That view and the cultural shift that changed with it was very much apparent last year when scenes of a toddler chain smoking in Indonesia were broadcast around the world. For most people it was a horrifying sight and ranked somewhere between neglect – to outright child abuse.

In either case it elicited offense to our moral senses and raised poignant questions about the responsibility of parents to their children. Thankfully these views seem to suggest we have come a long way since the Marlbaro Man and what this symbol represents. Clearly there has been an evolution with respect to smoking since the 50’s stemming from a change in the zeitgeist. That is the spirit of the time, its philosophy, attitude and ideas.

No longer is the Marlbaro Man cool.

Today we know the dangers smoking poses to our health so although some people continue – they knowingly do so at their own peril. As an adult, that is a matter of choice. Allowing children that choice on the other hand as in the previous example, is not only irresponsible, it’s an outrage to many.

However if we replace the cigarettes in this scenario with a triple cheeseburger, or any other similar ‘food’ that can only be described as a nutritional train wreck, we find no such moral compunction. Society, at least for the most part, accepts and even endorses the practice. We happily feed it to our children.

Which is astonishing as ‘food’ is as great a killer as cigarettes today. In fact both diet and smoking are the two biggest causes of preventable deaths in developed countries globally. Yet it is cigarettes who are the villain and its producers who have blood on their hands. While food conversely, goes virtually unnoticed as a serial killer and suffers no such restrictions like that of cigarettes. Atrocious foods are the Marlbaro Man of our age – a symbol of ill health, a slow acting poison freely marketed and an undeniable wolf in sheep’s clothing. These are not so Happy Meals….  

The result of course to society and individuals themselves are epidemic levels of illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity. These diseases have unremarkably grown in parallel with the rise in fast food over the past 30 years and the presence today of poor foods (and advertising for it), is ubiquitous. The unfortunate consequence of this is that millions of people are now hooked on a new addiction that is just as sinister as cigarettes and that has no accompanying sense of danger about it. Smoking or eating poor food over time have the same destination, yet it is only our attitude toward smoking that is appropriate given the jeopardy to health. We are not there yet with food.

A naïve sense still exists in the community that governments and regulating bodies wouldn’t allow us to consume foods which may be harmful to our health. The history of cigarettes however illustrates how gullible this view is, given that in 1964 the US Surgeon General’s Report stated ‘smoking causes cancer’, yet it wasn’t until over 30 years later that a significant court case was won against the tobacco companies. It has been downhill ever since for the tobacco industry yet the fact remains that it took decades to convict them even after we knew without doubt the threat this habit posed to our health. History may yet repeat itself.   

Today there are many anti smoking campaigns with graphic ads showing diseased lungs, cancers and so on that are the confronting truth about this practice. Ironically however you may see these ads followed by a fast food commercial, insipidly targeted at children. We are in a dark age of nutrition and it may be another 30 years before we look back on such fast food ads with the equal disdain of a child smoking. One can only hope.

Therefore asking people to lose weight these days (or more succinctly, to change their body composition), is like asking someone to quit smoking in the 60’s when advertising, temptation and ready acceptance of the practice are everywhere. It’s a difficult road.

However it can be done and we have the advantage over previous eras of now knowing what the danger is before it’s too late. And this is an important first step in modifying the eating habits of people who wish to change body composition. In essence not many people want to actively damage their health or the health of their children. Knowing the dangers of poor food choices therefore and understanding the consequences is critical. Poor food producers won’t be forthcoming about it (much like cigarette manufacturers weren’t), but the science is clear – their products can lead to ill health and an early death.

Eating healthy on the other hand, won’t kill you and although it is often the biggest challenge, it also offers the biggest rewards in terms of looking better, feeling better and achieving body composition change. More importantly long term ‘good health’, (which is the overarching goal for most people), often boils down to this one defining factor – i.e. nutrition. ‘Health’ in this regard is an invaluable asset to each of us and to those around us, which is often only appreciated when you don’t have it. So the next time some clown offers you or your children a not so happy meal, please consider your health, your goals, and the Marlbaro Man.

They opted instead for the T6, the new, stylish water dispenser which delivers filtered hot and cold water at the touch of a button. Sales and marketing manager Danelle Roberts explains: “eOffice is unique brand of contemporary serviced office space. We have very strong concept and identity.

“Many of our clients are from creative industries and are very discerning when it comes to style, so we keep a close eye on every single detail to make sure it fits with our concept, right down to the kind of water dispenser we have.

