No point in beating around the bush. It is time to be blunt and straightforward. Before you fall for another bogus ‘weight loss miracle’, just read the following and then make up your mind.
Its bewildering how perfectly sensible people are fooled by TV commercials advertising ‘miraculous’ weight loss therapies. Take for example the newest slimming fad to hit the idiot box – the so called sauna belts. Priced at about Rs.1300 – Rs.1500 apiece, these gizmos assure you of losing your inches in double quick time. Plug yourselves to the electric socket for about an hour daily for thirty days and bingo – you are ready to give Malaika Arora Khan a run for her money! How convenient. No exercises, no calorie counting, no nonsense. So you order one on the toll free number and dig into a bowl of butter chicken and deep fried finger chips. Three months later – you end up thoroughly dejected, heavier by a couple of kilos and wider by couple of inches. The belt ends up under the bed among cobwebs, if it has already not burned out. You do get a scarred psyche as a reward, and are fortunate enough to get away without a scarred abdomen as well.
Now let’s have the facts. These sauna belts were first marketed as Velform Sauna Belt in Europe & USA. Following a large number of complaints from users of this product, the Advertising Standards Authority(ASA) in the UK took action for misleading advertising in May 2005.
To quote ASA, “There was no evidence to show the measurement loss was permanent and there was no data for weight loss. In addition there was no evidence to support the claim that using the belt would sweat out toxins and fat.” The Authority required the broadcaster to remove the weight loss and measurement loss claims as there was no evidence to show the belt caused weight loss. Following the judgement, sales dropped in the West. And then, as always, India suddenly became a promising market for this crap. Half a dozen varieties of sauna belt rapidly appeared from nowhere, each commercial featuring in a different tele-shopping channel. The same garrulous hunks. The same busty beauties. The same tall claims. *Wohi kahani, wohi waade, wohi tamashaa. And we fell head over heels for it. The economics was simple. Even if just 200 people from 100 odd cities/towns across India order this belt, the collection is phenomenal. A whopping Rs. 3 crores. And a belt doesn’t take even Rs. 100 to make. Some denim, a wad of Velcro, a heating element, some foam, an electric cord and a switch/timer. These items are imported in bulk from China at throwaway prices. Add a couple of lakhs for advertisement. Still a cool profit. Can you think of a better business! And at whose expense? Yours.
Pros and cons of Sauna Belt
Pros: Can be used as a comfortable heating pad for your little doggie/kitten
Cons: Useless piece of junk. Absolutely no weight loss. Only temporary loss of a couple of inches – that too because of partial liquefaction of the abdominal fat that resolidifies upon withdrawing the heat stimulus. Will burn your abdominal skin if worn too tight. But THE MOST REPREHENSIBLE ASPECT – It swindles you by giving false hopes.
Thanks for reading my stuff. Comments invited. More on weight loss myths soon.