THE BIGGEST (OR FATTEST) FAT LOSS SCAMS…

Hello again,Today’s topic is one that is close to my heart – supplement scams! There are no shortage of them, so this might actually become another book…but let’s get started…Acai berry; another disaster that we can thank Oprah for, as she has elevated this humble berry to be the cure for ….well everything! So the question is, what’s the deal really? First off, a technicality, it’s not a berry but a fruit, which comes from the Acai Palm. The tree grows from Belize to Brazil, mainly in swamps and flood lands, the Indios use it as a high calorie snack (hint, hint) on hunting expeditions. High calorie snack?! But it’s a super fat burner and my friend lost 85 lbs on it!

Well, here are the numbers: 100 grams of dried acai powder delivers 533.9 calories (the same as a chocolate bar), 52 grams of carbs, 8 grams of protein, and 32 grams of fat (mostly monounsaturated). So it’s certainly NOT a low calorie item and there are no proven fat-burning properties of the fruit. It simply doesn’t make sense that eating a high calorie fruit such as this, would allow for a massive loss in body fat. Most of the acai diets are really cleansers, so the weight loss is mostly water.  The FDA has filed multiple law suits already against acai selling websites, but the scam still continues.

Goji Berries; another fat burning ‘superfood’ that burned out quickly. To be fair, there is nothing wrong with goji berries but they do not justify the price asked for them, and the humble blueberry will deliver the same or more benefits.   The question is, how did they come into vogue in the first place? Every year, around spring, another ‘superfood’ pops up which is supposed to cure EVERYTHING. For the most part, these foods stem from the Himalayas or the Amazon areas of the world, places that Westerners usually associate with peace and tranquillity.  This may be correct, but the Olympic medal count for Nepal or Bhutan is below zero, so if you are after an improved physique/performance, look elsewhere!

Green Coffee Extract; Dr. Oz got behind this one, claiming he had a “study” at hand. As so often the case, Dr. Oz only had a survey or some anecdotes to back up his theory and as the evidence for the active ingredient in green coffee (CGA) is very weak, I am assuming he is now getting kickbacks. To be fair, green coffee extract does contain caffeine which is a rather potent fat burner, but caffeine can be bought much cheaper in other forms.

So, there you have it, three of the biggest scams in the fat loss world (and I have not even touched on HcG, sensa sprinkles or garciana). Do not fall for these cons!

Till next time…

Maik

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