Many diet products on the market claim to use everything from herbs to berries to hormones to help people lose weight quickly and easily. Some claim to cut down the appetite, while others say they will melt away pounds or block absorption of sugar or fats. They cannot do what they claim. There is only one guaranteed way to lose weight: Eat less and increase physical activity. Fraudulent diet products carry physical and financial dangers for their users.
Additional Weight Gain
People who purchase miracle diet aids typically don't change their unhealthy habits, so they continue to pack on more pounds. The Federal Trade Commission cites unrealistic promises made by useless products, such as, "Lose Weight With No Dieting or Exercise" or "Eat All Your Favorite Foods And Still Lost Weight." This encourages people to stick to their old habits of eating junk food and not getting any exercise. They will continue to gain weight rather than shedding any until they make lifestyle changes.
Continued Health Problems
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevent have identified numerous health risks associated with being overweight. They include type 2 diabetes, heart disease, strokes, sleep apnea and several types of cancer. Many of these conditions can be life threatening. Serial purchasers of fraudulent diet products continue to put their health at risk because they fail to lose weight and continue unhealthy eating patterns and lack of exercise.
Finances
Diet fraud can be very costly, in several ways. Diet pills may cost $50 or more per bottle, and people often move on to another product when one proves ineffective, wasting money on a never-ending string of worthless pills. There are always new fraudulent products being pushed on the internet or infomercials.
Some diet pill sellers trick people who order them into signing up for an ongoing membership, according to reports on the 800notes consumer reporting site. Their credit cards or bank accounts or debited for a new supply of pills every month or for other ongoing charges, and they find it nearly impossible to cancel the membership.
Emotional Toll
Obesity often harms a person's self-esteem, according to motivational speaker and life coach Rhonda Gates. It can lead to depression in severe cases. Diet fraud continues this cycle because a person tries the latest diet product with high hopes, then has an emotional crash when it fails. Diet gimmicks don't work, but the person feels like a failure anyway.
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