The health and fitness industry is getting ready for a fight. More specifically, personal trainers are getting ready for a few verbal confrontations. The reason? Fitness and weight loss clients are going to want to take another easy route instead of putting in the hard work required to loss weight and stay healthy. Personal fitness trainers are going to have to be ready to set their clients straight. Another diet pill may soon be marching its way into everyones kitchen cupboards. The health advisory board for the FDA has voted to recommend over-the-counter sales of a weight-loss pill now sold only as a prescription medication. The drug company GlaxoSmithKline is hoping before the end of this year, customers will be able to buy the fat-blocking pill without a doctor's prescription. This will be the first over-the-counter diet drug to win approval from the Food & Drug Administration. As a personal trainer, this is obviously something that would be of concern to me. You see, even if the pill can safely deliver weight loss, no lifestyle changes have been learned. What will happen is limited time weight loss that will return once the pill use has stopped. In essence, it is reverse steroid use. Just like the guys that get big muscles for 12 weeks and then lose it all just as quick, the weight will come back for pill popping dieters. The reason is the lack of knowledge and dedication to do it the slow and right way. The way that takes correctly applied effort. The good news is that the drug company still needs final FDA approval before it can sell an over-the-counter version of the diet pill orlistat which is now sold by prescription under the brand name Xenical. My concern is not with chronically obese people that are at health risk. Sometimes for sake of life or death, a doctor supervised weight loss program including medication is necessary for short term and meaningful weight loss. My concern is for the young people and middle aged babyboomers with 30-50 pounds to lose. Im afraid that there will be confusion between what a Fat Blocker and weight loss pill really do. This over the counter pill will block fat, which does not mean that with this pill you can consume all the chocolate you want. You get fat by eating too many calories. You can block fat, but you still have to watch sugars and other excess calories. If orlistat gets approval it will be the first weight-loss drug given over-the-counter status. The pharmaceutical company Roche is going to continue to sell Xenical regardless of the outcome from the FDA. If we could all show a little self control in our diets and get outside to enjoy life the way it is supposed to be enjoyed, we wouldnt need to put these foreign substances into our bodies. If you are sitting on the couch, get up. There is plenty of time for rest in the grave. If you cant stop putting food in your mouth, figure out why the only satisfaction in your life is overfeeding your body and change. Take care of yourself, enjoy life and stop padding the drug companys wallets. |
