It's that time of year again when we all begin to make our New Year's resolutions, noting things that we want to improve or change. Many people, myself included, often make resolutions that have to do with personal health and fitness. In fact, according to a study by Nielsen, both staying fit and losing weight are the top two New Year's resolutions. Unfortunately, many people are turning to methods other than tried-and-true diet and exercise to meet their goals in the new year.

Now, there's nothing wrong with wanting to get in shape or even become more athletic. It's okay to want to lose weight too -- as long as you're doing so in a healthy manner. While there are many reliable sources, both online and in print, that offer helpful advice on how to safely lose weight and get in shape, there are also other sources, offering "easy" or "painless" ways to lose weight. Unfortunately, these "quick fix" methods aren't as harmless as they pretend to be, and are often ineffective in the long run.

Take, for example, Instagram "tea cleanses". Almost every influencer seems to post about them at least once, but the real question is, of course, do they even work? The answer is no. While these cleanses will technically help you shed a few pounds, they do so by eliminating water weight, or causing a laxative effect. Most of these "cleansing teas" contain senna leaf, which, while being an FDA approved stool softener and laxative, can be extremely dangerous in high amounts. The side effects of an overuse of senna leaf include severe liver and gastrointestinal damage.

Senna leaf is also considered to be "habit-forming" by the FDA, which is really just a gentler way of saying "it's addictive". It is also believed that senna leaf lowers the body's potassium levels, which can lead to muscle weakness and paralysis. In a case from Australia, a teen girl stated that she had to quit taking a tea cleanse when she began waking up in the morning with severe abdominal pains and became physically sick as a result of drinking the tea.

Even more dangerous than diet teas, however, are some of the diet pills on the market. Some diet sold online can have horriffic results. In a case from England, a girl ended up burning from the inside after taking a diet pill containing DNP. According to physicians, pills containing DNP can make your internal body temperature rise so high that you essentially cook yourself. While DNP is banned in many countries as a diet aid for its deadly side effects, pills containing the substance are widely available online. You can check this for yourself. Just googling "DNP diet pills" brings up a wide variety of pills readily available for purchase, with no notation of the deadly side effects.