Should you achieve weight-loss through drug therapy or through the calorie density approach?
01/15/2020: The weight loss drug Belviq tied to 'possible increased risk of cancer,' FDA says. The US Food and Drug Administration warns that the prescription weight loss medicine Belviq might be associated with an increased risk of cancer. Lorcaserin -- available as Belviq and Belviq XR, which works by increasing feelings of fullness so that you eat less food. The findings were the result of a clinical trial assessing the safety of the drugs Belviq and Belviq RX, or lorcaserin.
The FDA agency went on to note that health care professionals should consider if the benefits of taking lorcaserin exceed the potential risks for a patient, and that patients currently taking the drug should talk to their doctors about the potential increased risk of cancer.
Feeling full and healthy
If the reason for taking this pill is to feel full so that you do not eat as much then you might want to consider another option 'Calorie Density'. Jeff Novick with the Dr. McDougall program explains on the website that calorie density is the simplest approach to healthful eating and lifelong weight management. He states that this common sense approach to sound nutrition allows for lifelong weight management without hunger and more food for fewer calories. I am copying his explanation on calorie density approach. and added the link to his website for more information.
Calorie density is simply a measure of how many calories are in a given weight of food, most often expressed as calories per pound. A food high in calorie density has a large number of calories in a small weight of food, whereas a food low in calorie density has much fewer calories in the same weight of food. Therefore, one can consume a larger portion of a low-calorie dense food than a high-calorie dense food for the same number of calories. On a day-to-day basis, people generally eat a similar amount of food, by weight. Therefore, choosing foods with a lower calorie density allows us to consume our usual amounts of food (or more) while reducing our caloric intakes and vice versa.
Foods low in calorie density also tend to be higher in satiety. So, by consuming foods lower in calorie density, one can fill up on much fewer calories without having to go hungry and without having to weigh, measure or worry about portion control. In addition, the foods that are lower in calorie density (fruits, veggies, starchy vegetables, intact whole grains and legumes) are also the foods highest in nutrient density. Therefore, by following a diet lower in calorie density, one also automatically consumes a diet higher in nutrient density. Jeff Novick MS, RDN explains calorie density for weight loss in his YouTube video. Calorie density approach on the Forks over knives website.
Losing weight when addicted to sugar and refined carbohydrates is extremely difficult. That addiction does not go away by simply feeling full and eating less. We need to address the root of the problem when we want our weight and fat-loss to be successful and be successful long-term. Getting help from a lifestyle medicine practitioner who truly understands how food can be your medicine can be beneficial. There are no short cuts on the road to better health.
Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.
—Hippocrates, c 460-370 BCE, ancient Greek physician in the Age of Pericles known as the father of modern medicine
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