Over the last several days, I’ve been sharing my “Ten Commandments of Dieting that Your Doctor Will Never Tell You.” The first nine commandments to permanent weight loss success are 1. Thou shalt not worship food as your god; 2. Thou shalt not worship a false image; 3. Thou shalt not murder, 4. Thou shalt not steal, 5. Thou shalt not covet, 6. Thou shalt not cheat against thy confidence and self-esteem, 7. Thou shalt not lie, 8. Six days shalt thou labor, but in the seventh day thou shalt rest and 9. Honor thy family by succeeding together. The 10th commandment:
10. Thou shalt not take thy diet strategy lightly.
Are you guilty of trying to cut corners with risky diet strategies—diet gimmicks that you know probably don’t work and could even be dangerous or deadly to your health?
It’s easy to believe “miraculous” claims because we want to believe they are true. We hear what we want to hear—that we can simply take a pill to quickly reverse years of dietary damage to our weight. Let me assure you that if such a pill existed, the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies would have already sent a small army to seize it.
“Quid est veritas?” In case you don’t speak Latin, that means “What is truth?” This is always the most important question you can ask about any diet.
The truth is there are no shortcuts—no magic pills. Losing weight sensibly and safely requires realistic weight-loss goals, reduced calorie intake and adequate exercise as part of a clinically proven plan.
The good news is that I’ve done more than seven years of clinical diet research.
Choose not to be duped into believing false claims that you can lose weight effortlessly—you are too smart to be fooled.
Diet Scams List (Adapted from the FDA)
There’s an “I wanna be skinny tomorrow!” sucker born every minute. Don’t let it be you.
• “Low-carb” diets that encourage over-consumption of fatty foods. The American Heart Association has stated that these diets can lead to premature heart disease.
• Any diet, pill, capsule, juice, etc. that claims to help you lose a large amount of weight in a very short amount of time. For example, a product that claims to help you lose 10 pounds over the weekend. This type of diet is very dangerous.
• Diet patches, which are worn on the skin, have not been proven to be safe or effective. The FDA has seized millions of these patches from manufacturers and promoters.
• Fat blockers purport to physically absorb fat and mechanically interfere with the fat a person eats. Anything that truly blocks fat absorption also blocks absorption of important vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.
• Carbohydrate blockers, sugar blockers or starch blockers that promise to block or impede starch digestion. Not only is the claim unproven, but users have complained of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pains.
• Over-the-counter (OTC) diet pills. A recent diet pill ingredient, phenylpropanolamine or PPA, found in leading brand-name diet pills was removed from the market by the FDA due to increased risk of hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke. Nobody knows what the next disaster will be among OTC diet pills!
• Magnet diet pills allegedly “flush fat out of the body.” The FTC has brought legal action against marketers of these pills.
• Bulk fillers that promise to swell in the stomach, thereby reducing hunger. Some fillers can even prove harmful, causing obstructions in the intestines, stomach or esophagus.
• Electrical muscle stimulators have legitimate use in physical therapy treatment. But the FDA has taken a number of them off the market because they were promoted for weight loss and body toning. When used incorrectly, muscle stimulators can be dangerous, causing electrical shocks and burns.
Choose not to be a sucker who believes nutty claims. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Check out the research, as well as who did the research, to make sure it was done at a reputable medical research facility.
You can get off the diet couch now. Try some stretching to get ready for a brisk walk.
I hope these truthful commandments have given you some insights into how you should think to make your body permanently slimmer.
You need to recheck this advice often to help you stay on track. Study these commandments until they are at your mental fingertips. When temptation threatens, form a mental fist and defend your health and life.
Do you hear what I’m saying? Stop sedating yourself with artificial foods and start using your superhero psychological powers for good -- the good of your permanent weight loss and better, healthier you.
Aaron Tabor, MD., is a diet and nutrition expert and book author. You can learn more about his weight-loss philosophy and weight-loss system by visiting DrTabor.com.
