As the nation faces an obesity epidemic - already 65% of the population is obese- it is no wonder that the number of diet scams is not diminishing. It is possibly increasing and the same old chestnuts appear again and again ! That is in spite of massive education drives to make people more aware of healthy choices when it comes to eating. Even so, lots of people fall into the trap !
Here is some advice before you reach for your credit card, if you are considering losing weight. First off, you have to remember that there are a large number of unscrupulous characters out there waiting to make a fast buck, so hang on to your money and read on. The diet industry is absolutely enormous - about $35 billion is spent a year in the US alone.
The first big lie is the 'quick and easy weight loss'. Well, it is not going to be easy and neither is it going to be quick. In fact, if it is too quick, it might well be dangerous! If they add in patches and magic pills, then you can smell a scam a mile away.
Second thing to watch out for is the diet that claims it is based on herbal supplements and of course is a 'natural' way to lose weight and /or boost your metabolism. Now these herbal cures are not approved by the FDA, for a start. That means no clinical trials have been conducted and therefore you have no assurance or guarantee what these herbs might do to you , in the short or long term. It is like going down a dark alley at night - scary !
Now what could be easier than wearing a 'slim suit' - no effort required and you can even eat what you want!. Add to this scam, the body wraps, magic creams and other gadgets and you have a perfect scam, backed up by false claims and nameless, faceless testimonials. The sad thing is that the time and money wasted on these means that people are not getting on with the valid weight loss programs which have been tried and tested.
The fouth scam to watch out for is the one where the magic pills you take will absorb all the nasty fat before it gets to your fattening tummy ! There are scientific explanations and you even see ads where you can see fat being absorbed by this magical substance (horrible!). If this substance was really effective, why are they not prescribed by our doctors to take every morning ?
Green tea, oolong tea and black tea have been so hyped up recently that I nearly succumbed myself ! What they do NOT tell you of course is that they contain caffeine and that means they are diuretics which if taken in large quantities will result in water loss. Diet pills are also hyped up but nobody mentions the nasty side effects that these can have . How about restlessness, insomnia, high blood pressure, fatigue and heart palpitations, congestive heart failure or heart attack, stroke, headaches, dry mouth, vomiting ,constipation, intestinal disturbances, tightness in chest, tingling in extremities- do I need to go on ?
The Mediterranean Diet has been studied all over the world by research institutes, doctors and dieticians. It has been shown, time and time again, that people on this diet have fewer heart attacks and a reduced risk of getting cancer. This diet is no scam or passing fancy. Millions of people over the centuries have been the perfect testimonials.
- Prev:Top 10 Weight Loss Tips - Must for Every Obese
- Next:A Habit To Call My Own