The Problem with Weight Loss Product Commercials
Friday, April 11th, 2008
There are thousands and thousands of weight loss products out there in America. Anytime you see commercial on television, there’s a 90% it’s going to be a car commercial or a weight loss commercial. Most of these commercials promise instant results with pounds of fat lost and you looking like a model.
The problem with most of these commercials is that they do not tell the truth, or are very good at leaving out things you need to know to make a product effective. They want you to think it’s easy, but it’s not that easy to lose weight. There are two types of weight loss commercials: those that promote diet products, and those that promote exercise machines or routines. Each type of commercial usually neglects the other. And that is the problem with weight loss marketing… losing weight is balance of both diet and exercise.
You can work out for an hour a day on your Chuck Norris Total Gym, but if you’re eating a Value Size Number 5 from Burger King every night, then you’re not nearly going to lose the amount of weight you think you are. You can try diet pills that burn fat and suppress your appetite, but they are not going to do much good if you sit on your ass all day long. Weight loss is a combination of healthy diet and good exercise. You don’t have to be a fitness nut to lose weight, you just have to pay attention to what you are eating and doing throughout the day.
Weight Loss is not Easy.
Weight loss is easy if you’re a trained athlete and you want to shed a few pounds before a match or game. But if your whole life you have been overweight, then you know it is not as easy as it sounds. The weight loss commercials for diet products neglect to tell you that exercise is vital to speeding up your metabolism and making your body healthier. They want you to think that just taking a pill will get you to lose weight fast, but that just is not the case. Diet products should be a supplement to good diet and exercise, not the actual reason you’re losing weight.
And did you every notice exercise commercials always throw in a little blurb like, “And with our custom diet plan, you can lose weight fast!” Losing weight with diet and exercise combined? What a novel idea!
“I tried everything else and this is the only thing that works”
This is a common staple in weight loss commercials, but it is really a stupid gimmick if you think about it. Say you launch a new weight loss product and get 1,000 people to try it. You can assume that at least 5 people lost weight with the product, and that’s enough people to use as testimonials in your commercial.
It’s a simple numbers game. People who want to lose weight will try many things to lose weight. Eventually they’re going to find something that works for them. It’s not because the product is the greatest weight loss product ever, but more than likely it is something the tried and they like to do. Some people would hate to work out on a Total Gym, but may find it fun to work out to a Hip-Hop Abs routine. ‘
If you’re thinking about buying a weight loss product from television, do your due diligence. Always keep in mind that losing weight and keeping it off is a matter of combining diet and exercise. For exercise products, find a product that you think you will like doing forever. For diet pills and products, know that you will have to put in some exercise throughout the week to get the full benefit of it.
This new section of the Better Body Journal will highlight and expose some of the more ridiculous weight loss and fitness products out there. Unfortunately, people are wasting a lot of money on diet fads, silly machines, and worthless books each and everyday. Fortunately, we’re here to warn you of these completely useless and ineffective contraptions before you’re suckered out of your money. Welcome to the “Sucker’s Corner.”
