Fat 2 Fit Show #17 - Fitness Scams Prey on Desperate Dieters
If you have ever wondered which fitness product scam or diet scam is the best - they are all equally full of crap and a waste of money. We discuss all of the worthless items that seem to be advertised everywhere. They all seem to offer quick weight loss and incredible results. How is it possible that these obvious false claims don’t end up with someone going to jail? We talk about Kevin Trudeau who is the King of Scams and has been fined multiple times by multiple States and the FTC for all of his dishonest advertisements. We also offer some practical advice so that you don’t end up getting sucked into the sensational claims of these products.
Jeff’s news items dealt with a study that showed that some people are better off not dieting than going on a continuous cycle of yo-yoing with their weight and a seductively simple new diet gimmick. Russ found an article where a person is going on the “Super Size Me Diet” to lose weight. The catch is, he is going to exercise at the same time. His second news item dealt with Doctors who do not want to treat people who are overweight or smoke. He also found a very motivational YouTube video that chronicled a 77 lb weight loss journey.
Links Mentioned in the Show:
E-mailing “Eat All You Want and Still Lose Weight” for the evidence
Weight Loss: Does Dieting make you fat?
The Six Word Diet
Super Size Me Too
YouTube Video of a young woman’s 77 lb weight loss
UK Doctors don’t want to treat obese people
From MSNBC “Shape Up Solution or Scam?”
Kevin Trudeau - The King of Scams
The Weight-Loss Cure “They” Don’t Want You to Know About
FTC charges 3 electronic ab belts with false claims
Tips for buying exercise equipment
www.dietfraud.com
www.dietscam.org
As Seen on TV - TV junk in a real store
Recipes of the Week:
Game Day Chili Recipe
Low Fat Cornbread
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Another Diet Scam: Kimkins
If you’ve been listening to the show, then you know we’ve talked about diet scams quite a bit. They are a huge waste of money and time. But while most scams will take your money and give you nothing more than promises in return, the worst diet scams will harm you physically. This is apparently the case with the Kimkins diet.
The Kimkins diet showed up on my radar while cleaning out the garage for a yard sale. I turned on the television that I keep in there to see if it was still working. Up on the screen popped the Fox Morning show. Their topic was the Kimkins diet. They had on a couple of women that had been harmed by the diet, (Below I’ll list some of the side effects of this diet.) and a couple women that were advocates of the diet. So I hadn’t thought too much of it. There is always controversy regarding diets. I made a mental note to check out the Kimkins diet. When I did look into it a couple weeks later, boy was I surprised.
One of the next things I found was a video of a deposition of the founder of the Kimkins diet. She went by the name Kimmer on the web site and supposedly lost 198 lbs. in 11 months. Her actual name is Heidi Diaz, she hasn’t lost 198lbs. and in the video she confesses to forging testimonials and photographs on her web site kimkins.com.
What is the Kimkins diet? Well, I’m not joining, so from the information that I’ve read on other web sites and reviews of the diet, it’s loosely based on the induction phase of the Atkins diet. The induction phase has the dieter eat no more than 20 grams of carbohydrates a day to force the body into ketosis. Last week we talked about the Tony Furguson diet that works in the same manner as Atkins. However the Kimkins diet goes further by being an extremely low calorie diet. The lowest of the different plans would have you eat NO MORE THAN 500 CALORIES A DAY. People who’ve used the Kimkins diet complained of side effects like hair loss, heart palpitations, fainting, and confusion. Some women that have used this diet have even had their menstrual cycle stop. The Kimmer also apparently advocated the use of laxatives to aid in weight loss. The list of bad things that have happened to Kimkins dieters goes on, but there are still those that claim the diet works. If you eat 500 calories a day you will lose weight, but that lifestyle is not sustainable.
