Online Prescriptions for Weight Loss

Obesity is the most common nutritional disorder in western industrialized countries and its prevalence in the UK is reaching epidemic levels.

The internet is full of websites offering weight loss solutions, slimming pills and advice on the latest fad diets. Being dangerously overweight should be treated as a medical condition as oppossed to a cosmetic concern. Therefore, it is important to get information before seeking an online prescription for weight loss pills.

Click on any of the following links for further information:

What is obesity?
What causes it?
What are the effects of being overweight?
What can I do?
Weight loss pills available

What is obesity?

Obesity arises from the accumulation of excess fat in the body from over consumption of fatty foods.

You can work out whether you're a healthy weight or putting your health at risk by calculating your body mass index (BMI). Take your weight in kilograms and divide it by your height in metres and then divide the result by your height in metres again.

* Underweight = BMI less than 18.5

* Healthy weight = 18.5 to 24.9

* Overweight = 25 to 30

* Obese = 30 to 40

* Severely obese = 40-plus

What causes it?

The cause of obesity falls within two main categories. Obesity caused due to a medical reason or obesity caused by unhealthy lifestyle choices.

Genetics and medical : Some people are predisposed to storing fat and gaining weight. Another reason for obesity is illness or disorder that affects our metabolism - the most widespread is hypothyroidism.

Environment and life style : If you eat more calories than you use in daily activity, the spare energy is stored as fat and weight increases. This is a main reason for excess weight and obesity . Living a sedentary life with a serious lack of physical activity, stress and high calorie cheap food in our diet will inevitably led to becoming obese.

Effects

Being overweight puts your health at risk .Over 30 medical conditions relate directly to obesity and excess weight can also aggravate most of overall health problems. Obesity causes serious health conditions, such as:

High blood pressure
Cardiovascular disease
Heart disease
Stroke
Type 2 diabetes
Gallbladder disease
Cancer of different body organs (for example, breast, colon)
Osteoarthritis and disability
Sleep apnea and others
Stress, anxiety and depression

What can I do?

If you are overweight the first thing to acknowledge is that there's no quick fix. While there are effective slimming pills on the market, exercise and diet are always important. Set realistic goals and always bear in mind that it is a question of balance - to lose weight you need to burn more calories than you're consuming.

The following factors are important for maintaining weight loss:

• Small, permanent dietary changes

• Regular physical activity

• Realistic goals

• Regular weighing

• Support from family and friends

In some cases doctors are able to prescribe medication to help achieve weight loss as part of a weight reduction programme.

Weight Loss Pills

There are effective obesity management drugs (aka slimming pills) available such as

Xenical: Xenical works by blocking some of the fat that you eat from being absorbed by your body. By consuming fewer calories, your body will automatically tap into its fat stores and use them for the energy it needs. Xenical is currently the only weightloss medication approved in the UK for online consultation.

Reductil (product removed) from UK prescribing: as of 25th September 2009 can no longer be supplied online and an alternative treatment such as Xenical must be sought .

Acomplia (product removed) from UK prescribing: A new prescription weight loss drug containing the active ingredient rimonabant. Rimonabant blocks CB1 receptors and so reduces cravings for food and helps decrease appetite and control hunger. The result is that patients will experience the feeling of being full easier thus wanting to eat less than normally.