No health problem plagues more Americans than obesity.
Some 73% of adults in the U.S. need to lose weight.
About 40% are obese. Another 33% are overweight.[1]
This is a serious matter because being too heavy is linked to more than 60 chronic diseases. They include the nation’s top killers such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and stroke.
What if you could slim down simply by taking a pill? That’s been Big Pharma’s Holy Grail for decades. Drug companies know they will earn many billions if they can come up with a weight loss drug that works.
They have rolled out many over the years. They’ve all been disasters.
One of the first was dinitrophenol, sold in the 1930s. It boosted metabolism and burned body fat. Unfortunately, it also damaged the sense of taste, caused blindness and death from dangerously elevated body temperature (hyperthermia). The FDA eventually halted the drug’s use.[2]
In the 1990s, there was the fen-phen craze. It was a combination of the drugs fenfluramine and phentermine. It was touted as a miracle weight-loss treatment and became hugely popular.
But in 1997, research showed fenfluramine (Pondimin) caused heart-valve damage. The FDA ordered the manufacturer, Wyeth, to pull the drug off the market. Eventually, 175,000 lawsuits were filed against the company.
Other weight-loss drug disasters include:
- Meridia. It suppressed hunger and made dieters feel full. But studies linked it to higher risk of heart problems and stroke. It was removed from the market in 2010.
- Contrave. A combination of the antidepressant bupropion and the anti-addiction drug naltrexone. It was initially approved by the FDA in 2010. But the agency rejected it after studies found it raised risk of heart attack and stroke.[3]
- Orlistat. This is currently available in both prescription (Xenical) and over-the-counter form (Alli). Side effects include stomach pain, gas, and oily discharge.[4]
The latest diet pill nightmare is Belviq (lorcaserin). The FDA announced on Feb. 13 that people should stop taking the drug. They found it to be associated with several types of cancer, including pancreatic, lung, and colorectal.[5]
The agency asked the manufacturer, Eisai Co., to remove the drug from the market.
Learn the lesson of history: Stay away from Big Pharma’s obesity “solutions.” They are ineffective and dangerous. There’s a better way.
Intermittent fasting is safe and effective. Unlike other diet plans, you can eat whatever you want and as much as you want.
2 Ways to Use Intermittent Fasting to Lose Weight
There are two basic intermittent fasting methods. Both are simple. There are no complicated recipes. No expensive frozen meals. No banned foods.
- The 5:2 Diet. On two days of the week, you restrict your calories to 25% of your normal intake. These are called “fast days.” On the other five days, you eat your normal diet. You can choose any two days as fast days—either consecutive or spaced out during the week. You can eat whatever you like—so long as you limit your calorie intake to 25% of your normal daily intake on fasting days. That is usually about 600 calories for men and 500 calories for women.
- Time-Restricted Eating. In this plan, you fast for 16 hours a day. You do all your eating within an eight-hour window. And you can eat anything you want in any amount during that time. For example, if you eat breakfast at 9 a.m., you then finish your dinner by 5 p.m.
Pregnant and lactating women shouldn’t fast. Neither should frail older people, children, organ transplant patients, or people with suppressed immune systems or chronic infections.
Unlike the hazardous “solutions” offered by Big Pharma, intermittent fasting will help you drop weight…without killing you.
Editor’s Note: If you’re trying to lose weight, don’t fall for the calorie cutting myth. Calories don’t drive weight gain. Something else does. And it’s easy to control. Discover more by reading The Weight-Loss-for-Life Protocol. It’s in Independent Healing, the monthly newsletter that deciphers the latest science to bring you unbiased medical information that can transform your health. Find out more HERE.
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[1]https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
[2]https://www.livestrong.com/article/74336-history-diet-pills/
[3]https://healthland.time.com/2012/02/21/whither-qnexa-a-brief-history-of-diet-pills-and-the-fda/
[4]https://www.drugs.com/xenical.html
[5]https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/13/health/belviq-weight-loss-drug-cancer-fda/index.html