The Problem with Weight Loss Product Commercials
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.
April 11th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
It’s an interesting point about the advertising. What they’re really selling is nothing to do with losing weight.
They’re actually selling a dream to people who want to hand over responsibility for their results to someone else.
It’s a common technique that’s used in much more than just diet commercials, but the reality is that people actually encourage that kind of advertising.
How?
They keep responding to it with their credit cards!
I disagree with you in at least one way though. Easy weight loss is possible. Depends how you define easy, doesn’t it?
If you have no strain, or stress, doing whatever it takes to lose the weight, I’d say that qualifies as easy.
Your point about the testimonials is good. Have you ever noticed that under the picture of the person who lost 200 pounds they normally say something like “results are exceptional”?
In other words, it’s not likely to be you in those photos next time!
April 12th, 2008 at 12:51 am
I agree that weight Loss is not easy,walk at least an hour, non-stop, per day
The body is designed to walk. Research shows that slow, rhythmic movement exercise, such as walking, resets your body.Maybe that’s usefull.
April 18th, 2008 at 11:12 am
It’s true: We all just want the “magic bullet” that’s going to give us the desired result (in this case, dramatic weight loss, or a lean, cut, physique) without batting an eye, i.e. with no effort or action! That’s what makes the “make money - get rich quick” industry thrive… it sells the dream of being financially free. People don’t want to take the journey to monetary wealth, or “physical wealth” in terms of a great body… they just want to *be* there.
Ummm, sorry - it just doesn’t work that way!
That’s a problem I have with all these diets too. They all become a “craze”, a fad. Just the other day the “DASH” diet was all the rage. Do we really need another dieting plan?
Yes, weight loss can be tough, especially if your expectation is out of whack. If you think you’ll drop 10 lbs by this time next week, think again! It takes effort and discipline. Eat in moderation and get on an exercise program, and stick to it.
You don’t necessarily need a “packaged” diet or exercise product.
Earlier this year the “Flat Belly Diet” was making headlines. Does it work? I don’t know. But does it matter? It may work for some and not others.
To poke fun at this whole “fad diet” thing, I posted a funny clip about the flat belly diet here…
http://www.funnybonevideos.com/flat-belly-diet-exposed-in-this-belly-busting-video/
Take a look and have a laugh… then, go eat lightly and get your body moving!
- Dave
April 25th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Great article, thanks for sharing it! Would love to feature you on Wellsphere.com, a site that helps people to live healthier. Can’t find a contact form so thought I’d comment; look forward to hearing from you. Thanks, Larisa
May 4th, 2008 at 6:36 am
It is an very interesting point about the advertising. What they’re really selling is nothing to do with losing weight.
They’re actually selling a dream to people who want to hand over responsibility for their results to someone else.
It’s a common technique that’s used in much more than just diet commercials, but the reality is that people actually encourage that kind of advertising.
May 27th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
There is obviously a lot of hype about this diet or that exercise regimen. The fact is the flat belly dieet works assuming you eat the right foods. They could have just as easily called it the fit diet or the responsible eating diet or whatever. Eating in moderation and exercising is a good thing no matter what you call it. Today Yahoo Health even has an article about flat belly foods. Having a flat belly is not a fad.