What Those “Incredible” Fitness Claims Really Mean
Options
LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo
Posts: 3,634 Member
I came across this article & thought of sharing it here. I even put this in my blog. Read on:
Diet and fitness products sometimes use marketing phrases similar to ads selling real estate or used cars, according to Glenn Cardwell, nutritionist and author of the book "Diet Addiction". He says that the phrase "house with an ocean view" can mean "only seen by standing on the roof". "House that is a handyman's dream" can mean the house is a dump and needs many repairs. When it comes to cars, we all know that the phrase "slightly used" isn't always what it seems.
Here is his interpretation of common phrases used in the marketing of weight loss products.
· "Amazing new discovery!" means "Old idea repackaged”.
· "Lose 12 pounds in a week!" means "Lose a lot of muscle and water."
· "Inexpensive" means "expensive for what you get".
· "Weight loss made easy" means "If we say it is hard work, you won't buy our product."
· "Feel wonderful!" means "Feel tired, irritable, and constipated."
· "No exercise necessary!" means "We're telling lies."
· "Results guaranteed or your money back" means "Results guaranteed for the first week only. After that, it's your problem!"
· "Keep the weight off!" means "By the time you realize it doesn't work, you'll probably blame yourself for the failure".
· “Scientific breakthrough” means “The only breakthrough is how to pull the wool over your eyes”.
Exaggerated promises.
Fitness authority Liz Neporent has written extensively about the claims made by fitness and weight loss infomercials. She claims consumers are usually hoodwinked by exaggerated promises. Here’s her definition of those catchy phrases (from her article “The Ten Commandments of Buying Fitness Gadgets on TV”):
· “Lose 30 pounds in 30 days”. The fact is, no one can accurately predict how much or how fast you'll drop weight. You should be wary of anything that guarantees quick, permanent results.
· “Melts fat from your hips, thighs or stomach”. There is no way to diet or exercise away fat from a specific part of your body. This so-called "spot reducing" – one of the most oft-mentioned pledges you'll see in ads for fitness equipment – is simply a physiological impossibility. Period.
· “No sweat, no effort”. No dice. If you're not working hard enough to work up a sweat, you're not working hard enough. Exercise doesn't have to be grueling and painful, but if it's effortless, don't expect results.
· “Total-body workout”. On many machines, the arm mechanism is linked to the leg mechanism, so even though your arms are pumping, they're just along for the ride. You aren't getting a better workout, and you aren't necessarily burning more calories.
· “Get fit in minutes a day”. How much fitness can you expect from working out just a few minutes a day? Not much. Most reputable fitness experts maintain that you need to exercise aerobically for at least 20 minutes a session to derive cardiovascular benefits and even longer if your main goal is weight loss.
· "Awarded a US patent." You can patent a nose-hair clipper for mice if you wanted to. To get a patent, you need to have an original idea, not necessarily a good one.
· "Guaranteed or your money back." Read the fine print. The manufacturers may promise that you'll lose four inches in one month – if you stick to a low-fat diet and a far more extensive exercise program.
· "Expert endorsements”. Don't think for a minute that a three-time Mr. Universe built his biceps with some plastic contraption that looks like a model of the Star Ship Enterprise. And never buy anything hawked by an actress who hasn't had a decent gig in more than five years.
Here are more translations of stereotypical marketing phrases in fitness and weight loss ads, according to Page Waehner, website host of Exercise.About.com.
· “Lose weight in just minutes a day!” actually translates to “If you believe this, you're really stupid." Yes, there are some things you can do in just minutes a day and, unfortunately, losing weight isn't one of them.
· "Results may vary," or "Results not typical." Translation: "W e paid this person to say they lost weight with our product." Okay, to be fair, maybe some of these people are real and have seen results, but, like the disclaimer says, those results probably aren't typical.
Be a skeptic.
The United States Federal Trade Commission recommends a "healthy portion of skepticism" when evaluating weight loss claims.
· "Lose 30 Pounds in Just 30 Days." As a rule, the faster you lose weight, the more likely you are to gain it back. Additionally, fast weight loss could harm your health. Unless your doctor advises it, don't look for programs that promise quick weight loss.
