Shake and Soup Diet Plans

Here we go again. Warnings about dangerous diet programmes. Are we listening? Because unless we do, and unless we get off the merry-go-round (and it certainly isn't merry) of dieting to lose weight, then we'll be getting similar warnings in decades to come.

During this past week, the findings of Consumer Group - "Choice", has damned popular pharmacy shake and soup diet plans. They claim that these diet plans can be potential health risks and are plagued with poor advice.

"Choice" says that dieters in their desperation to lose weight are paying hundreds of dollars, and being advised by consultants who have "grossly inadequate" training about weight loss.

Health experts raised concerns about the calorific, carbohydrate and fibre levels of some plans, and warned some people risked wasting muscle instead of fat.

A well known pharmacy with stores in all States even sold their diet programmes to children. Choice said it was a disgrace. The pharmacy spokesperson justified their selling to children by saying their programme gave extensive psychological support to children. Was he being fair dinkum?

It doesn't say much for the integrity of these pharmacies or their staff, that the advice and support consumers are receiving about quick-fix diet programmes is manifestly inadequate.

My observation is this. (And I suspect many thousands of people have the same opinion). Diets don't work. Diets aren't a natural way of fueling the body. Diets make people ill. Diets cause people to have all sorts of side-issues to contend with (i.e. "I diet and I still don't lose weight, I'm a no-hoper!").

And if diets do work, then why aren't we all slim and trim? Tell me that. Because if it were true, then there'd be no diet programmes and there'd be no companies making lots of money out of people who desire to get thin. In fact there'd be no "diet industry". Think about it. Seriously.