Consumer Protection Article by Nutritionist Josh Bezoni
Every where you look these days—whether it be the T.V., Internet, or in magazines—new diet pills are popping up like weeds in a garden.
It gets so confusing that a lot of people tend to “throw out the baby with the bath water” and assume that ALL flab-burning products are a waste of time.
But the TRUTH is, some quality products contain ingredients that are backed by real clinical studies. In other words, a few rare products actually work.
We will be talking more about those later, but for now, I want to start by protecting your health (and wallet) by exposing some of the “deadly sins” many diet pills companies are pulling every chance they get.
Deadly Sin #1:
Products disguised to look like
prescription weight loss medications.
Diet pills are supplements; they are not medications. If they were, you’d have to get a prescription to buy them. Many companies try to make their products look and sound like medications in an attempt to trick you into thinking they are prescription-strength. They figure this way you’ll think the pills are more powerful and will pay more for them.
There is currently a pill just like this being advertised on TV and radio. The cost? $150 for the exact same type of cheap, ineffective product you can get at your local grocery store for $9. People think products like these must work if they are that expensive and sound like a medicine. They are wrong.
The truth is, companies like these often hire actors to pose as doctors and customers. These actors hold up large pants and say how much weight they lost when they really didn’t lose any weight at all. They’re ripping us off. If these products were really so amazing, why would the companies have to deceive us by making the products look like medications when they’re not?
Deadly Sin #2:
Diet pills that make you feel jittery,
anxious, depressed, or hungry.
Products like these can cause stress, which leads to emotional overeating and weight gain. They can also negatively impact your health in the long run. Listen to what your body is trying to tell you.
Deadly Sin #3:
Questionable product endorsements.
If you wouldn’t trust a celebrity to babysit your child, don’t trust her advice about a product. Celebrities and doctors are for hire. And, guess what? You’re paying their salaries when you purchase the products they’re pushing.
Deadly Sin #4:
Diet pills that make outrageous claims.
It’s true that the best diet pills are backed by science. However, no diet product can help you lose 30 pounds in 30 days. Nonsense. If you’re following a quality eating and exercise program and taking scientifically backed weight loss nutrients to speed up the results, you can expect to lose anywhere from eight to 12 pounds per month, depending on how much you have to lose, your age, body chemistry, commitment to the program, and a variety of other factors. However, there are ways to speed up these results BIG TIME. We’ll talk more about this soon.
Deadly Sin #5:
Diet products that are not backed by
a 100 percent money-back guarantee.
Oh, and also make sure this guarantee lasts long enough that you can actually try the product before it expires (I recommend at least a YEAR). This way if the product doesn’t work, your bank account doesn’t take the hit. After all, if a company isn’t confident in their product, why should you be? (Always be sure to read the fine print.)
Deadly Sin #6:
Diet pills that contain token amounts
of everything but effective amounts of nothing.
Some diet pills may contain trace amounts of scientifically backed ingredients, but this is only a technicality because they cut corners and only put tiny amounts of these ingredients in the pills—not enough to have a positive effect. This is akin to trying to make a loaf of bread with only a tablespoon of flour.
Look for products that list the amounts of every ingredient on the labels instead of hiding the ingredients in proprietary blends. Then search online to make sure the amounts listed in the products match those recommended by studies.
Deadly Sin #7:
Products that are not tested by independent,
third-party laboratories.
This is the only way to ensure they contain what their labels say. Here’s something you may not know: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not test supplements to verify the validity of their labels. The scope of this watchdog organization is limited to foods and drugs, which does not include dietary supplements.
So who does make sure that diet pills contain what their labels say and don’t contain any of the bad stuff? Well, it’s up to the manufacturing companies to monitor their own products. But most don’t. So in all reality, some shameless company fills their pills with worthless ingredients and charge you 20, 30, 40, or 50 (or more) bucks a bottle for it. Can you believe it? Some companies are cutting corners and padding their wallets by cheating their customers out of the products they’re paying for. It’s a scam, plain and simple.
Arm yourself with these tips and remember… buyer beware.