· "Lose All the Weight You Can for Just $39.99." Some weight loss programs have hidden costs. For example, some don't advertise the fact that you must buy their prepackaged meals that cost more than the program fees. Before you sign up for any weight loss program, ask for all the costs. Get them in writing.
· "Lose Weight While You Sleep." Claims for diet products and programs that promise weight loss without effort are phony.
· "Lose Weight And Keep It Off For Good." Be suspicious about products promising long-term or permanent weight loss. To lose weight and keep it off, you must change how you eat and how much you exercise.
· "John Doe Lost 84 Pounds in Six Weeks." Don't be misled by someone else's weight loss claims. Even if the claims are true, someone else's success may have little relation to your own chances of success.
· "Scientific Breakthrough...Medical Miracle." There are no miracle weight loss products. To lose weight, you have to reduce your intake of calories and increase your physical activity. Be skeptical about exaggerated claims.
Diet and fitness products sometimes use marketing phrases similar to ads selling real estate or used cars, according to Glenn Cardwell, nutritionist and author of the book "Diet Addiction". He says that the phrase "house with an ocean view" can mean "only seen by standing on the roof". "House that is a handyman's dream" can mean the house is a dump and needs many repairs. When it comes to cars, we all know that the phrase "slightly used" isn't always what it seems.
Here is his interpretation of common phrases used in the marketing of weight loss products.
· "Amazing new discovery!" means "Old idea repackaged”.
· "Lose 12 pounds in a week!" means "Lose a lot of muscle and water."
· "Inexpensive" means "expensive for what you get".
· "Weight loss made easy" means "If we say it is hard work, you won't buy our product."
· "Feel wonderful!" means "Feel tired, irritable, and constipated."
· "No exercise necessary!" means "We're telling lies."
· "Results guaranteed or your money back" means "Results guaranteed for the first week only. After that, it's your problem!"
· "Keep the weight off!" means "By the time you realize it doesn't work, you'll probably blame yourself for the failure".
· “Scientific breakthrough” means “The only breakthrough is how to pull the wool over your eyes”.
Exaggerated promises.
Fitness authority Liz Neporent has written extensively about the claims made by fitness and weight loss infomercials. She claims consumers are usually hoodwinked by exaggerated promises. Here’s her definition of those catchy phrases (from her article “The Ten Commandments of Buying Fitness Gadgets on TV”):
· “Lose 30 pounds in 30 days”. The fact is, no one can accurately predict how much or how fast you'll drop weight. You should be wary of anything that guarantees quick, permanent results.
· “Melts fat from your hips, thighs or stomach”. There is no way to diet or exercise away fat from a specific part of your body. This so-called "spot reducing" – one of the most oft-mentioned pledges you'll see in ads for fitness equipment – is simply a physiological impossibility. Period.
· “No sweat, no effort”. No dice. If you're not working hard enough to work up a sweat, you're not working hard enough. Exercise doesn't have to be grueling and painful, but if it's effortless, don't expect results.
· “Total-body workout”. On many machines, the arm mechanism is linked to the leg mechanism, so even though your arms are pumping, they're just along for the ride. You aren't getting a better workout, and you aren't necessarily burning more calories.
· “Get fit in minutes a day”. How much fitness can you expect from working out just a few minutes a day? Not much. Most reputable fitness experts maintain that you need to exercise aerobically for at least 20 minutes a session to derive cardiovascular benefits and even longer if your main goal is weight loss.
· "Awarded a US patent." You can patent a nose-hair clipper for mice if you wanted to. To get a patent, you need to have an original idea, not necessarily a good one.
· "Guaranteed or your money back." Read the fine print. The manufacturers may promise that you'll lose four inches in one month – if you stick to a low-fat diet and a far more extensive exercise program.
· "Expert endorsements”. Don't think for a minute that a three-time Mr. Universe built his biceps with some plastic contraption that looks like a model of the Star Ship Enterprise. And never buy anything hawked by an actress who hasn't had a decent gig in more than five years.
Here are more translations of stereotypical marketing phrases in fitness and weight loss ads, according to Page Waehner, website host of Exercise.About.com.
