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Results Not Typical


I had 14 weight/health-oriented newsletters in my inbox this morning. (Subscribe to one or two lists and they will multiply -- the rabbits of the Internet!)

Several contained testimonials from rabid fans of their particular diet program. Five contained before-and-after pictures or verbal descriptions.

What fabulous results! I've got to try this!

Wait, what are all those asterisks?

Ah, the phrase that turns the blood of the most motivated desperate dieter to ice: "Results not typical."

Now what exactly does that mean? Did they specifically select the greatest outlier to mislead us about results? Is it only the freaks who are willing to rave about the program? Does the plan only work for certain people? Should I assume that I, too, will reach the dizzying heights of the featured role model?

Lose the hype, please. Talk to me as if I'm intelligent as well as overweight. Being fat does not equate with being stupid!

Show me "typical" results and I'll assess your program with honesty and respect. If most folks lose 5 pounds, publicize that. If not, all those unhappy overwieghters who sign up for your diet will expect to lose the poundage of your featured dieter.

The last thing the desperate, guilt-ridden, and self-critical dieters of the world need is to be misled into unreal expectations. That direction will only result in a magnified loss of self-esteem and self-respect. Your marketing misinformation is psychologically destructive and emotionally devasting.

E-Diets, Atkins, Zone, South Beach -- Shame on you!

Virginia Bola is a licensed psychologist and an admitted diet fanatic. She specializes in therapeutic reframing and the effects of attitudes and motivation on individual goals. The author of The Wolf at the Door: An Unemployment Survival Manual, and a free ezine, The Worker's Edge, she recently published a psychologically-based weight control e-workbook, "Diet with an Attitude" which develops mental skills towards the goal of permanent weight control. She can be reached at http://www.DietWithAnAttitude.com. She provides support and guidance in use of the workbook through her regular blog, http://dietwithanattitude.blogspot.com


MORE RESOURCES:

AFP

French weight loss drug 'killed at least 1300'
AFP
PARIS — Mediator, a drug licensed for use by diabetics that became widely prescribed in France as a slimming aid, "probably" caused at least 1300 deaths before it was withdrawn, a study published on Thursday said. Mahmoud Zureik of the National ...
Study claims French weight loss drug, Mediator, killed at least 1300RFI

all 11 news articles »


Mother Nature Network (blog)

Weight loss: A possible benefit of the recession?
Mother Nature Network (blog)
Evidently there is some evidence pointing towards a link between an economic recession and weight loss. While one of the Freakonomics co-authors, Stephen Dubner, thought that the recession would lead to weight gains because people would head for fast ...

and more »


PR Web (press release)

Medi-Weightloss Clinics® Hits 2 Million Pounds Lost Milestone
PR Web (press release)
Although Medi-Weightloss Clinics® is no Mother Nature, it has helped knock down plenty of weight over the past 6 years — 2033748 pounds to be exact. The nation's premier physician-supervised weight loss program is working to reduce the obesity rate by ...

and more »


Houston Weight Loss Surgeons Discuss How to Choose the Right Bariatric Practice
San Francisco Chronicle (press release)
Drs. Yu and Scarborough discuss key aspects to look for in a practice before undergoing a weight loss procedure such as gastric plication to help improve results and get patients back on track towards leading a healthier life.

and more »


KTVU San Francisco

FDA warns against quick weight-loss programs using hormone
KTVU San Francisco
Proponents of a hormone-based diet claim you can lose 10 pounds in three weeks with no exercise, but this unusual weight-loss program some swear by comes with serious government warnings. For Sanjay Mohindra, tennis comes easy.
HCG Diet Concerns 2/7/12KOSA

all 2 news articles »


USA TODAY

Weight loss: Clinics halt Lap-Band surgeries amid controversy | MassDevice.com ...
Mass Device
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — A pair of outpatient clinics in Los Angeles stopped offering weight-loss surgeries using the Lap-Band gastrointestinal device amid ongoing controversy over a marketing campaign. The FDA late last year issued warning letters to 8 ...
Lap-Band surgeries halted at two LA clinicsUSA TODAY
Clinics tied to 1-800-GET-THIN temporarily stop Lap-Band surgeryLos Angeles Times
Allergan stops selling Lap-Band to 1-800-GET-THIN doctorsInjuryBoard.com
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all 56 news articles »


Books offer tips on weight loss and raising children with special needs
Bangor Daily News
By Patrick Layne, Bangor Public Library YOU: LOSING WEIGHT: THE OWNER'S MANUAL TO SIMPLE AND HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS by Mehmet Oz and Michael Roizen, published May 2011. Doctors Oz and Roizen reveal 99 of the best weight-loss strategies in a compact, ...



Dallas Weight Loss Surgeon Adds Bariatrician
Sacramento Bee
As a Board Certified Bariatrician, Dr. Obi will head up the Bariatric Solutions AfterCare program as well as assisting patients during their pre surgery diet requirement for the weight loss surgeries performed at Bariatric Solutions: Lap Band, ...

and more »


Roduve's Slim Weight Patch Offers Weight Loss Without Pills or Complicated ...
International Business Times (press release)
New York, NY - (IBWire.com Feb 9, 2012) - Weight Loss Patches, which have been on sticky ground in the past after several were removed by the US's Food and Drug Administration for not living up to their claims, is slowly redeeming itself with the ...



eMaxHealth

Drugs with modified lifestyle help weight loss
Times of India
A study led by the University of Leicester looks at the effectiveness of anti -obesity drugs and a modified lifestyle on weight loss and BMI. The review was based on 94 studies including over 24000 individuals and assessed how effective the drugs were ...
Don't Take These 3 Weight Loss Drugs Without Reading This First!eMaxHealth
Anti-obesity drugs and lifestyle advice 'an effective combination'Netdoctor

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