Hi there everyone. Sorry I haven’t posted for a while. I’ve got exams coming up so my main focus is on them. My last one is next Friday so after that more regular posting should resume. Anyway, today’s post is on annoyances at the gym.

Regular gym goers will know that in the gym there are little things that can really get on your nerves. When I was doing my workout today there were a number of things that really distracted me. This got me thinking and the more I thought about it, the more I realised just how annoying certain things at the gym can be. Now don’t get me wrong – going to the gym doesn’t make my blood boil so much that I go home angry. This post is just meant to be a slightly humorous look at the little distractions and annoyances that I encounter in this part of my life. So without further ado I present to you, in chronological order, from least annoying to most annoying…My 5 Top Gym Annoyances.

5) GRUNTERS:- Grunters is the term I use to refer to those people who let out a grunt, shout, shriek or other random noise whilst lifting weights. Granted, grunters do usually lift heavy weights, work themselves to their limit and generally perform a good bodybuilding workout. However, that’s no excuse for some of the strange noises that come out of their mouths. Not only is it distracting but some of the sounds are just downright disturbing. Besides in some gyms grunters even run the serious risk of setting off the “lunk alarm”.

(Note: This is taking the issue way too far but it does make a point about how annoying grunters can be.)

4) CELL PHONERS:- Cell phoners refers to the people who chat away on their phones mid-workout. It is not specifically people chatting on the phone that gets on my nerves here. The problem comes when the gym is busy and all the benches, machines and weights are taken. You would expect most people in this busy gym to complete their exercises quickly, allowing the people who are waiting to use the limited resources. However, as I stand around waiting for a free bench or some free weights, I regularly see some people sitting on a bench with the weights at their feet, chatting away on their phone. What’s worse is that when I have been waiting for some time and go over to ask whether I can use the weights for one set or quickly use the bench whilst they chat, I am dismissed with comments such as “Excuse me, I’m on the phone”. This can get rather annoying because people are compromising my workout time by chatting on their phone. If they want to chat fine, but why not do it on their own time or go talk somewhere in the gym where they are not disrupting other people’s workouts?

3) STARERS:- Starers are the people who glare at you whilst you work out in the hope that you will abandon your equipment and leave it free for them. I understand that at busy times people will want to use the equipment I am using. However, it can get really distracting when you feel their eyes burning a hole in the back of your head. In fact if I am exercising in front of a mirror and see someone doing this I find it almost impossible to continue. I would much rather the person staring at me would come over and ask whether we can share the equipment and do alternate sets.

2) BANGERS:- Bangers are the people who bang, clang and drop their weights regularly whilst working out. I am not so bothered about people banging weights whilst they are performing the exercise as this is sometimes difficult to avoid. It becomes a problem when people finish their set and then drop their weights with an almighty crash. The noise this makes is not pleasant and very distracting. Plus, there is absolutely no need for it. If these people can control their weights for multiple sets then surely they can control them for a few more seconds whilst placing them on the floor?

1) ANNOYING MUSIC:- This is the one that really grates at me in. I understand everyone has different tastes in music so I am not going to cause an argument by listing the music my gym plays here. However, the music played is constant, repetitive and loud so if you are not a fan of this genre there is no escape unless you bring your own portable music player. Thankfully, I recently got myself an IPOD so this is no longer a regular problem for me but on the days I forget my IPOD it is a disaster. Unlike the other distractions listed this music is there all the time. I would much rather the gym played no music. This would then give people the choice to listen to their own music without disturbing other people in the gym.

So there you have it. My top five pet hates at the gym. Still, it could be worse. I could have this guy disrupting my workouts.

(Note: I’m not associated with Hagadone Directories. Just thought the video was funny and relevant to this post.)

As I said at the beginning of this post I’m busy with my exams till next Friday (May 9th). After that normal Free Fitness Tips service shall be resumed meaning a post every two or three days. In the meantime, why not reflect on this article and think about what annoys you at the gym? If it’s not on this list leave me a comment and let me know what winds you up while you work out.

