Have you been surfing the web trying to find a way to lose weight? Are you looking for the perfect solution to your weight loss desires? If you have done much surfing, I'm sure you've found thousands of sites offering to provide you with the BEST weight loss solution. Are they all the BEST? Do they all work wonders? Will you never have to worry about weight loss again?

Before you spend lots of hard earned cash on weight loss pills and potents, and hours and hours trying to find the perfect solution to your needs? Let's examine some basic facts about why we gain weight and why we lose weight. Don't despair, there are some truly good products available to help you lose weight. But, before you go out and start buying diet pills, there's a few basic facts you need to understand.

Usually overeating causes weight gain or being obese, but in rare cases (about 1%) excess weight gain is a symptom of another disease. Three of the most common diseases that can cause weight gain are hypothyroidism, Cushing's syndrome and depression. Certain medications, notably anti-depressants, steroid medications, certain high blood pressure drugs, and seizure medications can also cause increased body weight. A doctor can determine if any of these conditions are responsible for your weight gain.

Weight gain and weight loss has basically three components; 1) nutrition (the food you eat) and 2) Stored energy (the amount of fat in your body) and 3) level of activity (what you do each day). Everything we eat is either a) used for energy b) stored as fat for future needs or 3) eliminated from the body through wastes. Another factor that has a heavy impact on the amount of weight you gain is your metabolism or the rate at which your body processes the food you eat. Not everyone has the same rate of metabolism.

Everyone's metabolism is just a bit different. I'm sure you know people who can eat whatever they want, whenever they want it and yet still don't seem to gain weight. Then there's those who seemingly can just smell food and gain weight. Their rate of metabolism is what makes the difference. The person that can eat anything and still maintain a healthy weight has a higher rate of metabolism, than the person who gains weight easily.

The amount of energy produced by food is measured by calories. A calorie is defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree centigrade at atmospheric pressure. It's easier to think of in terms of the food you eat being converted to energy. For example, something containing 120 calories has more available energy than something containing only 50 calories does.

The key to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is to have balance among all three components. This balance is achieved by not taking in more calories than you are using. Calories are used continuously throughout the day, even while you are sleeping. All your cells in your body require energy to function. This energy comes from either the food you eat or the fat cells you have stored. Whenever you're using the energy from the fat cells, you're in the process of losing weight.

Eating a healthy diet and increased activity level is the most effective way to lose weight and keep it off long term. By eating fewer calories, and exercising more, you're using the best combination for stable weight loss. Regular exercise will increase muscle mass. Increased muscle mass requires more energy, and increases your metabolism. By combining these effects with eating less food, your body will burn the stored fat for energy and the weight will come off.

There are some instances when diet pills can be helpful. Usually these are indicated in the truly obese person. For the person wanting to lose 5 or 10 pounds, they usually aren't necessary. So you may ask, how does the diet pills work to cause weight loss, while I continue to eat the same amount? In recent years, it seems everyone has the PERFECT answer to help with your weight loss. There's almost as many weight loss methods and diet pills available as there are people who want to lose weight.

There are diet pills that stop your hunger so you eat less and burn more fat. There are diet pills that cause the body not to metabolize all the food you eat, so it's passed out of your system and not stored as fat. There's combination of these two. As you begin your search for the perfect diet pill, be careful as some can have harmful effects on your body. Diet Pills work by shifting levels of brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) that control satiety (fullness) and desire for food. Some also slightly increase your metabolic rate - the rate at which your body burns calories.

Examples of weight loss diet pills include:
Diethylpropion hydrochloride (eg. Tenuate)
Mazindol (eg. Mazanor, Sanorex)
Phendimetrazine tartrate (eg. Bontril)
Phentermine hydrochloride (eg. Adipex-P, Ionamin)

Phentermine is the most popular diet pill supplement on the market today. Phentermine is the generic name for ADIPEX-P and IONAMIN and it's available in immediate release or time-release formulas. Immediate release pills enter your blood stream as soon as you take them and the opposite time-release capsules release their medication into your body over an extended period of time, around 8 or 12 hours.

What is the difference between Phentermine diet pills and Xenical diet pills? Phentermine is an appetite suppressant and Xenical inhibits fat absorption into the body. Since these two drugs work completely opposite, Phentermine and Xenical diet pills may be used in conjunction with each other for individuals who are seriously obese and are looking for the most effective drug treatment program available.

Always discuss your weight loss options with your doctor before taking any form of supplements or diet pills. Some weight loss pills react with commonly used over-the-counter medications and may have deadly side effects for users with certain health conditions.

Hilda Maria is a freelance writer with 5 children who knows the importance of a balanced diet for them. She enjoys providing useful knowledge about weight loss and regular exercise to her readers as well as to her children.