You’re sitting on the couch, it’s 2am and you cannot sleep!  On the television a commercial begins….”DO YOU WANT TO SEE SIX PACK ABS IN 30 DAYS?”  “ARE YOU TIRED OF BEING FAT AND OUT OF SHAPE?” “ARE YOU TOO BUSY TO GO TO THE GYM?” “YOU CAN GET THE BODY YOU DREAM OF AND YOU DON’T HAVE TO CHANGE A THING!!”

Infomercials.  From the electric shock belt that you wrap around your waist and wear 30 minutes a day to get rock hard abs, the tummy tuck belt that only requires you to rub some cream on your abs and wear a compression garment for 10 minutes to slim down, the ab rocker where you lie on your back and “rock” your way to a leaner midsection.  And how could we ever forget the infamous Thigh Master, a simple contraption you put between your legs to get thighs of steel!  All of them are very tempting because of the results they promise without us having to seemingly put in very much effort or change our lifestyles.

I am going to review some of the “Worth a shot” and “Should be shot” programs that are on the market today.  Some of these I have personal experience with, other are based on feedback from real consumers who tried them.  Before you take another step toward your credit card to call in and give it to the scary lady on tv begging you to call in or be fat forever, read these reviews, it may just save your life and your wallet!

1. Weight Watchers (Worth a Shot!) – Weight Watchers has totally revamped its program and direction.  If you only know Weight Watchers from 5 years ago, then you need to re-look at this program.  They now offer a Points Plus program that looks at Fats, Proteins and Carbs as the make-up of each point value for food.  Also, all fruits and most vegetables are 0 points helping you stay on target while not eating up your points for the day, literally.  Their new online program offers you the ability to track your progress online and gain access to thousands of recipes and the Weight Watcher Community where you can meet others who are on the same journey, without ever having to set foot in a meeting.  On average people lose between 1-2lbs per week on Weight Watchers.  Definitely Worth a Shot!

2. Tummy Tuck Belt (Should Be Shot!) – The makers of this belt had to be on something when they created this.  So the alleged claim here is that they have this “magic” cream (or Thermal Accelerator as they call it) that you apply to your midsection and then you put on a fabric wrap and do 2 minutes of standing contractions then wear it for another 8 minutes and POOF you’re done….6 pack!  Ok, so not that instantly but they claim within 30 days you will slim down without changing a thing!  Now they have all kinds of “studies” and medical folks that claim to back the results, but it doesn’t take a genius to realize that some cream and a wrap aren’t going to slim you down, especially if you eat junk all day long!  And if you do order it and don’t like it, good luck trying to enforce the 30-day money back guarantee, according to ripoffreport.com it’s quite the hassle and where the real scam begins.

3. Insanity Workout Series (Worth a Shot!) – The Insanity Workout Series is exactly what it says, INSANE!  If you have seen the infomercials on TV then you know how insane it looks.  When the folks MAKING the dvd are falling over during the filming and they are IN SHAPE, you know it’s got to be rough!  Shaun T will have you begging for mercy and wishing you were dead already!  It sounds horrible, but from all of the online reviews I have read and video posts I have watched, the insane workouts get you insane results!  The basics are a 6-day workout program that ranges from 30-60 minutes per workout along with a built-in (but optional) nutrition plan built upon the 5 meals a day concept.  It’s 60 days of torture.  The concept is what they call “Max Interval Training” where you do really intense workouts for longer periods of time and short rest periods.  This is in contrast to the long standing method of short bursts of intense workouts followed by longer rest periods.  If you finish the series and send in your Before and After shots, they send you a t-shirt that says “I earned it!” on the back.  That’s worth it! 🙂  I was so convinced by all the research I did that I have ordered the series to try for myself and will begin next week.  Check out my personal blog to follow my journey with Insanity!

4. HCG Diet (Should Be Shot!) – This is probably to most ridiculous new fad out there.  If you haven’t heard about it, the HCG diet is basically a little bottle of fluid that they claim contains Human Choriogonadotropin.  The concept is that you take these drops every day and only eat 500 calories per day.  The claim is that the “chemical” in the drops forces your body to draw nutrients from the stored fat in your body to compensate for the caloric deficit.  Are these people real?  Of course people are losing weight because they only eat 500 calories per day they are starving their bodies!!  This is not only insane it is unsafe!  Medical experts will tell you that most of us need a MINIMUM of 1200 calories per day to sustain a healthy life, this varies by person however.  There is no medical proof that this chemical is legit and it is NOT FDA approved.  There are TONS of warnings against this new diet and another one that I have deemed SHOULD BE SHOT!

So there you have it.  Product reviews of diet fads you should try and 2 you should definitely AVOID.  There are THOUSANDS more products out there, each with their own promise and guarantee.  The most important thing you can do is to research and review extensively before deciding if a particular product is right for you.  I researched the Insanity series for nearly a week and talked to friends who had already done it before I committed myself to purchasing it.  Read the reviews and find out if the product you are buying has a money back guarantee, if so, how long do you have to try it and how hard is it to return it?

Remember that not every program and product out there will work for everyone.  We are all made up differently and our bodies respond differently to nutrition and exercise.  If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  Real weight loss comes from hard work and dedication to your cause.  Quick fixes are usually temporary and unsustainable and in the end you gain all of the weight back plus more!  Know before you go!  Knowledge is power!

Wishing you all the best in your fitness journey, make this year about you!

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