How to lose weight properly is a very popular argument that has been on the rise for years. One's weight affects their daily life mentally, emotionally, and physically. Due to the way today's society and the way social media portrays body image, people are insisting on losing weight fast to keep up with the trend of being super skinny.  In order to do so people are resulting to diet pills such as the popularly known Meridia. Diet pills have an ingredient to control one's appetite, reduce the amount of water one's body can hold, and increase energy levels, but are not worth the harm to one's body (Willet).  The most common side effects of the majority of diet pills are kidney failure, serve liver damage, and high blood pressure ("Harmful"). People need to be aware of the severity of the side effects of diet pills and know there is another way to lose weight. That way is to exercise regularly. Not only do diet pills cause harmful internal health problems, they also can cause mental illnesses, "up to 50% of people with eating disorders use over-the-counter diet pills" ("Addiction Hope"). Exercise is the healthy alternative for losing weight effectively while benefiting one's body. Participating in exercise daily or even a few days a week can prevent heart disease, colon, and breast cancer. One's mental functions such as: thinking, judgment and learning ability improves from exercise as well.  Regular physical activity only 3-5 times a week for 30 to 60 minutes at a time can make a noticeable difference in one's lifestyle both physically and mentally (Hatfield). Exercise offers a reliable and safe way to lose weight in replace of consuming diet pills and without the negative consequences. The benefits of exercise outweigh the harmful effects of diet pills by preventing diseases, helping with one's mental health, and by being a harmless method of weight loss. Due to the fact that between the years of 2011 and 2012 69% percent of adults the age of 20 years and over are either overweight or obese, people need awareness of the healthy alternative with positive outcomes for losing weight ("Overweight and Obesity"). Diet pills may help one lose weight but hurts their body while exercise helps one lose weight and benefits their body simultaneously.

Losing weight can be a challenge but fighting against a chronic disease is even more of a challenge. Common killers in today's society are chronic diseases or illnesses and obesity. One's determination to loss weight fogs their judgment one making the right decision and allows them to think that they will stray away from chronic diseases if they lose the right amount of weight. Losing weight is not an easy task so people tend to rely on diet pills to simplify the job for them. Having trust in a "reliable" pill is not always the right choice. Fen-Phen is an example of a diet pill that was recalled and banned in the late 1990's because it was linked to heart attacks and promoting heart disease ("Harmful"). One may think they are escaping chronic illness by losing weight, when in reality they are self-afflicting them in their body. Diet pills may help one loss weight but create a bigger health problem in the end. Exercise can be a solution for a healthy way to lose weight in comparison to diet pills and the prevention against disease and cancer is a beneficially outcome of exercise. Two chronic illnesses which exercise can help prevent the onset are heart disease and colon cancer. Exercising helps prevent the onset of heart disease by regulating "one's insulin and leptin, [a hormone that regulates the energy balance by hindering hunger], levels" ("Chronic Disease"). One who consumes refined sugar and grains and is over weight with a lack of exercise can build up an insulin and leptin resistance and has caused their body to develop the underlying factors of heart disease (Mercola). Exercise offers a way out of developing those factors and helps one lose the weight effectively and efficiently. Taking a pill with the mindset of becoming healthy and in reality further harming the body is not worth the damage. Due to the severity of heart disease and simplicity of exercise, research studies have been done to show the connection and have shown that "exercise alone can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by a factor of 3" (Mercola). This statistic is remarkable because it proves that exercising can prevent such a dangerous disease. Another chronic illness that through exercise can be prevented is colon cancer, also known as colorectal cancer. Through the roles exercise plays "[i]n energy balance, hormone metabolism, insulin regulation, and by decreasing the time the colon is exposed to potential carcinogens" the onset of colon cancer is prevented ("Physical Activity"). Participating in physical activity only 3 to 5 days a week can help one lose weight and alter a number of factors that leads to the risk of colon cancer. Awareness needs to be brought about this benefit because exercise is an easy solution to two serious life-changing illnesses. So why would one chose harmful diet pills over exercising and benefiting in more than one way than for the initial use? Exercise is generally used for cardiovascular benefits so the fact that it not only helps diseases for that area of the body but benefits other serious cancers such as colon cancer, while helping one lose weight proves how promoting exercise is for one's body. 

Another benefit that exercise offers and diet pills do not is improving one's mental health. Mental health is just as essential to a healthy lifestyle as physical health and is used on a daily basis. Even though the main purpose of exercise is to lose weight and being healthy, "exercise directly improves the flow of blood in the brain and enhances the functionality of various neurotransmitters involved in cognitive processes" (Avent). Some cognitive functions, which directly benefit from exercise, are improves memory, learning ability, problem-solving ability, and judgment skills. People tend to think that being fit and in shape only require physical health but being mentally sharp and aware is necessary for a healthy lifestyle. While working out the same endorphins that make one feel pleased are the same endorphins that help one concentrate while focusing and makes one feel mentally sharp enhancing their learning ability (Avent). Due to the fact that people are concentrated and determined to find a way to loss weight, they do not search further into side effects and outcomes causing one to choose diet pills instead of exercise. Advertisements for supplements and diet pills know how one will go to any length to have their dream body; they use that knowledge to convince people that diet pills are the most effective way to lose weight. With that in their head, the decision of choosing diet pills seems obvious to be the correct choice. That choice leads to risking their mental health by becoming mentally dependent on the drug. Diet pills are not only harmful to the body physically but are the cause of mental eating disorders, statistics show that "62.7 % of female teens have unhealthy weight loss control behaviors or have abused diet pills"("Diet Pill"). This is a reoccurring and dangerous trend in today's society, which can easily be put to a stop with exercise. Exercise not only helps one lose weight, but also additionally improves mental health instead of harming one's mental wellbeing. While one exercises the production of cells increases in the hippocampus that is responsible for one's memory and learning and improves those cognitive functions. When someone grows up they lose hippocampal volume that leads to impaired memory and learning ability, "studies indicate that aerobic exercise training is effective at reversing that process"(Avnet). It is a natural function for one to lose hippocampal volume as they grow up but with exercise one can cause that to not happen. It is one of the many benefits exercise offers that naturally improves important cognitive functions. Exercise to lose weight requires will power, time, and effort and is worth every minute of it because of the effortless benefits to one's mental health. Exercise is a free, harmless, and powerful medication for cognitive functions and mental challenges. Finding a diet pill that has consequences that sharpen one's brain functions and ability to learn is not likely; exercise guarantees it for free. Working out not only prevents chronic illnesses, aid with mental health, but is significantly more safe.  