Hey everyone. Friday is here again. As I mentioned last Friday I was having a bit of an off day. This Friday was different and I managed to get to the gym and complete my workout with no motivation problems whatsoever. However, it got me thinking about the excuses some people use to avoid exercise. There are literally so many that I could probably use what I have heard to start a new ‘Exercise Excuses Blog’. A lot of the excuses people use are pretty standard e.g. “I am too tired to exercise” or “I am too busy to workout” but some of the excuses are much more unique. Since it is a Friday and everyone enjoys a giggle after a long, hard week I have for you today five of the most ridiculous exercise excuses I have ever heard plus a bonus exercise excuses video above.

1) I AM ALREADY THIN SO IF I EXERCISE I WILL WASTE AWAY:- Yes just like alien abduction there are also some people who claim that they have wasted away as a result of exercising. Quite how they managed to make these claims after wasting away is beyond me but apparently they have.

2) I DO NOT NEED TO EXERCISE BECAUSE MY FAVOURITE TV SHOW IS CELEBRITY FIT CLUB:- Just seeing all those celebrities exercising is enough to make anyone break into a sweat. If you combine this with lifting up the remote and making regular trips to the kitchen and bathroom during the commercial break you have the ultimate workout plan.

3) I ALREADY GET MY DAILY EXERCISE BY WALKING TO THE DONUT SHOP:- Yes, ladies and gentleman new research has suggested that you will burn away those 1000+ calories contained in a pack of donuts in 10 simple minutes just by walking to your donut shop. Plus, the more sugar you get on the donuts the more calories you can burn.

4) I EXERCISE IN THE OFFICE BY SWIVELLING ON MY COMPUTER CHAIR, TYPING AND CLICKING MY MOUSE:- If this is you then there is no need to exercise at all. This highly intense office workout must be burning at least 5 additional calories per day. Combine it with the workout discussed in point number two and you are on your way to becoming a perfect fitness specimen.

5) I CANNOT EXERCISE BECAUSE THE NIKE AIR TRAINERS I NEED COST £150:- Very good point. I have difficulty walking without having a pair of expensive trainers strapped to my feet. It is far, far too risky to attempt any physical activity until you can afford the adequate gear.

If you have not gathered already this article has been sprinkled with a heavy dose of humour and sarcasm. You can read even more funny exercise excuses by clicking here.

However, there is a serious point behind this article. If you want to become fitter and healthier or lose weight, you will need to ditch the excuses and start exercising. Diet is one half of the equation but exercise is essential too. Do whatever it takes to avoid the excuses and start exercising whether that be making a dedicated exercise plan, finding a workout partner or even budgeting for a gym membership. Have a great weekend everyone.

Hey Everyone. Hope you are enjoying all the information on the blog so far. I’m just making a quick post to let you know about a guest blogging spot that I have been offered by Kavit Haria of Wellness Junction. He got in touch with me a couple of weeks ago and asked me if I would be interested in contributing to his blog on a regular basis. I jumped at the chance and we came to the agreement that I would write a guest post at Wellness Junction every couple of weeks. Hopefully, this will give more exposure to the Free Fitness Tips Blog, improve my writing skills and turn Wellness Junction into another fantastic free fitness resource that everyone can enjoy.

Anyway, the reason I am posting about this now is because I wanted to wait for my first guest article to go live before I told you guys. My first article is now live and it is entitled ‘4 food groups that can boost your metabolism’.  I have published an exert below (the full version is available from Wellness Junction).  As always any comments, suggestions or descriptions of other foods which can boost your metabolism are welcome. If you want to leave any feedback at all please leave a post either on this page or the actual article itself.

4 food groups that can boost your metabolism

“Many people claim that they struggle to lose weight because they have a slow metabolism. Others are always looking for ways to boost their metabolic rate. But what do these people mean when they refer to metabolism and their metabolic rate?

In simple terms your metabolism or metabolic rate is the number of calories required by your body to maintain itself. The general calculation for working out your metabolism is to multiply your weight in pounds by 10 or your weight in kilograms by 22. So if you weigh 250 pounds then your metabolic rate will be around 2500 calories per day. However, this figure can be affected by a number of factors including age, genetics and lifestyle.

