The success of any attempt to lose weight or to keep one's ideal weight once this has been achieved is actually far less dependent on slimming aids (dieting, medicines, slimming .

A change in eating habits is much more important than dietary and slimming products.
The success of any attempt to lose weight or to keep one's ideal weight once this has been achieved is actually far less dependent on slimming aids (dieting, medicines, slimming products, etc.) than on the opportunity or the willingness to make lasting changes in one's individual lifestyle. And it is precisely this which makes it so difficult for people to lose weight and keep the weight off! Successful weight control always means changing any adverse eating habits and adopting new kinds of behaviour. The aim of these changes is to get the body to use up more calories than it takes in - achieving what is called a "negative energy balance" - by careful planning of menus and increased exercise. And one more thing: in the long term, losing more than one kilogram (~2 lbs) a week is not possible without endangering one's health! Here, too, miracles take a little longer.

Be wary of exaggerated promises
The way the virtues of many special diets and slimming products are extolled is nothing short of a confidence trick: for instance if a weight loss of "12 kilos in 28 days" is promised or if slogans talk of "calorie busters that reduce all fat by 25 times its own weight" or of "negative calories", then caution is always called for. And whenever anyone suggests that on a given diet you can "eat and drink whatever you like and still stay slim", or "lose weight while you sleep", or solve your weight problems "without reducing calories, without gymnastic exercises and without working up a sweat" etc., it is always a lie. The guarantees of success that often come with these claims will not alter this fact.

Be wary of catchy names and modern designs
The slimming market is teeming with fanciful names that suggest success on a worldwide scale (e.g. "Eskimo Diet", "Hollywood Star Diet", "Mayo Diet") or carry empty pseudoscientific phrases like "phy-lambda technology", "fat cleanser", "calorie burner Ana Med", "FMS fat mobilization system", "cryo-energy fields", etc. Certainly the scientific nutritional aspects of fat metabolism are very complex - but the scientific jargon found in advertisements and brochures for slimming diets is often there for no other reason than to impress.

Be wary of claims dressed up in scientific names or theories
Manufacturers often try to suggest in their advertising copy that their products are scientifically tested and proven. The so-called "Max Planck Diet", for example, is completely unknown to the Max-Planck Institute in Munich! Then there are other remedies that are said to be based on scientific findings - such as those diets which recommend consuming carbohydrates and protein separately, or separating "acidic" and "alkaline" food. The theories proffered are of no scientific relevance whatsoever.

Be wary of effusive letters of appreciation from beneficiaries of these diets
Many diets are advertised with enthusiastic "thank-you letters" from people who were apparently helped by them. These success stories are illustrated with impressive "before-and-after" photos. Reports of this kind are often purely fictitious, and the pictures fakes. Even if a dietary cure may have helped in isolated cases, this is absolutely no justification for making sweeping generalizations on the basis of the positive results.

Be wary when the medical profession is brought in as a "character witness"!
Sharp operators often use expressions like "medically proven", "clinically tested", "recommended by nutritionists", "certified by the xyz medical association", "tested by the xyz research clinic" etc. in an effort to give credibility to their products. Statements like these are not usually worth the paper they are printed on. The experts or institutions cited were often not even asked.

Be wary of weight-controlling foods, food supplements and slimming meals
These products are designed for short-term weight control or weight loss, and are not meant to be taken over a period of several weeks. At most, they are only of value at the start of a long-term programme of weight reduction. Owing to their minimal variations in flavour and their liquid mushy consistency, which is perceived by a lot of people as unpleasant, many products are not capable of providing an enjoyable and varied culinary experience. There is more to a meal than just taking in energy and nutrients! Added to which, the consumption of special products does not alter the deep-seated behaviour which led to the excess weight in the first place; and they cannot therefore be expected to bring about a lasting weight loss. Unfortunately brochures, information leaflets, and more recently websites are constantly making exaggerated and untenable health claims - above all, promising that the products are suitable for a lasting weight loss.

Be wary of fanciful products
With many of the products on offer (generally those available through anonymous PO box addresses), there is no biochemical or physiological evidence to support their effects with regard to fat reduction: copper bracelets, slimming soles, amulets, sweatsuits, bodyforming lotions, bio-slimming chips etc. cannot influence the fat metabolism! The only thing that the purchase of these products can guarantee is that the weight of the buyer's purse will be reduced - and in most cases there is no possibility of returning these ineffectual "aids".

Be wary of signing a contract
Sometimes, prospective customers are persuaded to sign contracts that commit them to attending a number of meetings or courses and paying a large deposit into the bargain. In these cases, a study of the small print in the contract will help. It is important that the wording of any such contract should provide for a premature withdrawal from the contract without substantial financial consequences.

Check-list
If one or more points in the following list apply to the diet or health cure on offer, caution is called for:

• The diet guarantees a weight loss of more than 2 kilos (4-5 lbs) a week over a lengthy period.
• The wording plays on fears of disease (such as: "Death lurks in the gut")
• The diet is alleged to act preventively, i.e. it promises long-term protection against infection or other health problems.
• The diet is is said to have healing powers, i.e. it holds out the prospect of a rapid remedy for certain health problems or even the long-term healing of existing diseases.
• It is a dull and monotonous health cure: the consumption of certain foods or entire food groups is forbidden - conversely, certain nutrients and foods or products have to be consumed in unnatural quantities.
• It is suggested that, for example, foods containing fat or sugar (cream, fatty meat, cheese, honey, sweets, etc.) can be eaten or alcohol drunk as much as one likes.
• The consumption of certain foods or products is linked to certain times of the day or forbidden during certain periods, or certain food groups must not be eaten in combination.
• The diet overall is very expensive, because aids, books or programme modules etc. have to be purchased or unusual or expensive food bought through a mail-order PO box address.
• The health cure involves the purchase of special supplements to one's day-to-day food (powders, pills, precooked meals, tea or herbal mixtures, juices, etc.) and the use of these over a lengthy period.
• The promotion is accompanied by effusive thank-you letters or photos of previous users.
• The health cure is publicized by prominent personalities, research institutes or hospitals.
• Products or diets are promoted through direct selling techniques, i.e. through door-to-door sales or in the context of private meetings. Or private individuals are encouraged to get involved in the sales operation themselves in order to earn a little money (snowball system).
• Participants have to sign a contract to attend a certain number of meetings or courses; a withdrawal from the contract is either not possible or only at a substantial cost.

Rather than falling for any of these schemes, exercise a lot (see " Exercise Programs - a Primer " ), and follow the advice in " Losing Weight the Healthy Way ".

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