The Diet Racket (First Post!)

Another diet scam.

Have you ever noticed how all the "fat burner" products advertised on TV ("I lost 30 lbs. in just 2 months!") have in the fine print some sort of clause saying "when used in conjunction with a reasonable regimen of diet and exercise"? Hint: the diet pills or supplements are nothing more than you could get OTC in a good drug store if you wanted -- things like vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc. But promoted as weight loss aids on TV they can be very profitable because some people will pay through the nose for something that "guarantees" they will lose weight "or [their] money back!", especially since the S&H charge covers the sellers cost of the product too.

Just look at the heap of advertising hype combined with a near total lack of substantive description of how [a diet club's] program works and what participants are expected to do. I don't know about you, but to me it just screams "BOGUS!!!"

[A friend] has always had a lot of pills and diet supplements around the place and he carries a pile of them with him in his travel bag. I bet he could stay as fit and trim as he is without ever setting foot in GNC or similar stores. He seems to be the restless, active sort anyway and as long as he continues to follow his inclination to get out and DO SOMETHING, and doesn't take to spending all day in front of the TV or computer (as you and I are wont to do). IMHO, he almost certainly doesn't need any pills or supplements except those that most people are advised to take because of the poor eating habits we have developed in the U.S. I'm sort of surprised he would fall for such a gimmicky scam.

The only real benefit that most of the commercial diet plans offer is that they do cost money and people tend to want to get their money's worth and will often follow such plans for long enough to lose a some weight. What people really want is immediate gratification on the form of a miracle diet pill that "melts away" all of their excess weight (and then some, preferably overnight) while they remain Cheezy-Poof-eating couch potatoes glued to their idiot boxes.

Well, I hope you enjoyed reading today's message of cynicism and skepticism as much as I enjoyed writing it. Hell, I feel so good after venting that I might just go for a walk on this cloudy day...I don't have to join a club to do that

Regards,
[FractalZone]