Weight loss advertisements are ubiquitous these days, but should we trust them at all? As you may already know, the FTC is determined to crack down on deceptive and misleading advertisements about weight loss, therefore legal action is taken against all those companies that either make false claims about their slimming products or can’t support these claims with studies or some form of evidence.
This initiative is welcome, as there are millions of people who spend a lot of money on such bogus products without getting the promised results. Moreover, they might even damage their health in the process, especially if they go for various weight loss solutions without discussing their intentions with a doctor or a nutritionist.
If you don’t know whether to trust weight loss advertisements, here are a few claims that should trigger an alarm in your head and make you stay away from those products because they might be too good to be true:
1. You lose weight without any diet restrictions or exercise
Healthy weight loss can’t happen fast and it can’t happen without you changing something in your dietary habits or lifestyle. There’s no effortless weight loss, so if a pill or another kind of product promises you this, just stay away from it.
2. You get slimmer by simply using our cream or wonder patch
No ointment or cream can make you lose those pounds by simply applying it on your skin. A bit of logical thinking will make you realize that losing weight is a matter of balancing the calories that go in with those that go out, so a cream applied on the skin will do nothing much to help you. It might make your skin look better, but the promise of helping you shed those pounds is nothing more than a lie.
3. Lose 10 pounds in 10 days or 30 pounds in 30 days
Even if these claims were true, they would most probably damage your health, because rapid weight loss is never healthy. In the best case scenario you won’t lose the promised number of pounds. However, in the worst case scenario you can mess up your metabolism, thus having to deal with serious health problems, simply because you were too naive and bought into such illogical and unrealistic claims.
This is not to say that all weight loss products are ineffective and all ads are deceptive. Some products may really work, but it is best to seek advice from a medical specialist before attempting any weight loss solution you see on TV or in magazines. Whenever thinking about trying something, do some research, look for reviews from other users, see if the FDA had something to say about the respective pill or diet and try to stay objective in your assessment. It’s true you may have an ardent wish to be slimmer, but you shouldn’t pay with your health for it.
In case you try a pill or a weight loss program and you feel weakened or sick, you should immediately interrupt it and schedule a consultation with your doctor as soon as possible.