In this article I will be discussing how you can increase your metabolic rate by incorporating four different food groups into your diet...”

Read the full version of 4 food groups that can boost your metabolism by Clicking Here

There are many effective and ineffective diet plans around. As I have covered previously on this blog fad diets do not work and I believe the best way to lose weight is to exercise regularly and eat more healthily. I do not think you need to follow a pre-determined diet plan as long as you stick to relatively healthy foods most of the time. However, I understand that some people do not have the self discipline to eat healthy all the time and for these people a structured diet plan can be the answer. In this article I discuss three criteria your chosen diet plan MUST contain if you want it to succeed.

1) NO FORBIDDEN FOODS:- Many diet plans do not allow you to eat your favourite foods. However, by creating ‘forbidden foods’ these diet plans simply makes you want them even more. Ultimately, you are likely to give in to these ‘forbidden foods’ which can lead to over eating and make you gain weight.

The best diet plans will restrict your food intake, reduce the number of calories you consume and make you eat more healthily BUT it will not ban any foods outright. To lose weight you will have to change your eating habits in the long term but you should still be able to enjoy your favourite foods from time to time.

2) NO CALORIE COUNTING:- Whilst it is important to have a general understanding of your daily caloric intake, any diet plan which requires you to count the exact calories in every piece of food you consume is likely to end in disaster. Having to count the calories in every individual meal, snack and drink you consume is frustrating and very inconvenient. For example, every time you go out for a restaurant meal you will have to calculate the calories in whatever you order. Usually, all this calorie counting will lead to you becoming discouraged with your diet plan and giving up.

A good diet plan will recommend that you eat healthy foods most of the time and give you a good understanding of the general amount of calories in the various types of food. In doing this it should educate you and allow you to reduce your daily caloric intake in the long term. However, it should not be so rigid and inflexible that you have to count the calories for every single thing you eat in order to stick to an exact number of daily calories.

3) IT IS AFFORDABLE:- It is all well and good if you find a diet plan which does not ban your favourite foods and which does not require you to count calories religiously. However, if you cannot afford the diet plan all these benefits are lost.

With the huge variety of diet plans now available affordability should not be an issue. If you are really struggling to find a diet plan within your price range do some research online, ask friends or colleagues who have used diet plans in the past, take advantage of a dietitian’s services or even consult your doctor. Remember, a good diet plan should burn calories, not your wallet.

The best diet plan should be flexible and affordable. It should not impose direct restrictions on the foods you eat and the calories you take in. Instead, it should teach you how to eat healthily so that you can improve your overall diet in the long term. As I stated at the beginning of this article I do not think that you need to follow a diet plan to lose weight but if you decide to do so make sure it fulfills the three criteria outlined in this article.

Well Friday is finally here which for many means the end of the week and time to enjoy the weekend. Unfortunately today was not my best day in terms of fitness goals. I did not eat very well today, felt tired for most of the day and in the gym I just seemed to have no motivation and ended up cutting my workout short. I was not feeling very good about myself as I had been so good all week and then let the ball drop today. However, then I came across an interesting article which made me feel a lot better. It included eight excellent fitness tips including the following gems;

Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?

You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass, green leafy vegetables). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable slop.

Aren’t fried foods bad for you?

You’re not listening. Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they’re permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

You can read the full article by clicking here.

If you haven’t already figured it out this article is a joke and not meant to be taken seriously. Since it’s Friday I decided to make my post a little more light hearted and humourous. However, the point I am trying to get across is that all of us will have off days where we feel unmotivated, don’t train very well and eat the wrong foods. And this is OK. You are not a machine and cannot operate at 100% all the time.

What is important is that you do not let these off days get you down and have them turn into a full weekend or a full week where you do not train properly and you do not eat right. Becoming healthier and fitter is a long term process and the occassional slip up is not going to affect your efforts BUT if you let the off day get you down it will affect your long term motivation and this in turn will affect your long term fitness. Simply accept that you have had an off day and look to get back into your proper fitness routine the following day.

