Diet pills?

[smithmiller6]

My brother has put on quite a bit of weight recently, and he is constantly nagging about it, he is 15. Would taking diet pills be safe?

[chrisrushton]

depends on the pill. i don't know if it'd be effective. most are a scam. the key to weight loss is calories in < calories out, but metabolic pills can increase the calories out.

i used to use thermogenic pills before i went to the gym. it was a mix of caffein, taurine and chilli powder that makes your body metabolism step up a gear. they weren't hugely effective but i did sweat more during workouts. i think the product was aimed more at body builders doing cuts though. for them i think it'd be very effective indeed.

[rocksupreme]

No 15 year old should take diet pills. Change his diet and get him moving his body.

[Tanja]

Originally Posted by smithmiller6

he is 15. Would taking diet pills be safe?

At 15? No, I don't think so. There's no magic pill. Tell him to stop nagging and to watch his diet a bit and exercise.

[The Big D]

Originally Posted by smithmiller6

My brother has put on quite a bit of weight recently, and he is constantly nagging about it, he is 15. Would taking diet pills be safe?

Diet pills for a 15 year old? HELL NO. While "diet pills" could be a number of things, none of them will solve his problem.

Have him get his butt to the gym 4 days a week for about an hour a day. Split it up something like this:

Day 1: Chest & Abs
Day 2: Legs
Day 3: Biceps & Shoulders
Day 4: Triceps and Back

Plan on about 6 exercises per day, 3 sets per exercise of 10-12 reps with the weight set to hit exhaustion at the end of the set. Stretch and do a 15 rep light warmup before the first exercise to use a given muscle group. I can suggest specific exercises if needed, but in general hit the big compound stuff like bench press, pull ups (with assist, since he's fat), dips (again, assist), squats, lunges etc.

Do that plus get rid of any major dietary issues like tons of soda or twinkies or lack of protein, and most males will lose about 2 lbs/week down to close their ideal weight and put on a good bit of muscle without having to count calories.

[koneall]

At 15, you're setting him up to believe his problems can be fixed with pills. It would be healthier to get him on a low carb diet. Not only will he lose weight, but it can clear up any acne.

[ginkgo]

If he starts taking drugs then there is a good chance that he will be a heavy drug user. Medications are the 4th leading cause of death in the U.S.