“The T6 was simply the most funky water dispenser we could find. It fitted really well with our brand. It comes in different colours so we could match it to our décor, and because it connects to the mains, you don’t have to worry about it running out!

“We trialed it and liked it so much we bought two – both in red. Our clients love them and whenever we are showing around, they provide a real conversation point: people want to know what they are and how they work. They’re great.”

As well as a permanent home to nearly 100 people, eOffice in London provides a virtual office, meeting and hotdesking space to another 250 clients. It also has centres in Manchester and Birmingham.

eOffice client Crispin Slee, who runs communication consultancy Stick of Rock, said: “I’m very fussy about coffee. If the water is too hot, it burns the grounds and the coffee tastes bitter. With the T6, I can set the water to a precise temperature for perfect coffee. It looks good too and the chilled water tastes like its fresh from an Alpine spring.”

For more information about the T6, visit: www.t6water.co.uk

For information about eOffice, please visit: www.eoffice.net

For information about Stick of Rock, please visit: www.stickofrock.com

I call it the ‘The Milgram Effect’ on weight loss. To elaborate Stanley Milgram was a psychologist from Yale University who conducted experiments which began in July of 1961. The experiments were designed to test the willingness of study participants to obey a figure of authority who instructed them to perform acts that conflicted with their personal conscience. The people recruited actually believed they were part of an experiment which dealt with the relationship between punishment and learning.

These participants were instructed by an ‘experimenter’ (who was really a stern faced actor in a white coat) to give a third person an electric shock who answered a question incorrectly. Subsequent errors led to an increase in the intensity of the shocks in 15-volt increments, from 15 to 450 volts, at the urging of the authority figure.

The shocks were not real as the third person receiving them was also a performer and did a great job of acting his way through ongoing zaps. The results of the study were quite frightening as 26 out of 40 participants (65 %) administered up to 450 volts which could have been (at least to the subjects knowledge) potentially fatal to the person receiving them.

Although these kinds of experiments have now been formally banned they continue to take place in the laboratory of capitalism daily. Diets are failing, people are dying, getting fatter and increasingly unhealthy, while the free market economy as a result, scrambles to address this need with a multitude of products and services being produced. Unfortunately many of those which are born out of this need are complete rubbish and would be hilarious if they were not for real. Here are just a few of the thousands out there that tickled me recently;

➢ The Hawaii Chair – a motorized chair that rotates in a hula motion and has multiple speeds to tone muscle so as to – “take the work out of your workout”.

➢ The Hallelujah Diet – which (you guessed it) requires you to eat blessed food which is unsurprisingly only available from the creators of the diet.

➢ The Abdoer Twist – which “scorches away calories in just minutes a day”.

➢ 3 Minute Legs – a contraption that is for people who can’t do squats or lunges, as this thing does it for you! “Drop two dress sizes in two weeks”. Amazing.

➢ The Ab Circle Pro – this machine also suggests that in 3 minutes a day you can “go from flab to AB in just weeks!” Watch as the video displays an obese man miraculously morphing into a bodybuilder, while the narrative says, “guarantee it”.

➢ The simple knife and fork, attached to a set of 2-pound dumbbells……

➢ The latest shoe that uses “Kinetic Wedge and rocker sole design” – and infers that it is the shoe, and not the exercise, that will get you into shape.

➢ No effort at all – a vibrating pad that you can simply stand on and it joggles the fat right off you!

Many of these snake oil sales pitches have doctors, fitness professionals, athletes, astonishing “patented technology”, revolutionary design or some other specialist endorsing them, reminding me of the actor playing the authority figure in the Milgram experiments. And although these examples are somewhat comical the implication of Milgram’s research in obedience to authority, is demonstrated by illustration here – in the fact that this stuff actually sells!

However there are just as many that are more insipid and are a threat to, rather than an (alleged) aid to our health. This state of affairs demonstrates, not only the gullibility of some people, but where we are in terms of our general literacy about health. More importantly it underlines the fact that many people need someone outside of themselves to tell them what to eat and how to exercise, even if their own sensibilities tell them the advice is suspect.

This advice is more often than not, provided to them by a “weight loss expert” – which is actually a contradiction as anyone skilled in this field will know that body composition change is what people are actually seeking, not weight loss. The weight loss expert therefore is at best a misnomer, and at worst, fraudulent. I have never met – (with the exception of competitive athletes who must make a specific weight class), a person who wants to lose weight.

