A Shocking Expose of the 12 Biggest
Scams, Cover-ups, Lies, Myths and
Deceptions In The Diet and Weight Loss
Industries!
By Tom Venuto, Author of
Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle (BFFM)
Copyright 2003, Fitness Renaissance, LLC
All Rights Reserved
Xenadrine, Hydroxycut, Metabolife, Thermadrol,
Diet Fuel, Stacker and
Ripped Fuel. Ever heard of any of these? If not, you must
have been living
in a cave somewhere for the past ten years because "thermogenic"
fat
burning pills made with the herbal stimulant ephedra have
become the
hottest weight loss craze in the history of the industry.
Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on these
products every year and
there's no end in sight to this fat burning pill
feeding-frenzy. Even if Ephedra
is banned for over the counter sale because of FDA
pressure, it’s likely that
ephedra-free stimulant products will take their place in
short order, even if
they’re weaker versions of the original products. The
strength of the brand
names seems to be carrying them forward.
But are these thermogenic products all they're made out to
be? Let me set
the record straight once and for all.
Open up any bodybuilding or fitness magazine these days and
you'll see
multi-page advertisements boasting of “amazing”,
“clinically proven,”
“university-tested” results, with dramatic photos of
physiques allegedly
transformed overnight by using these products.
One headline says "Proven to increase fat loss 1700%."
Another says
"Burn up to 613% more fat!" Still another says, "34 times
more fat lost than
control group."
Frankly, the hype surrounding these products borders on
being ridiculous.
Where did these numbers come from?
1700% or 613% or 34 times greater THAN WHAT? Obviously,
some
“apples” are being compared to “oranges.”
It's easy for supplement companies to cleverly take
statistics out of context
- just one of many sneaky tricks they have up their
advertising sleeves. (Did
you know there’s an infamous book called “How to Lie With
Statistics,”
written on this very topic? If you don’t believe me, go to
Amazon.com and
see for yourself.)
If any supplement really did burn 1700% more body fat,
there wouldn't be
any overweight people left! But there are: There are more
overweight
people today than ever before in history!
Don't believe the hype! It’s not that these products don’t
work at all – the
problem is more in the deceptive marketing and advertising
than the
products themselves. The claims are simply outrageous.
Thermogenic fat burners do work, but they don't work
miracles and they’re
not a substitute for proper nutrition and training. Because
the primary
ingredients ephedrine and caffeine are strong central
nervous system
stimulants, they also have many potential side effects and
contraindications.
Use caution if you use thermogenic products at all and
never use them if
you are sensitive to stimulants and/or have a history of
heart disease, high
blood pressure, thyroid disorders or any other medical
problems.
If you’re not sure if ephedra products are safe for you,
check with your
doctor first.
Most of your results will come from hard training and a
good diet. There are
no magic pills. Why is it that people just don't seem to
get this? It's human
nature, I suppose. We all want instant gratification, so
it's awfully easy to
be swayed by the glossy four-page magazine spreads with
those mind
blowing (doctored?) before and after photos.
Certain supplement companies are partly to blame for our
obsession with
fast results. Instead of teaching and educating the public
about healthy,
sensible, slow and steady permanent fat loss, they tease
and tempt with
very shrewd marketing campaigns. Testimonials,
endorsements, scientific
studies and before/after photos are incredibly persuasive
because they
appeal to your emotions. “Take this pill… go to bed…wake up
skinny – it’s
magic!”
Even the names of the products were carefully chosen: Do
you think it's a
coincidence that the #1 selling herbal weight loss
supplement Xenadrine
sounds a lot like the prescription drug Xenical? Not a week
goes by that
someone doesn’t ask me about the ”drug” Xenadrine (Xenadrine
is a brand
name for an over-the-counter, ephedra product; Xenical is a
prescription
drug).
If you want to lose body fat, get your diet and training
program in order
FIRST. Once you're eating nutritiously, moderately
restricting your calories,
doing cardio and working out with weights, then and only
then - and only if
you have a clean bill of health - should you even consider
a thermogenic
herbal product if you need an “extra boost.”
Note: Personally, I’ve used ephedrine and ephedra products
in the past
and noticed a very strong stimulant effect which “boosted”
my workouts, but
I gave them up (for many reasons), and have not used them
for years. I still
reach 3-4% body fat every time I compete - with no
thermogenic or “fat
burning” supplements whatsoever.