From the latest Journal:

"Two, there's some really interesting things some of these tablets do:
one expands in your stomach to calm hunger; another has something that wraps around fat, preventing it from being absorbed by
the body, and carries it out. (Remember, these are all natural ingredients.)"

Too often, the term "natural" is used to imply that something is healthy. More things in nature are harmful to humans than beneficial.

Another factoid to keep in mind: some vitamins can only be absorbed via fat, so not allowing the fat to be absorbed or reducing fat intake too low can be a very bad thing.

"I've seen people on this diet, and they've all lost weight and gained energy."

Gaining energy is at best a byproduct of losing weight and at worse an illusion. Increased energy can be caused by increased metabolism, increased muscle to fat ratio, or simply feeling good about oneself because they can fit into a smaller pair of jeans. The first two are best accomplished through exercise. The last one isn't a guarantee because your body will choose where to lose fat (i.e., you can't tone your hips and thighs if you are built like a pear, the best you can do is tone the muscle under the saddlebags).

The best diet plan is to exercise in proportion to your calorie intake and eat a variety of foods. Candy bars and potato chips are perfectly fine if you compensate for them.

-- Patrick