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Considering a diet program? Experts shed some light.
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By VERA GIBBONS
Don't be tempted by gimmicky products or programs that promise quick and easy weight loss. Here's what you need to know to slim down without wasting your money:
1. Meetings and diet shakes trump counting carbs. Don't be tempted by gimmicky products or programs that promise quick and easy weight loss. "You may succeed initially, but as few as 5 percent of dieters manage to keep the pounds off," says David Grotto, spokesman for the American Dietetic Association.
So which program offers you the best hope for lasting results? Weight Watchers, according to Consumer Reports magazine, which recently analyzed and assessed a number of diets.
"The program has a long history of success because it doesn't demonize food," Grotto says, "and the weekly support meetings and journals are effective tools."
Slim-Fast products also get high marks.
2. Beware the extras. You've seen the ads: "Join for only $9.99 per week!" "Lose all the weight you want for just $39.99!" But that may be just the beginning, says Judith Stern, distinguished professor of nutrition and internal medicine at the University of California-Davis. Commission-based representatives may aggressively hawk such products as nutrition bars, shakes, supplements and vitamins. Furthermore, they could guilt-trip you into buying those extras, insinuating that you're a failure if you don't. Your best defense: Get a list of all the costs, in writing, before joining any program.
3. Qualifications may be slim. If you're making a lifestyle change that could affect your health, you want advice from a professional -- not a once-heavy person turned thin who passes off before-and-after pictures as qualifications for giving advice to other dieters. But, Grotto says, that's often what you get. Ask to see credentials before you sign up.
4. Most claims are bogus. "Lose weight while you sleep!" The skinny on this and other weight-loss claims? Most are bogus, according to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which went after the marketers of a number of products in Operation Big Fat Lie, a deceptive-advertising crackdown.
5. Duped? Your refund may never come. Weight-loss products and money-back guarantees go together like cookies and milk. But guarantees are only as good as the company behind them. Based on the number of complaints logged by the Better Business Bureau, there are plenty of shady operators out there.
Before committing to a product or program, request a business-reliability report by going to the BBB Web site, www.bbb.org. You can also call the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (888-723-3366) if you have questions.
Source: Fort Worth Star-TelegramAll rights reserved.