How to Spot
a Diet Scam
a Diet Scam
It seems like a new miracle diet hits the market every week. Eat more. Eat less. Fat is the enemy. Carbs are evil. Drink your way to a skinny you. The claims are enough to confuse even the most informed of consumers. As a result of that, it has become easy for scammers to prey on unsuspecting buyers and sell them the promise of a miracle. Before you jump into the next sounds-too-good-to-be-true diet, here is some expert advice to keep you from being scammed.
Lose 30 pounds in 30 days!
Avoid any diet that promises large amounts of weight loss in very little time. “There is no such thing as a quick-fix dieting technique,” says Daisy Merey, M.D., a physician specializing in weight loss.Weight loss depends on a good balance of emotions, exercise and diet. A more realistic expectation of weight loss is about two to three pounds per week.
Another red flag is a diet that promises you will lose weight. “Weight loss is simply something that cannot be guaranteed,” says Merey.
The cabbage soup diet
Any diet that encourages the overuse of one particular food group (such as the cabbage soup diet, grapefruit diet or other solo-food diet) is not only unhealthy, it is unrealistic for long-term satisfaction.“Diets that concentrate on only one food may lead to malnutrition,” notes Steve Chen, MD, medical director of Valens Medical and one of only 300 physician nutrition specialists in the U.S. The cabbage soup diet, for example, may lead to people taking in too little protein and other nutrients that the body needs.
This is the only secret to weight loss
Any diet that claims to have discovered the “secret” to weight loss has really just found the secret to draining your wallet or energy. There is no “magical bullet” when it comes to weight loss.“All the clinical studies done on supplements for weight loss have yielded very little good scientific data,” says Dr. Chen. “And there is also nothing ‘secret’ about all the miracle obesity cures on the market…they just don’t work.”
The same can be said of diets that require you to wear special devices such as patches, belts or acupressure devices, none of which have yielded significant results. Instead of relying on a magic bullet, make some healthy changes to your lifestyle and be honest with yourself about your weight loss efforts (read Top 10 diet mistakes women make).
Drastically cut calories and lose weight
Any diet that restricts your calorie intake to an extremely low level can set you up for health problems as well as rebound bingeing.All diet programs are low calorie programs (even well-known diets such as the Atkins diet), but the key is in knowing just how low to go before you risk health problems. “Always make sure that any diet program that pushes the calorie intake to less than 900 is medically supervised,” says Dr. Chen.
There are medically supervised programs (such as Valens) with extremely low calorie levels that can be effective and safe, but drastically cutting calories on your own can prove dangerous.
Also, keep in mind that any diet very low in calories will show an immediate weight loss, but that weight will be mostly water and muscles, not fat.
Diet programs without accountability
Any program that lacks a person, place or entity you can call or contact regarding the diet is questionable. A legitimate program should be accountable for its promises.However, having somebody you can contact doesn’t necessarily mean that the person is qualified to answer your weight loss questions, especially if you have a medical problem. It is best to speak to your doctor or another legitimate medical professional before starting on any weight loss program, especially if you have a medical condition.
And, truthfully, your biggest success will come from being accountable to yourself. Instead of jumping on the next miracle diet, check out Before you start day one of your diet.
The only diet pill you will ever need
Any diet that requires you to take pills or special supplements as part of the program is more focused on the manufacturer making money than you losing weight (read The skinny on weight loss supplements for the latest research on over the counter diet pills).While there are medicines that have good clinical data for weight management, these all require a prescription. Over-the-counter pills may help somewhat with weight loss, but the effect is usually very small and temporary.
“You will lose more weight by eating one less piece of toast per day than taking these [pills],” says Dr. Chen. Also, keep in mind that weight loss pills and supplements artificially stimulate the metabolism by increasing the heart rate in an unhealthy way. Not only can they carry dangerous side effects but you are likely to regain any lost weight once you stop taking the pills and the metabolic boosting effects wear off.
If it sounds too good to be true…
In the end, always be suspicious of any “quick fixes.” Weight loss takes time, and there is no reasonable or healthy way around it. When it comes to dieting, any diet plan or weight loss product that seems too good to be true usually is.For healthy diet and exercise tips and workouts that will help you get shapely and strong, visit the SheKnows.com Diet and Fitness Channel.
