Is it Legit?

Hey, did you hear about the new weight loss gimmick where all you must do is stand on one leg and spit into the wind for one hour a day and you can lose 7 pounds in a week?

Or, how about the new pretty pink pill, the one you must take twice a day, but you can eat anything you want, as much as you want, and you can lose 30 pounds in a month?

Or perhaps this new “Monday through Sunday Diet” is the one for you:

Monday – Pills

Tuesday – Grapefruits

Wednesday – No Carbs

Thursday – Bowls of cabbage soup

Friday – Injections

Saturday – Powdered drinks

Sunday – 1 pill, 1 grapefruit, 1 carb, 1 cup cabbage soup, 1 injection, 1 powdered drink, and you must be in a ‘body wrap’ while you eat.

. . . and on Monday you begin the cycle all over again.

The following are tip-offs that a weight loss plan is less than reputable.

😮 Suggestions that weight loss will be quick and easy.  For most people, it’s not. Steer clear of programs that promise more than 2 pounds loss per week after the first week or two.

😮 Diets that overemphasize one food or food group. They may be unbalanced, and you won’t be able to stick with them.

😮 Claims that you can eat all you want and still lose weight. That’s impossible.

😮 “Guaranteed, forever” results. There are no guarantees, even with the best of programs.

😮 Claims that dealing with sensitivities or allergies will “cure” your weight problem.  Overweight is not caused by sensitivity or allergies.

😮 Offers of foods or supplements that burn off fat. There are no known combination of foods or special supplements that you can take to burn off fat.

😮 Unscientific remedies, such as body wraps, injections, herbs and cellulite treatments.  If any results at all, they are minimal and never permanent.

😮 Advocates eating less than 1,200 calories a day.  Nutritionally inadequate, even with vitamins.

😮 Promises of secret or breakthrough findings.  If there were a real, proven, substantiated breakthrough to lose weight and to keep it off, you’d see it on the front page of medical journals, newspapers, and on every major news broadcast.

The ONLY way to lose weight safely and consistently, is to use portion control while eating proteins, vegetables, fruits, milk/dairy, grains and healthy fats every day.  When you lose weight in a manner that resembles the way you can eat for the rest of your life . . . that is LIFESTYLE CHANGE.