PERRY BUCHANAN: If it sounds too good to be true, then it’s not

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

I recently watched a documentary about fitness made in 1960 (coincidentally, the year I was born, if I must confess). I found particularly interesting the concern about high technology (remember, this was well over 50 years ago) and the effect and problems it had on our lazy, non-exercising, over-eating society. Even though fads have come and gone, and our knowledge and advancement of exercise and definitely technology has increased by a hundred fold, we still seem to fall for the same old scams and myths.

As I’m watching this 1960 documentary on my laptop, I’m also watching an infomercial on my TV about some new ab gizmo gadget of the week. All such products are sold under the false assumption that you can spot reduce body fat. It reminds me of the story I read as a child “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” If you don’t know the story, ask someone else born in the ’60s. Just as in 1960, there still exist literally thousands of scams — useless diets, supplement pills, potions, cellulite creams, colon cleansing — wallet-shrinking products we spend multi billions of dollars on every year. Most of the people who impulsively buy into these products intuitively know they don’t make scientific sense. But the desire for a quick fix is too much to resist for many of us.

In the 1950s, people thought that they could use a vibrating belt and rollers to lose fat. Even as late as the ’70s and ’80s, some women figure salons, as they were called, still had these useless contraptions. They, of course, are useless for getting in shape, but some weight loss scams just won’t die. They are reborn in today’s version. From weight-loss programs prescribing the use of a pregnancy hormone (HCG) to electrical muscle stimulating belts to sauna suits, people are falling for hocus-pocus fitness. In the early ’80s, toning tables were a big hit. And why not? You simply lie down and have the machine do the work for you.

One of the most egregious products to make a return from the ’80s is body wraps. Also, an equally egregious marketing tactic is to name a product something that you can not legally claim. These products do not work at all to burn body fat, and can not legally claim to do so, unless they wish to face harsh fines imposed by the FDA and other consumer protection organizations. However, they can name the products “Suddenly Slim” and “It Works” as a way around these regulations, and as a way to prey upon the desperate, unsophisticated consumer.

Body wraps are supposed to aid weight loss through the application of plastic wrap dipped in an herbal substance. This causes sweating, which is supposed to detoxify your body and help you lose weight. Just as you can’t spot-reduce, you can’t burn fat off through passive sweating.

Plastic wraps do not help you burn fat. All you lose is water weight, which comes right back when you rehydrate your body. Sweating too much can lead to dehydration, which is dangerous by raising body temperature, possibly to unsafe levels. Profuse sweating also leads to changes in blood chemistry, reducing blood volume and sending less oxygen to the cells. Weakness, dizziness, confusion, coma and even death can result because of excessive fluid loss. Is your body wrap attendant qualified to deal with any of these reactions?

In addition, you may be allergic to some of the ingredients used in the wrap or the plastic itself that the wrap is made of. If you are diabetic, suffer from high blood pressure, are pregnant or have any medical condition, you are at an even greater risk

Only by creating a caloric deficit do you burn fat. Fifty crunches will burn something like 9 calories. Sweating not produced by activity burns very few calories. There’s 3,500 calories in a pound of fat. You do the math. People want a quick fix, and that hasn’t changed in the last 50 years. The infomercials misguide the uninformed and fail to explain the laws of exercise physiology, thermodynamics and just plain old common sense. Proper nutrition and exercise is the only option to help you lose body fat in the stomach or other areas.

Whenever I hear about an obvious bogus product, I always think of the old saying: If it sounds too good to be true, it is. Do yourself a favor and don’t believe in magic. Hocus-pocus fitness is only for the misguided. The only trick witnessed will be your wallet sawed in half.

Perry Buchanan, owner of PT Gym, is certified as an Exercise Physiologist through the American College of Sports Medicine, and Fitness Nutrition Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Email him at [email protected]. Follow @ptgym on Twitter.