Weight Management

		Terry Brown, MPH, RD/LD Section Editor, Weight Management Clinical Instructor, Department of Clinical Nutrition UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas

Diet scams
Posted: July 2005
Source: UT Southwestern Health Watch

We're talking about weight and your health this week on Healthwatch. When you're struggling to lose weight, advertisements for weight-loss programs and products that promise miraculous results can be very tempting. But will they really work?

Terry Brown, a registered dietitian who teaches clinical nutrition at UT Southwestern Medical Center, says the Federal Trade Commission has developed a list of red flags to look out for. Be skeptical about diet ads that promise you'll lose two or more pounds a week for a month or more without diet or exercise. Don't trust products that say you can lose weight no matter what you eat or that promise to block the absorption of fat or calories. You should also be wary of products that supposedly cause weight loss when you rub them on your skin.

The formula for weight loss is fairly simple: eat less and exercise more. A registered dietitian can help you develop an eating plan for healthy weight loss.