The underlying goal for people is invariably to change their body composition, which is the ratio of fat to lean mass in the body. In most cases they want to lose fat, and to a lesser extent gain muscle (or both). So it is monumentally perplexing to witness on a daily basis many and varied “weight loss” experts, peddle their wares in pretty much any forum you can imagine. The credibility of these “authorities” should immediately be in question as, ironically, if they had any expertise at all, they would not mislabel themselves.

Given these examples do we really need a figure of authority to tell us what to eat or how to exercise? Well clearly the marketing engines behind the many foods, products and services that generate revenue from them will have you believe so. However they are trading on and perpetuating what is now a palpable fear about our health. This unease is somewhat quelled when we have an authority on the subject tell us it is ok and all is well – as long as you do this…. Eat a magical pill, berry or use a revolutionary new technology that apparently provides us with the means to exercise our bodies in “only 3 minutes a day” – despite the fact that to use it (and believe it), you must desist in exercising your brain entirely.

It should be remembered that much like the Milgram example, the context of the authority and what it tells us is not always as it seems. In many cases advertisers simply use the authority as a means of disempowering people from the decision making process. It’s a selling strategy utilizing obedience to authority that works. Weight loss advertisers are a case in point as they put forward, what appear to be, ludicrous attempts to cash in on the current malaise about our health. These absurdities nevertheless are bought in scores.

So how does an unsuspecting consumer avoid being one of the majority of suckers who buy into the ruse of the ‘authority’ on the subject? Well clearly it pays to do your own investigation, and in doing so it is important to possess the basics of being able to interrogate information. Asking questions such as – is the information biased, objective, who is the source, its authority, the agenda, is it timely, and is there a commercial gain behind it – are a good start.

“Weight loss” – or more succinctly body composition change, is not a new subject. There is a large body of peer reviewed research which is easily accessible to draw some fairly solid conclusions as to what the consensus is about certain subject matter – be it diet, exercise or anything else in this field. Unsurprisingly there have been few if any truly remarkable changes to the basics of getting into shape and being healthy. The fundamentals are still sound. Therefore if an ‘expert’ makes claims that sound a little ridiculous, there’s a strong chance that they are. It is important that the authority does not dispossess people’s ability to exercise a modicum of common sense.

Despite what advertisers and their ‘experts’ will tell you, this subject is not the exclusive domain of a chosen few and we need to challenge the notion that it is. The alternative is that we become part of the experiment and simply get told what to do even if it compromises our health, or the health of others, while also lightening our wallets. Do your own research, draw your own conclusions based on the evidence, critically analyze the information that is presented – and you won’t get a shock.

Let us first define ‘failure’ – which by most measures is that a person returns to their original weight at anywhere from the time of the intervention (the change effort) to five years later. The most important detail in this information is, interestingly, not that they failed, but rather ‘when’ they failed. Relapse generally occurs well after the intervention, and not surprisingly when the person is no longer in a program and left to their own devices.

Anecdotally we can infer from this that there may be a relationship between long term success and being accountable. It seems not so coincidental that as accountability, measure and scrutiny fades, that people respectively gain weight. We know this intuitively and there are many examples (not just in the context of body composition change) that this principle applies.

Indeed several weight loss studies now confirm that there is a positive correlation between the success of participants and their accountability. That is the more accountable they are, the more likely they are to succeed. If there is no accountability then there is nothing compelling, requiring the participant to continue with their efforts to change. This explains relapse following a change effort and why such good success rates are reported while people are actually in a program.

This evidence naturally proposes the question; how does a person stay accountable? Well, it is probably oversimplifying things to say – stay in a program. Yet it is undeniable that people have the most success during this time, as whether it is formally or informally the framework has been established which includes (but is not limited to), a goal; being accountable; a workable timeline and some form of measure. This is replicable and even after the program finishes should still be the basic mechanism for people to assess their change efforts – even if it’s only for maintenance purposes.

Fit specimens are generally people in some form of program, which they are accountable to until they reach a goal or date, finish, and then begin another. Similarly competitive athletes use the same model and it is no accident that in shape people and successful change participants, do the same. The act of measuring, being responsible to someone or something outside of ourselves and under scrutiny is important, even for graduates of a program – particularly for graduates – that should not be overlooked.

