Last week we talked about a few frustrations that we face as Personal Trainers……. the never ending barrage of fad diets, weight loss gizmos and useless exercise gadgets!
Now let’s get into a few more of our Weight Loss Scams:
“Too-good-to-be-true” weight loss miracles.
If you find a diet plan or product tells you you’re going to experience “overnight results,” turn around and back away from it without removing your wallet or purse from your pocket!
We guarantee it’s
a lie.
On a healthy controlled weight loss program, most people lose an average of one to two kilos per week, depending on their weight, age, gender, physical ability and body chemistry. During the first few weeks, obese individuals can lose three or even more kilos per week in controlled circumstances. (Note: Most people lose more weight in the first few weeks of any diet than they do in subsequent weeks.) What’s more, if someone doesn’t have a lot of weight to lose, they’ll lose weight a little slower than someone who has a great deal to shed. This can be frustrating for those that only have a few kilos to lose, but it is the reality of it.
That’s why some of the heavier contestants on TV shows like The Biggest Loser start off losing 5 – 7 kilos (or more) the first week. Sure, a fair bit of the weight they initially lose is water weight, but most of these men and women are also used to stuffing their bodies with thousands of excess calories each day. So it is easy to see why they lose weight quickly when they get on a program where they’re replacing bad foods with healthier alternatives and taking in the right amount of calories. (Not to mention the non-stop exercise regime on that TV show.)
In the category of “too-good-to-be-true” weight loss miracles, you typically see a lot of products such as liquid diet drinks, diet patches, and diet pills. Now we’ve got to be honest, some diet pills are truly backed by scientific research and they may help speed up a sluggish metabolism or provide the nutrients you may be lacking to help you burn fat faster.
Make no mistake, there’s no such thing as a magic potion to instantly turn you “celebrity slim” overnight. Real, long term weight loss comes from altering what you eat (removing the processed additives), when you eat, and your activity level. Here’s another tip: diet patches plain don’t work—at least not the ones advertised by fly-by-night companies on the Internet and in some vitamin retail stores. You see, most of these diet patches don’t contain any beneficial fat-fighting ingredients at all. And even if they did, there’s no way your skin could absorb these ingredients—they’re just too large to be absorbed through the skin, plain and simple. It would be like laying down and putting your lunch on your tummy and expecting your tummy to be full – it just doesn’t work that way! Don’t waste your money.
“Fat-free” foods and pre-packaged diet foods.
There are some things that are beneficial about pre-packaged diet meals. They do offer great portion control, reducing over-eating. And generally they are well calorie controlled. But that’s about the extent of the benefits.
Most of these pre-packaged foods (along with most processed “fat-free” foods) contain hidden unhealthy additives, such as high fructose corn syrup, refined sugars, MSG, and saturated fats. Plus, most of these foods are low in vitamins and minerals and low in protein, which you need to stimulate your metabolism and build muscle tone. Not to mention the fact that they’re packed with sodium, which can cause water retention and bloating.
In other words, most pre-packaged and diet foods are really low-quality “dead foods.” Plus, they are extremely expensive.
Here’s a question for you: What do you think happens when someone stops buying these prepackaged foods and tries to cook for themselves? If she hasn’t learned the proper way to cook and combine foods and time her food intake, chances are she’s going to return to her normal bad eating patterns and gain all that weight back.
So if you’re thinking about using pre-packaged foods or delivered meals because of the convenience factor, just be sure to look at the ingredients and compare them to what you have been taught about fresh ingredients versus additives. Make sure you’re not consuming the wrong types of foods. After all, many pre-packaged diet foods are stuffed with additives and preservatives which actually contribute to weight gain!
What’s more, you need to learn how to combine, cook and plan meals in order to achieve life long weight management.
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