by Keiron Audain

Created on: September 22, 2009   Last Updated: September 25, 2009

If I could double my money every time someone told me they desperately need to lose weight, I would be a millionaire in a week, which is probably the reason why the diet industry is the multi-billion pound business that it is.

It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to learn about your body and how it works, so that when you are entering the market for a good health product, be it weight loss or otherwise, you can easily separate the sheep from the goats, instead of parting with your hard earned money on a rip-off product.

The tip I would like to share, which you would probably hear from any decent health advisor, is to PLEASE avoid like the plague, products that advertise quick results in a short space of time. We've all seen the blaring adverts "LOSE 10 POUNDS IN A WEEK- GUARANTEED RESULTS" - which usually recommends a starvation diet that leaves you exhausted and hungry.

The thing that sells most of these types of diets is the "guaranteed results" bit. Glycogen stored in your muscles and liver, is a compound made up of glucose (sugar-like) molecules that the body converts and stores from the carbohydrate foods we eat- basically the extra molecules the body doesn't immediately use for energy. Whenever we don't eat enough food to provide our body with the energy to function, our glycogen get used up. This is where the "guarantee" comes in - for every unit of glycogen that is broken down, nine units of water is used up. So the testimonies from all the satisfied customers who lose the advertised weight in a week have actually lost more water than anything else.

Also, because you're not eating enough, your body can go into 'starvation mode' which means your metabolism rate (the rate that your body breaks down foods) slows down in an attempt to make up for the lack of nutrients your body is receiving. The minute you start eating normally again, your weight will shoot back up in no time, and you might actually gain even more weight, as your body is breaking down foods much slower than when you started the diet in the first place.

Not to mention these diets do nothing for your energy levels, and what's the point of having the body you've always wanted if you're too weak and lethargic to even enjoy it?

Learn more about this author, Keiron Audain.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.