Ummmm….What?!

Food and dieting go hand in hand. I write about nutrition and dieting along with writing about food. But I have been saving something that I just have to get off my chest about diets. Or I should say, a particular diet.

About ten years ago there was a diet pill being advertised on t.v. called Xenical. I am not certain how it even got past the FDA since the side effects were so off-putting that I can’t imagine a single person buying the pills, let alone using them long enough to see if they work.

The side effects were announced on air, but I have a feeling that people weren’t listening because it stopped me in my tracks.

Let’s look at them:

an urgent need to go to the bathroom, an increased number of bowel movements – Okay, these two aren’t too bad and you could live with them depending on how severe they were

oily spotting – please tell me that will be on my face

an oily discharge – ummm. From where?

oily or fatty stools, or orange or brown colored oil in your stool - Oh gross!

gas with discharge – You mean I’ll be blowin’ oil all over my shorts?!?!

sudden unexpected bowel movements – What?!? Are you kidding me?

So picture this: You are in a meeting at work, at a movie or on a date and you have a ’sudden unexpected bowel movement’ or even a gassy, oily discharge. This is not going to end well. No matter how you look at it, dropping a load in your pants in a public place cannot be viewed as a positive move forward in your career or relationship. Should this happen to you, I advise finding another job, never returning to that theater and not expecting to see that date again.

The reason that I am writing about this is because, amazingly, this weight loss pill is still on the market. If you are still wanting to buy this diet delight, their website is http://www.codepinkfw.org/. I can’t imagine anyone being desperate enough to be willing to pay for pills that are destined to be a constant humilation.

Just my opinion, of course.