Although many different diet pills are available to take, you might not need them if you are following a pre-packaged diet. There are several problems with taking diet pills, yet many people still continue to take them. The only pills you should need are a few kinds of supplements.

You may be taking cheap over-the-counter diet pills or prescription diet drugs from your doctor along with your Nutrasystem, Jenny Craig, or Medifast diet. No one says that you cannot take diet pills when you are on the program.

In either case, though, the pills inevitably come with warnings. They might raise the blood pressure or even cause heart attacks. You might be advised to watch for anxiety and nervousness. The pills’ literature might warn of serious possible organ damage.

Other side effects of some of the newer drugs have more to do with the digestive tract. Because many of these drugs work by preventing absorption of fats, they send those same fats skimming through the digestive system at a fast rate. You can experience diarrhea, flatulence, or even incontinence.

Nutrasystem is one diet that encourages the use of one particular over-the-counter diet pill, Alli. They do not say that you need to take it, but they offer counseling for anyone who is thinking of or is now taking it.

Jenny Craig does not condone the use of diet pills as a way to help with weight loss, and they do
not include appetite suppressants in their pre-packaged meals, either. For that matter, Nutrasystem meals do not have appetite suppressants or stimulants in them either.

On the other hand, Medifast has publicized its value in a program that includes diet drugs. It goes on to state that it does not push the use of diet pills. However, the company understands that diet drugs do exist and that people use them. They explain that people do better with diet pills when they are on the Medifast diet.

There are a few good reasons why you do not need diet pills when you follow a pre-packaged diet. First of all, the meals of the diet are spaced out through the day to keep the metabolism going strong and to promote weight loss. Along with these benefits, the meal spacing means that you will be able to eat at several times during the day to maintain a feeling of satisfaction.

One type of pills you will probably need along with the Nutrasystem, Jenny Craig, or Medifast diet program is vitamin and mineral supplements. Some diets make vitamins and mineral supplements available and recommend their use when appropriate. For people who cannot tolerate milk, for example, the programs work best if the person takes a calcium supplement.

Diet pills per se are not necessary for any good diet, whether it is Nutrasystem, Jenny Craig, or Medifast. However, some diet companies support some diet pills. You have to decide for yourself whether it is worth the aggravation of dealing with any side effects you might experience.

The low-glycemic index (low GI) diet and the low-carb diet are two popular diets in use today by those who want to lose weight.

A low-carb diet severely restricts the number of carbohydrates you eat in total and does not much always distinguish between unrefined versus refined carbohydrates. It concentrates on including protein, fats and low carbohydrate vegetables, such as greens.

By contrast, a low glycemic index diet encourages the inclusion of all food groups and does not severely limit carbohydrates, but discourages the use of foods that register high on the glycemic index, meaning simple sugars that break down in the body quickly and cause spikes in blood sugar. It excludes foods such as white flour, white rice, sugar and foods like white potatoes in excess. However, it encourages the use of slow burning, complex carbohydrates such as brown rice and bread made from whole-wheat flour, foods that break down slowly and cause a steady, even release of glucose into the bloodstream, thus avoiding spikes in blood sugar and this way aid in weight loss.

Although the low-carb diet, among the most popular of which is the Atkins diet, will make you lose weight quickly, much of this weight loss will initially be water. Consuming high amounts of animal protein can strain the kidneys, because excess animal protein must be excreted through the kidneys - it cannot be stored. This also can encourage bone loss that, in severe cases, can lead to osteoporosis, because, when excess animal protein is excreted through the kidneys, it must bind with calcium to do so. Finally, having excess animal protein in the diet can also lead to gout and arthritis. Diets high in saturated fat can also lead to prostate and colon cancers.

Of course, so severely restricting the carbohydrate food group, which includes not only grains and cereals but fruits and vegetables, can result in its followers not getting enough
important nutrients that can only be found in plant foods, especially complex carbohydrates. It is also not to be used on children, since complex carbohydrates provide an important source of energy for neurological and overall growth. This is also the argument against its long-term use in adults, although adults can better withstand short-term exclusion of carbohydrates because they do not have the energy needs children do for physical and neurological growth.

