Spot Fad Diet Products in Seven Steps

Back in 2014, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) launched a new law-enforcement initiative that will allow them to seriously crack-down on all the fad diet products flooding our shelves. It’s their attempt to control advertising campaigns for diet products that promise ridiculous results with very little proof to back up the claims. The FTC is not attempting to ban the products, it simply wants to ensure that the consumers are receiving correct information.

I think this is kinda cool.

While working on this new initiative, the FTC introduced the “seven point ‘gut’ check”, which are guidelines for consumers to use when sifting through the lies the diet companies are shoving down their throats. If any of the statements below are associated with a new fad diet, supplement, and/or food you’re investigating, put your wallet away and run for the hills:

1. Causes weight loss of two pounds or more a week for a month or more without dieting or exercise

Phrases to watch for:

• “I lost 30 pounds in 30 days – and still ate all my favorite foods!”
• “Lose up to 2 pounds a day without diet or exercise!”
• “Drop four dress sizes in just a month without changing your eating habits or enduring back-breaking trips to the gym!”

2. Causes substantial weight loss no matter what or how much the consumer eats

Phrases to watch for:

• “Need to lose 20, 30, 40 pounds or more?  Eat your fill of all the foods you crave and watch the weight disappear!”
• “Who needs rabbit food? Enjoy mouth-watering foods you want anytime you want, and blast away dress sizes and belt notches.”
• “This revolutionary product lets you enjoy all your favorites – hamburgers, fries, pasta, sausage, and even gooey desserts – and still lose weight. One FatFoe tablet before meals does the work for you and you’ll lose all the weight you want.”

3. Causes permanent weight loss even after the consumer stops using product

Phrases to watch for:

• “Take it off and keep it off. Kiss dieting goodbye forever!”
• “Thousands of people have used FatFoe and kept the weight off for good!”
• “It’s not another weight loss gimmick. It’s a unique metabolism accelerator that changes how your body burns fat. Why settle for temporary weight loss when you can get rid of those flabby thighs and that unsightly muffin top once and for all!”
• “No more yo-yo dieting. Eat more. Weigh less. And finally – yes, finally – stay slim for the rest of your life!”

4. Blocks the absorption of fat or calories to enable consumers to lose substantial weight

Phrases to watch for:

• “Super Flablock Formula is an energized enzyme that can absorb up to 900 times its own weight in fat.  Relax and enjoy favorites like ice cream, butter, and cheese, confident that you’ll still blast off up to 5 pounds per week – or more!”

• “Take a StarchBloxIt tablet before meals. It dissolves into a gel that absorbs excess sugars and carbs, preventing them from forming body fat. Eat what you want and still lose weight!”
• “Block fat before your body absorbs it. The pounds and inches will melt away!”

5. Safely enables consumers to lose more than three pounds per week for more than four weeks

Phrases to watch for:

• “Take off up to 10 pounds a week safely and effectively. Imagine looking into the mirror two months from now and seeing a slim reflection!”
• “Even if you have 40, 50, 60 or more pounds to lose, doctors recommend FatFoe as the no-risk way to blast off the weight and inches in a few short months. Just in time for bikini season or that class reunion!”

6. Causes substantial weight loss for all users

Phrases to watch for:

• “Lose excess body fat. You can’t fail because no will power is required!”
• “Lose 10-15-20 pounds. Gel-a-slim works for everyone, no matter how many times you’ve tried and failed!”
• “FatFoe is guaranteed to work for you. Melt away the pounds regardless of your body type or size.”
• “Maybe you want to drop a dress size before that get-together next month or perhaps you need to take off 50 pounds or more. Your search for a weight loss miracle is over. We’ve found the diet supplement guaranteed to work 100% of the time – regardless of how much you want to lose!”

7. Causes substantial weight loss by wearing a product on the body or rubbing it into the skin

Phrases to watch for:

• “Ancient healers knew that a metabolism-boosting energy current runs from the earlobe to the stomach, making it easy to shed 30, 40, even 50 pounds. That’s the secret behind our Dieter’s Earrings.  Why starve yourself when an attractive piece of fashion jewelry can do the weight loss work for you?”
• “Rub Melt-X Gel into your problem areas and watch the active ingredient penetrate the skin layers to melt fat at the cellular level.  Use Melt-X around your mid-section to whittle a contoured, streamlined waist.  You’ll melt away 20 pounds in just a month.”
• “Slink into those skinny jeans in no time.  Our patent-pending body wrap will increase the metabolism around your hips to burn fat faster.  You’ll lose 2-3 pounds per week just by wearing the body wrap while relaxing.  Blast off 25 pounds in 8 short weeks.”

So the next time you see a diet or diet product that seems “too good to be true”, it probably is. You wanna lose weight? Treat your body well by feeding it healthy, whole foods and get out from behind your computer once and awhile. After you finish reading this article of course 😉