I’ve made this post short and sweet because it’s a Friday and also because I’m a little pressed for time. However, I hope you’ve still enjoyed it and absorbed the message behind it. In the future I plan to make my Friday posts a little more humourous because we all like to have a good chuckle at the end of a hard working week. I hope you all have a good weekend. What did you think of my post? Do any of you have any stories you would like to share about your own personal off days?

As the weight loss industry becomes increasingly popular more and more weight loss products are hitting the market. Unfortunately, there is a huge variance in quality between all the weight loss products out there. On the one hand some of these products really do the trick and can help you drop the pounds. However, others make plenty of false claims and come complete with a totally unjustified price tag. In this article I outline how you can separate the good from the bad and find the best weight loss products on the market.

The Internet is full of easily accessible information concerning weight loss product which is highly convenient for people wishing to purchase such products. The problem is that it is often difficult for you (the reader) to determine which information is good quality and which is not so good quality. You therefore need to learn not to take the information you find at face value and dig a little deeper. Below are a number of ways in which you can do this.

1) LOOK FOR OUTRAGEOUS CLAIMS:- Although you may want to believe some of the outrageous product claims and try to convince yourself that this magic pill can give you the perfect body in two short weeks, deep down you know that it is too good to be true. If a product is making ridiculous claims this is an almost certain sign that it is a poor quality, fraudulent weight loss product. Do some more research and get multiple opinions. This will often show you just how false some of the claims these weight loss products make are.

2) THINK ABOUT BIAS:- Another good way to begin digging deeper is to think about the interests of the person providing the information. Are they likely to be biased? Will they benefit from you perceiving the product in a good or bad way? For example, if the information is provided by the product manufacturer they are going to benefit from you having a good perception of the product and may over exaggerate certain benefits. If the information comes from competitors they are going to benefit from you having a negative perception of the product and may go out of their way to discredit it. On the other hand, people who have used the product usually have little to gain from your perception and are more likely to give an honest, realistic assessment. I am not saying that customer testimonials are the only source of good information regarding weight loss products. Just remember to always think how or why the information source could be biased.

3) LOOK FOR CLINICAL EVIDENCE:- This is in my opinion the best way to separate the good weight loss products from the bad. Product A may claim to help you drop 40 pounds within the month. Product B may state that it can help you drop 40 pounds within the year but is backed by a clinical trial where 100 participants used the product over the course of a year and 85% of them lost at least 40 pounds. Which one should you go for? I would go for product B every time. Not only is it making a more sensible claim but this claim is backed by clinical research meaning that it has been proven to work 85% of the time. Product A may sound better but its claims are completely unfounded.

Although clinical research is a good indicator of a products quality you still need to dig a little further. Find the original report on the clinical trial and read it fully because it may contain information that you were not initially aware of. Maybe the clinical trial was sponsored by the weight loss product in question which is not necessarily a bad thing but you may want to look for some independent opinions too. Maybe the conclusions of the clinical trial found that other factors could have affected the participants weight loss. Or perhaps the conclusions are perfectly valid. Generally, clinical trials are a good indicator of a weight loss products’ quality but it does pay to dig that little bit deeper.

4) LOOK FOR SIDE EFFECTS:- You may find a weight loss product that makes sensible claims, has received lots of good publicity from various sources and is even backed by clinical trials. Chances are that this is a good quality weight loss product but you still cannot be completely sure. It is often the case that when an effective weight loss product hits the market it rides on a wave of publicity and the negative side effects get swept aside. However, by digging a little deeper you can often uncover whether your chosen product has any such side effects. When you think you have found the perfect weight loss product just do a simple Google search such as “(Weight Loss Product Brand Name) Side Effects” and you will know in a matter of minutes if there are any side effects you should be aware of. There may be none but you need to know if there are.

