How many times have you been sitting at home and saw something on the television that said “This will help you lose weight fast! Call now to start your journey to weight loss.”? How many times have you gone online and had an add pop-up or a friend on your timeline trying to sell you a weight loss or health product? How many times have you gone to the store and in every aisle you walked down there just happened to be products proclaiming they are great for a healthy lifestyle and weight loss?
Think back through just the last week, and I know you could probably name more than seven instances where these incidents occurred. With all the clutter from people pushing you this way and that way for diets and weight loss products, it’s hard to climb through the mess and mentally view what’s a good buy and what’s not. What’s a real weight loss product and what’s merely a fad or scam? Well, the good news is there are few things you can look out for, so you don’t waste your money or get scammed.
If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. If any product you’re about to buy says you can lose weight without exercise or a healthy lifestyle, then you might as well stop there. Everyone knows there is no magic bean to make you suddenly lose weight. Weight loss is more complicated with that. Depending on who you are, your health, your weight, and many other factors there is no one size fits all pill or product for you to lose weight without diet and exercise. Some of the products may help you with your healthy lifestyle but know that you cannot change your waistline without doing anything or while still eating poorly just because you’re taking something. DO NOT buy anything that tells you otherwise. It’s a scam.
Exaggerated Statistics are another way that marketers and salespeople try to draw you into buying and believing in their product. If you have ever seen and heard someone say it helps because it does such and such a certain percentage etc. then it’s probably a scam. Here are some of the favorites you may hear marketers use: burns 30% more fat, burns 75% more calories, or you can lose weight 50% faster… All of those stats may seem like a big deal, but those phrases are just meant to entice you and impress you into not thinking further about what they are actually saying about a product.
For instance, a product may say that you lose weight 50% faster, but faster than what? Faster than who? That certain product’s stats may have been viewed based on people who are already living a healthy lifestyle or eating super healthy. So again, don’t just trust the stats on a box or bottle. Look into the actual study before you buy a product.
Too many studies listed on their website or information packet. It’s always nice to see that a product is backed by science, but sometimes the manufacturers and marketers mislead you into thinking the product is more backed than it actually is. On websites or information packets you really need to look at every study, because there have been times where I have seen unrelated studies and even studies that didn’t support the said product’s findings. I know, it sounds strange, but it happens more often than you think! Why would someone do this? Well, to make their product look better than their competitors of course! Also, they are banking that you will see a list of studies and not bother to go through them. Most people don’t. Don’t be one of those people, study up.
The words significant could be a red flag. Significant in the scientific world doesn’t have to mean big results. It could mean only a slight hair difference, and that’s scientifically significant. So be sure to look into just how significant, significant really is before buying a product.
If you hear, “money back guaranteed,” or read it on a bottle at any point, make sure you read the fine print. In the fine print, it often says that there are only a few ways to actually get your money back or reasons for getting your money back. So be sure to clarify before buying the product and depending on that money back guarantee. It’s always in the fine print. Bring those reading glasses with you; they will come in handy.
Protect yourself from weight loss scams by asking for more information about a certain product directly from the manufacturer. Talk to your trusted pharmacist, doctor or certified trainer about a particular product. Discuss if it’s not only a good product, but if it’s right for you. And finally, you can always try to look up credible online sources like this one.
Don’t get scammed! Get smart!