Diet And Fitness

Avoiding Diet and Fitness Scams

We all know we should try to keep fit and healthy. But for many of us that candy bar or takeout food is too tempting – plus who has time to go to the gym anyway? …And when the grocery store is carefully designed to put delicious sugary treats, fat and salt-laden temptations close to hand – when our TVs stream a constant menu of on-demand movies and box sets into our home, most of us do tend to get a bit, er, chubby.

Which is where we start to fall prey to the diet and fitness scammers – and there are a lot of them out there. We want a quick fix, we want fast results – and if we don’t have to change our diet or lifestyle much – all the better.

So when we see a diet shake, pill, cream or gadget offering to melt our body fat and give us rock-hard abs we line up with credit cards in hand.

The problem is, that’s not how the human body works.

The FTC says “take a pass on any product that offers weight loss or fitness results without any effort. Remember, no garment, gizmo, or cream is going to make you fit and toned”

And there lies the sad fact.

If we want to get fit and lose weight properly – then we need to eat a healthy diet and burn more calories than we consume. There is no other alternative. Promises of fast results that don’t involve dietary change or increased calorific burn should be considered suspect at least.

Remember, the law states that companies must support their advertising claims with solid proof. This is especially true for businesses that market health-related products including weight loss products. They must comply with truth-in-advertising standards.

Unfortunately many don’t – and companies will continue to skirt the law and risk fines when the opportunity for profits can be so great.

So how can you protect yourself when buying diet and fitness products?

• Only use legitimate and trusted companies or services, such as those we list above.
• Promises of no-effort weight loss or fast-fix fitness shortcuts should make you very suspicious.
• Check that the product complies with the FTC’s health and fitness claims or advertising guides. If not, walk away.
• Check a company’s credentials at the BBB and with your local Chamber of Commerce if they are in-state.
• Read online reviews – is there a pattern of complaints with the company or service concerned?

Remember, no weight loss pill can take the place of a healthy balanced diet and regular moderate exercise.

Example Cases
FTC Sends Additional Refund Checks Totaling Almost $2 Million to People Who Bought Green Coffee Weight-Loss Supplements
FTC Returns More Than $6 Million to Consumers Who Bought Infomercial Marketer Kevin Trudeau’s Weight-Loss Book
FTC Sending Refund Checks Totaling More Than $437,000 to Consumers Who Bought Bogus Weight-loss Products
Scammers Banned from Telemarketing, Selling Weight-Loss Products
Internet Marketers of Acai Berry Weight-Loss Pills and “Colon Cleansers” to Pay $1.5 Million to Settle FTC Charges of Deceptive Advertising and Unfair Billing