5) ASK YOUR DOCTOR:- Your doctor is a qualified professional and will know enough about weight loss products to tell you if the one you have chosen works, how effective it is and if there are any associated side effects. They also have your best interests at heart which makes them a fantastic way to measure a weight loss product’s quality.

Personally, I do not believe weight loss products are worth the money regardless of whether they work or not. I believe the effects of even the most potent weight loss products can be outweighed with a good exercise plan, a healthy diet and positive lifestyle changes. However, I know that everyone does not share my opinion and that some of you will opt for weight loss product. For those of you that do I hope this article has proved useful. You need to dig deep and do your research when looking for weight loss products. Do not take any information at face value or make impulse buys. By doing this you will ensure that you get an effective, high quality weight loss product.

Throughout the Free Fitness Tips blog I have frequently stated that weight loss ultimately comes down to two things; Diet and Exercise. By eating healthier foods, eating smaller meals more frequently and regularly participating in cardiovascular exercise & weight training you are well on your way to long term weight loss success. However, for many people this is not enough for them. They want to lose weight quickly without putting the effort in. For those people weight loss surgeries such as gastric bypass surgery might be the answer. In this article I will further discuss the viability of gastric bypass surgery as a weight loss option.

Gastric bypass surgery is one of the most popular types of weight loss surgery available. It divides the stomach into a small upper pouch and a much larger lower pouch and then re-arranges the small intestine to allow both patches to stay connected to it. There are a number of different types of gastric bypass surgery but all of them reduce your stomach’s volume and therefore suppress your appetite. To qualify for surgeries such as this you generally must; be 100 pounds overweight, have a history of morbid obesity (usually more than 3 years), have failed to lose weight in the past as a part of a formalised weight loss program or have a medical condition which is directly affected by your extra weight. For full clarification you should consult your doctor or a qualified medical practitioner.

There are a number of health benefits associated with gastric bypass surgery. It is believed to reduce high blood pressure in more than 70% of patients, reverse type 2 diabetes in 90% of patients and relieve lower back pain in almost all patients. Mortality rates are also believed to be reduced in morbidly obese gastric bypass surgery patients. However, there are also a number of complications associated with this type of surgery. Whilst the surgery is being performed you are at risk of blood clots, infection, hemorrhage (internal bleeding), ulcers and more.

So what is my opinion on gastric bypass surgery? Personally, I think it should be a last resort. As I have already stated, in most cases you are only eligible for this type of surgery if you are severely overweight. Ideally, you should take control of your weight BEFORE it gets to this level. If you start to notice that your bodyweight is increasing consistently then take responsibility and do something about it. Start looking at your lifestyle and identify whether you are getting enough exercise or if you are eating the right foods. If not then take the necessary action and keep it up until you get back down to your ideal weight. Even if you have the surgery you will still have to stick to a healthy diet and a good exercise plan to keep the weight off. Surely, it makes more sense to do this from the beginning and avoid the complications of surgery? Obviously, there will be times when this surgery is absolutely necessary but if you are currently in a position to avoid this surgery by making positive lifestyle choices then this would be my recommended option.

What do you guys think? Is there anyone who has had gastric bypass surgery with a different opinion? Does anyone feel that the benefits of gastric bypass surgery outweigh the drawbacks? Whatever your thoughts are on the matter I would love to read your comments.

Please note this article is for information only and not a substitute for medical advice. As I have already mentioned you should consult your doctor before considering surgery of any kind. They will be able to provide you with qualified advice on whether surgery is the best option for you.

Consumption of milk is a very controversial subject. On the one hand research suggests that milk is a rich source of calcium which has been linked with the reduced risk of osteoporosis (reduced bone density), diabetes, heart disease and even cancer. However, critics suggest that the above benefits are untrue and that consuming milk can also lead to diabetes and obesity. As a result of these criticisms many people who want to lose weight avoid dairy products. In this article I will discuss both sides of the argument and analyse whether milk really needs to be avoided as part of a weight loss plan.

