Weight Loss On Your New Year’s Agenda? Prepare For The Top Weight Loss Scams Of 2006! PART 1

I’ll admit, scam may be too harsh of a word for what I’m about to relay to the weight loss wanting public this New Year but many people’s efforts will end in frustration due to misleading information; not lack of commitment or follow through. In fact, people fail to get a fitness or weight loss result for one reason and one reason only: THEY’RE MISLED which eventually leads to lack of commitment, motivation, etc because they WERE’NT GETTING RESULTS!.

Scam would insinuate an attempt to defraud or lie but when companies are chomping at the bit to rake in beaucoup profits this year on “so-called weight loss solutions” millions will waste a good amount of time, energy, hope and yes, money on things that cannot possibly work to deliver long term success. So in essence you may as well be scammed.

This is going to be a four part series because there’s quite a bit of info and needed clarity to cover on each topic. The FTC has been on the hunt for bogus weight loss products since the 1920′s and the amazing thing is that many of these products are regurgitations of what’s been done in the past and you know what? I WANT YOU TO USE THEM! You’ll find out why I said that later.

So here’s Part 1 of the Top Weight Loss Scams of 2006.

1. Any Thing That Has The Word “DIET” In It.
Now how is this a scam you might ask? Diets are always going to be the number one choice for would be pound droppers and whether or not you choose to go weight watching, be like Kirstie Allie and talk to “Jenny,” go with Nutri-System, Atkins, South Beach, Dr. Phil, your own system of just “eating healthy,” etc, etc, etc I’ll bet you the vault at the Belagio in Las Vegas that future frustration will inevitably mount leaving yourself making yet another New Years weight loss resolution. I discussed the “Top 5 Reasons You Should Not Go On A Diet This New Year” in another article “Top-Five-Reasons-You-Should-NOT-Go-On-A-Diet-This-New-Year” so check that out for some much needed clarity on the matter.

So where’s the “scam part” with this whole diet thing? “Lose 9 pounds every eleven days, lose 30 pounds in 30 days, eat like a pig and lose weight, etc.” Those are just a couple blatant false promises that believe it or not many people allow their common sense to be bypassed and fall victim to these bogus claims. In all honestly, anything that has the word DIET in it has about a 98.99% chance of failing. Believing the diet “worked” in the past is the biggest trap diet victims fall into which always has them blame themselves for something that failed them.

That’s just the blatant false promises. Others are much more sneaky and although they are not scams in the literal sense they do in fact mislead people which adds to the frustration so many Americans face with weight loss.

A few people may be ticked off by this but America’s favorite weight loss center (name withheld) that has you counting points maintains the same failure rate as the rest of the diet industry. Sorry, but it’s true. Of course there are a “handful” of long term success stories out of the millions who embark upon the program but for those that have been to the meetings you know that pretty much every body there is a repeat customer. Well if the diet “worked” in the first place then why would you come back to it? If an eating program has you continually cut back on calories to keep that friendly relationship with the almighty progress tool (the scale) then you can be sure it’s a form of calorie deprivation that will inevitably slow metabolism. However, some credit should be given to them for the fact that they do seem to have a genuine concern for helping people lose weight even though the approach is flawed.

Here’s what I want you to do. If you’ve chosen to go on a diet in an effort to lose weight this year…I want you to go on a DIET if that’s what you’ve set out to do! I know this is harsh, but I want you to lose those deceptive 5-7 pounds the first week, I want you to cut way, way back on calories that will eventually slow metabolism, I want you to give up all those foods you love that you think are bad for you, I want you to experience those awful cravings you believe are a lack of willpower that will inevitably have you “blow” the diet and I want you to gain all of the weight back. Harsh, I know but here’s the one thing I DO NOT want you to do: DO NOT BLAME YOURSELF FOR FAILING! So yes, I am sincere when I say I want you to go on one of these commercial diets but I do however realize that there are health implications with certain forms of dieting so as a warning, exercise caution and consult your physician.

Stay tuned for Part 2: The Ephedra Free “Natural” Fat Burners Or Anything In Pill Form That Claims To Be a Solution In And Of Itself.

David Otto is a Personal Trainer in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. To receive David Otto’s e-newsletter “The Otto Report: Getting Real With Fitness,” simply send an email to [email protected] and request your copy.

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