I agree with everyone...the only answer is hard work, determination and lifestyle change. I've lost weight and changed my whole appearance and I love the looks I get when people ask how I did it, and I reply, "hard work, watch what I'm eating and exercise". I have not taken any pills or "magic potions", nor have I used any special eating plans/programs or any strange devices. It comes from education...learning just exactly what your body needs and where to get it. It also involves knowing what is in the stuff we eat. I had a friend who used one of the diet programs and she looked great. However, I was afraid for her and if she would be able to maintain once she came off the program. Needless to say, once she went back to regular, non-program food, she gained a lot of the weight back. Although those programs say they are based in sound science and nutrition, I really find that hard to believe, considering some of the things she ate and the amounts...hardly enough to keep a mouse alive at times. We need to understand that, as one other poster said, we didn't put it on in a day, and it won't come off in a day either. It will take work, perseverence and a desire to change your lifestyle to one that can sustain you throughout the rest of your life in a healthy way.
OZARKMEL
3/24/2010 11:46:45 AM
If all of these things worked none of us would be here! There is NO quick fix.....save your $$ and buy some good healthy fruits and veggies...you'll be far better off!
We all look for short cuts! It is a shame that people spend so much money on products that are not going to make a difference. As a person who has lost a great deal of weight through changing my diet and exercise, "if it were easy, anyone could do it".
Years ago I tried the Jenny Craig diet. It cost many hundreds of dollars to maintain. Yess I did lose weight fast--the price was that when I had to quit because of financial cost I ended up with a bad gallbladder attack that put me through surgery.
I think the Spark plan is the best I have seen so far.
i'm embarassed to say this but i bought the ab belt...didn't work but i tried it to lose the belly after my son was born in 2001..oh well, live and learn!
DAVIDHOMERE
1/12/2010 1:26:02 PM
CHRIS YOU ARE RIGHT. I SAW THE COMMERCIAL ABOUT THE ABS BELT THAT GIVES A COMPLETE ABDOMINAL WORKOUT. IT WAS TO EASY TO BE TRUE. IT IS VERY MISLEADING. THANK YOU FOR THE INFO.
I was on a business trip recently, and I saw the TV commercial about the abdominal jiggling band. No diet or exercise needed. Outrageous! (I don't watch much TV at home)
Another point: it's not in the government's best interest to withhold information that could make us healthier. Poor health costs money, and the government picks up a large share of the tab for that, through Medicare, Medicaid, and other social and health programs. Ultimately, we all pay for those and for the cost of poor health. If the government had a magic solution to help people reduce weight and become more fit, they'd give it to us.
BEWARE OF "DIET" CLINICS!!!!!!!!!!! They may seem like a safe way to lose weight under medical supervision but in reality, the medical "practitioners" that run them are nothing more than greedy dope peddlers. I speak from experience. I paid a clinic $125 a month to turn me into a prescription drug addict. You walk in, they weigh you, tell you what you've lost, ask minimal questions about your diet and exercise, hand you a bag of drugs, and you hand them a check and walk out. I don't judge anyone for seeking medical intervention in their weight-loss journey but PLEASE, PLEASE DO YOUR RESEARCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SEAMSTRESSGUILD
8/3/2009 8:26:25 PM
Did anyone else notice the irony? When I opened this article, there was a great big animated ad for an "ab circle," i.e., another piece of exercise equipment that will change your life forever, lose your love handles, cure cancer, and find a solution for world peace, too! (lol)
I agree, all those ads with jiggling arms and abdomens are gross. I almost paid Hotmail $20 to have ad-free mail, but then I realized those ads are EVERYWHERE, so why not keep my money?
WISEWIFE
8/2/2009 11:17:18 AM
And let's not even go into gastric bands! What they don't tell you up frnt is how your eating habits are going to have to change. If you do those changes first, you won't need the surgery. We want a quick & easy weight loss, ain't gonna happen. You didn't put it on overnight, you aren't going to lose it overnight either. Slow & steady is the key to losing the weight & keeping it off!
