The pressure is on women to perform miracles. They are told to maintain a low body weight for both health and image reasons, while at the same time maintaining a busy lifestyle that allows too little time for exercise or preparation of complete, nutritious meals from ingredients in their natural state.

The world of food marketers uses sophisticated communication and persuasion tactics to lure customers to processed foods that offer more convenience than natural foods, but often more calories also. It is no surprise then that diet pills have developed as a massive market sector in their own right.

However, not all diet pills work in the same way. If you are at the stage of considering using a diet aid, the following will give you a little insight into how the various types work and what might be your best choice. Remember that people are different and the pill that delivered great results for your friend, may not do the same for you.
Weight loss aids come in three general categories.

The one people seem to be most familiar with is the metabolism boosters, or calorie burners. These are basically “pep” pills or supplements, designed to increase your calorie burn. Unfortunately, they can also increase heart rate and even elevate anxiety levels. There was a time when versions containing quite dangerous chemical stimulants were available.

Thankfully, regulation now controls what these might contain but you still need to use caution. The usual active ingredients in this type of product these days are green tea, caffeine products, including the new “green coffee”, guarana and mua hang or ephreda.

This last pair are often represented as a herbal and natural option despite being quite powerful in their effect. Many women have achieved significant weight loss with this category of product, but keep an eye on any side effects if you do choose this approach.

Another category of supplements promise to suppress your appetite and some good results have been achieved. Again, however you should approach this tactic with caution. Many of the suppressant style products contain active ingredients such as Citrimax (or Garcinia) and a product known as Conjugated Linoleic Acid or CLA for short.

These two have been shown in studies to be safe and effective for some women in suppressing appetite and assisting in weight reduction. Some products citing these “natural” ingredients may also contain some of the above mentioned metabolism boosters so read labels carefully and monitor any negative effects closely.

There are a number of prescription appetite suppressants available but some of these have been linked to serious side effects so talk it over thoroughly with your doctor before taking this option. As a guide, it is suggested by studies that if after 4 weeks on this category of diet aid you have not shed at least 2 kilos (4 pounds), then the product is not for you.

The final type of weight los aid is the Absorption Blockers. Different products target either carbohydrates or fats and aim to block or stop your body from absorbing them. To get down to the nitty gritty, what your body does not absorb, it must send out with other waste.
Some people have shown positive results from this category but recently some concerns have also been raised.

In particular, some carbohydrate blockers seem to reduce the important copper and since mineral levels in your system and the fat blocker, usually Chitosan based, can send valuable nutrients, such as fatty vitamins A,E and D, out with the waste as well.

You might choose any of these and get good results, but the inescapable truth is that the cornerstones of any worthwhile weight loss program should be improved eating habits and regular exercise.

Don’t fall prey to the marketers skills – read labels carefully, ask questions and don’t believe that the words “natural” and “herbal” on a product are a guarantee of safety.

Very importantly, if you are pregnant or breast feeding, any diet product, no matter how “safe” it claims to be, is off limits for you.