Post Host! featuring Chelle from Everyday Polish

Welcome to a new feature at WIOG. Basically a "trading spaces" type of day where we invite another blogger to host-a-post. In the next 2 months, you will see posts from Chelle over at Everyday Polish every other week on Tuesdays. Enjoy!


Hey WIOG-fam! I'm so happy to be post-hosting here today and I just wanted to share some reflections on my own healthy-body journey.

As a crazy-busy corporate gal, I often find myself pressed for time and looking for a quick-fix when it comes to losing weight.  Unfortunately, this sometimes leads me to try out methods that promise impossible results and are probably less than healthy. Let me tell you, I've wasted hundreds (okay thousands) of dollars looking for that magic method that would get me back into my skinny jeans and believe me when I tell you the cost and associated risks are just not worth it! In case you're rolling your eyes and thinking that I'm just another non-believer, let's start by taking a look at the diet pills I've tried, the ultimate quick-fix. To be clear, I am neither promoting these items nor saying they are ineffective if used properly under a doctor's supervision (which I foolishly never asked for). I'm just sharing my experience with you so that next time you walk past them in the store or see a flashy ad, you can have a point of reference to consider. If you ever decide to try any type of diet pills, which I really don't advise, consult your physician and really consider the side effects.

1) Slimquick: Doesn't the chubby cartoon lady on the box seem so friendly and inviting? Choking down a handful of pills before every meal? Not so much...saw little to no noticeable results.

2) Hydroxycut: A friend of mine says these are basically speed. I don't remember which version I tried, but I think it had one of the more aggressive names, maybe Razor? Regardless, I DO remember losing maybe 4lbs while I was taking it, but deciding it wasn't worth a repurchase. One of the trainers I've gone through told me those pills are really for people who are already fairly slim and that it burns off fluid to help them be more defined. If you have actual flab to lose, he said, you wouldn't see anything it did anyway.

3) Bethel S30: Eventually taken off the market for potentially causing heart problems and then reintroduced with a new formula (I found out about this AFTER trying it), this pill (available online only) struck me as incredibly shady when my friend raved about it. But when I saw her losing up to a pound daily, I leapt at it. Did I lose weight fast? Absolutely, because I had zero appetite. But the chest pains, chronic dry mouth and fact that they sent along laxatives you were supposed to take daily quickly told me I was making a mistake of Anna Nicole Smith sized proportions (bless her soul). Even so, the quick-fix temptation is hard, and I kept thinking "just a few more pounds and then I'll quit!". Luckily, a caring soul convinced me to toss the rest of the bottle and sure enough the chest pains stopped and the weight came back as rapidly as it'd left.

4) Skinnygirl Weight Support & Energy: As a lover of all things Bethenny, it was a given that I'd try this as soon as it hit the market.  I will say that even Bethenny doesn't push it as a weight-loss drug, the label just says that "Studies suggest these healthy fats [in the pill] increase the efficiency in which your body metabolizes fat". In my opinion, it's a prettier, dressed-up Omega-3 supplement. Of all the pills listed here, I think it was the most harmless, but it didn't do anything significant to the numbers on the scale, even when combined with the Cleanse & Restore Daily Green Lemonade (which I will say is really conveniently packaged, gets things moving and which I would be more likely to commit to if it dissolved fully in water).  I wouldn't be opposed to using this system again, but given that it really didn't make major difference in my body, why ingest additional substances that I don't have to?


At the end of the day, I know myself well enough to know that I'll always be tempted the promise of a shiny magic pill, but that's really just the lazy girl inside and it's doing my body much more harm than good.  Most of these pills, if you read the fine print on the box, only promise a weight-loss of 1-2 lbs per week when combined with healthy diet and exercise. Isn't that a racket given that a healthy weight-loss of 1-2 lbs per week can be achieved with diet and exercise alone? Additionally, even if I did find a magic pill, I wouldn't want to be chained to it for the rest of my life. No matter how crazy my schedule gets, I can't rely on pills to do my work for me, I've got to find the lifestyle changes that can work with that crazy schedule and still get me to where I want to be.These days, the only pills I pop are daily supplements, which I HAVE gotten approved by my doctor.      "Well, ob-viously messing with diet pills are a bad idea! Why don't you just try an actual diet?" you may be saying...well, let's just say that's a story for my next Post Host!