Commercials - Don't Get Sucked in by the Hype

by Maggie Vink (Subscribe to Maggie Vink's posts)
Feb 19th 2009 5:00PM

Upstairs in my shower there is a bottle of shampoo that has big letters stating "formulated with biotin." Obviously the manufacturers want me to believe it's a good thing. Biotin is a B vitamin that's found in lots of foods, but why is it in my shampoo and what is supposed to do? Your guess is as good as mine.

The weight loss industry isn't immune from this tried and true marketing technique. Take Slim Fast for example. Have you seen their recent commercial where a woman literally kicks her cravings? (I absolutely love the concept of kicking a giant-sized donut to smithereens.) The voice over for the commercial states that Slim Fast's HC4 will control hunger for up to four hours.

So what is HC4? Magic? Fairy dust? According to Slim Fast's website, HC4 is a blend of proteins, fiber and lipids. So no magic. No fairy dust. Just every day things that can be found in a healthy diet. If you're considering Slim Fast or any other diet aid, be sure to really check out the fancy names and claims that they make. You may find out that it doesn't really live up to the hype.

Have you ever used an appetite suppressant, diet pill or other diet aid? What made you decide to try it? What results did you see?

Comments (8)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Vishaal 2-19-2009 @ 9:05PM

I really thought coffee and water would curb cravings. I was, obviously, wrong. While those things did make me full, it only lasted for about 5 minutes!

u262f 2-20-2009 @ 7:16AM

I used to use Slim Fast shakes as meal replacements because it's a heck of a lot easier than cooking. Eating real food is time-consuming and difficult. Real food tends to spoil and go bad, and it doesn't travel well. The shakes pumped enough nutrients to keep my body running, so it worked pretty well for my purposes. I didn't gain weight. I didn't lose weight either, but that wasn't what I was after. Still, it worked significantly better than the "Subway diet", kept making me fatter and fatter. (I went to the effort of getting Subways once people convinced me that I should eat more solid food on a regular basis. I stopped listening to such people.) So, no fairy dust or magic in the weight loss sense, but for busy people who find it a hassle to even grab take-out, it does what it needs to.

Zella 2-20-2009 @ 12:49PM

Iwould like to start an add on Story.lStart it And you add on > Keep it Decent good clean Story , iwas up stairs looking out the window ,when suddenly, (add on)..

Juichi 2-20-2009 @ 2:43AM

I tried the Slimfast shakes, but I had a couple of issues. I could only drink about half of the drink at a time. A few times I forced myself to drink the whole thing. Within an hour I has hungry again. So they really didn't help at all.

LuckyGirl 2-20-2009 @ 3:00AM

I once lost 50 lbs in 3 months by having Slim-Fast and FiberTrim. It was my first major diet. I had a dream body that lasted for a few years. I didn't know about healthy eating after dieting, so my weight slowly crept back. Now I'm eating healthy and exercising almost every day. I'm getting curvy and I have muscular definition. I have cans of Slim-Fast in my stash, but I rarely use it.

Maggie Vink 2-20-2009 @ 7:23AM

I think LuckyGirl makes a really good point. A lot of the diet aids can help you lose weight. But they aren't sustainable for a lifetime. If you return to old habits, the weight will creep back on.

LuckyGirl 2-20-2009 @ 9:56AM

So true, Maggie. In order to keep the weight off for a lifetime, we have to move our bodies, learn portion control and have a basic understanding of nutrition.

Todd 5-14-2009 @ 4:08PM

Diets and diet aids do not help anyone. The only way to successfully lose weight and get the body that you want is by using the right information.. This information can be found in the book Lose Weight Using Four Easy Steps which can be ordered through the website www.bbotw.com Everyone who has gotten a copy of this book is now healthier.