The urge to be skinny and fit is a sensitive topic since the majority of overweight or obese people are anxious to lose weight they do not think about pre cautions or consequences. Society is unaware of how brutal diet pills are to one's body. According to Dr. Nissen," people who are over weight or obese are desperate to lose weight and vulnerable to snake oil salesmen pitching weight loss products. Sadly, action may not be taken until there is a high-profile death" causing lives to be harmed or taken from a little pill (Trebilcock). The Food and Drug Administration, also commonly known as FDA, does not have enough power to run the tests they would like on the majority of the diet pills, therefore; they are not FDA approved. The packaging and labels on diet pills are disseizing and leave out important information about their products.  The FDA has more regulatory power over drugs and not as much over supplements. Due to that lack of authority, "[the FDA] cannot require intensive clinical trails before ones of these products goes on the market" (Trebilcock). For example the popular diet pill Meridia, or known as the generic drug Sibutramine, was approved in 1997 and after a recent 6-year study and recently 10,000 patients the FDA with drew Meridia from the market. The study showed that the diet pill raised one's rise of "cardiovascular events" such as heart attacks or strokes by 16 % (Trebilcock). This is not the only diet pill that this has happened to. Other popularly known diet pills such as Ephedra, Hydroxycut, and Fen-Phen were once "approved" then banned from the market once the FDA could run proper tests on the supplements. Ephedra was banned in 2004, put back on the market and could only be used in small dosages in 2005, then later in 2006 was officially off the market. Hydroxycut was banned in 2009 due to liver, kidney, and other vital organ damage. Fen-Phen was recalled because there was evidence it was linked to a numerous number of heart attacks ("Harmful"). Even when the product is on the market the FDA still does not have the power they would like to when it comes to run tests, they do their best at catching the harmful products but in some cases do not have enough power to take it off the market. These products are just a few examples of the hundreds of diet pills on the market and are not worth the risk (Theobald). Exercise offers a way of losing weight while benefiting the body in areas that diet pills harm. As shown above, in the side effects of the recalled and banned diet pills, heart disease is one of the main leading risks from taking these supplements. Exercise prevents the onset of heart disease as well as many other chronic illnesses instead of further fostering the disease like diet pills. One can control the intensity, duration, and frequency of their workout causing exercise to be extremely safe. If one feels the need to improve their workouts then the risk is on themselves and their knowledge of their capability. Exercise is not meant to be dangerous but a free, healthy alternative to losing weight that simultaneously improves the body in multiple ways. 

The argument between diet pills vs. exercise and which form of losing weight is more effective has been an ongoing case. Losing weight is a constant struggle with the hectic lives people live; therefore, one thinks taking diet pills seems like the best option. People need to be aware that their decisions about how they handle and maintain their body affects there every day life. Social Media can be very influencing and plays a role in getting the word out about diet pills. One way the media has covered this topic is by incorporating credible doctors and their medical advice in a debate about exercise vs diet pills, such as the video on YouTube called "Dr R on Wellness Hour" with Dr. Skversky. The media also portrays women and men as slender and super skinny, which sparks the thought in today's society that losing weight fast is a must. Advertisements for diet pills are falsely promoting diet pills on the television, the radio, and billboards. Due to the social media aspects and the health issues of 74% of men are overweight and 64% of women are over weight, people result to diet pills. The public needs awareness and knowledge on this topic because it affects their every day life and lifestyle. One's life duration and functionality is determined by the key factors of: physical and mental health. Physical and mental health goes hand in hand and run the body efficiently when both taken care of properly, instead of when harmed from supplements such as diet pills.  Exercise offers the healthy alternative to diet pills, which has secondary benefits to losing weight that can change one's life for the better. Exercise releases and involves hormones that help with preventing chronic illnesses such as heart disease and colon cancer. These two illnesses are very serious; when diagnosed they both come with extensive care and medication for treatment. Exercise not only helps prevent the onset of these two illnesses but also improves one's cognitive functions. The brain is capable of a variety of cognitive functions and keeping them sharp is difficult as one grows up; exercise keeps the brain sharp and on top of its ability. The body and brain will develop and mature naturally but improving there skills and functions as the body takes action in that process can be very beneficial. By participating in regular exercise one can lose weight and improve "their memory, learning ability, problem-solving ability, and judgment skills" (Bergland). Exercise is the safe, reliable and efficient way to lose weight in comparison to diet pills. People need to be aware of the health hazards from diet pills and weigh out the benefits to see that consuming diet pills are not worth the harmful risks of heart disease, kidney failure, headaches, liver damage, and blood pressure problems ("Harmful"). Living a healthy lifestyle benefits the body in more ways than one can imagine; mentally, physically, and emotionally. Putting in the effort to lose weight by exercising would benefit one more than simply taking a diet pill. Promoting exercise and making one aware of the harmful effects of diet pills will educate people on the many benefits of exercise provides and sway people to chose the healthier, safer, and more reliable alternative. 

