In Wisconsin, three firms' weight loss claims lead the state to clamp down on companies that sold weight loss products to tens of thousands of dieters who ended up losing millions of dollars but not many, if any, pounds.
The three companies providing these supposed weight loss products have been referred to federal officials for fraud charges.
In Wisconsin, beer is the drink of choice. Friday fish fries are sacred to many resulting in tens of thousands of residents paying millions seeking a quick weight loss fix in products such as "fat burning pills", "Exercise in a bottle", ab rollers, bun burners and even underpants that supposedly melt away cellulite just by wearing them.
Some are saying "You would think common sense would tell people these things will not work", but those people obviously do not know the desperation felt by many in repeated, failed weight loss attempts. "Lose weight while you sleep" may sound ridiculous, but when these lies are repeated often enough, people want to start believing them. And do. The sad fact is, there truly is no easy way to lose weight. This is why people will put their hope and trust into companies making these claims. Weight loss is a $40 billion dollar industry, exploiting this difficult problem for nothing more than profit.
Among the complaints made by people were they never received the product, the product didn't work, the product was missing parts and often the money-back guarantees were not guaranteed. When some tried to get their money back, they couldn't. As a result of the complaints made by residents in Wisconsin, Consumer Protection officials are seeking to stop the companies from doing business in Wisconsin and getting refunds for residents.
Lipo-Slim is one of the targeted companies. Wisconsin state authorities have referred them to U.S. Postal inspectors on allegations of mail fraud. Lipo-Slim lists a post office box in New York and touts in it's ads that their underpants feature thousands of "microspore cells" that "produce a gentle massage that destroys deep fat which are the cause of excess fat". They encourage consumers to try the underpants that sell for $19.95 to $29.95 a pair depending on the size, risk-free for 15 days. Last November, ten other states including Arizona, settled consumer fraud allegations against Lipo-Slim and two other companies for selling the slimming underpants. In 1999, the company was told to give full refunds in Iowa to anyone who bought them there.
Two other companies referred to Federal authorities are Actislim and e4L (Everything For Less). Actislim sells pills that claim to burn fat while you sleep. e4L provides products such as the Bodazzler Bun Burner and the Ab Roller. Complaints included delayed delivery, billing disputes, merchandise that didn't work, broken or missing parts and difficulty getting refunds. On February 5th, an answering machine message left by the Phoenix based company e4L said the company was closed for the day and the company's web site was under construction. Another suspicious fact is there are no phone listings for Actislim or Lipo-Slim. State investigators are having difficulties finding some of the companies because they often use a post office box number in their ads. Another interesting revelation - the same advertisements were running with the names of different companies with different addresses.
The records of just one of the companies were subpoenaed by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. They discovered some interesting statistics; 26,000 Wisconsin residents made purchases in one year, spending an average of $678.00.
There are so many companies touting "fat busting" and "thigh slimming" and the like, with products they sell via infomercials, magazine ads and internet advertising that authorities believe many more people in Wisconsin alone are throwing away their money in the always desperate attempt at weight loss. One women who resides in Green Bay, Wisconsin, spent more than $1,000 for an herbal remedy that was supposed to melt away her fat. She didn't lose a pound. A salesman had come directly to her home and claimed he lost 100 pounds using the product and told her she could do it, too. The woman took the pills for nine months and spent better than $1,400. She says "All I lost was my money and I'm very, very angry". This poor woman weighs in at around 300 pounds and was grossly taken advantage of. This is only one story amongst hundreds of thousands nation wide.
Along with the issue of people being horridly taken advantage of for a problem that to them is very painful and all too real, is the concern that some of these products may even harm the health of those who try them. Most adults require about 1000 to 2000 calories a day and consultants such as myself, recommend losing no more than one to two pounds a week, which would simply mean cutting back calories by 500 per day. If one truly did lose 50 percent of their excess body fat in just 14 days as one of the claims say, they would be one very ill individual. Losing weight means exercising and reducing caloric intake. That is the bottom line.
~~PRODUCT CLAIMS TO WATCH OUT FOR~~
"Eat what you want and never, ever have to diet again"
"Capsules that burn fat while you sleep. Every morning you'll wake up weighing less."
"Amazing enzyme that 'eats' 900 times its weight in fat."
"You'll never be hungry. You will not be on any diet. You will not have to exercise. You will not have to sacrifice anything at all".
"You can enjoy all these delicious foods like fried chicken, pizza, cheeseburgers, even butter and sour cream and stop worrying about your weight".
"Burn calories while you're just standing or sitting around doing nothing - even while you're sleeping".
"Fat Trapper permanently blocks fat so that it can never be absorbed by your body - never!"
"Exercise in a Bottle works on a cellular level, forcing every cell in your body to work, whether you're exercising or not. And when your cells are working, you are burning calories or losing fat."
"Amazing fat pill ends hunger."
"Imagine losing as much as 50% of all excess fat in 14 days."
Copyright © 2003 Fitness and Freebies. All rights reserved.
