By Co-owner of FTT Dennis Angelina

This could be one of the biggest issues I have with the industry: The information moves quickly, and everyone markets something different every month. It’s all about the new best thing. This is partly because people like to try and be ahead of the curve and do things that other people are not doing. And partly because there are no guidelines or governing body on many of these products for quality and/or effectiveness, so companies are able to create and brand as quick as they can.

What tends to sell the best in our industry is the sexiness of the product.

I guess that can be said about a lot of products in any industry. Your dollars go further if you focus on good marketing instead of putting the money into a better product. If the product is not visible, it does not matter how good the product is, it will not sell. Take McDonalds for a great example. We know it is horrible for us to eat, but the marketing for that company over its lifetime has been amazing. Bad product, great marketing, equals a profitable product.

Now back to the diet. What has now joined the 7 deadly sins? Diet fads. I can’t possibly go into every diet out there, but with a few signposts, I think you can spot the culprits.

Signs you may have encountered a diet fad:

• The diet claims it can do everything, no matter which end of the spectrum you lay on. It will make you lose weight, or get stamina, and you can put muscle on.

• 30 day challenges: the challenge claims to lose a certain amount of weight in the amount of time.

• They sell products instead of or in additional to their “diet.” Many of these companies have to make money, so they will sell you the on their version of a healthy eating plan, however it inevitably includes you having to buy their shakes, drinks, carb blockers, vitamins, etc.

• Carb blockers or fat loss pills. If any diet sells this, run the other direction and never ever look back. This is a complete lack of basic understanding of how the human body works.

• Claims of fast and easy weight loss.

• Elimination of certain food groups or bad foods.

• Includes dietary supplements impressively labeled as fat burners, weight loss aids, and metabolism boosters.

• Tells you that foods need to be specifically combined for proper digestion to occur.

• No need for exercise.

• Highlights specific foods, such as grapefruit, maple syrup and lemonade, or special soup.

• Detox phase with liquids or only eating fruits for 3-7 days.

In closing, keep in mind that a healthy lifestyle is what you should be looking for; not a 30-day challenge or a plan that has an expiration date. If you are looking for a healthy plan, check out our Reboot Healthy Habits program. You will learn how to:

• Cook healthy
• Prepare your meals
• Manage your time
• Eat healthy and responsibly
• Integrate workouts into the healthy eating routine
• Food shop and create lists
• Eat out and still eat healthy…with a list of “Reboot Approved” menu items at some local restaurants