· “Lose weight in just minutes a day!” actually translates to “If you believe this, you're really stupid." Yes, there are some things you can do in just minutes a day and, unfortunately, losing weight isn't one of them.
· "Results may vary," or "Results not typical." Translation: "W e paid this person to say they lost weight with our product." Okay, to be fair, maybe some of these people are real and have seen results, but, like the disclaimer says, those results probably aren't typical.
Be a skeptic.
The United States Federal Trade Commission recommends a "healthy portion of skepticism" when evaluating weight loss claims.
· "Lose 30 Pounds in Just 30 Days." As a rule, the faster you lose weight, the more likely you are to gain it back. Additionally, fast weight loss could harm your health. Unless your doctor advises it, don't look for programs that promise quick weight loss.
· "Lose All the Weight You Can for Just $39.99." Some weight loss programs have hidden costs. For example, some don't advertise the fact that you must buy their prepackaged meals that cost more than the program fees. Before you sign up for any weight loss program, ask for all the costs. Get them in writing.
· "Lose Weight While You Sleep." Claims for diet products and programs that promise weight loss without effort are phony.
· "Lose Weight And Keep It Off For Good." Be suspicious about products promising long-term or permanent weight loss. To lose weight and keep it off, you must change how you eat and how much you exercise.
· "John Doe Lost 84 Pounds in Six Weeks." Don't be misled by someone else's weight loss claims. Even if the claims are true, someone else's success may have little relation to your own chances of success.
· "Scientific Breakthrough...Medical Miracle." There are no miracle weight loss products. To lose weight, you have to reduce your intake of calories and increase your physical activity. Be skeptical about exaggerated claims.
0
Replies
-
Pretty cool. Lots of folks out there eager for dieters' dough.
Great username, by the way!
0 -
Diet products constitute a multi-billion dollar industry. Crazy stuff.0
-
This was VERY enlightening. Thanks for this!0
-
They usually have a disclaimer though - "Must be in conjunction with healthy diet plan".. ie. the healthy diet will actually cause the weight loss, the product doesn't really do anything :P0
-
Most of those photos of before and after are actually swapped. Thats the big scam they do, they take a happy picture today all smiling and muscles and wearing some size 50 pants with their hand stretched out. Then they get paid 5-15k to gain a ton of weight for the photos to brand as their before weight where they look sluggish and tired.
There is a whole process to it my cousin who is 185 - 6 ft with 1-2% fat % was offered 6k too gain 100lbs. Of course he didnt do it being that he is a nutritionist.0 -
I always roll my eyes when I see an informercial with another gimmick diet, pill, apparatus, or program. There are a lot of people out there who have no knowledge of how to lose weight correctly and fall prey to these scammers. Granted many of them have "basic" sense (reduce calories, etc.) in their plan and exercise videos do work, but the claims mentioned above are put in to "excite" and "motivate" the consumers to buy a product or program that's pretty much repackaged programs that are free on many fitness sites.
A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
My dad had fallen victim to ab-rocker & ab-flex gadgets. Despite using it every other day, there is virtually no improvement on his body composition. He still has that beer belly & love handles. Out of curiosity, I tried using the ab-rocker one time & guess what, I never felt any burning sensation & instead that gadget hurt my back. Now those two gadgets are now collecting dust in our closet. Such a waste of money!0
-
My wife was a literal victim of the Ab Circle. Banged up her leg. Flimsy, ineffective pieces of... crap.My dad had fallen victim to ab-rocker & ab-flex gadgets.0 -
Great username, by the way!
Thanks 0 -
My wife was a literal victim of the Ab Circle. Banged up her leg. Flimsy, ineffective pieces of... crap.My dad had fallen victim to ab-rocker & ab-flex gadgets.
yeah one of those ab things where you put it on your stomach and pull it forward and let it go... ab rocket or ab something or other ... who thought it was a good idea to put intense pressure on your abdominal wall ..reports of impacted organ tissue ? Shocking...0 -
People are so gullible and really will believe anything you tell them.
Thanks for sharing.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.9K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.8K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.7K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 400 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.8K Motivation and Support
- 7.9K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.4K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 989 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.4K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions