We were taking a look at the new FTC guidelines governing endorsements and testimonials when we noticed something interesting. Advertisers will no longer be able to get away with showing only amazing results from consumer testimonials and presenting them as typical. Under the old rule, they could exclusively show spectacular results if they added the phrase “results not typical.” This is no longer the case, according to the FTC. Now, if they use such testimonials, they will also have to disclose the results that consumers can reasonably expect.
diets
Sorry, You Are Too Tall For Weight Watchers!
By 6.18.09
This is kinda sad. JJ is 6’10” and wants to lose a little weight. Trouble is, 6’10” is too tall for Weight Watchers Online.
This Southwest Airlines Flight Attendant Is Really Concerned About Your Sugar Intake
By 5.29.09
Of all the weird encounters to have on an airplane, we never would have expected to have a flight attendant point out just how bad a full can of soda is for you. That’s what happened to Laura, though.
Hysteria: Great, Now Whole Foods Is Making You Broke And Fat
By 8.26.08
The New York Sun says that salad and prepared food bars (at Whole Foods, for example) are making you fat. Why? Supposedly, the containers they give you are huge and lead you to unwittingly buy “supersized” portions of food for lunch.
Eat Less, Live Longer
By 7.9.08
Scientists say that if you start eating 15% less food by age 25, you could add 4.5 years to your life. The theory is that it lowers metabolic rate and generates fewer “free radicals” in the body. Makes sense, run an engine at a lower overall speed and you’ll get a longer life out of it. Practitioners of the Calorie Restriction diet believe in it, and some think it will lead to eternal life. The tradeoff is that your skin is translucent. Everything in moderation, my friends.
Succeed Through Self-Undermining!
By 7.1.08
Our post on freezing your credit cards in a block of ice got me thinking. Anything that slows, stops, or impedes making transactions can be used as a technique for limiting your spending. Whatever it may be, cutting up your credit cards, locking up most of your money in an account it takes 3 days to transfer from, giving yourself an allowance, it will be a variation on a single principle: It’s easier to put a hard limit on the future then to make the right decision in the impulsive moment. Installing some kind of an automatic hiccup can help break you out of your desire-driven action and give you the breathing room to step back and make the right choice. So if you have trouble with overspending (or overeating or any kind of bad habit) and your sheer willpower is sometimes lacking, aka, you’re human, try brainstorming ways you can trip yourself up. The world is full of obstacles, it shouldn’t be too hard to find one.
Kroger Supports Your Ice Cream Diet
By 5.1.08
Reader Tim sent us this seemingly oxymoronic photo from his local Kroger in Grayson, GA. It reads, “Buy any 4 Healthy Choice meals and get 1 free Breyers Ice Cream.” Be warned, if you follow this diet you will probably notice that your ice cream is shrinking more rapidly than your waistline.
Pure Weight Loss Helped Customers Lose Money, Not Weight, Says Attorney General
By 1.28.08
Last week, Pennsylvania’s Attorney General filed a consumer protection lawsuit against the PA-based company Pure Weight Loss and its owner, Vahan Karian. Pure Weight Loss, which has about 400 stores nationwide, announced last December that it was going out of business, and yet continued to accept pre-payment from unaware customers up to four days after posting the announcement on its website. Since closing, it has failed to reimburse customers fees for unfulfilled contracts or deliver the supplies they’ve already bought.
Infomercial Scammer Kevin Trudeau Found In Contempt Of Court
By 11.27.07
Kevin Trudeau, well known for all sorts of cons over the years—his most recent one was this diet book—was found in contempt of court last week by a U.S. District Court judge for violating his permanent 2004 injunction.
It's Science: Diets Don't Work
By 4.11.07
“Diets do not lead to sustained weight loss or health benefits for the majority of people.”
Introducing: The CVS Chocolate Diet!
By 4.9.07
Reader Greg sends the above photo of his local CVS. Now there’s a diet….or perhaps just a helpful suggestion for those shoppers who are often drawn to this particular aisle.—MEGHANN MARCO
How To Tell If A Diet Is A Sham
By 10.19.06
Jared points out his amusing list of the top 10 ways to tell if a weight loss program is a buncha snake oil.
Atkins Diet Leads to Head Exploding?
By 3.17.06
No, it doesn’t. But now that the lo-carb craze is over (again), our cholesterol-drenched hearts heaved a few millimeters higher to hear the results of the latest report decrying the Atkins Diet fad.
Mars’ CocoaVia: Life by Chocolate
By 11.1.05
What’s healthier? Eating a “heart smart” chocolate bar packed with antioxidant flavanols or not eating a chocolate bar at all? Mars, maker of M&Ms and Snickers, is promoting their new ‘healthy’ branding experiment CocoaVia, suggesting that the consumption of two portions of the dark, hippie chocolate will help to reduce bad cholesterol.
