Exploitation in the Weight Loss Industry

It's been one of those days.  One of those days when you feel like a salmon swimming upstream.  I have heard the third advertisement for a new weight loss program in our area.  Promises of extremely rapid weight loss without much work and sustainability with no plan.  As a seasoned mental health therapist and health coach dealing with obesity and eating disorders, those promises feel like fingernails on a chalkboard.

"Clinicians" with no obesity treatment or mental health backgrounds throw open their doors for new clients. People expect vast credentials from dentists and medical doctors who take care of their bodies, but somehow require very little from people in the weight loss industry who will have their health and future in their hands.  Why is that?  Are we so desperate for a "cure" that we will do anything?

Reality is hard.  Facts are harder.  Most people are not going to eat pre-packaged "diet" foods for the rest of their lives, most people are not going to take growth hormone shots the rest of their lives and most people are not going to turn their lives upside down to accommodate "the diet" for the rest of their lives.

I understand the lure of quick weight loss.  When we are over feeling cranky, it can feel exhilarating to see the scale go down, or button those pants quickly.  However, imagine your muscles, along with your metabolism...slowly diminishing because you were told not to build muscle because it impacts the scale!  How can that be healthy and sustaining advice?

Shame on those folks who know exactly what they are doing in order to make money from desperate people.  Maybe we can face the reality of what needs to happen regarding weight loss when the lies finally stop and reasonable, sound advice is the only option in the marketplace.  I can dream.  Chris Spears-Bartunek MS, LMHC