Dieting is hard enough without having to weed through a sea of scams. So many diet products just feed on desperation, offering little to no real value and may even be dangerous.
In this post, you’re going to learn about some of the top weight loss scams that you should avoid. I’m also going to teach you how you can spot scams and false promises and choose a healthy solution, even when a product is new and has no information available about it, yet.
Always remember one thing:
“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
Let’s get started…
Acai Berry Scam
Acai berry (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) is a fruit that comes from the same type of palm tree as hearts of palm. It is claimed that acai is supposed to boost metabolism or help speed up weight loss, but there is absolutely no scientific evidence to support these claims.
Additionally, many companies that sell acai berry in various forms use deceptive marketing practices to squeeze additional money out of consumers by enrolling them in monthly recurring billing with automatic delivery, often without permission by hiding the disclosure in the fine print.
Many companies also try to claim that acai berries are extremely high in antioxidants, but they are actually fairly mid-range as far as antioxidants. They do have more antioxidants than some fruits, but many fruits have a lot more.
The fact is, there is absolutely no evidence to support the claims being made by acai sellers. More than likely, acai berries have absolutely no special benefits, and companies are just using the fact that consumers are unfamiliar with the product to make bogus claims.
Hoodia Gordonii Scam
Hoodia is a compound that is extracted from a type of succulent plant from Africa called hoodia gordonii. For centuries, Africans have chewed this plant on long journeys, claiming it helps suppress the appetite in order to keep them from needing to consume a lot of food while traveling long distances.
Because of this lore, marketing companies decided they would try extracting the compound from the plant and selling it. Supposedly, the compound can be a powerful appetite suppressant. Unfortunately, there is very little evidence to support these claims.
Like acai berry, sellers of hoodia will often tack on additional charges or enroll buyers in continuity programs where they are billed every month automatically for additional shipments. Often, users don’t even know they’ve been enrolled until they see the large charge on their credit card bill or bank statement.
Since there is no scientific evidence to back up the claims being made by hoodia sellers, I would avoid buying it. It’s very likely a major waste of money, and you don’t want to risk being enrolled in a monthly program without your consent.
Fad Diet Scams
There are so many fad diets out there, and most of them either don’t work, or are actually dangerous or unhealthy. It’s very important that you carefully evaluate any diet program before you decide to try it.
For one thing, you should never try a diet that is severely lacking in any particular nutrients. Some diets are so restrictive that they are incredibly unhealthy, so you need to be sure to avoid those.
Some diets are also so restrictive on calories that they can actually be dangerous. When you get far too few calories, it can actually damage your organs.
Even those that aren’t actually dangerous can end up hampering your weight loss efforts. Diets that are very low in fat or calories can slow your metabolism down so much that your body goes into starvation mode, and you hold onto fat more than ever. This will make it much harder to lose weight.
Any diet that is extremely restrictive, either in fat, calories, particular food groups, or scope of foods you can eat is not something you should consider, because it can harm your health and even make it harder to lose.
Let’s look at some of the top fad diet scams to avoid:
The Juice Diet
Liquid diets are fine for quick weight loss when you just need to lose 5 pounds or less and you can do so in 3-5 days, but beyond that period of time they are unhealthy and can cause your body to enter starvation mode. I would avoid all types of liquid diets for anything other than very small amounts of weight over very short periods of time.
The Low-Fat Diet
Starting with Susan Powter’s “Stop the Insanity” program, the low fat diet had a lot of promise. Unfortunately, it doesn’t really help. For one thing, you need a little fat in your diet in order to live. A fat-free diet is extremely unhealthy.
Additionally, many people believed that as long as they were eating no fat, they could eat as much as they wanted. So they would just eat a lot of fat-free sweets and treats and they ended up gaining weight.
The truth is, the only reason the low-fat diet works is because it also restricts calories. If you eat a lot of foods that replace fat with sugar, you will not lose weight, and you will probably even gain weight. You’re better off sticking to a standard controlled-calorie diet so it’s not as tempting to overindulge on “fat-free” treats.
Pre-Packaged Diets
Companies that sell pre-packaged food are making millions of dollars by selling you food you could easily make at home. They charge far too much, and don’t really offer much support in the way of counselling and group sessions for the outrageous prices they charge.
If you are on a restricted budget, you’re much better off just choosing a healthy diet plan and making food at home. These diet plans can be helpful if you make sure they are nutritionally sound and if you can afford them, but you will probably also need to pay extra for some type of outside support.
Diet Pill Scams
Diet pills are one of the worst scams around. The vast majority of them have absolutely no effect whatsoever, and some of them are actually dangerous or addictive.
Before you take any type of diet pill, it is vital that you take the time to research potential side effects thoroughly, and you also need to understand that sometimes it can take many years before the side effects from medications show up. Even so-called “herbal” diet pills can have adverse side effects.
There are two main categories of diet pills:
- Appetite Suppressants
- Metabolism Boosters
Some appetite suppressants can work, but many of them can become addictive. Amphetamines such as Adderall can cause appetite suppression, but they can also cause sleeplessness and other side effects, and may be very addictive in some people. Other types of appetite suppressants can also have harmful side effects and may also be addictive.
Metabolism boosters claim that they can cause the body to burn more fat and calories. This would be great if it were true. Unfortunately, these products are mostly scams. There is no scientific evidence that any pill can boost metabolism, so it’s best to avoid any pill that makes such claims.
It’s tempting to believe that weight loss can come in the form of a little pill. Unfortunately, the companies that sell diet pills are preying on individuals who are desperate. Their products usually contain absolutely no effective ingredients, and they know it. They tend to put together a lot of herbal ingredients that sound exotic and fall outside the scope of FDA laws, and they include a diet plan that must be followed along with the pills. The diet plan is the real cause of any weight loss that may be experienced, but you don’t need to pay for expensive pills for that!
Ephedra
I wanted to include a special warning about ephedra, because it is highly dangerous. It can cause severe heart problems, and even death! Please avoid any diet product that contains it!
Spotting and Avoiding Scams
New diet products are released all the time, and it can be really difficult to figure out what is good and what is a scam. When a product has been around for a while, you can get feedback from people you know, and read news reports about the product.
The main thing to remember is this:
“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
Any product that claims it can help you lose weight quickly without dieting or exercising is more than likely a scam, or it is extremely dangerous to your health. If a product came out that was extremely safe and effective, and really could help you lose tremendous amounts of weight quickly without dieting or exercising, it would be all over the news very quickly.
While a lot of ineffective or dangerous weight loss products are profiled in the news from time to time, they rarely make headlines. If a product was truly effective and safe and could help you lose weight while eating what you want, it would be the top headline on every news broadcast and every newspaper everywhere in the world!
You should always check for reviews before you try any type of weight loss product. Don’t trust the opinion of a single individual unless they are a weight loss expert, because they could simply be trying to sell you a product to make money. Check for reviews from multiple people in a single location.
Make sure any weight loss product you choose is healthy, and does not restrict fat, calories, or any other food group or component to an extreme degree. You need to find a product that will help you lose weight while still staying healthy, and won’t harm your metabolism.
Remember:
While it may be tempting to go for the weight loss solution that works fastest, those types of programs and products are not healthy. They could harm your health or severely hamper your weight loss efforts. It’s much better to lose weight in a healthy way, and you will learn habits that will help you keep the weight off permanently, too.
To Your Success,
