By Bill Kahn, Series Contributor -Scams, Frauds and Cons
Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, a beautiful princess wanted to lose some weight, so she could become even more beautiful for her Prince Charming. In the Castle Newspaper she saw advertisements for weight loss that promised: lose weight no matter how much you eat of your favorite foods; lose 30 pounds in 30 days; lose weight with little or no effort; burn fat while you sleep; lose weight without diet or exercise or by rubbing an amazing lotion it into your skin and you will never have to diet again, plus they’re all safe and natural.
So, she asked her “Blue Bird of Happiness” if she should sign up for these programs. The Blue Bird said, “noooooo,”and went on to tell her that aside from stealing your money, these scams can be dangerous to your health. At best, fad diets and products might result in a temporary weight loss in the short term, but can be dangerous if followed over a longer period. Further, weight loss is a natural for those charlatans to work scams since there are many in the kingdom to choose from.
Fluttering its wing, the Blue Bird told the Princess, the kingdoms medical experts agree that the best way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories and increase your physical activity so you burn more energy. A reasonable goal is to lose about a pound a week. For most people, that means cutting about 500 calories a day from your diet. While for some, the body will go into a protect mode and lower their metabolism rate, making it harder to take off weight, however, it will happen.
Any product or service that promises to eliminate a certain amount of weight per period of time; if they fail to inform about the risks associated with their weight-loss program; if they tell you that their product is also a treatment for a wide range of ailments and nutritional deficiencies or if the product is sold outside normal commercial distribution channels, you know it’s not right for you Princess. Unfortunately, attractive people or celebrities such as the “Queen” who are used to sell products, usually have no idea what they are talking about, “Sorry your Majesty.”
Then of course there are the ones that don’t tell you all the facts about such things as fat blockers which may cause bloating, gas, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. They can also keep some fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin A, D, E, and K, from being absorbed. Other diets such as the Cabbage Soup or Alkaline diets could be harmful to your health and cause problems when the Prince is around.
There are also the stupid ones, such as body wraps and diuretics, which just lose water weight, magic weight-loss earrings, appetite-suppressing eyeglasses, weight-loss skin patches, electrical muscle stimulators and ab-sculpting electric gizmos
Princess, please consult our Kingdoms advisor, “Merlin,” before you make any decision. Consider claims of free or very cheap solutions often have hidden costs. Signing a contract for expensive, long-term programs could bankrupt the kingdom.
Bill Kahn renbar@earthlink.net