Finally, a major drawback to low carbohydrate diets is that fiber is so severely restricted with the exclusion of complex carbohydrates that, in order to avoid constipation, users must take a fiber supplement. However, if users were to consume complex carbohydrates in reasonable amounts instead, not only would they get fiber from them, but they would also get important nutrients lacking in low-carb diets.

Restricting vegetables and fruit can be linked to a higher risk of esophageal, oral and stomach cancers, as well as the aforementioned colon cancer. Incidentally, the low-carb, high animal protein diet is also very hard on the environment, since having animals consume vegetable products to produce meat rather than having humans directly consume vegetable products themselves is a very inefficient way to produce food and produces a lot of waste via animal excretion that pollutes the environment and wastes a lot of water as well.

Therefore, instead of following a strict low-carb diet, most experts advise following a diet that is low in simple carbohydrates such as refined flowers and sugars, but includes complex carbohydrates, such as wheat flour, brown rice, fruits and vegetables, plus a moderate amount of good fats such as fish oil and olive oil.

Saturated fat, such as that from red meat, should be limited, and trans-fats should be avoided altogether. Protein sources low in saturated fat, such as beans and legumes, fish, chicken and turkey, should be consumed in moderation. Drinking enough water and getting plenty of exercise are also important for any weight loss program.

The Atkins Diet has been in existence for over 30 years and has enjoyed a surge in popularity over the last few years.

Pioneered by Dr. Robert Atkins, the theory behind the Atkins Diet is simple. Your body prefers to utilize carbohydrates (such as in grains, cereals, breads, etc.) for energy and will burn them first prior to body fat. By cutting down dramatically on carbohydrates in your diet, you force your body to burn fat for energy.

Reducing the carbohydrates in your diet puts your body into a state called “ketosis.” This word is derived from the “ketones” that are used by your body for energy when sugars/carbs aren’t available. When you are in this state of ketosis, your body is producing ketones from your fat that is being burned for energy. Ketones are essentially the leftovers from this process and are used in place of sugar in the body.

One of the major misconceptions about the Atkins Diet that has been widely reported is that you can or should eat extremely unhealthy, fatty foods all the time. This is not actually true. Dr. Atkins recommends that you limit your intake of these types of foods (e.g. butter, sausage, bacon, etc.) and instead focus on healthy fats such as olive oil, fish oil, nuts, etc.

The Atkins Diet has many positives and negatives that have been associated with it. Some of the positives include:

- Rapid Weight Loss - though the first couple of days the majority of weight lost is water, your body does become more efficient at fat burning and you do lose fat.

- Reduced Mood or Energy Swings - eating carbohydrates (especially sugary ones) can lead to mood and energy swings. This is often seen as the post-lunchtime
or afternoon energy crash. When you eliminate the carbs, you eliminate the source of this problem.

- Reduced Consumption of Refined Foods - highly refined foods are the source of many health problems. The more processed a food is, the less nutrients are generally in it. The Atkins Diet encourages a focus on the consumption of more natural state foods such as vegetables, lean meats, fish, eggs and healthy oils.

Some of the negatives that have been associated with the Atkins Diet include:

- Rapid Regaining of Lost Weight - this can happen when a person comes off the Atkins Diet. They regain all the weight they lost. One of the major reasons for this is that when you eliminate the carbs from your diet for a long period of time, your body becomes more sensitive to them. When you go back to your regular eating habits (which may not have been great to begin with), your body reacts more strongly to the sugar and carbs in foods, leading to weight gain. This weight gain can be reduced by easing off the Atkins Diet gradually rather than by feasting on carbohydrates.

- Lack of Food Choices - it can be difficult to find things to eat that are low carb. Most grocery stores are primarily stocked with carbohydrate-laden foods and it can get boring eating the same things over and over again. Luckily, with the popularity of the Atkins diet and other low carb diets, there are many delicious recipes available to help alleviate this boredom.

The Atkins Diet may not be for you but by incorporating some of the principles in it, such as lowering your carbohydrate intake and eating more natural-state foods, you may find that you can achieve great results without ever having to restrict yourself. It may take a little longer but the results will be more permanent as it is more of a lifestyle change than a diet.