q&a friday

i'm back friends. the weather was rough but we made it through! pics to come soon!
now back to the q&a friday questions...

weight loss supplements. 

are there any that are healthy? are they safe? 

and here's the report... the issue with weight loss supplements is that they are not subjected to the same rigorous standards/procedures prescription drugs are subjected to. the food & drug administration {fda} does not have to do tests for these supplements. this means there is no standard body making sure these products are effective or that they even contain what they say they contain...and that's where the problem lies. we are unsure of the short-term and long-term effects and the research just isn't there to determine if they work. so basically anyone can put out a supplement out and state it's "magic" and while they may be showing research, remember they are selling a product and can skew it the way they see fit. however when supplements/weight loss pills are put on the market, the fda does monitor it's safety and can recall/ban something if necessary. so far, the only weight loss supplement {actually an over the counter medicine} that has been approved by the fda is alli, yet there have been records of liver damage and unpleasant side effects. 

here is a link to a mayo clinic article, they took a few supplements and wrote a small description regarding  the action and safety of each

mayo clinic

and here is the fda link for future questions and as a source

fda

basically, as not fun as this is to say, there is no quick fix for sustained weight loss. it will take a balance of smaller portion healthier meals plus exercise to achieve a healthy weight loss. and while it's not easy, it is achievable!