Here's an appalling example of how far people are willing to go for weight-loss: The sanitized tapeworm as a weight-loss tool. You know how you used to quip that your cousin must have a tapeworm because they ate so much and yet never gained an ounce? Well, someone decided to capitalize on that, and started offering a baby tapeworm to people to swallow -- then tapeworm then eats your food. This first became a fad in the 1800s and luckily hasn't come back with much attention (that I can see) but there are people out there willing to try it!

Here's the problem with the tapeworm diet -- a tapeworm is a harmful medical condition. Doing so would be like injecting yourself with a severe stomach virus in order to lose 10 pounds in a couple of days. Tapeworms don't just eat your food -- they eat your nutrients, making you malnourished ... and with a grotesque, fluid-filled belly!

I'm sorry to say but there's just no way to lose weight and maintain your weight loss without cutting out or really reducing your intake of junk food. So the sooner you accept that weight loss is hard work, the sooner you'll shed the pounds.

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My outlook, when it comes to weight loss and beauty fads, is a kind of mix between realistic skepticism and dreamy hopefulness. It's no fun to go through life all pessimistic and negative, shooting down every new invention and medical breakthrough before it even has a chance, but on the flip side you don't want to fall victim to random fads and gimmicks either. But how to know when they're just gimmicks and when they might be the real thing? After all, if that tube of lotion really does melt fat right off I don't want to be the one missing out!

Obviously there's no good answer to that question, except that if a product really does what it says it can then you'll definitely hear about it. But other than that, trying stuff out (and avoiding claims that seem to good to be true) is really the only way, and thankfully there are plenty of people out there willing to do that and share what they think. Case in point? This article from the Seattle Times, where three lotions claiming weight loss and firming properties were tested by real ladies, who share their thoughts and opinions to hopefully save us all some time and potential grief.

And let me encourage you all to please feel free to share your own experiences, so we can all know more of what works and what doesn't!

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I'm all about trying new things when it comes to getting in shape -- I think it's a combination of fighting boredom, and secretly hoping that whatever outrageous "too good to be true" claims they're making will actually happen for me. Today many gyms are offering all kinds of fun sounding "novelty" fitness classes where you can do things like hula hoop or striptease your way to a better body, and most of them sound like a lot of fun.

But how can you tell if that flashy class can really help you, or if it's just a gimmick the gym came up with to make money? iVillage.com came up with these 4 tips on how to tell if you're getting any real benefit, which include things like taking an honest look at how hard you're working physically and for how long. If you're really serious about working out then a fun class is a great way to do it -- but you have to be honest with yourself and choose one that's worth something.

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As a lover of beer and also as someone who knows a fair bit about calorie counts and nutrition, I thought a diet that involved beer was too good to be true. Maybe not -- one man, Bradley Scott Cailor, has written a book called The Beer Drinkers Diet. But if you read a bit into it, the title of the book is not trying to tell you that you can guzzle Budweiser without abandon -- rather, the title attempts to reflect that this is a normal person's diet, one that doesn't involve any major deprivation. So correct me if I'm wrong but the word BEER in the title is more of a gimmick to attract attention to the book.

The author lost 114 lbs and has managed to keep it off, so he may know what he's talking about. Although I was skeptical at first (the poorly designed red and yellow website usually indicates some sort of scam to me), apparently the book advises readers to be wary of quick-fix gimmicks and find a weight-loss solution that is both healthy and suitable for their lifestyle.

Have you read the book? What did you think?

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