New Prescription Weight Loss Medicines

Due to the rising prevalence of obesity as a chronic disease, doctors have started recommending new prescription weight loss medicines to their patients. These medications are only reserved for obesity cases resulting to other medical conditions such as sleep apnea, hypertension and diabetes. Physicians are advised to closely monitor their patients during medication because of the possible risks involved in the prolonged administration of the drugs.

Sibutramine (Meridia)

Sibutramine is a new prescription weight loss medicine that works by enhancing satiety. It is an appetite suppressant which works directly on the body's neurotransmitters without causing antidepressant effects. It helps curb hunger pangs by making the body feel full even after eating small amounts of food. According to research, 60% of the people who used this medication lost 5% of their body weight within a year. It has the same results in overweight but healthy individuals and people who are obese and at the same time suffering from other medical conditions such as diabetes.

Most common side effects of this new prescription weight loss medicine include an increased blood pressure, headache, dry mouth, constipation and insomnia.

Orlistat (Xenical)

Orlistat is considered a lipase inhibitor. In essence, this new prescription weight loss medicine interferes with fat absorption. It regulates the action of lipase - an enzyme that breaks down fat from the food we eat. This medication is purported to decrease dietary fat absorption by as much as 30% which limits the amount of calories taken in the body. Because it can also block the absorption of some fat-soluble vitamins, it is recommended that you should take multivitamins daily while taking Orlistat.

Orlistat is not a prescribed medication for patients suffering from liver disorders like choleostasis as well as for those who have undergone an organ transplant.

Common side effects of this medication are cramping, diarrhea, flatulence, intestinal discomfort and bloating.

Is Hoodia Really The Best Weight Loss Pill?

Hoodia weight loss supplements are becoming increasingly popular all over the world. This article will discuss the truth about this weight loss diet craze.

The Gordonii cactus' home is in South Africa where it is now a protected plant species. A relatively unattractive plant, the Sans Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert have been keeping this all natural diet product to themselves until recent times.

These tribesmen have been using this succulent as a natural bushfood for centuries. It has assisted them to curb their desire for both food and drink while going on long hunting trips. It has also had other medicinal benefits including stomach cramps and to aid with digestion.

This natural appetite suppressant first came to the attention of scientists when they conducted a comprehensive study into the bushfoods of the Sans bushmen. Not only did they learn that this species of plant gave no side effects to its users, but it had incredible appetite suppressing abilities.

Following on from that Phytopharm, a British pharmacological company, isolated the P57 molecule from the stem of the plant and bought the licence to it.

The difficult cultivation conditions for this vegetation as well as a large demand for the product has given it a protected status and has also led to inferior supplements becoming available on both the black market and the open market worldwide. This has led to an influx of inferior products claiming to contain Hoodia Gordonii which don't or contain parts of the plant that don't include the stem which are useless. Alternatively they contain no Hoodia at all and instead contain harmful chemicals.

The question remains is it really possible to lose weight with this product?

Absolutely. In fact, there are many weight loss success stories after men and women caught onto the craze. It is also safe to use, with no known side effects, because all it does is trick the brain into believing that you have already eaten and you are full and have no desire for food.

In fact, 60 Minutes Correspont Lesley Stahl confirms it in her broadcast of the product. Lesley stated she experienced no adverse Hoodia side effects or any funny after taste and no heart palpitations. Further, she felt full all day, even at regular mealtimes. She concluded that "it did work", as she had no desire to either drink or eat for the whole day after taking Hoodia.

However, that being said caution must be had when looking for the best pill for your individual needs. As I have already stated, there are some unscrupulous sellers online which should be avoided at all costs.

In order to avoid being ripped off by fake imitations it is important that the product that you buy has a Certificate of Authenticity, contains pure Hoodia, is from the Gordonii species and comes with a money back guarantee!

It's important before you buy any product that you practice due diligence and do a little research to ensure you are buying the best product you can buy and are not going to get ripped off.

Is Hoodia Really The Best Weight Loss Pill?

Hoodia weight loss supplements are becoming increasingly popular all over the world. This article will discuss the truth about this weight loss diet craze.

The Gordonii cactus' home is in South Africa where it is now a protected plant species. A relatively unattractive plant, the Sans Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert have been keeping this all natural diet product to themselves until recent times.

These tribesmen have been using this succulent as a natural bushfood for centuries. It has assisted them to curb their desire for both food and drink while going on long hunting trips. It has also had other medicinal benefits including stomach cramps and to aid with digestion.

This natural appetite suppressant first came to the attention of scientists when they conducted a comprehensive study into the bushfoods of the Sans bushmen. Not only did they learn that this species of plant gave no side effects to its users, but it had incredible appetite suppressing abilities.

Following on from that Phytopharm, a British pharmacological company, isolated the P57 molecule from the stem of the plant and bought the licence to it.

The difficult cultivation conditions for this vegetation as well as a large demand for the product has given it a protected status and has also led to inferior supplements becoming available on both the black market and the open market worldwide. This has led to an influx of inferior products claiming to contain Hoodia Gordonii which don't or contain parts of the plant that don't include the stem which are useless. Alternatively they contain no Hoodia at all and instead contain harmful chemicals.

The question remains is it really possible to lose weight with this product?

Absolutely. In fact, there are many weight loss success stories after men and women caught onto the craze. It is also safe to use, with no known side effects, because all it does is trick the brain into believing that you have already eaten and you are full and have no desire for food.

