There are probably as many claims about natural weight loss pills floating around as there are pills themselves. Do these little nuggets really do what they claim, and if so how? The bottom line is that weight loss pills have nothing to do with losing weight naturally. Sure, quite a few of these pills are effective for weight loss, but invariably some of the lost pounds can be atributed to dehydration, especially in the beginning. The attraction to pill based weight loss is strong though. After all, who wouldn’t want to drop 20 – 30 pounds almost over night? Well, these pills may certainly help you lose weight, and that’s all most people need to hear, because they think they can lose their excess fat   , without grueling leg workouts, hours on the bike, or killer diets.

Many of these pills will cause at least some diuetic effect, and soon lead to dehydration. Most people are chronically dehydrated anyway, so this can lead to problems down the road . It is also quite common for weight loss pills, like ephedrine and caffeine, to rev you up so much you forget to eat and drink. The same thing goes for food supplement known as hoodia. Although hoodia is an herbal remedy it is still a powerful diuretic that causes you to lose water instead of pounds.  

Just being natural is no guarantee of safety, though. After all, some of the most potent poisons known to man are 100% natural. Plenty of natural weight loss products have side effects, especially if greater than the recommended dosages are taken, as people desparate to lose weight will sometimes do. Some of these side effects can be heart palipitations, confusion, anxiety, sweating, and constipation. It is something you should be aware of before you go and blindly take too many of these substances. Some in fact, such as ephedra, have even been declared illegal by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration , due to the risk of side effects, including death.

If you do decide to go the diuretic herbal weight loss route be sure to take water before, during and after all exercise and especially if you are planning strenuous exercising. Ten to fourteen ounces a day are the suggested fluid doses before you do any kind of athletic activity.  This is important to evade any post work-out fatigue as well .

Some natural weight loss pills cause a thermogenic effect within the body . That means they speed up your body’s metabolism and cause you to generate more heat. You could say that the best thermogenics actually do melt fat away.

When taking weight loss pills you need to drink a lot of water. You are well advised try to take in half of your body weight in water in ounces a day. So if you weigh 180 pounds you should drink at least 90 ounces of water every day. This is roughly the same as drinking eight to ten bottles a day. This helps the weight loss pills break down fat cells and flush toxins out of your body. It can also help mitigate the side effects of any pills that are not natural.

Even if you do not feel thirsty you should force yourself to drink because some of these supplements put you in a disassociated state that causes you to simply forget to do what is good for you.  You just won’t notice your dry mouth or you will feel so zippy you will feel like you are superhuman and like you don’t need food or water.

If you must drink a sports drink or diluted fruit juice to get enough water inside you than do it . Do whatever you can to encourage your body to take in enough water to discourage the dehydration that can be caused by natural (and man made) weight loss products . Water is one of the primary keys to weight loss, and it is all too often ignored.

If you are looking for ways to lose belly fat without turning your life upside down, spending a fortune of pills and powders, or wasting your life in the gym visit the insider’s guide on How to Lose Belly Fat now .