Weight Loss Scams

Have you ever been tempted or fallen prey to one of the many weight loss scams on the internet?  I have.  When you are overweight, your clothes don’t fit, and you can’t move around like before it can lead to unwise choices.  Promises of “eat what u want and still lose”, a magic pill, or no exercise needed because of one weird tip to eliminate belly fat can be extremely intriguing.  The problem is that they only deliver super expensive supplements on subscription which are a pain to cancel and nothing more.

I discovered this the hard way when I received an email for a so-called weight loss study that promised a $1500 payout after 3 months.  You would have to take a picture of yourself in all your fat glory with a newspaper that clearly displayed the date.  Then you’d have to do the same at the end of the 90 period displaying your results.  Once you agree to participate then they tell you what you have to use. One was a colon cleanser and the other an acai berry product.  You were obliged to sign up for the 15 day trial and the study group would receive confirmation of your participation.  It got me wondering, If this is for a 90 day test, uh, what about the product for the other 75 days.  And this is where they sock it to you, you have to provide your credit card information so that after the 15 day trial they can charge you $89 on a monthly subscription basis for EACH product they wanted you to use. So, I would have to spend almost $600 of money my family doesn’t have on some products of dubious nature in the hope that maybe they’ll work ant maybe, just maybe they will find my pictures and journal acceptable and pay me $1500.  That’s a lot of money, but so is a month and a half worth of grocery money spent on one person for some frappe that might just make you sick.  I told the woman recruiting for the.study to take my name off the list and offer her scam to someone else.

Our body and our mind needs retraining, not a magic pill.  There is no miracle “cure”.  I think that is why systems like Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, and Nutri-System are so effective.  They address the behavioral component to our eating habits in addition to educating people about what and when to eat and how to get the most out of their daily routine as far as exercise.  Why do they have to be so stinking expensive.  For what a month for one person on Nutri-System costs I could feed my entire family.

As a busy mother of 2 sometimes I find it hard to make time for regimented  exercise.  To stave off cravings I have to keep the objects of my desire out of the house.  No cookies, cakes or ice cream. No chocolate :-(. Because I will find it and I will eat it ALL.  I don’t know why I crave these things so much or why I find it so hard to control myself around them. 

DH bought a Wii for the family last year and I was doing pretty good exercising every day.  I think I over did it though because I became obssesed with the daily weigh in to the point of depression if I didn’t lose at least a lb every day.  It became unhealthy.  So when I fell ill last winter it was extremely difficult to get back on track.  My weight rebounded and FAST.  I ended up almost 10 lbs. over my previous starting weight and even more depressed. 

Even though the Wii scold me if I miss a weigh in I try to avoid making that my sole goal.  My body needs to become stronger, more flexible, and more able to endure strenuous physical activity.  For now I’m going to let my clothing be my gauge.  As it starts to loosen I’ll know I’m making progress on the weight loss front too.

Learn to love yourself the way you are and it will become easier to succeed.  Why?  Because self loathing leads to depression which is very stressful to the whole body and stress is the number one behavioral enemy of fat loss.  Stress increases cortisol levels which don’t allow your body to let go of belly fat in particular. Who wants that?!

Don’t fall prey to the scams.  Make your own plan and don’t overdo it so you burn out.  Eat more fiber and less processed crap.  Eat more fresh fruits and veggies. Exercise any way you can.

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