My own diet pill rant but it might not be what you think.
If people are taking diet pills it’s because they are desperate and they don’t really know what to do. They are looking for some help people. They don’t need rants thrown at them. I took diet pills for about a month in my twenties and learned that they didn’t work. Then I lost weight doing healthy things but went back to my old ways and gained. And then I found myself still looking at those diet pills again. Even when I knew better I was still looking because some of us get in that desperate state of wanting help.
Just because alot of us have lost weight in healthy ways doesn’t make us experts to start telling others how to do it. We probably have all made mistakes in the past and we had to learn things ourselves. Shit, some of the blogs on here are about how people (like our relatives) want to give us “helpful hints” about dieting and we don’t like the different ways they tell us so why should we be pushy to others when we don’t think they are doing something right. Our relatives or friends are right but we don’t like their delivery of their message or we aren’t in the right place in our lives to listen. And let’s not forget, we should always have a certain amount of grace when we are advising others.
Hell, let’s be honest here. I know that diet pills can be harmful to our health and I recommend them to no one. But I know that there are people on this site who have taken harder things than diet pills (yes, I mean drugs) and probably no one could tell them they were doing wrong. So why can’t we show a little compassion or grace to someone who might be taking diet pills. People learn on their own time and with their own experiences.
Or maybe someone may have a bad relationship and others see it and try to tell that person but that person says “Mind your own business”. They don’t see that their relationship is bad but everyone in the freaking world can see it. That person too will learn in their own time. (yes, I might just be talking about you)
I’m just saying, some people will learn on their own and in their own time.
And as far as this “clean eating” is concerned, I don’t think it’s for everyone. Eat clean all you want but then I’ve seen some people eat “clean” and not get enough protein or iron and blah blah blah. And if I could put my two cents in (which I will because it’s my blog) then I think “clean eating” is a bit of a fad diet. I’ve had friends brag that they were vegetarians but still have weight problems because they ate pasta all the dang time. Do whatever you want but let’s not all become experts ok?
Would I ever recommend diet pills to anyone? No. But I don’t want to sit and judge someones struggle because I know how hard it is. I can tell someone all day long that diet pills are bad but they might or might not listen. But if they see me doing it healthy or read my blogs about doing it in a healthy way then that might get them to want to do it more than just taking the pills.
I have done things right myself. Exercised, ate right and all that jazz and still gained my weight back because changing everything all the time in your life is hard. So telling someone they can take pills just to have it all the weight come back may be right but c’mon, we can do it “healthy” and still gain it all back too.
And if it’s an ad that everyone is ranting about then just skip the ad. Gee whiz just skip it. The person posting it is probably just trying to make money. Sure report them but then move on. It’s not the first ad and it won’t be the last.
We can judge someone else’s struggle with pills and whatever all we want but that’s because we might be having success right now. But in another year some of us could gain all our weight back from a pregnancy or a stressful time and there we are eyeing that bottle of diet pills or maybe even a weight loss surgery. We are all human and we all need compassion. If we were all perfect then we wouldn’t be on a weight loss site.
I like everyone on this site but I don’t care for the holier than thou thing. Now go on blog about it if you want. You know you will. But, don’t call me a hater. I’m not a hater. I’m just tired of the bullsh-t too. Only I see a different type of bullsh-t on this site.
Oh, and one more thing. I love how people like to criticize other peoples blogs by making negative comments on them and then they go off and write their own blog about the subject too and get everyone in an uproar and get all kinds of high fives but then they get all pissed off when someone write something negative on their blog and they want to delete away. It’s amusing.
If you don’t like me after this blog then I don’t care. I really don’t. I bet we can all find something in our lives that we are doing wrong in and no one in the whole wide world can convince us otherwise. But having a kind word or a pat on the back for the good things we do helps us keep going. I’m tired of the holier than thou bullsh-t. Yes, I’ll keep reading it and it’s for the same reason you read everyone else’s blog too or feel compelled to comment on someone else’s blog that you think they are doing wrong on. It’s because you can.
Yikes! Very true words. About the diet pills though that may just be out of concern! I had a family friend die from taking them, so if I read that someone is, I feel like I should warn that person (I would feel guilty not saying anything!) But I always try to follow it up with words of encouragement. We all can do this, there is definatly no need to put anyone down!!! I’m sorry if someone put you down!! We just all need to be encouraging to one another. I agree there is no right way or wrong way for people to do things, but if a friend is taking something dangerous then I feel you are only a friend if you say something. Good reminder though that no one has all the answers!
I agree with alot of what you said. There’s often a lot of drama going on around here and I do stay out of it. As for the diet pills, I would never recommend them to anyone, but I hope I have never judged anyone for taking them either. I took them for nearly 2 years (aged 15-17) and was, in retrospect, addicted to them. The suppressed my appetite but as they were herbal i thought this was good. Yes I lost weight but I also had zero self esteem. The pills didn’t help. But I used them for a reason and that reason was to lose weight and it worked. So I cannot judge anyone for doing the same. I just often think that peeople take them as they are desperate, as I think I was. Anyway, I’m rambling! take care
Well said. Yours is the blog I started reading before I got impatient and had to start pouring my heart out on this blog. (lol) After I spilled my guts about my fat history (ha) I went back and finished reading your post because, of course, I’m still not tired!
