THE ADS promise everything. Take this pill, wear this sauna suit, try this body wrap - lose 30 pounds in 30 days!
Maybe you've tried some of these products or techniques; maybe you've even lost some weight. But it's only temporary.
The one thing all these weight-loss products have in common is an emphasis on water-weight loss.
You're looking to get rid of body fat, and the scale seems to indicate you have. But what you really lost was water.
Inevitably, when we lose weight a portion of the weight loss will be water. However, the goal is to decrease water weight loss so the body is forced to turn up its metabolic furnace and burn more body fat.
"These products offer false hope and are a waste of money," said personal trainer Jeff Shablin of Optimal Personal Fitness in Philadelphia. "Focus on exercise and good nutrition. There is no cure in a pill or a product."
Kristie Spalding, spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise in San Diego, agreed.
"There are no such things a quick fix. Moderate activity, a healthy diet and healthy lifestyle are the keys to permanent weight loss," she said. "We recommend 30 to 60 minutes of exercise daily. It doesn't have to be in the gym. Just find time in your day."
A losing proposition
One thing's for sure - the only thing you'll lose using those weight-loss wonders is your hard-earned CASH. But in some cases you could lose something more precious - your health or even your life.
The theory behind sauna suits is that wearing them while exercising, you'll simply melt the fat off your body like a chicken on a rotisserie. However, nothing could be further from the truth. The only weight loss that occurs is water loss due to excessive sweating. As soon as you begin drinking fluids again, the weight will return.
What's more, exercising in sauna suits, reducing belts and similar gadgets could lead to serious dehydration, heat exhaustion or, in extreme cases, death.
Wrap it up
Body wrap treatments may promise to dissolve fat deposits and remove toxins. But according to Dr. Marjorie Dejoie, of the Bonne Sante Wellness Center in Center City, "This is a misnomer, and unfortunately people are miseducated. These services do not offer... dramatic weight loss. At the very best, you'll achieve relaxation and a little detox."
Having your body swathed from head to toe in ace bandages soaked in herbs or minerals, with plastic bags hugging your hands and feet, is simply another expensive way to lose water weight, which will quickly return once normal hydration takes place.
Have a cuppa tea?
Herbal teas and dietary supplements may seem harmless enough, but many of these products contain laxatives, diuretics or other drugs than can cause diarrhea, kidney problems and more. These products may interfere with prescription medications you are taking. And if they lead to cardiac arrhythmia or electrolyte imbalance, you could die.
Dietician Gail Posner, of Healthy Ways Nutrition Counseling in West Bloomfield, Minn., cautioned, "Buyer beware. If these products work, why are we still an obese nation? There is no benefit in dehydrating your body [losing 2 to 3 pounds a week]. Losing 1 pound or less is more realistic. The goal is to lose FAT, not just water."
And remember that rapid weight loss also can leave you with shapeless, wrinkled skin (known as skin redundancy), which may cause skin maceration, or staphylococcal or yeast infections in the skin folds.
Plain talk from the FCC
According to the Federal Trade Commission Web site, ads that contain these promises are almost always false:
For more information visit www.ftc.gov or call 1-877-FTC-HELP.
The bottom line is, instead of buying into the quick weight loss hype, roll up your sleeves and get to work. Figure out what you need to do to change your lifestyle, eat less, move more and burn, baby, burn.