Accountability measures can take the form of a journal, a mentor, a coach, a trainer, a training partner, spouse, community, friend or friends, tracking tools, a group, doctor, health professional, repeated fitness testing, repeated body composition testing and so on.

Ideally you should be able to stand in front of, or report to someone at regular intervals who can appraise your progress and offer recommendations, whether that be in terms of lifestyle, diet, training, motivation or other relevant factors. That ‘someone’ in the mirror unfortunately doesn’t qualify in this regard. In most cases when a person is forced to  ‘Stand and Deliver’ – they do. Therefore it makes obvious sense to engineer this accountability into your change effort for optimal results.

Conceptually it can be thought of as an in built thermostat by which we regulate ourselves. This Thermostat Concept has its roots in psychology’s Drive Reduction Theory, which says organisms have physiological needs that must be satisfied, or a tension is created, until those needs are met. Similarly the effect has also been noted in people whereby we each have a level of comfort in our lives which, when not met, creates a drive to do more, to turn up the heat until again we reach a level of ease.

This metaphor is particularly useful when we think of it in the context of getting into shape, losing fat and changing body composition. Usually before engaging in an exercise or nutritional program individuals are dissatisfied with their health, weight, look or some other factor which creates a force, an energy, an impetus for change. The success of the change effort is usually closely correlated to how powerful this drive is, the desire – and how long it will last.

Unfortunately for most people the drive behind their change effort has limited thrust and tends to wilt over time. Which is why we often see the Thermostat Concept, manifest itself as Yo-Yo weight loss and weight gain. At some point the drive is no longer sufficient enough to sustain the efforts of a change program, people get comfortable and the heat of their efforts, begin to wane.

Tapping into this drive is critical to individuals in not only reaching a goal, but also in maintaining it. The difficulty it seems is not only running hot, but staying that way. The perfect nutritional and exercise program alone will not get you to your goal unless there is a strong desire and a compelling need to do so.

Indeed if there is nothing gripping, no stimulus to create momentum, then the chances of gaining and maintaining traction in the change program may be slim – (no pun intended). Individuals who seem to have the most success are those who can not only reach their peak – but stay on the hobbyhorse over time by tapping into their own unique motivations for doing so.

Rousing stimulus such as the desire to get into an old size eight pair of jeans for example, may be enough to get a person to change, however is unlikely to be compelling enough to keep them there. Satisfaction in this regard can be fleeting. People get there, relax and in a short time, are back where they started and yearning for more for themselves.

Life changing measures require an equally motivating vigor which cannot be satiated by one brief moment of pleasure – such as losing some weight, or reaching an ideal weight, then sagging back into a relapse. Ongoing satisfaction rather, is found in the passion of staying firm, and fulfilling the desire of reaching health goals – permanently.

This may be easier said than done as change programs focus principally on diet, exercise – or both. Rarely do they address the driving forces which compel people to get into and most importantly, stay in a change effort. This is the reason 80% of people who take out a gym membership cease training within three months of signing up – and is in part why over 90% of diets fail.

The drivers behind motivation to change are unique from person to person and hence a one size fits all approach to stimulus of this power is usually inadequate for a lasting effort. What is certain however is individuals who are successful over the long term are able to connect with things which are personally compelling to them. A heart attack victim for instance, who must change to live, has some fairly convincing consequences driving him to maintain his efforts over time.

Regardless of the circumstances there are invariably things that people can connect to which will give them lasting power. It is this critical criterion, which is often overlooked, that must be addressed if participants are to succeed long term. This introspective process allows the person to answer their own question as to how they turn up the heat – and stay hot.

One of the coolest water dispensers available in the market today is, without any doubt, the T6.

Using it is simple as 1-2-3. Simple-to-use buttons and a bright and clear display allow you to programme the T6 with ease and makes a pleasant user experience. The ‘Hot Water’ button keeps the T6 heated for instant hot water, with an “Extra Hot” button also provided for when you need boiling water in seconds. For those who want to quench their thirst, the “Cold Water” button dispenses triple filtered super chilled water. Better yet, you can fix the settings to your own requirements – exact temperate and amount of water delivered – making the T6 your one-stop solution for all of your drinking water needs. Energy saving features and wake-up functions allow you to get the most from your T6 when you want it.

Designed for you to please your day

‘The T6 was designed with the user in mind. Aiming to provide an efficient and simple unit that meets your water needs simply and quickly. With that goal, a number of personal settings have been built into the T6.

