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Evaluating Diet Programs and Products, Page 6

Use and Misuse of “Dieting Products”

Image of various types of weight loss products
Media advertisements often appeal to our human desire to have the body size and shape of a celebrity, be popular,  and appeal to the opposite sex among others. We as Americans are used to trying to find a “quick fix” to our perceived problems. We want to create a body builder physique and muscles in a few months or lose twenty pounds in a few weeks to fit into that prom dress. The advertisements that show before and after pictures of overweight people magically changed into swim suit models is not realistic. You have learned from the previous sections in this unit, that these restrictive diets actually do make the long term weight management problem even worse by changing our metabolism to the point where fewer calories are needed to sustain our body weight and then the excess is stored as fat.

Some of the diets mentioned below present a simple solution to a far more complex problem of changing long established lifestyles. Fasting as a means of weight loss can be in forms from literally little or no food intake to calorie limits of 400-800 calories daily. Medically supervised very-low-energy diets such as Optifast have been used with initial rapid weight loss, but long term maintenance rates are near the five percent of popular diet. Liquid meal replacements (Slim Fast is one brand) are to serve in the place of one or two regular meals per day. They cannot be consumed in unlimited quantities and it is important to have a good balance of fruit, vegetables, and whole grains in the other meals to get fiber and other important nutrients. If you read their nutrition food labels, you will often note that they are milk-based and also contain simple sugars. Gimmicks like sauna suits or body wraps will claim to reduce fat in specific body areas. The extra sweating they cause can result in temporary fluid loss which is regained when you hydrate yourself. A term commonly seen in weight loss advertisements is 'Cellulite' which has no factual basis. 

Over-the-Counter Weight loss pills or Herbal medications are often seen as safe and effective means of providing their weight-loss or metabolism rate increase claims. The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are in charge of preventing these false claims. But because legislation in the past put these medications in the “dietary supplement” category, they are not as heavily scrutinized as prescription medications and often only when dangerous side effects harm numerous people are they taken off the market. An example of this is Ephedra which is found in some nonprescription weight loss products and advertised to increase metabolism and reduce appetite, is especially dangerous to people with hypertension and diabetes. Others like PPA (Phenylpropanololhydrochloride) are similar to amphetamines.

Some products using these do not even mention the inclusion of these ingredients on their labels or carry warnings. The amount of ingredients can vary from sample to sample. “Natural” or “herbal” on the label is not the same as “safe for all people to use” as these products are not heavily regulated either. So if you or friends or family members plan to use these products, be cautious and research possible side effects, plus buy only from reputable manufacturers. Use of over-the-counter laxatives for weight loss can cause dehydration, loss of important nutrients, and effect the functioning of the intestines. Few fat calories are lost, most of weight loss is due to the loss of fluids in diarrhea.