The lure of easy weight loss is hard to resist. To satisfy our need, there seems to be an endless stream of diets, pills, potions and gadgets offering easy weight loss in next to no time. Health and fitness writer Andrew Cate sorts out the facts from the fiction.
The diets Diets that promise fast weight loss may be popular and easy to follow, but they are rarely effective. Diets attract attention by offering miracle results, with gimmicky rules or restrictions that seem different, or ‘too good to be true’. Dieting is a short-term deprivation, with the underlying intention of returning to old habits that originally caused fatness. Over the long-term, people go off diets because of boredom, deprivation, constipation, lack of energy or hunger. There are no laws that require a fad diet to be effective, factual or safe. One thing you can rely on is that the faster that you lose weight, the faster it will return. That’s part of the problem with fad diets – they are a fad. Short-term changes in your diet will only lead to short-term changes in your body shape.
Body fat is a symptom. Make sure you address the cause, including issues such as poor diet and inactivity. No single way of eating is ideal, which is why there are so many different diets. You will need to adapt, modify and experiment. Try to find a way of eating that is easy to live with, that you never want to finish. This is sometimes called a lifetime eating plan. The way you eat and exercise to lose weight has to be the way you live when you have lost weight. The best diet secret you will ever learn is that there is no magic diet.
The pills and potions There are countless dietary aids, pills and powders available at supermarkets and pharmacies claiming to help you strip fat and lose weight. Over the counter diet supplements claim to speed up your metabolism and reduce your appetite. Yet there is no formal process to test the effectiveness of these products, and the claims are based on little or no scientific evidence. Even if they did work, you’d have to keep taking them forever to maintain any effects.
These supplements can also have side effects, and are associated with medical risks, just like prescription medication. Don’t assume they are safe because they are ‘natural’. Supplements can have contra-indications, which means they can interfere with some medications, or have a negative effect on people with certain health conditions. For example, St John’s Wort appears to speed up the pace at which the body metabolises drugs, reducing their effect. Talk with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any over-the-counter supplement. Some of the more common additives you might see in these supplements include the following:
Brindleberry – The rind from this exotic fruit is said to reduce your appetite. However, there is no strong scientific evidence to suggest that brindleberry is a helpful weight loss supplement.
Caffeine – Caffeine is found in many supplements, and it can boost your met-abolism, and slightly increase your body’s ability to use fat as fuel during long-distance activities.
Chitosan – Chitosan is a product of ground prawn and crab shells. It is said to bind with dietary fat and prevent digestion, however, most studies have only been conducted on animals.
Ephedra and synepherine – The herb ephedra is a source of ephedrine, a powerful but deadly appetite suppressant that is banned in some countries. Supplement companies seeking to copy the effects of ephedrine without the side effects have been using synepherine, a citrus compound. But one study, reported in the American Journal of Medicine (2005), found synepherine elevates blood pressure.
Guarana – Guarana is very similar to caffeine. No studies have reported on the effects of guarana on weight loss. Guarana can interact with drugs used to treat high blood pressure, and it isn’t suitable for children or pregnant women.
The gadgets For every diet, there’s some type of exercise gadget or sit-up device promising the world. As the infomercials say, it’s new, it’s amazing, and it’s weight loss guaranteed or your money back. Unfortunately, all is not what it seems, as you probably expec-ted. There is no simple solution to weight loss, and just because a product is for sale doesn’t mean it’s effective, or safe for that matter. Below are five gadgets that fail to live up to the weight loss promises they make. Save your money, but have a good laugh at the ads.
Magnetic ear clips – Research on the effectiveness of acupressure devices geared to help weight loss such as ear clips and wrist devices have shown they are totally ineffective. There is no evidence they reduce hunger or cause weight loss, as the product claims.
Tummy trimming sit-up devices – Research has shown that people who perform sit-ups every day don’t lose any more fat off their tummy than their upper back or buttocks. You can’t speed up the loss of fat in one specific area by just exercising the relevant muscles underneath.
Electrical muscle stimulators – These gadgets trigger tiny muscle contractions, and claim you can get fit while sitting in front of the television. But if you don’t do the work, it won’t work, and there’s no evidence to support any strength gains or weight-loss claims.
The weight-loss patch – Delivering drugs by the skin might seem revolutionary, but it’s just another gimmick. The patches are available over the counter, so the drugs they administer can only have a minimal effect, otherwise they would need to be prescribed.
Sauna suits – Wearing a suit that makes you sweat will help you lose weight on the scales, and may even live up to the claims of 2 kilograms in 24 hours. None of it will be fat. The loss of weight is from a loss of fluids, leaving you tired, dehydrated, and susceptible for fast weight re-gain next time you have a drink.
Miracle cure vs. lifestyle change When you are focused on extreme weight loss, it’s common to make extreme changes. Body fat is viewed as a temporary problem that can be treated for a few months with a strict diet or exercise program. However, weight management requires a lifetime approach, just as someone with asthma or diabetes has to manage their condition.
Over the long-term, the only thing that loses weight using a miracle cure is your wallet. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. When a supplement says it ‘may assist weight loss in conjunction with exercise and a kilojoule controlled diet’, why not just change your lifestyle without the supplement? Supplements won’t help you exercise or teach you how to improve your eating habits over the long-term. They are a supplement, not a substitute.
Instead of a quick fix, look to improve your diet gradually, and incorporate a little extra movement into your lifestyle. Don’t neglect your health to lose weight that will almost certainly be back with interest. Your money would be better spent on fresh fruit and vegetables, which are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre. Cut back on processed foods, and drink water instead of fruit juice, soft drink, cordial and sports drinks. It may not come in attractive packaging or make outlandish claims, but healthy eating and regular exercise offers proven weight loss over the long-term. That’s something no weight loss supplement can guarantee.
What the research says Studies have shown that any weight that is lost without exercise will return within 12 months in 98% of cases. Dietary changes alone can lead to initial weight loss, but this effect is only short lived.
How safe are supplements? Before you start taking any weight-loss supplement, try to find answers to the following questions to help determine if it’s safe:
What is the recommended dosage?
What are the known side effects?
Will it interact with other medication I am taking?
Should I take it before, during or after meals?
Is the supplement designed to work in combination with dietand exercise?
Is this a lifestyle change I can maintain over the long-term?
How to spot a slimming scam
Recommendations that promise a quick fix.
Claims that you don’t have to exercise.
Recommendations made to help sell a product or supplement.
Warnings such as ‘results not typical, or ‘must be combined with exercise and a kilojoule controlled diet’.
Programmes that encourage you to cut out whole food groups, or include items you can’t normally buy at the supermarket.
Programmes that only get you to do some thing at a certain time, such as only fruit till midday, or no grapefruit on Wednesdays.
Claims that sound too good to be true.
Programmes that are questioned by well-known scientific organisations.
Programmes you know you couldn’t stick to over the long term.
Programmes based on a single scientific study, or studies that are sponsored. For example, supplement companies often sponsor research related to their own products.
The lure of easy weight loss is hard to resist. To satisfy our need, there seems to be an endless stream of diets, pills, potions and gadgets offering easy weight loss in next to no time. Health and fitness writer Andrew Cate sorts out the facts from the fiction. 
