Deceptive diet ads lure a lot of people
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The lure of Hollywood is misleading. Who knows how many people have been made to believe that they aren’t thin enough, rich enough, smart enough, or good-looking enough?
Hollywood does another grave disservice to the public with promises of weight loss in a pill or great abs in 5 minutes a day. Products use slogans like, Lose weight without dieting or exercise! Eat your way to a trimmer you!, or Block fat before your body can absorb it! What products using those slogans should really say is: "I lost $350 in two weeks. Ask me how!"
Infomercials are television’s chance to spend thirty minutes convincing you that a company or product is trying to help you. In actuality, you’re watching a one-sided argument. There is no one against them while they’re selling you this miracle pill/fat blaster; just tons of people saying how much weight they’ve lost and how easy it was to do so. Nothing works for everyone, so where’s the individual telling you that it was a waste of time and money? That it didn’t work for her?
Here’s the bad news you must continuously repeat in your head: these products are gimmicks. Don’t fall prey to the lure of Hollywood “quick fixes”. The reason we buy these diet ads is because we want to believe that such a concept exists. We want to buy the pill that will make us look like Jennifer Aniston or Beyonce with no more work than religiously taking two giant horse pills three times a day! Lets not even mention some of the horrifying side effects like fluttering heartbeat, constant trips to the bathroom, and gitters.
We want to think that fitness model abs might be attributed to only 5 minutes of work a day on a miracle machine. In the real world, none of us have the 6-hours a day that a model may have in order to look like that. And we all know that they don’t get those abs just from that one machine.
Experts agree that the best way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories and increase your physical activity so you burn more energy. There are no products that can instantly remove fat. If there was…surely I would have found this product. But, if you are still determined they work and want to give them a try, always consult a health care professional before buying any weight loss products.
Don’t give in to the temptation of these products. Use as much health sense as you can muster, and save your money. It would be better spent on a treadmill or gym membership. Plus, in the event you stop using a treadmill it has a much higher re-sale than a bottle of Lypo-scam.
Weight loss and keeping a body in shape is hard work. You have to constantly be mindful of your eating and exercise regiment. Here are a few strategies that may inspire you to get moving:
1. Set realistic goals with short-term goals. For instance, you want to lose 15 lbs. Set short term goals of 3 lbs. You will feel you are well on your way with each short term goal you reach.2. Pull out that old pair of jeans or evening gown you have been dying to get back into. Seeing these every morning when you wake up will help to motivate you to workout and eat healthy.
3. Make a list of things you would like to accomplish, but can’t due to your current physical condition. Then put this list on your refrigerator. Being reminded of these will keep you on track.
4. Find your favorite motivational quote, cut it out and then tape it to your bathroom mirror. Waking up every morning reading it will add the little pep in your step to get your morning started.
Christine W. Smith
Extension Agent
Family and Consumer Sciences
North Carolina Cooperative Extension
Wayne County Center
P.O. Box 68
Goldsboro, NC 27533
E-Mail: Christine_Smith@ncsu.edu
phone: 919-731-1525
fax: 919-731-1511