There is no "Magic Pill"

Ladies and gentleman, I am going to break it to you right now... THERE IS NO MAGIC PILL.
Wait, did I really say that? YES. Sure, there are an abundance of companies that advertise "RAPID" weight loss and or results, but, is rapid always a good thing? NO.

Healthy weight loss is around 1-2lbs per week (source: CDC). Do people lose more than that? Absolutely. Did I have some weeks where I lost more than that? Yes. I will always be honest with you about my journey.

My big drops came from a drastic dietary change and getting off my ass. I went from eating 2000+ calories a day and not exercising. Ok, 2,000 calories may be high- maybe not. I was eating crap. McDonald's, Jack in the Box, Taco Bell, Starbucks, Outback, etc. Granted these places do offer "healthy" alternatives, lets be real, one does not get to be over 200 lbs by eating the healthy options. I did not take any form of pill to lose weight.

So back to these "magic" pills... and why I can't stand them. They do NOT promote healthy weight loss. They promote LAZY weight loss. Would I have loved to not work out, still be eating chicken nuggets and have lost the weight I have? Absofreakinglutely. But here's the problem, you are still improperly fueling your body and the second you stop these "magic" pills, the "magic" stops. You have not changed anything but maybe the amount you are eating. These companies are not offering you a healthy lifestyle, they are offering you a temporary fix to a permanent problem.

Do you even know what you are taking and what the side effects could be? I keep hearing and seeing things for this "A.C.E" company, so, today I googled them and the ingredients. Livestrong actually did a nice little article on their product. It's a good read. I'll give you the readers digest.

Saba for Life is advertising the "A.C.E" product as a NATURAL, healthy weight loss product that will aide in your weight loss through appetite suppression and extra energy. Reading further, there are some reviews, one customer claims to have lost 37 lbs in 11 weeks, that's nearly 3.5 lbs a week.  Ok, I'm pulling out my bullshit card right now. Unless that person paired their pills with a very healthy diet, my opinion is that they are probably not nourished properly because they are still eating the same way they were, just less. Crap food is crap food no matter how you spin it folks. Let's get to the "natural" issue. There are ingredients in their pills that are NOT natural. Their product contains "1,3-Dimethylamylamine" which is actually a SYNTHETICALLY made ingredient though many companies claim it is derived from geranium oil. (source:  WebMD). There is always the risk of side effects: causing your medications not work properly, intaking too much B6 (their pill contains 400% of the daily value) which can cause nerve damage, other ingredients can cause an autoimmune disease to become more active, and oh, it can lead to high cholesterol (source: LiveStrong). I don't see anything healthy about that.

Unfortunately, A.C.E is only one of many pills, I just happened to have a newsfeed overloaded with their product recently so I picked them to rant about.

Any person striving to get healthy and lose weight should consider making the appropriate DIETARY changes: eat clean, eat in moderation, eat to lose weight, etc. Eating clean eliminates a lot of the crap since you are eating whole, unprocessed foods. Moderation is key! Do I love chocolate, starbucks, and bad food still? You bet your sweet ass I do! But, in moderation. I don't need the 500 calorie loaded up with sugar and crap frappuccino! I opt for a healthy option. If you want to lose weight, yes, you do need to eat less. But eat more frequently. This alone will help you lose weight because it naturally boosts your metabolism! Though, my disclaimer: I suck at eating 5-7 times a day. But I'm working on it. And for the love of baby Jesus, GET MOVING!!!!! 30 minutes of light to moderate exercise will make a WORLD of difference when paired with that healthy diet you're eating. You will have extra energy. You will sleep better. You will lose weight. It really is that simple.

Now. I know there is at least one person who will call me out on the fact I do take supplements. You're absolutely right. I do now. I take a pre workout drink to help me get through my workouts, lift heavier, and enhance my athletic abilities. AKA : Gain lean muscle mass and get toned. I recently (and I mean RECENTLY) added a fat loss optimizer to the mix to help burn that stubborn fat. BUT, here is the deal. No where on the companies description will you find an advertisement for rapid weight loss. I will even GLADLY provide you the links for the PreWorkout and Fat Burner that I use. I also plan to discontinue the use of the Fat Burner once my supply is out because it is not meant to be used as continued use. Those of you who follow me also know that I am not relying solely on either of these products to make me thin. I bust my ass day in and day out at the gym and eat well. Though, I do love a good cheeseburger and dessert!
The moral of the story, if you want to lose weight: EAT CLEAN AND TRAIN MEAN. If you want to use supplements, GET LEGITIMATE products that aren't advertising RAPID results. RAPID=TEMPORARY.
And when you are tempted to give in and buy those "magic" pills remind yourself THERE IS NO SUCH THING.Till next time, ya'll.. Make smart choices!