Set the water temperature to meet your own preferences. Have your cold water from a chilling 5c to a cold 16c. If you prefer ambient water just use the mix button and set your preference at your desired temperature between 10c-50c. The hot button provides instant hot water for coffee. The extra hot button provides water at a perfect temperature for tea. You can set the volume of water to be dispensed ensuring the correct amount for each drink from a button. You only use what you need and when you need it – meaning no waste.

Set the wake up mode ready for your early start, boiling water for that first coffee or tea of the day. The T6 also has an energy saving mode and when it is not in use, it saves energy and money. By flipping up the tray you can fill anything from jugs to bottles meaning that all your water needs are covered.

Water, but Better

There are no complications or worries when you enjoy your own T6. It connects simply and easily to your mains water supply, passing the water through an intensive purification process that removes all of the bad stuff. Three different filters strip away impurities in the water before an Ultra-Violet (UV) lamp rounds of the process by killing 99.9% of bacteria. That means that your water arrives free from any nasty surprises.

Next, for more information and ordering your own T6 in your favourite colour, please visit www.t6water.co.uk

# 1. About 50 per cent of the UK’s CO2 is generated by offices – so serious attention needs to go into ways of reducing energy in offices. From:

http://www.advanced-workplace.com/events/workplace-sustainability.php

# 2. Water is a precious resource and we should use it wisely at all times because it’s not as abundant as you might think. From:

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/beinggreen/117266.aspx

# 3. The UK is not an exceptionally wet country. We actually have less water available per person than France, Italy or Greece. London, for example, has around the same average rainfall as Barcelona and less than Rome, Paris and Naples. From:

http://actonco2.direct.gov.uk/home/campaigns/save-water/why-save-water.html

# 4. A running tap wastes over 6 litres of water a minute. From:

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Water/Water-Saving-Tips

# 5. The average person in England and Wales uses 150 litres of water a day – or 264 pints. By 2020, with increasing population and housing growth the demand for water could increase by 5% – that’s 800 million extra litres of water a day. From:

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/beinggreen/117266.aspx

# 6. Most kettles are only 90 per cent efficient. From (p9):

efficient-products.defra.gov.uk/spm/download/document/id/581 (This link needs to be cut and pasted into a browser)

# 7. People habitually boil too much water when the boil the kettle – money is going up not in smoke but steam! From:

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Water/Water-Saving-Tips

# 8. If everyone in the UK boiled the right amount of water each time they used the kettle, the UK could save enough electricity in a year to power its street lights for 2 months. From:

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Water/Water-Saving-Tips

# 9. Boling water is too hot for coffee and spoils it, over-extracting the beans, scalding the delicate coffee oils and making the coffee taste burnt and bitter.

http://www.coffee-makers-cafe.com/coffee-beverage.html

# 10. The average cost of a litre of tap water in the UK is just under 1p compared to 73p for the average cost of a litre of bottled water in the UK. From:

http://www.t6water.co.uk/office-water-dispensers-stylish-in-detail#benefits

The T6 sits on a counter top and delivers filtered boiling hot, hot, ambient and chilled drinking water at the touch of the button. An on-board computer regulates all four temperatures and as it is mains fed, there is an instant supply, with no waiting for the kettle to boil or water to cool.

The T6 is so called because its manufacturers believe it will become the sixth indispensable kitchen appliance. It filters water to remove odours and particles of sand, silt, rust and chlorine down to 0.6 micron. A UV lamp destroys any micro-organisms and its ‘Zero Air Gap Technology’ prevents bacteria.

Nick Heane, managing director of Tana Water which is launching the product in the UK, said: “The T6 is neat bit of kit for small businesses and home offices. It not only saves space but we believe it will save businesses time and money as well.

“There is no standing by the kettle waiting for it to boil and no need to spend money on bottled water – tap water costs 1p a litre compared to an average price of 73p a litre for bottled water in the UK.

“People are sometimes put off drinking tap water because it can taste funny – the T6’s triple filtration system deals with that and the result is great tasting water without the environmental impact of bottled water.”

The T6 has an LCD screen, sleep and standby modes and comes in 12 different colours to fit any office decor. It is approved under the Water Regulation Advisory Scheme.

