Well, its not true weight gainers or other form of weight
management products will not have side effects, to be allowed to be
sold in SG. There are few side effects though, although they are
usually not serious. Moodiness, headache, lethargy can be some of
the symptoms. Loss of energy can exist too.
a) Drug theraphy
Nowadays, people knew the addictiveness and serious side effects of
drugs. even with safer ones, drugs do not teach one to break bad
eating habits or only temporarily stop the syndrome.
Stimulants like dexedrine and adderall is now discouraged because
of addictiveness. It is the oldest form of diet pills.
Fenfluramine is similar to stimulants, but has less dependency
probs. It suppress appetite.
Phentermine is similar also to stimulants, but has less risks
too
Fluxetine or commonly called Prozac is the latest. It curb
appetitie and elevate mood.
Phenylpropanolamine is also like amphetamines or stimulants.
The above mentioned drugs mostly increase serotonin in brain, curb
appetite and elevate mood. However, they have various level of side
effects and dependcy problems.
I heard the latest one is called Xenical, yet I discourage its use.
It seems this drug is for seriously obese people. All of these
drugs must be taken under supervision.
b) Exercise
Good idea, even for skinny people. Buld your body mass and muscle.
For people intending to go on exercise regime, please consult a PT
trainer. Exercise doesnt mean just warm up and run off. You might
do it wrongly, and overexert your body. For light exercise,
especially old people and pregnant women, Walk 2 click burns
roughly 100 calories. Start with one click in one day, lasting 15
minutes, then build up the pace and increase the distance. Walking
before meal can helps curb appetite.
c)Nutrition theraphy and diet.
Goes along with exercise. Now beside properly planned diet which I
would not explain here, (cos it damn leceh) 
, nutrition theraphy is the mainstay of all weight
management programmes. Why weight management, and not weight loss?
Underweight people need to build up body mass and muscle too. So
weight management balance the body weight and mass ,as well as
maintaining it.
On the market, there are emergence of many weight management
products. These type of products are recommended because of the
following reasons.
Does not contain drugs. Usually those that pass through HSA are
certified drug free.
Natural ingredients. Also, because these contain calories and other
nutrients, they replaces meals. Like for example, taking maybe one
packet of these products mixed with drinks act as a meal, as well
as appetite curber (so that you wont go munching on snacks). Plus
they give you calories, and therefore energy to enable you to carry
on your daily programme. At the same time these products burn fats,
but you still must eat at least one balanced meal a day
Safe effective. Some are used by hospitals.
They are weight management, not weight loss products, therefore,
ideal for people of all weight and body fats, even for people who
wish to maintain weight. These products complement your meals and
body metabolism, unlike drugs which produce drastic change in your
body.
HOWEVER, many people look for the wrong ones. You must dicern
between Very Low Calorie Diet VLCD and Medium Low Calorie
Diet
VLCDs in the market has one con point, which is that they induce
calorie intake of between 500 - 800 calories. This is below normal
body requirement, and people develop rapid weight loss. The body
will then experience a shock. There are high risks of epilepsy and
fatigue. This can be experienced after long term usage.
The following are the side effects too. Lowering of metabolic rate
as body system kicks in to reduce calorie burning rate. Yo yo
phenomenon as VLCDs do not change bad eating habits. loss of lean
muscle due to body using muscle protein as energy. This results in
fatigue.
What bad eating habits can VLCDs induce?. Full liquid diet. Coz the
products are liquid diet by itself, going totally without eating at
least a balanced meal can cost people unable to regain habit of
eating. Very dangerous.
MLCDs provide more than 1000 calories a day, long term
effectiveness, gradual weight loss or gain, no side effects, no
medical supervision and taken with normal meals
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