healthy you
W EIG H T LOSS
Who Qualifies?
All three of the medications listed
below are targeted for those who qualify as obese (a body
mass index of 30 or higher—calculate yours by entering "BMI
calculator” in the search field at
cdc.gov)
or who have weight-
related complications such as diabetes or sleep disorders.
TH E BIG TH R EE
There are three medications that
make up the bulk of weight-loss
prescriptions in the United States.
Here’s a look at each.
PHENTERMINE This drug is in the
only class of diet pills proven to
reduce appetite. It’s chemically
related to amphetamines and has a
similar, albeit reduced, effect on the
central nervous system. That’s good
for appetite suppression and perhaps
exercise motivation, but it also can
cause side effects such as elevated
blood pressure and pulse, irritability,
and insomnia. If you have a history of
hypertension or other cardiovascular
conditions, a responsible doctor isn’t
likely to give you phentermine.
It’s approved for short-term use
only, which may mean as little as
three or four weeks, or as much as a
few months, depending on your
doctor and your success with it.
SIBUTRAMINE Sold under the brand
name Meridia, sibutramine speeds
satiety—that is, it makes you feel full
sooner. The effect is subtle but can help
with portion control. “You have to
work with the medication, pushing
yourself away from the table at the
right time,” Hensrud says. “Other-
wise it’s easy to out-eat the drug.”
Side effects include constipation,
dry mouth, or insomnia. It can
raise blood pressure, so it shouldn’t
be used by those whose pressure
isn’t well controlled.
ORLISTAT By preventing the
fat-digesting enzyme lipase from
working at full strength, orlistat
(sold at prescription strength as
Xenical) sends about
30
percent of
the fat you eat right through your
system without being absorbed.
Orlistat is now also available in
an over-the-counter version called
Alli (pronounced “ally,” as in
friend). Alli is sold at half the
strength of Xenical.
But again, this drug can’t
magically make you thin. If you eat
too many fat calories,
70
percent of
those calories will be digested and
stored as body fat. And if you eat
too many nonfat calories, orlistat
won’t work, because it doesn’t
block carbohydrates or protein.
Orlistat can have dramatic side
effects. Because of the undigested
fat, you may have diarrhea, copious
gas, or an urgent need to use the
bathroom. These effects are easy
to avoid—don’t eat fatty meals.
OSE WEIGHT, GAIN HEALTH____________________
COMING UP NEXT MONTH
THE STRENGTH TO LOSE W EIGHT Unless you engage in regular
strength training, you lose muscle mass every year. Reduced muscle
means your body burns fewer calories than it did when you were
younger. Our routine is easy to learn and requires no equipment.
210 MAY 2009 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
The Series
So Far
We’ve covered a lot of ground since we
started the “Lose Weight, Gain Health”
series in January. Some highlights:
^
3
SLOW AND low
Healthy weight
loss never involves dropping large
amounts quickly. A rate of 1-2
pounds per week is ideal.
3
w
3
1
w]
3
a
SMALL IS BIG
The gradual
accumulation of small changes to
your diet and activity levels will
ultimately lead to success. Eat a
little less, exercise a little more,
whenever you can.
THERE IS HELP
Diets, in fact, do
work. Weight-loss plans such as
Weight Watchers, Pritikin, Jenny
Craig, and Nutrisystem can help
hen it’s too hard to go it alone.
A NEW WAY TO EAT
Over the
long term, the Mediterranean way
of eating has been shown to be the
easiest to stick with.
[^
SUCCESS BREEDS SUCCESS
Do
something, anything, to start or
restart your weight-control efforts.
Have faith: You will eventually
make it work.
