Like it or not, summer is coming.  We’ll be ditching the jackets and showing off more skin.  If you’ve been diligently exercising and eating right over the colder months, you probably have nothing to worry about.   Some of us might turning to a “quick fix,” and is there one?

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

As a full time trainer, I’m keenly aware of the variety of products marketed for weight loss.  My background in science also makes it simple for me to understand product claims and understand their worth, if any.  These days, lots of people in and outside of the gym ask me, “hey what do you think of this weight loss product?” and most of the time, it’s something that I know won’t work for them.
Here are some of the worst questions I’ve encountered:
What do you think of those booty toning slippers? You can see the results of an independent study here or take a look at the funny review Will  covers on that subject here.  If you want a nice booty, learn how to squat, deadlift, lunge, and otherwise build your glutes.
What do you think of (insert whatever brand) fat burner? If you’ve amassed a nice layer of coating over your abs over the winter season and think that popping a pill is going to miraculously correct months of inactivity and poor diet, think again. Certain supplements DO work, those that are properly dosed, from reputable companies, and used in conjunction with exercise programs and a sensible diet.  You can see a list of such products here.
No matter HOW you slice and dice this one, no pill will be of any use to you unless you’ve first addressed the two biggies: diet and exercise.
What do you think of the latest cleansing/detox product? Ack! Explosive bowel movements don’t sound like any fun to me. I can think of a million other better things to do with my day than being chained to the potty holding on to toilet paper for dear life.  A good session in the squat rack and eating clean is all the detox I need.
What do you think of the latest (insert fad weight loss) diet? The cookie diet, the twinkie diet, the Special K challenge, etc etc.  I’ve covered my issues with fad diets here. ANY diet will work in the short term, but success happens when you LEARN what works and figure out how to make it part of your lifestyle.  My gripe with some of the above diets is that they actually ADD more sugar into your diet (how is THAT a healthy strategy?) and they’re making money off of YOU doing so.

Sumi Singh is a Personal Trainer in Austin, TX and an online diet coach. Her website is www.shailafitness.com

12 Comments
  1. Dani 13 years ago

    I’ve read the post and I must say you are totally right…there is no quick fix for anything.
    But (everything has a but) what about the Velocity Diet?I started it 4-5 days ago and I wanted to know your opinion about it.I’m not doing the diet with their products I’m using whey 80 (4 shakes/day),omega 3(3caps/day),cla (3caps/day),r-ala (3caps/day),calcium (12 caps/day),with the peanut butter allowance.I do weight training 5 times/week,walk 3-4 times/week for 30 min,boxing 3h/week,kickboxing 1h/week,30 min of running on treadmill 1 time/week.I am not feeling tired or dizzy yet but rather energic and I’m not feeling as hungry as I felt before with 1200 cal of healthy solid food.
    Thanks for your time.

    • Dani 13 years ago

      P.S. I changed my training (used to do thaibo and more cardio) for this diet so I can manage it.

      • Sumi 13 years ago

        I’ve never tried the Velocity diet, but know people who have, and have experienced success with it. As with most any diet, you’ll lose weight from the reduced calories. Will and I both cover long term diet success on the Brinkzone. You need to find a way to make clean eating part of your lifestyle, as opposed to treating it like a short term strategy.

        • Dani Zombie 13 years ago

          I should’ve added that I’m currently 54,5 kgs at 168 cm and I eat clean using just one cheat day and also train a lot.I am doing this diet to give my body a signal break the plateau and burn the fat efficiently in a short time.Going back to my everyday diet will be done gradually eating the same amount of calories but in solid food (if I pass the 28 days – I’m barely in my 5th day but going strong).My goal is lower the BF% and I am aware I’m going to lose some muscle along with water and fat but not that much considering the fact that muscle feed off of my protein intake and I keep them very hydrated.

  2. jennifer 13 years ago

    What do you think about people doing this HCG diet with hormone injections and limited diet.

  3. Stacy 13 years ago

    fad diets don’t work, for a year now i have kept my diet clean and lift three times a week and thirty minutes of cardio a day, and have shed forty pounds and am down to thirteen percent body fat.

    • Sumi 13 years ago

      Way to go Stacy!

  4. Tomas 13 years ago

    Hi
    I woul like to know you opinion on .. well in our country its called the “sacharid waves”.
    Basically its a wave, meaning you eat less then 50g of sacharids on Monday (keeping in mind you have to eat atleast 1,6g of protein on 1kg of body weight), 100g of sacharids on Tuesday, 200 wednesday etc. and again 50g on Monday. Does Will have any artcile or video about this? Thank in advance and sorry for my english.

    • Rizwan Q. 13 years ago

      intense circuit training is the way forward…..if your looking for a quick fix…check out julien greaux workout on bodybuilding.com

      • Tomas 13 years ago

        Looks great actually but impossible in our gym. lack of space. But I definitely will add something from this.

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