"Wear this and watch the pounds melt away."
Whether you're flipping through a magazine, scanning the aisles of a health store, or watching late-night television, you're bound to see slogans like these touting the latest and greatest product designed to help YOU lose weight.
But chances are the only thing you'll lose by purchasing the latest "miracle diet product" is money. Diet scams are big business with sellers vying for their share of the nearly $35 billion that Americans spend each year on weight loss products and programs.
Top Diet Scams
Experts say roughly the same top five diet scams seem to keep resurfacing every few years, each time with a shiny new marketing gimmick. But they're all based on the same bad science.
Those top five diet scams include:
- Metabolism-boosting pills based on herbal ingredients
- Fat- and carb-blocking pills
- Herbal weight loss teas
- Diet patches, jewelry, or other products worn on the body
- Body wraps or "slim suits"
"There have always been quack weight loss schemes out there because nobody ever believes that you can't lose weight faster than you gained it," says registered dietician Althea Zanecosky.
"It maybe took two years for them to gain those 15 pounds, but they want to lose it in two weeks."
A more realistic timetable for lasting weight loss is to lose about a pound or two a week, says Zanecosky.
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