150 years of diet fads and still no quick fix to get skinny

This article is interesting from a historical perspective as it relates to how little humans have changed outside of technology.

In the 1800s we all know "snake oil salesmen" were famous for selling all kinds of quick and easy cures for anything that ails you.

Now here we are in 2014 and STILL people will waste $$$$ on scams and crap like the diet pills they advertise on TV.

People should know the claims of these ads are all a lie ................ "Don't change your habits. Don't exercise. Eat pizza, ice cream, potato chips .. just take this pill once per day and lose up to 10 pounds per week"

Yet, people buy 40 million of these every year still looking for that easy and quick solution just like 200 years ago.

Nothing has really changed in decades ......

Lean Protien diet with complex carbs
Some Weight resistance training
Some Cardio

It is dissapointing at times to see people willing to waste money on lies and scams, yet they will tune out to the truth ....... they don't want to hear it.

Michael Spitzer
Author
FITNESS at 40 50 60 and BEYOND
 
If anyone is honest with themselves they will admit there is no quick fix. I am not the only one that knows we have more personal trainers, more diet food, more diet companies eg weight watchers, more life coaches, more nutritionist, more supplement companies, more supplements in general and more dietary information than ever in the history of the world... and we are at our FATTEST ever... what does that tell you....

none of that shit is working. Primarily because these are almost all CORPORATE CONTROLLED... and guess what people... the corporations don't give a shit about your fat loss or health in general... they rely on PF, perpetual failure. The first, formost and legal responsibility of a corporation is to INCREASE THE BOTTOM LINE...
So it is not in their best interests to get people healthy... as in doing this they are putting themselves out of business. It is no different than the medical industry. There is no money to be made in HEALTHY PEOPLE. No real money at least.
 
An aside to this is the complicity of the federal government in this disgraceful diet/fat loss industry. In the mid 90's there was a congressional inquiry into the weight loss industry, which after months of research decleared that better than 90 % of all people that participate in an organized weight loss plan eg weight watchers, south beach diet, doctors diet, pritikin, etc will be fatter than when they began within 2 years of starting that program.

Guess what the gutless politicians passed into law to satisfy the powerful lobbying arm of this disgusting industry...

DISCLAIMERS... SUCH AS "INDIVIDUAL RESULTS MAY VARY" "RESULTS NOT TYPICAL" WHEN USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH AN EXERCISE PLAN" lalala

It starts at the top with the lawmakers... all gutless, and slaves to the CORPORATE WORLD. Anyone that does any research will find this industry and now the fitness industry is run by corporations. It is a total disgrace and people should be outraged. The politicians, diet and fitness, and marketing industry are all complicit in the FAT LOSS SCAM... for that is all it is.
 
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mikespitzer said:
Now here we are in 2014 and STILL people will waste $$$$ on scams and crap like the diet pills they advertise on TV.

People should know the claims of these ads are all a lie ................ "Don't change your habits. Don't exercise. Eat pizza, ice cream, potato chips .. just take this pill once per day and lose up to 10 pounds per week"

Yet, people buy 40 million of these every year still looking for that easy and quick solution just like 200 years ago.
Click to expand...

That's because people are stupid. Even very intelligent, well-educated, respectable minds fall victim to the bullshit that is shown on TV. That's why sales is such a big game - there is money to be made and millions of morons to exploit in order to get said cash.

Even lies - things that people KNOW aren't true - are still enough to get them to spend money, especially if that lie puts even the smallest seed of promise into their minds. "Oh, this pill will help my body burn fat rapidly? It's specially designed to help me lose 20% more weight than I would without taking it? Hmm, that sounds like total crap, but...even though the statements I just heard have not been endorsed or evaluated by the FDA and even though my common sense tells me this is pure horseshit...I'LL TRY IT ANYWAY!!!"

It's sad, but people are just THAT stupid.
 
The most dissapointing thing to me is that there are so many expensive marketing companies selling scams and lies, that when you try to tell people the truth, you are either ignored or lost in the shuffle.

Also as indicated above, maybe some people really don't want to hear the truth.
They don't want to think that they may have to make some simple adjustments to their eating habits or spend 3 days per week (total of 4.5 hours max) to get in much better shape

Just like people who bought snake oil in the 1800s, too many people today will still waste $$ on all the slick marketed garbage like Lipozene or Sensa because for some reason I don't understand they would rather spend tons of money on a lie than spend a little time and effort on the truth.

Lipozene for example claims you can do nothing and change nothing in your life and their $29.95 per month diet pill will cause the fat to fall off.
20 million bottles sold !
I don't understand this.
What is Lipozene ?
It is fiber. That is right. It is yam fiber you can buy for $7.95 at any CVS
There is nothing to this crap.
Yet, they are selling millions.

True they are backed by a marketing firm that spent $15 million in TV ads before ever seeing a profit (big risk to be sure) -- but still, they are selling a false promise.

The only real truth for weight control and all around health is a combination of smart dietary planning and some amount of regular resistance training and cardio each week.
Harcore fitness buffs may need more - but for the average person wanting to look really really good ..... a 3 day split routine is all they really need.

I just finished working with 2 ladies in their 50s who claimed they had "tried everything" with no luck.

Well ... they did not try what I said above yet.
Now today 6 months later they have both lost 40 lbs

When will the truthful message break thru the ocean of lies and deceptive marketing?.

Michael Spitzer
Author
FITNESS at 40, 50, 60 and BEYOND
 
The reason for this is because it's a billion dollar industry. They don't want to make you thin they want to take your money.
I am a physical therapist, I have seen first hand how obesity effects peoples lives, from needing knee replacements to back pain to diabetes caused amputations, to you name it.
It actually has caused me to open a weight loss center much different than anything out on the market today. Because I'm not just out to make cash. If all I wanted was the money I would stick in the very lucrative PT world. But I like to help people and have fun and well the medical field is turning further and further into bureaucracy where it's more about charging patients than it is actually helping them. I will pretty much tell you if someone is selling you something 99% of the time it is made to sell not to work.
The service I offer is literally one of a kind and no gimmicks just a fun adventure over 10 weeks while losing weight with a maintainable exercise program that you can continue at home once you are in the habit.
Backpackerwellnessandfitness feel free to check it out.
 
I hope people will one day learn that diet pills and other "magic tricks" to lose weight are a waste of money and borderline scam like the snake oils sold in the Wild West.
The only true (but 99.9% effective) method for weight control and fitness is
(1) Lean protein & complex carb based diet
(2) Some resistance training 3 X week
(3) Some cardio 3 X week.
NO ... it does not mean starving or going hungry -- in fact it means eating as much as 4-6 times per day IF YOU DO IT RIGHT.
So many misconceptions continue to exist today and yet so many companies still make billions scamming people with infomercial products ----Hard to understand why.

MICHAEL SPITZER - AUTHOR - FITNESS AT 40,50,60 AND BEYOND
 
It a humorous read, but still kind of sad at the same time. People still fall for this nonsense. Billions are spent every year BS diet pills, plans, and supplements that just don't work. I saw a commercial for a supplement the other day that said "combined with exercise, and a sensible diet our product is guaranteed to help you lose weight". Really? No kidding. A rabbits foot in your pocket "combined with exercise, and a sensible diet is guaranteed to help you lose weight".

I just don't get why people still fall for these scams. The only way to lose weight is to exercise and count your calories. That's it. How does it get any easier than that?
 
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