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Came across a promoted diet website while scrolling through twitter

glassyo
glassyo Posts: 7,585 Member
in Debate Club
Not sure this is the right place but wth :)

Their deal is you don't count calories for 5 days but reset and follow rules and log for 2 days. I took the quiz and they told me....well, they sent a letter trying to get me to sign up and I just emailed this back:

I'm not signing up but I really feel the need to tell you why.

I took the quiz just to see what would happen and put my real stats...5'2", 103 lbs, 56 years old, prefer to buy my food and not cook. Your results STILL told me I could lose 25 lbs in 12 weeks which would put me at 78 lbs and oh, I don't know, IN THE HOSPITAL.

I really think you need to recode that quiz, add a warning, talk to your lawyer, or SOMETHING because this *kitten* is triggering for people with eating disorders (I don't have one but I know people who do) and is a lawsuit waiting to happen.

Just a thought...

*cough* I know OF people on here. :)

Anyway...thoughts? Comments? Mind my own business? Fix your own crap first before trying to fix others? :)

And shouldn't it be the other way around? Eat/log for 5 days, eat free for 2 if anything?

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    I got that same ad and took the quiz too. My stats: 5'4, 110, 42. Got the same message about 25 pounds in 12 weeks. Completely agree that it's potentially very dangerous for people who have an ED but also, they've got to be lying. The whole promise is that you can eat whatever you want for five days a week and then restrict for two . . . even with really aggressive restriction, there is no way I'd lose weight on that plan.
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,585 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    I got that same ad and took the quiz too. My stats: 5'4, 110, 42. Got the same message about 25 pounds in 12 weeks. Completely agree that it's potentially very dangerous for people who have an ED but also, they've got to be lying. The whole promise is that you can eat whatever you want for five days a week and then restrict for two . . . even with really aggressive restriction, there is no way I'd lose weight on that plan.

    I know!

    And where in the heck have you been, young lady? :)
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    glassyo wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    I got that same ad and took the quiz too. My stats: 5'4, 110, 42. Got the same message about 25 pounds in 12 weeks. Completely agree that it's potentially very dangerous for people who have an ED but also, they've got to be lying. The whole promise is that you can eat whatever you want for five days a week and then restrict for two . . . even with really aggressive restriction, there is no way I'd lose weight on that plan.

    I know!

    And where in the heck have you been, young lady? :)

    Working A LOT. And spending time on Twitter!
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,983 Member
    edited October 2021
    glassyo wrote: »
    SuzySunshine99 wrote: »
    I'm guessing that your answers to the "quiz" have no connection to their recommended diet plan.
    Everyone gets the same ad, regardless of your stats or goals.
    Yes, it's dangerous. No, there's not likely anything you can do about it.
    It's unfortunate, but your email back to them probably won't be read, and even if it is, it won't stop them from continuing to send you ads. All they care about is profit, not their customers' well being.

    Agreed on everything. It just felt good to say something.

    And, as an aside, if anyone read or remembers my getting kicked off the Next Door app for not using my real name thread, the junk snail mail addressed to the fake name has started to roll in. 😀

    My Dad did an experiment once. He filled out ONE sweepstakes form with a fake name. The volume of junk mail he got from hundreds of different companies, all addressed to the fake name, was mind-blowing. And that was probably more than 30 years ago, with paper mail.

    I think I should use a fake name on just one retail website account or mailing list and see how many junk emails I get from other companies using that name.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 9,871 Member
    edited October 2021
    Another numbers game gimmick with little knowledge of nutrition in general with someone not being the sharpest pencil in the drawer regarding the math ....par for the course.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
    A promoted web site means they're paying for your attention (to show it to you). As a general rule, companies do that for their benefit not yours. When you see a promoted web site it's good to stay away. Don't give them your email address because they'll bother you forever, and if you really want to see, consider using a different web browser like Brave if you would prefer not to see more ads like it because of the way Google tracks you.
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,983 Member
    Over the past year, I've been getting a ton of junk text messages addressed to "Barbara". Some contained her full name and address. So, I did some research, and found that this person used to have my cell phone number as her home phone.

    Thing is, I have had my cell number for at least 20 years. So, someone paid money for phone contact lists that are over 20 years old.
  • RAinWA
    RAinWA Posts: 1,980 Member
    I suddenly started getting on-line receipts from stores I never shopped at in another state. After researching I figured out that someone with my name had an email account almost identical to mine. Hope she never needs those receipts!
  • ccrdragon
    ccrdragon Posts: 3,365 Member
    SuzySunshine99 wrote: »
    Over the past year, I've been getting a ton of junk text messages addressed to "Barbara". Some contained her full name and address. So, I did some research, and found that this person used to have my cell phone number as her home phone.

    Thing is, I have had my cell number for at least 20 years. So, someone paid money for phone contact lists that are over 20 years old.

    I'm in a similar boat here - somebody name Gabriella either used my number or miss-typed her own number when looking at the ACA marketplaces once. So now, during open enrollment periods for the ACA, I get a crap ton of calls for Gabriella from the insurance providers. Don't think it's an old list either because I have had the same phone number since the late 90's.
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,983 Member
    RAinWA wrote: »
    I suddenly started getting on-line receipts from stores I never shopped at in another state. After researching I figured out that someone with my name had an email account almost identical to mine. Hope she never needs those receipts!

    Oh man...I have a story...I started getting similar e-mails a while back. Receipts from purchases, both online and in-store, and some from contractors, financial advisors, etc. I was worried because a few years prior, I was a victim of identity theft. My credit was still frozen, but I was afraid this was happening again somehow.

    After much investigation, I discovered that the person these where meant for is actually a celebrity with the same first initial and last name as me.

    Since some of these e-mails were of a private nature, and included the person's address and phone number, I worried for the privacy of this public figure. So, I contacted the person's public relations people, and they told me that the celebrity indeed has a very similar e-mail address to mine.

    I ended up getting an e-mail from the celebrity apologizing for the confusion and promising to be more careful when they type their e-mail address. I forwarded all of the messages I had received to them and haven't received any more since.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,886 Member
    SuzySunshine99 wrote: »
    Over the past year, I've been getting a ton of junk text messages addressed to "Barbara". Some contained her full name and address. So, I did some research, and found that this person used to have my cell phone number as her home phone.

    Thing is, I have had my cell number for at least 20 years. So, someone paid money for phone contact lists that are over 20 years old.

    My OH's father passed away 7 years ago. I've been aggressive about contacting companies who mail him and letting them know he is deceased. But I just got a piece of mail for him this week. I thought 7 years was bad...

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