The Federal Trade Commission announced today that they have fined the marketers of four weight loss pills a total of $25 million for making false advertising claims. If anyone is actually surprised that these pill pushers are making false claims, please close your browser now and turn off your computer. I’m taking away your internet privileges because you are obviously just not that bright. And by the way, that includes any of you who bought this stuff.
The false claims were made by the marketers of Xenadrine EFX, CortiSlim, Trim Spa, and One A Day Weight Smart. The good news is that the FTC says most of this money will be returned to consumers. The bad news is that these companies have made hundreds of millions of dollars off of the not-so-bright, so the $25 million is a drop in the bucket. None of these guys will be out of business tomorrow. In fact, given that it isn’t against the law to sell worthless crap, all of these products will remain on store shelves, as long as the companies change their marketing claims.
Xenadrine EFX ads are classic. They actually say that their pills can let you lose up to 4.5 times as much weight as diet and exercise alone. Well, since a person on a healthy diet and consistent exercise program can safely lose up to 2 lbs of fat per week, these guys would have you believe that taking their pill will let you lose 10 lbs per week. First, if you really believe that, I’ve got a bridge for sale. Second, while they said they had a study to back them up, the truth was they had no such thing. In fact, in their own study, the control group who took a placebo lost more weight than the saps taking the Xenadrine. If anyone ever buys this worthless bottle of !@#$ again after this news, the only excuse could be having way more money than brains. You’d actually be better off finding out what the placebo was and taking that.
Trim Spa, now there’s another class act. Any product that uses that walking freak show Anna Nicole Smith as a spokesperson deserves whatever they get. And if any of you ever bought this stuff knowing that walking freak show Anna Nicole Smith was their spokesperson, then you deserve what you get as well. I’m pretty sure she can’t spell science, never mind base an opinion on it.
Unfortunately, the bottom line is pretty simple. These unscrupulous companies will still be marketing this junk tomorrow. Since their previous sales pitches were lies, they’ll come up with new sales pitches. They’ll probably be lies as well, but they’ll sell another $100 million worth of lies to gullible consumers looking for a miracle before the FTC gets around to fining them another $25 million. But remember, if you happen to be one of those consumers buying this stuff, I’ve still got that bridge.
About the Author
Dave Soucy is a coach, trainer, motivator, husband, dad, and former fat guy. His goal is to teach as many people as possible how to achieve a life of health, fitness, and wellness through simply eating right and exercising. Click here to learn more about Dave.
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