Once I finished your (very well written) post, I went on to read some others and got a better idea where your feelings came from. Simply put - You are right on! Thanks for tellin’ it like it is! I wish you great success! 
Heya, WW! Good to see you here. How are you doing friend?
Thanks for speaking up. Hugs,
Tatiana
Oh, goodness…yet again. I say…we are all adults here and can make our own decisions. Some are better than others, but they are our own to make. I do what I think is best for me. Mucho drama lately. I don’t like pills, but that doesn’t mean everyone agrees with me!
Oh and OF COURSE the weight can be gained back fomr ANY method of loss, that is why I feel that permanent lifestyle change is the best!
That’s all I was hoping for..a little compassion and not hurting someone or making them feel like they cant come here because they are doing something different.
You put a lot of the feelings I have into this blog too.
I’ve had my say on the subject and wont be writing any more blogs on it.
Thanks for this blog.
(you hanging in there girl?)
I sometimes WISH I could take diet pills. I had a bad experience with some yellow jackets once though (I stayed up for almost 50 hours and felt like CRAP after taking two to drive back to school from a visit home.) I am apparently very susceptible to any form of “speed” and it makes me feel like a weirdo, so a few cups of coffee per day is my drug of choice. lol But sometimes I think about diet pills. I think most of us would be lying to ourselves to say that an easy fix never crossed our minds. But the bottom line is, diet pills may help you lose weight, but they will NOT help you get into shape. No pill in the world can make a 6-pack appear on flabby abs, no pill will take you from couch potato to marathon runner. If your only goal is to lose weight, and you don’t care how crappy you look or out of shape you are, go for the diet pills. But if you really want to have a healthy body and look good (muscle tone is SEXY baby!) then a healthy diet and exercise is the only way to go. I’m not sure about the eating clean being a fad diet…. I’m looking into it myself, but not ready to commit yet. Basically, from what I can tell, it’s just a regular diet composed of super healthy ingredients, and I don’t see what’s “fad” about that. But I haven’t finished my research yet.
Interesting blog… I always enjoy hearing opinions from every side of an issue. I’m the type of person who LOVES a good discussion, and it can only be a discussion of everyone feels comfortable enough to voice their true feelings. I don’t like the whole “calling out” that goes on; it seems like bullying to me. It IS possible to respect a decision or opinion without agreeing with it; at the very least, the person should be respected. Too often, people take any form of criticism personally… like, “If you don’t like what I say, then you don’t like ME.” For me, that couldn’t be further from the truth. I love many people with whom I disagree on important issues (much more important than the diet pill debate. lol) so the back-and-forth sometimes seems silly to me.
Anyway, kudos for voicing your opinion. Nothing wrong with that, more people should do it more often.
Good blog, thanks for making me look at both sides of the issue. That’s what we all need to do, then make an informed decision. Hopefully the healthy choice will win out.
Nancy deleted my comment and I am reposting it here with WW’s permission.
Hi Nancy,
Do you use capital letters to show that you are yelling, screaming, and punching fists in the air? That is what I perceive when someone suddenly starts typing in capital letters with tons of “!!!” at the end. If this is the case, then there is no place for a dialogue or discussion but for one-sided monologue/screaming only.
Nancy, yelling and confronting smokers, drug addicts, and people with food addiction and poor body image would be great if it worked. It does not work in reality; it makes defenses stronger and persons resist to change even more.
What does work in helping to reach the place of a true change is a dialogue. Intelligent, empathic dialogue when you present pros and cons. When you bring the reality without putting a person down for mistakes and faulty choices.
Motivation to change lies in thoughtful personal interactions, not in blaming, name calling, or shaming.
I am confident that none of the people on Buddy Slim who are considering or using pills at the moment would risk sharing their problems and thoughts about pills or quick fad diets here. It is not safe. Not anymore. It is a hostile environment for those in doubt, seeking advice about using pills, or just bouncing ideas off others. These people need a place for discussion with facts and research, not yelling. Has yelling solved the problem? No. It just went underground.
Nancy, we both know that keeping shameful secrets like taking pills, starving, or purging is a part of overeating and bingeing. Talking about secrets, bringing the monsters to light is a part of healing.
At the same time I do report spammers who blog about magic weight loss tools with links to commercial sites.
Nancy, I used phentermine to lose weight three years ago. I did try quick fixes and fad diets. It was a part of my personal journey to find a healthy way to lose weight. I am not ashamed of my past; I learned from it.
I hear you that you are passionate and feisty. That you consider yourself speaking for others. That is okay. A good, competent leader creates a safe and respectful place for members to find thoughtful solutions.
I leave you with the definition of confrontation from Webster:
Confront:
1. To come face-to-face with, to stand in front of
2. To face with hostility; oppose defiantly
3. To bring closer together for comparison or examination
I don’t agree with diet pills
BUT THANKS for showing both sides of the issues.
Well written blog.
Ultimatly we all have to make our own choices.
Big thanks to everyone that has commented on my blog whether you agreed with what I wrote or maybe didn’t agree entirely or not at all.
I think it’s safe to say we all care about others and we all really mean well. We just have different opinions and styles over delivering our message to others. This site has helped me big time and alot of the people on here were very supportive to me and I hope I was of some support to others too. I will always love Buddyslim. That’s why I come back and I can’t bare to delete my account!