Another one I don't get is Alli. If you do everything they ask you to do, you will lose weight anyhow. So why buy the pill? They say you lose twice as much weight with the pill than without. OK...so I listened to some of the testimonials and bought in to it, the curiosity overtook my skepticism, I used a coupon and then tried it for one month. I did the food plan, exercise.... I really wanted it to work! But all I lost was $40. I know people say that they have lost weight with it but I truly think they would have lost the weight just as much if they had taken an invisible pill every day and followed the plan. Seriously. Save your money, put it in a jar, and use it to buy a new wardrobe after you lose your weight the right way.
I'm going to agree with the poster below that complained about the company that sells ACAI for "free"--just pay shipping charges of $4.95. DON'T DO IT!
When they sent me my package, it contained the free stuff PLUS about $45 worth of other stuff--which had already gone on my credit card (they had my credit card # because I used that for the $4.95 shipping.)
So I went on-line and googled the company (which I should have done in the first place!) and discovered huge scam alerts. The company's name is Central Coast Nutraceuticals and they are based in Arizona. I don't think the company's name appears in the advertising, but that's where it's shipped from and that's who you have to call to try to get a refund.
Apparently, in very tiny print somewhere, you have agreed to receiving this $45 shipment every single month!! I tried calling the company to cancel--phone lines were always busy with "92 minute waits." Next I sent an e-mail saying that I wanted to return my products and get a refund. Didn't get an answer for 10 days. Finally was told that there was a huge "re-stocking fee"--I think something like $20. I sent back my stuff and NEVER got any refund at all. Dishonest!
After seeing the scam alert, and reading so many comments about people who had run up huge bills with this company, and could never seem to get out of their "agreement", I called my credit card company, told them my story, and asked to cancel my card and get a new card with a different number. They were very nice and even "forgave" the $45 charge. I'm just glad that I realized right away what a fraud this company is before another month had gone by and another $45 charge.
What bothers me though, is that I still see their ads everywhere! Unbelievable! The Better Business Bureau has given them a terrible rating, there are thousands and thousands of complaints against them, and yet they are still in business.
This took place about 6 months ago. I just now googled them again, and see that in June 2009 they have agreed to a $1.38 million settlement because of their fraudulent practices. Sweet!
Maybe some people will get their money back and the credit card companies who have "forgiven" charges will get reimbursed. As for me....I've learned my lesson. Never give my credit card # to a company that I know nothing about.
SPUNKYGIRL7
7/22/2009 7:30:11 AM
I was started on basic supplements like a b complex ,C,E. a good multiple, when I was 20 and suffering from a long-term eating disorder. The supplements probably made a big difference in my future health and I am grateful for them. I am still taking my regular things and have added fish oil as I got older. The main thing is to explore and find out for yourself what works for you. About 20 years ago i was looking for something to help with my allergies and over -all immune function. I stumbled onto something called Super Blue Green Algae which I used to sell. I now take a variety of algaes that have made a huge difference in my ability to stay well and have reduced (not cured but really put my body at ease (as far as allergies and catching everything that came along like colds, etc goes), That was the turning point for my health. I was looking and I found what I needed. I also discovered that it was not for everyone. But I am glad I did explore this product and took it long enough to see a difference in my health. There are some good things out there scattered among the scams-----very tricky to tell the difference sometimes.
Another to look out for is the patch (it has fucus or something in it.)The best thing to do with ANY PATCH is stick it over your mouth1 that way you'll get to lose weight. If it sticks to your legs, you are not going to lose weight unless you stick to a low calorie diet (and you can do that without the expense of the patch, pill, lotion, potion orexpensive gadget) Pills (some of them - especially the ones off your Doctor) will help you lose weight BUT you still have to eat a sensible diet and do some exercise. Once you stop taking the pills it is quite likely you will put the weight on again (I did) and faster!
Be careful of anything that says drink me, eat me, stick me - its all alice in wonderland stories.
I think the thing that people forget when they are even considering taking these things, is that we did not end up overweight overnight - how are naive enough to think that we can take something that will make all of our bad decisions over years and years disappear in the blink of an eye. These companies prey on people's low self-esteem and desperation to look better so that they can feel better. I have discovered how addictive exercise can be. Getting off the couch was the hardest part - but days when I can not get to the gym are hard now because I really miss the work out. I feel so much better when I can move my body. The battle begins and ends in the mind!
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