Morgan Cain, a freshman advertising major, has been experimenting with diet pills since the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year. Since December, Cain has been taking MusclePharm Shred Matrix capsules — which promise to burn fat and build muscle in a multi-step process.
MusclePharm promises to increase energy, ramp up metabolism, “crush” hunger, increase nutrient absorption, maintain blood sugar, balance mood, remove excess water and promote “razor-sharp” thinking.
“I’ve never been fat, but I have had a little bit of chub that I’ve wanted to get rid of. I’ve tried a lot of things, like eating better and stuff, but it’s never been as fast as I have wanted,” Cain said.
He said before trying the diet pills, he did some research online.
“I read a lot of reviews on bodybuilding.com, and people said they really helped. I decided to try them out and they really worked,” she said.
Since beginning the regimen, which includes a strict diet with small portions of food six days a week, working out five times a week and a lot of water, Cain has lost approximately 25 pounds.
Faulty causality
Diet pills and weight loss supplements claim to initiate fat loss, but most of them include instructions to drink a lot of water before eating limited amounts of food, as well as lots of exercise. For example, many weight loss pills claim to include HCG, a growth hormone developed from human placentas, as their active ingredient. The Food and Drug Administration has not approved of HCG as an over-the-counter medication, so if the pills do include it, the hormone is diluted or often synthesized.
Peg Hamlett, fitness director for the Student Recreation Center, said the pills probably do not cause the weight loss people see.
“When you read the HCG information, it will say to put like 30 of these drops in your mouth, drink a lot of water, wait to eat for 30 minutes, and you are supposed to have your calorie count at around 500 calories a day,” she said. “Do I really think that HCG is causing people to lose weight, or am I thinking it’s because they are eating 500 calories a day and work out?”
Hamlett also said diet pills normally include B vitamins, which perk people up, and caffeine, a stimulant. The combination of vitamins and caffeine is what creates the boost of energy.
“If (diet pills) really worked, do you know how many thin people we would see around here?” Hamlett said. “They don’t burn fat. They burn your money.”
Not for everyone
Some weight loss pills work, but they are meant for extreme cases. Alli is one of those pills.
“(Alli) is not for the average person. For the normal person who wants to lose five or 10 pounds — you start depleting yourself of the nutrients and vitamins you need (and) you’ll just have problems. It’s made for severely obese people,” Hamlett said.
Alli reduces weight by blocking fat digestion.
“When you take the Alli … you are supposed to take it before a heavy fatty meal, and it grabs hold of the fat, and won’t let the fat be digested in the system, so the fat passes right through the body,” Hamlett said.
But the side effects are prohibitive. Because Alli blocks fat absorption, it is pushed through the digestive system — completely through, and sometimes without warning. This is why Alli packaging warns of anal leakage and discharge.
“It is probably more effective as a training tool,” Hamlett said. “(If you’re using the prescription every day and) you overindulge in super fatty foods, you have a kind of back-end blow out. It would retrain you not to want those foods as much.”
Brain food
The diet restrictions that are suggested in conjunction with weight loss pills may make your weight drop, but they could have the same effect on your GPA.
“Without carbohydrates, you aren’t getting the glucose you need, and your brain isn’t functioning. You don’t focus as well, and you don’t react,” Hamlett said,
Hamlett said the healthy way to lose weight is through a balanced diet. Not only is it important to balance what you eat, it is also imperative to balance when you eat it. Many students don’t eat much all day, and then binge at night, which is not healthy.
“When you see students on these diets they’re falling asleep in class, their grades are going down, they’re not functioning — it’s usually a diet issue,” Hamlett said.
Students are free to talk to Peg Hamlett or a graduate assistant about making healthy choices. They can also determine their body mass composition.
Nicole Lichtenberg can be reached at [email protected]