For people suffering from obesity, it can seem like the most important thing for their health might be to lose weight by any means short of amputation. However, it's important not to be reckless. While losing weight is necessary for your health, you have to do it safely. Throwing diet pills at the problem doesn't work; you've got to exercise and get proper nutrition. Good weight loss medications make it easier.

Diet

It's essential that you reduce the fat in your diet as much as possible. Limit your fat intake to unsaturated fats only, such as those found in nuts.

You should also decrease your caloric intake significantly in order for your medicine to really work. Consult a doctor or dietician about how many calories you should be consuming. Any plan should be tailored to fit your body, your needs, and the specifications of your health.

The most important thing to remember is to not sacrifice nutrition with calories. The two do not go hand in hand. In fact, it is best for you long-term health to find a diet that gets you the maximum nutrients for the minimum calories. So what do you need to plan?

The main things to watch are vitamins, minerals, and protein.

Whfoods.com provides this complete listing of essential nutritents, but the most essential are listed here:

• alpha-carotene

• beta-carotene

• calcium

• carotenoids

• choline

• copper

• fiber, dietary

• flavonoids

• folate

• iodine

• iron

• lycopene

• magnesium

• manganese

• niacin-B3

• omega-3 fatty acids

• pantothenic acid - B5

• potassium

• protein

• riboflavin-B2

• selenium

• thiamin-B1

• tryptophan

• vitamin A

• vitamin B12

• vitamin B6

• vitamin C

• vitamin D

• vitamin E

• vitamin K

• zinc

Now, it can seem pretty intimidating to think you need to get all of those. However, a multivitamin will cover most of them. If you're not the multivitamin kind of person, try these superfoods:

• Blue green algae

• Chlorella

• Spirulina (which is full of protein and comes in shake format)

• Barley grass

• Wheat grass

• Bee pollen

• Soy

• Almonds

Exercise

Regular physical exercise is a big part of losing weight with pharmaceutical assistance. Because it can still be pretty hard to exercise, doctors will often help with this by recommending a specialist or physical therapist. However, there are some good measures to take on your own in conjunction with Meridia or what-have-you.

• Avoid exercise that hurts the joints, specifically the knees and ankles. This means you might have to wait until you've cut your weight down to do any running or jumping exercises.

• Swimming! The near weightlessness you feel in the water relieves your joints, letting you exercise more often, while also being a seriously challenging aerobic workout. Furthermore, you're unlikely to strain your muscles or injure yourself, meaning you can swim everyday and burn the fat without any problematic breaks.

These are not extra steps. They are essential to becoming healthy with the assistance of Meridia or other diet drugs. Always follow your doctors instructions when taking Meridia.