Fitness Scams

Caveat emptor is Latin for “let the buyer beware”. Nowhere is
this phrase more applicable than in the weight loss industry of
today.

It seems that every time we turn around we are blasted and
bombarded with the latest, greatest, new and improved treatment
for obesity. From miracle pills to the latest fad diet, the
gimmicks just keep coming. The sad truth is that few of these
products work. Even fewer will result in real, permanent and
lasting fat loss. A very few of the weight loss gimmicks on the
market today are not only a consumer rip-off, but they are also
quite dangerous…..even deadly. Caveat emptor indeed!

* A PRIME SUSPECT?

As an example, consider the prescription diet drug Meridia. Does
it help you lose weight? For some people, the answer is yes. For
others, the answer is no. Can it kill you? The answer to this
question seems to be a nervous ‘maybe’. “The consumer group
Public Citizen had petitioned the Food and Drug Administration
for a ban, citing Meridia users who died of heart problems as
young as their 20s and 30s. Even before Meridia was approved for
sale, the FDA knew it could increase users’ blood pressure, the
group contended.” (Source: cnn.com)

This week the FDA again refused to ban Meridia, even though
whistleblower David Graham (an FDA drug safety officer)
testified to Congress last fall that his agency was allowing
five unsafe medicines to stay on the market, including Meridia.

* ANOTHER PRIME SUSPECT?

Ephedra was banned in the United States last year, in part due
to numerous deaths attributed to this popular weight loss
supplement. On April 14, a federal Judge in Utah reversed the
short-lived ban on ephedra. Within minutes, spammers were
filling our email boxes with messages to BUY BUY BUY before
ephedra was banned again.

One of these spammers, on their website, states that “Finally,
the forbidden fat-burning herb banned for being ‘too effective’
- Ephedra – is available to the public again”.

Yes, ephedra will help some people lose weight. Yes, ephedra is
safe for some people in low doses. But there is that little
nagging fact that people have DIED and that their deaths have
been attributed to ephedra use…..

* MORE EXAMPLES:

“The Advertising Standards Authority in Great Britian has
ordered L’Oreal to pull ads for an anti-cellulite cream. The
board found that claims as to the effects and timeliness of the
skin treatment were misleading and could not be backed up by any
research. The ads featured Claudia Schiffer and L’Oreal has
agreed to make changes to the advertisements.” (Source:
adjab.com)

For whatever reason, some people have decided that anabolic
steroids are the best way to lose weight. Despite the
well-documented and serious side-effects of steroid use, the
lure of easy weight loss has caused many to throw caution to the
wind. Perhaps the most concerning trend is steroid use among our
teenage population: “Teens also listed steroids, growth hormone,
amino acids and other potentially unhealthful products among
those they’d tried in the previous year.” (Source: cnn.com)

* THE SAFE AND EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVE:

Caveat emptor (let the buyer beware) is indeed the rule when it
comes to many weight loss gimmicks. However, there is one weight
loss method that has never been banned, has never led to an
investigation, and has never been been listed on a
‘whistleblower’ fraud report: EXERCISE.

Exercise is the only path to health and fitness that virtually
every doctor in the world agrees upon. Exercise is safe,
effective, and brings many more benefits to our lives than diets
or drugs ever will. Exercise is fun, invigorating, motivating
and the single most powerful way to improve our life and
well-being!

Instead of looking for another short-cut to weight loss success,
choose the proven method that gets results. Choose exercise.

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