For more information about the T6, visit: www.t6water.co.uk

Dimensions
Height: 35cm
Depth: 35cm
Width: 29cm

Electricity
Voltage: 230V
Heating Consumption: 1800 Watts
Cooling Consumption: 100 Watts

Cooling System
Cold Water Tank Volume: 1.6 litres
Cold Water Output: 40 Cups Per Hour
Cold Water Temperature: 5-16 degrees C

Heating System
Hot Water Tank Volume: 1.4 Litres
Hot Water Output: 80 Cups Per Hour
Hot Water Temperature: 92-100 degrees C

About Tana Water:
Tana Water has been a major force in the provision of drinking water systems for over 30 years, and is one of the worlds most advanced developers, and manufacturers of point of use systems. Tana Water UK Ltd is based in Normandy, near Guildford, and is the UK branch of Strauss Water, a world leader in drinking water solutions for businesses and homes.
www.tanawater.co.uk

THE T6 – A DREAM STEAM COMPARED TO THE KETTLE

Body composition in simple terms can be defined as the amount of fat and fat free mass in the body. Higher proportions of body fat caused by poor diet and lack of exercise is clearly unhealthy and linked to many of the leading causes of death in developed countries globally such as heart disease, diabetes and many forms of cancer.

Body composition is a term often used in the medical community or in more informed circles of sportspeople, dieters and health enthusiasts. However it needs to be part of the weight loss community vernacular if the current and inadequate view of weight loss is to evolve. Indeed the fact that over 90% of weight loss efforts fail is testament to why this need for improvement is compelling. Particularly when death, disease and ill health are often the end result. Unfortunately body composition is rarely measured in most weight management programs where the determinant of success is scale weight alone.

Unfortunately we seem to have become programmed to believe that this value is the ultimate proof of success or failure. It’s not. Weight is a gauge that tells only part of the story and is redundant as the measure by which we judge the efforts of those aiming to lose fat, rather than weight. It’s like using a sextant on a cloudy day in an era where we have GPS. ‘Weight loss’ is simply an outdated erroneous goal and should be replaced with the aim of ‘body composition change’ – be it to lose fat, gain muscle – or some combination in between.

Imagine how soul destroying it can be for a person who begins a diet, goes to the gym for three months and works very hard to change their body, only to have the scales tell them at the end of this time that their efforts have amounted to nothing. Their weight is the same, when in fact the body composition of such an individual may be significantly different from when they began. Such negative feedback from weight alone can torpedo the will of the most ardent followers and has no doubt stopped many from persisting in a change program.

So if you are attempting to lose weight – then don’t. Aim to change your body composition instead and you are far more likely to feel better, look better and have a better understanding of whether or not your efforts are moving you towards or away from your goal.

Total weight is made up of fat, muscle, organs, water and bone. This make up is defined as ‘body composition’ and is usually expressed as a percentage of lean to fat mass, for example 24% body-fat (of total weight). Its this body-fat percentage that we want to reduce, not the lean mass which makes up the balance. For anyone engaged in, tried, or even thinking about a weight management effort then body composition testing is by far the most important and accurate measurement you can take, to assess whether or not you are moving toward your goal.

This then begs the question; how quickly can I lose body-fat, as opposed to just weight? Well the general consensus among experts seems to be around 1 – 2 lbs (0.5 – 1 kg) per week or 1% of total body-weight (provided you are doing all the right things). This seems to be the optimal threshold at which the average person can lose mostly fat without losing muscle. Faster ‘weight loss’ than this certainly can be achieved however the likelihood is that the extra weight will come from lean mass and not fat. Greater fat loss has been reported in exceptional cases, however unfortunately most of us are not exceptional so the rule of thumb outlined above usually applies.

Now even a cursory look at these numbers should tell us that losing fat is not a quick process. So the next time you see an add that reads;

“Lose 20 or more pounds in 10 Days!”

Be suspicious. Caveat Emptor my friends – Buyer beware. Sure its possible to lose this amount of weight in such a short period of time, however if you do the math then you can be fairly certain you wouldn’t lose fat alone. In fact, most of it won’t be fat at all, which is for most people not what they are trying to accomplish.

Given the plethora of ‘weight loss’ misinformation out in the market, it is imperative that people scrutinize what they are investing their time and money into. By all means get into a program, (and there are some excellent ones out there), however I urge you to put them to the test. That test if your ambition is to lose fat is a regular body composition analysis which can be done easily in the privacy of your own home. Use it instead of the scales as your feedback tool and see exactly how your program weighs up.