"Lose Weight Fast!" "Reduce Unwanted Inches While You Sleep!" "Crash Off
5-10 Pounds in a Week!"
Type "weight loss" into your favorite search engine and these headlines will
tempt you. Can it be this easy? Or will your money be part of billions spent annually on
fraudulent weight loss products and services?
Some businesses are more concerned with trimming
your wallet than your waistline. Check out the Federal Trade Commission's Paunch Lines:
Weight Loss Claims Are No Joke For Dieters
and Skinny on Dieting for tips on assessing claims. The Better Business Bureau's
Weight Loss Promotions debunks many "lose weight fast"
methods and offers hints on recognizing quackery.
What's an aspiring dieter to do? "Despite what fad diets will try to sell you, it still comes down to
calories in, calories out" said Keith Irace, a Los Angeles-based fitness
instructor. "You can only lose weight by reducing your intake
of calories (but not to starvation levels of below 1,200 daily) and
exercising to burn more calories."
They may not offer easy solutions and magic pills, but articles like the Food and Drug Administration's
Ways to Win at Weight Loss, sites like About.com's
Weight Loss can help you win the Battle of the Bulge.
--- J. Walker
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