn fat even when the body is at rest. Try eating around 30 grams of protein in each meal. Meals with a high protein content include cottage cheese, chicken, legumes and yogurt.

Workout with interval training

Exercising in short bursts trigger fat-burning responses in your muscles. Interval training includes stepping up intensity and taking less time to complete the same amount of repetitions. One way of doing this is to insert a 30 seconds long sprint in your jog every five minutes or so. You should also integrate cross training in your daily workout to boost your metabolism.

Do not skip breakfast

Eating a nutritious breakfast is half the job done. If you are skipping your breakfasts, your weight loss program will go kaput. Missing the first meal of the day sends your body into starvation mode, which actually slows metabolism down. Make sure your breakfast is filling, and take time to digest. It should ideally be a combination of lean protein and carbohydrates.

Consume low fat dairy

Women who consume dairy on a daily basis lose 70 percent more fat than those who don’t. Just make sure that your milk and cheese are low fat. Dairy has Calcium, among other useful substances, which stimulates the fat burning process. However, calcium is not as effective in supplements, calcium-rich foods or calcium-fortified products.

Stock up on Iron and Vitamin D

Iron is highly important for your weight loss program. Iron supplies the oxygen needed by muscles for fat burning. Some iron rich foods are cereals, lean meats, beans, shellfish and spinach. You can even carry spinach smoothies to the fitness center. Vitamin D helps preserve muscle tissue, which is responsible for maintaining a healthy metabolic rate. Salmon, eggs, cereals, and tuna contain vitamin D.

Stay hydrated

Water is one of the most important ingredients of a successful weight loss program. Drink at least 3 liters of water every day to suppress cravings. Drink a glass of lukewarm lemon water right after you get up. Drinking cold water has its benefits, too. Experts believe that it can stimulate the body to raise its temperature and up the metabolism temporarily.

How drinking more water helps to lose weight

It is well-known that water is an excellent suppressant and hence can speed up weight loss. However, that is not all. Drinking more water every day helps you to lose weight in a number of ways. Your recommended daily intake depends on your age, weight, activity level and the climate you live in. Drinking water also improves digestion by keeping the acid in the stomach concentrated. To know how increased water consumption helps lose weight, read on.

Throughout the day to burn more calories

Ideally, you should drink a glass of water every two hours. It raises your basal metabolic rate, making the body burn more calories even in a state of rest. Within 10 minutes of drinking water, BMR is seen to increase by 24-30% in adults. Drinking more water throughout the day also helps in slimming treatment in Singapore. Drinking 1.5-2 litres of water is proven to remove excess body fat and lower the BMI.

Before meals to suppress appetite

For older and middle-aged adults, doing high-intensity exercise can get difficult. In such cases, drinking a glass or two of water can help prevent overeating and effect weight loss. Studies have shown that water before your breakfast can decrease calories consumption by 13%. Following this routine can help lose 8 pounds a year. If you tend to eat more than what your appetite needs, you are piling on unnecessary calories.

When in need of refreshment

When dehydrated after a workout, do not drink artificially sweetened drinks sold in the name of energy drinks. As opposed to colas, water is naturally calorie free. Therefore, giving up sugary drinks for water will make weight loss much easier. It is also beneficial in avoiding diabetes and other lifestyle diseases. If plain water is too boring, you can add a slice of lemon to it. Lemon has pectin, which helps kerb cravings. Successful slimming treatment techniques like Traditional Chinese Medicine, too, recommend eating healthy food and drinking only water.

 Ways to increase water consumption

Water intake can be increased in a number of ways, some of which are given below.

Eat fruits with high water content

This is another way to fill yourself and suppress cravings. Watermelon is an excellent option, given that 92% of it is water. Include watermelons, apart from grapefruits, cantaloupes and strawberries in your daily diet.

Carbonated water

Drastic change in your lifestyle is not ideal. If you cannot immediately let go of soda water, try ‘sparkling,’ or carbonated water. However, make sure that the carbonated drink you’re consuming is low in sodium. Do not drink carbonated water, if you have irritable bowel syndrome.

Drink cold water

Studies suggest that drinking ice cold water early in the morning can help with weight loss. Drinking chilled water boosts metabolism since the body has to raise its temperature. It gets your body in a mode where it can burn more calories.

There are other methods to boost water consumption as well. You can opt for chilled soups and hot soups with low sodium. Vegetable broths and green iced tea are also good options.

Ways to fight diabetes and obesity

Chances of obese individuals getting Type 2 diabetes are high. Recent studies show that Singapore is 2nd among countries with the highest proportions of diabetics. Diabetes affects blood circulation and even leads to foot ulcers needing amputation. Heart diseases, kidney failure and blindness are other complications. However, one-third of the total pre-diabetics in Singapore can actually avert the risk. To know how you can fight diabetes and obesity by weight loss, read on.

Maintaining the right body weight

Pre-diabetics who lose 5 to 7% of their body weight can cut down their progression rate to diabetes by half. Excess weight can easily trigger type 2 diabetes. This is the reason why bariatric surgery seems to be on the rise. Even more, people are going for exercise and alternative slimming treatment.

Portion control, avoiding refined sugar and fats, and exercising can help lose excess weight. People tracking their weight loss tend to do it faster and more effectively.

Cutting down on high sugar foods

This can be done by identifying the type and amount of carbohydrates you are consuming in your diet. The first kind is simple sugars, found commonly in dairy products, syrups, honey etc. They are also the added sugar found in processed foods. These get assimilated rapidly and require massive insulin secretion.

Replace foods with simple sugars by those with complex sugars, for instance, whole grains and legumes. Consuming carbohydrates with a low glycemic load can help prevent diabetes.

Eating the right fats

Consuming the right dietary fats is also important for weight loss. Avoiding saturated fats can help prevent inflammation and avert insulin resistance. On the other hand, fats like oleic acid, present in olive oil, and other omega-3 fats can result in better insulin response. Using olive oil in cooking can help in slimming treatment and diabetes prevention.

 Working out regularly

Physical exercise is an integral part of successful slimming treatment. It also helps keep diabetes and cardiovascular diseases at bay. Muscular activity helps in the absorption of glucose and improved insulin sensitivity. Get at least 150 minutes of cardiovascular activity every week, like going for long walks if running is not something that you like doing.

Physical activity also improves blood pressure. This is crucial if you want to avoid lifestyle diseases and keep heart diseases and diabetes at bay.

Undergoing TCM slimming

Many people in Singapore are opting for Traditional Chinese Medicine for weight loss and diabetes prevention today. This is a holistic form of treatment that uses techniques like acupuncture, cupping and diet management. The best part about TCM is that it is free of side-effects and avoids the use of prescription drugs.

Traditional Chinese Medicine helps pre-diabetics to avoid and diabetics to fight the disease. It works to ensure overall well-being.

Adopting a healthy lifestyle

Getting proper sleep is important for diabetes. It also helps in weight loss by improving metabolism, suppresses cravings for sugar and carbohydrates. You must take at least 8 hours of sound sleep on a daily basis. It is equally important to avoid stress. Stress management is actually the first step for diabetes management.