Tip: Ts and Cs Apply

I sometimes wonder if we've become numb to fine print. We don't bother to read contracts, we allow TV ads with tiny writing at the bottom of the screen to wash over us, and we ignore warnings on all sorts of product labels that have been placed there for our protection.

The nutrition supplement industry has taken full advantage of our apathy

They make bold claims about their latest health and weight loss products and cite 'scientific' studies usually performed on lab rats - just an aside, but results in rats have very little carry-over for humans.

Now that's all fine, but what really confuses me is that they ALWAYS feel the need to place a little * somewhere on the bottle with a message like '*only works when used in conjunction with a calorie-controlled diet and exercise plan'.

If I'm dieting hard and exercising hard and taking this 'magic' pill and I lose some weight how do I know what made it happen?

Now, I'm sorry, but if the product only works under these circumstances then how do I know where my results came from? If I'm dieting hard and exercising hard and taking this 'magic' pill and I lose some weight, how do I know what made it happen?

It's PERFECT!

Why? Because if you diet hard and exercise hard you are GUARANTEED to lose weight. If you do those things and take the 'magic' pill you'll lose weight too, only this time you'll attribute your success to the pill (happy pill vendor!) instead of the diet and exercise, plus the simple act of taking the pill might make you diet and exercise that much more rigorously.

And if you don't lose weight? Then XYZ Supplement Co. will simply tell you to refer to the * sign on the bottle - it's your exercise/diet's fault...

So here's my solution:

Diet and exercise are ENOUGH to help you lose weight. There's no * sign on a diet of vegetables, fruit, unrefined starches, some nuts and seeds, a little meat, and no junk food. And when did you see a * sign on a brisk half-hour daily walk?

If it needs a *, then STAY AWAY from it!

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