In fact, 60 Minutes Correspont Lesley Stahl confirms it in her broadcast of the product. Lesley stated she experienced no adverse Hoodia side effects or any funny after taste and no heart palpitations. Further, she felt full all day, even at regular mealtimes. She concluded that "it did work", as she had no desire to either drink or eat for the whole day after taking Hoodia.

However, that being said caution must be had when looking for the best pill for your individual needs. As I have already stated, there are some unscrupulous sellers online which should be avoided at all costs.

In order to avoid being ripped off by fake imitations it is important that the product that you buy has a Certificate of Authenticity, contains pure Hoodia, is from the Gordonii species and comes with a money back guarantee!

It's important before you buy any product that you practice due diligence and do a little research to ensure you are buying the best product you can buy and are not going to get ripped off.

How to Measure Your Body Fat - Making Sure You are Losing Fat and Not Losing Muscle

Knowing how to measure your body fat can help you to stay on track with your fitness goals and get the body that you want. Surprisingly, even if you are thin you can still have a high percentage of body fat. That means that while you may look great with clothes on, as soon as you take those clothes off it is another story all together. If you are overweight, having a high percentage of body fat can cause many different health problems. It is important to get an idea of your body fat percentage and to track it while you are dieting and working out so that you can ensure that you are moving in the right direction and getting closer to the body you want.

Here are some tips on how to measure your body fat. You should choose a method of measuring body fat that is easy for you and not too much of a hassle to do so that you will measure it fairly often and always have a good idea of where your body fat percentage lies. You also need to track your body fat when you are losing weight to ensure that you are actually losing fat and not losing muscle or water weight.

The easiest way to measure your body fat is to use a body fat scale. You are probably familiar with the traditional bathroom scale that gives you your weight, right? The problem with a normal scale is that it just tells you how much weight you have lost - not whether that weight that you lost was fat, muscle or water. In order to get a sleek, sexy, toned body it is highly important to focus on losing fat instead of on losing weight.

That's where a body fat scale can help. These scales look like a normal bathroom scale and can be used to give you your overall weight. However, in addition they are equipped with special foot pads that send a small electronic pulse through your body that measures your body fat percentage. You can't feel the electrical impulse at all, but what it allows you to do is just step on a scale and get a good idea of where your body fat percentage lies as well as whether you are losing fat or muscle. This is much easier than using body fat calipers or any of the other methods of measuring body fat.

Body fat scales are not significantly more expensive than a regular bathroom scale and are a much smarter investment. They can be purchased at most stores and are easy to use.

Focusing your efforts on losing fat rather than losing weight is the only way you will get the toned body that you want. You should incorporate strength training to build muscle, cardio workouts and a proper diet specifically designed to target losing fat rather than losing weight to see the fastest fat loss results.

The problem with low fat, low carb, starvation diets and most other popular diets is that they don't give your body the nutrition it needs. Many people are surprised to discover that a low fat diet is not going to help them lose fat. Instead you need to use a diet that is specifically designed to help you lose fat while providing your body and muscles with the nutrition that they need. You can find out more about the types of diets designed to help you lose fat without losing muscles or water weight and which will help you get a sleek, sexy body at http://fatloss.s1so.com

Water Way To Lose Weight

Ok, so firstly apologies for the terrible title. As much as my brain was telling me not to type it, my fingers just got ahead of me.

Anyway, people are always asking me what's the safest, quickest, most healthiest way to loose weight. As soon as I start to mention the benefits of water, I see them trying to work out how much water they have a day when drinking tea or coffee.

Now I don't care what the leaflets at your local gym or doctors say, Caffeine found in tea and coffee is bad for you and does not count towards your water intake!

Water intake

You should be aiming for at least 1 litre of water per 50lbs of bodyweight (that's about 3 ½ Stone). So if you weigh about 10 ½ stone or 147 lbs, your water intake should be around the 3 litre mark. I know it sounds alot and your probably already visualising yourself going to the toilet all day. This doesn't have to be this way, just by adding a pinch of either good quality sea salt or very good quality rock salt you will be increasing your hydration and decreasing your trips to the loo.

Benefits of water

By increasing your water intake you increase your chances of loosing bodyfat as we begin to flush out the toxins in our body. Just by keeping yourself fully hydrated you'll be able to increase your metabolism by 3%. That may seem like a small percentage but let me put it this way. The average calorie intake for us is about 2000kcal, 3% of that is 60 kcal.

So just by keeping hydrated everyday you could lose up to 7 lbs a year. Ok, not a massive amount but for just staying a hydrated state it's not too bad, and that's worked out at 100% bodyfat!!

You'll also increase your energy levels and have sustained energy throughout the day fighting those afternoon slumps. As the brain itself is made up of 85% water, a mere 2% drop in body water can trigger a fuzzy short term memory, finding it more difficult to cope with simple everyday tasks. Studies have also shown that performance is reduced by 5 to 10% from every 1 to 2% drop in hydration.

A headache is not an aspirin deficiency!

We don't get headache because we are low on aspirin, we take them because we don't know any better. A headache is something that you've caused...you made it ache! The late Dr F. Batmanghelidj author of "Your Body's Many Cries For Water" suggests that water heals most of the common health problems that we currently have.

If water was solid it would be the No1 super food!

We can survive on water alone for more than 40 days, yet we can survive from food alone for only 5-6days Water may decrease the risk of colon cancer by 45%, breast cancer a massive 79% and cancer of the bladder by 50 %.

Anyone fancy a glass of water?

Kevin currently works at the Dax Moy Personal Training Studios where he runs a very successful weight management course.