Today I visited the site and found a statement about the “Kimkins Controversy” which tries to explain away everything that was said on the video linked to above: Why she has hair loss, why she concealed her identity. At the same time she does come clean that she did NOT lost 198lbs in 11 months, but a new version of the truth is revealed. She now has supposedly lost 100lbs in 6 months, but she gained it all back. That says a lot about the sustainability of the Kimkins diet. You cannot live on 500 calories a day. This is substantially below any BMR, basal metabolic rate of any adult. Your body would be consumed from the inside out trying to keep you alive, and you may in fact fail.
There is no quick fix for weight loss. Any diet that you cannot maintain for the rest of your life, is not the answer. By all means, look for the diet that works best for your lifestyle, but when someone offers you a magic pill for weight loss, don’t walk, run the other way.
Here are some more great links about the Kimkins diet:
- Kimkins Dangers
- KTLA Coverage Part 1
- KTLA Coverage Part 2
- KTLA Coverage Part 3
- About.com:The Kimkins Diet Controversy
- Kimkins Survivors
- Kimkins: Anatomy of a Diet Scam
Fat 2 Fit Show #5 - Susan Powter Made Me Fat
We start this week’s show off with our first Fat 2 Fit undercover investigation of a “Whole Body Vibration” clinic where they claim to help you lose weight. Jeff the Jock went in and stood on a vibrating machine and jiggled all over for 6 minutes. He was then told that he just did the equivalent of a 45 minute intense workout - could it be true? Is Jeff about to fork out $25 per 10 minute shaking session in the future? More details are here…
We do a mini-review of the past shows to highlight some of the most important weight loss and fitness points that we covered. This Podcast is intended to be educational and also progress in the topics that we cover, so this will be a new feature every five episodes.
A listener email about the benefits of fat got us started on a tangent about the horrors of the low-fat craze in the last few decades. One of the most popular proponents of “fat makes you fat” was Susan Powter. She encouraged people to “Stop the Insanity” and eat as much as they wanted as long as it was low in fat.
Millions of people followed her advice, and it is true that the amount of fat that people now consume has drastically gone down in the last few decades, but obesity has drastically gone up in the same time. Was she totally wrong? Has nutritional advice become like religious dogma? Studies have shown that people can be healthy at both extremes.
Jeff’s news stories dealt with companies who fire employees who are overweight or smoke and an interactive map of the United States where you can watch the increasing levels of obesity in Americans over the last 16 years. Russ’ news stories dealt with tips for eating healthy on a budget, and using your mind to help with weight loss.
Our main discussion topic of the week was the basics of nutrition. Carbohydrates, protein and fat - what are they, how much of each should you really eat? What is really the difference between all of the popular diets out there anyway?
We finish with the recipe of the week, your fitness homework and of course a motivational quote.
Links mentioned in the show:
The Obesity Map of the United States
People being fired or fined for being obese or smoking
Using your Mind to help with Weight Loss
Eating Healthy on a Budget
Recipe of the Week:
Sage and Herb Stuffing Low Calorie Recipe
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Fat 2 Fit Show #4 - Weight Loss Scams or Hard Work?
Why do people have different metabolisms? We talk about some of the differences including genetics, sex and muscle mass. We respond to three listener responses that dealt with goal setting, a 540 lb man who can’t seem to lose any weight, and the evils of hiding vegetables in your children’s food.
Jeff’s news stories both dealt with weight loss scams and products that offer more than they can deliver. Russ’ first story dealt with why the French eat so luxuriously, yet don’t seem to be as heavy as Americans. His next story discussed the evils of trans fats and which fast food restaurants were the ones to avoid.
We continue to chat about doing cardio and the different exercises that you can do for fat loss. The different options all burn varying amount of calories, but the most important factor is to find activities that you will enjoy and actually do on a regular basis. We are back to our regular recipe of the week, your weekly homework assignment and of course the motivational quote.
Links mentioned in the show:
540 lb man who wants gastric bypass surgery
540 lb man’s suggested 4,200 diet plan
Weight loss scams are the top form of fraud
Remedies that Carry no Weight
Why aren’t the French Fat?
Fast Food Trans Fat Evils
Recipe of the Week: Pumpkin and Apple Waffles Recipe
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