Who hasn\’t seen an advertisement or so-called \’infomercial\’ (rather mis-informercial if you ask me) advertising a weight loss device or slimming belt that miraculously makes you lose weight without actually doing sports or changing your eating habits. Common sense alone dictates that such a thing is hardly possible. However, the advertisers are very cunning and they claim to achieve the aim of losing a lot of weight in little time with even less effort by using new, revolutionary technologies.
Now, I am not a tech freak and I cannot claim to understand all the workings of infrared light/ heat (Melt Belt and Sauna Belt, vibrations (Slimming Belt) or whatever \’new\’ technology is used to supposedly achieve weight loss. So, if I told you these devices are useless why should you believe me any more than the advertisements? It\’s very simple: you don\’t. Although I am an expert on the fields of nutrition and sports medicine you should not believe a single person making a claim.
However, the United States Government has realized that obesity is a rapidly growing problem and that deceitful advertisements for weight loss devices can event present a health risk for people relying on these devices to lose weight if they don\’t additionally work out and change their nutrition. The Federal Trade Commission is a government agency that monitors advertisements for bogus or deceptive claims. In its brochure \”Red Flag – Bogus Weight Loss Claims\” (downloadable at www.ftc.org; an illustrated version of this article is available at www.beautyhealthsource.com) the agency lists 7 ways to identify false ads and products. Using those 7 indicators you can check the ads for Melt Belt, Sauna Belt, Slimming Belt and any other miracle weight loss device such as non-prescription diet drugs, dietary supplements, skin patches, creams, wraps or any other product that is worn on the body or rubbed into the skin. Instead of taking my word for it, use the FTC\’s recommendations and your own common sense to check if Melt Belt, Slimming Belt or the Sauna Belt can help you lose weight – and keep it off.
You are throwing your money out the window if the product you buy claims to:
1. Cause substantial weight loss by wearing it on the body or rubbing it into the skin.
You might think of the US government what you like, but honestly: why should they publish a guideline for healthier living and protecting people from product scams if their findings were not true? Especially since these guidelines only confirm what common sense tells most of us anyways. Products like body belts, body wraps, rings, creams or lotions cannot make you lose substantial weight. Ads claiming that products from this category can make you lose as much as a pound a week are simply put: just lies.
2. Cause weight loss of two pounds or more a week for a month or more without dieting or exercise.
Even though certain advertisements wants to make us believe differently, everybody knows that in order to lose weight you have to exercise more and/or change your diet consuming fewer calories. According to the nutrition experts of the FTC any advertisement that claims otherwise is simply false. I personally agree wholeheartedly that it is not true if a product promises to make you lose weight without changing your lifestyle.
3. Cause substantial weight loss (meaning the loss of at least 1 pound/week or a total weight loss of more than 15 pounds in any time period) no matter what or how much a consumer eats
It is impossible for you to lose weight no matter how much or what you eat. As stated before, losing weight requires consuming fewer calories. Some products may claim to curb your appetite, however that also means you will want to eat less, if they work that is. But, by eating less you might deprive your body of the nutrients, vitamins and minerals it needs. Eating the right amount of healthy food is the key, not eating less of the wrong kind of food.
4. Cause permanent weight loss even if the consumer stops using the product.
You have to permanently change your lifestyle in order to lose weight and keep it off. If you stop using the product and neither change your eating habits nor exercise, you will gain weight again. Now the only question remaining is, if you want to use that specific product (especially critical with diet pills) for the rest of your life just to keep that weight off.
5. Block the absorption of fat or calories to enable consumers to lose substantial weight.
Even legitimate and prescribed fat blockers have to be used in combination with a dietary change in order to achieve significant weight loss. Pills alone won’t make you slim.
Again: you cannot achieve significant weight loss just by washing down your burger and fries with diet pills. The calories you consume cannot be miraculously neutralized by any pill. A healthier diet will also benefit your level of cholesterol and your blood pressure.
6. Safely enable consumers to lose more than three pounds per week for more than four weeks
If you lose more than 3 pounds per week you risk getting gallstones and are endangering your health in many other ways, too. If the product claims that no dieting is required it is false for that reason also – as was shown before.
7. Cause substantial weight loss for all users.
Every body is different, has a different metabolism, needs and abilities. It is simply not true that the same product will result in a significant weight loss for anyone using it.
Every type of medication or medical device targets a specific group of people. Within the large group of obese people there are many subcategories as people are overweight for different reasons. Hence, the same pill, lotion or device cannot guarantee to lead to a reduction in weight of any user.
The following statements are from respective ads for Sauna Belt, Melt Belt and Slimming Belt. Just read them and check if any of the FTC indicators match the ads for these products. Make up your own mind.
Sauna Belt: The Sauna Pro Deluxe advance heat systems sweats away unwanted fat, eliminate cellulite, lose weight and ease muscle pain, all while in the comfort of your own home. Just apply the Sauna Belt around the chosen body part and let the belt do all the work.
Melt Belt: Lose Inches And Pounds Without Diet Or Exercise. The secret is that you use your body\’s own heat as you gently massage away unwanted bulges with this amazing ultra-thin rubber belt.
Slimming Belt: The swaying vibration with large arc will make the human body carry out sympathetic vibration and accelerate the blood circulation of the body, speed up the metabolism and achieve double effects of fat dissolving and body slimming.