Many women find menopause to be an emotionally charged experience. Worse yet, they may begin to gain weight, and in their panic, search out weight loss programs that are unhealthy. This article discusses the dangers of diuretics and other “quick-fix” ideas, and suggests some healthier alternatives.
Is there a menopause diet pill? If so, how does it work?
It’s human nature, right? We see a change that we don’t like, and we panic.
We look for a quick fix, something that can solve our problem . . . yesterday!
Women experiencing menopause know what I’m talking about. There are so many
changes to your body and to your moods that you no longer feel in control of
you. It’s like you’re a puppet with strings, being controlled by some outside
force.
Worse yet, people who don’t understand the changes happening to them tend to
do whatever they can, however they can to fight those changes…even if it
involves products they may not have taken otherwise. They take risks that they
know they shouldn’t take, figuring that the possible side effects can’t be any
worse than the symptoms they’re currently experiencing.
So let me begin by issuing a warning to all experiencing menopause—diet
pills like diuretics are dangerous. If a pill is causing you to lose weight
rapidly, you are risking your health. Rapid weight loss is always
dangerous—it’s a shock to the system. But rapid weight loss due to a pill is
risking your life, and any results you may get are not sustainable.
Let’s first look at some of the dangers of diuretics:
I’m assuming the weight you want to lose is not water. Remember, diuretics
shed water from the body. As soon as that fluid is replaced through drinking,
the weight comes back. The person takes more diuretics, more fluid is shed
(sometimes dangerous amounts), and besides water loss, the person finds they’re
experiencing low levels of potassium in the body as well, leading to mental
confusion and muscle weakness—and remember, the heart is a muscle. This kind of
weight loss is just not healthy, so if this is your idea of the perfect
menopause diet pill, think again.
What about laxatives?
Laxatives can indeed result in weight loss for women experiencing menopause,
but again, it’s the wrong kind of weight loss. Diarrhea may prevent proper food
absorption, and you may experience dehydration due to…water loss. Again, much
of the weight loss is due to water—water that eventually must be replaced,
leading to a yo-yo weight gain effect.