There is a lot of positive evidence to support regular consumption of milk. Milk is full of calcium which is a very important mineral. This article in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association suggests that even lactose intolerant patients should try to drink a little milk with meals because of the calcium and also because it is rich in Vitamin D which helps the body utilise calcium. Milk also contains 7 other essential nutrients including potassium, protein and riboflavin all of which are very important for the proper functioning of your body. Furthermore, milk has been linked with reducing the risk of contracting a number of diseases. This study published in Diabetes Care looked at the link between type 2 diabetes and consumption of calcium & dairy products in 37,183 women who had no previous previous history of the disease. The conclusions found that consuming milk and dairy products could reduce the risk of contracting type 2 diabetes by as much as 21%. Finally, milk could actually help you lose weight according to this article suggesting that it definitely should not be avoided.

So with all this positive evidence why do people continue to criticise and avoid milk? Well critics suggest that milk is not all it’s cracked up to be. Many campaigns such as Not Milk suggest that the health benefits associated with milk are actually the result of highly effective marketing from the dairy industry. These critics even go as far as suggesting that milk can be damaging to your health. This article cites research to support claims that milk can actually increase the risk of osteoporosis, cause cardiovascular disease, lead to cancer and that it can also be responsible for a number of other health ailments. Furthermore, a number of studies such as this one suggest that consuming more milk makes you gain weight. Participants who drank more than 3 servings of milk per day were found to be 35% more likely to become overweight than people who drank 2 servings or less per day.

After reading the above information the pressing issue is should milk be avoided as part of a weight loss plan? In my opinion NO it should not. There are new studies coming out all the time promoting or criticising the consumption of milk. For every study that criticises milk you can find another that supports it. After reading this article you can probably see there are a lot of conflicting claims, opinions and studies out there. A product as popular and accepted as milk is always going to be scrutinised and there is always going to be too much evidence to come up with a definitive conclusion. However, the facts are that milk is rich in a number of important nutrients which help your body stay healthy and no study can change this.

I have drank milk for as long as I can remember and I have never suffered any adverse effects and it has definitely not made me fat. There are much more damaging foods out there including processed foods, heavily fried foods, fast foods, carbonated & sugary drinks etc. Plus, all of these foods will lead to much greater weight gain than one or two glasses of milk each day. Obviously, consuming too much milk can be bad for you just as too much protein, too many carbs, too many vitamins or too much of anything can. As long as you stick to a sensible daily amount you should have no problems and could even make a positive contribution to your health. If you are really that worried about milk making you fat then get a low fat or skimmed variety which comes in at a minimal 100 calories per glass . I for one will not be giving up milk anytime soon.

What do you guys think? Do you agree that we should carry on drinking milk? Have you given up milk? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this controversial topic.

*****

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A number of diets recommend that you should increase your intake of meats to lose weight. Certain more extreme diets, such as the Atkins diet suggest that to lose weight you should seriously reduce your intake of carbohydrates and compensate by eating more meat. In this article I will be discussing whether eating more meat really can help you lose weight.

First, let’s look at the reasoning behind eating more meat to lose weight. By consuming more meat and less carbohydrates you force your body into a state of ketosis where it burns fat for energy instead of the usual carbohydrates. This turns your fat stores into your main source of energy.

So now you know the theory you are probably wondering whether high meat diets actually work? A number of studies suggest that they do. This particular study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) involved 311 premenopausal, nondiabetic women, aged between 25 and 50. It looked to compare four weight loss diets including; the Atkins diet, the Zone diet, LEARN (Lifestyle, Exercise, Relationships, Attitude, Relationships and Nutrition) and the Ornish diet. It found that the women who were on the high meat Atkins diet lost a greater amount of weight and realised more favourable metabolic effects after 12 months than the women on the other diets.

However, the problem with this and other scientific studies is that (at the time of writing this article) none have studied the effects of the Atkins diet for a period of greater than one year. Furthermore, a number of criticisms have been leveled at diets such as Atkins which recommend the increased consumption of meat. It has been suggested that the diet can promote heart disease, that it can be dangerous to reduce your carbohydrates to such a low level, that it does not meet nutritional needs and that such diets are too high in fat.

So what conclusions can be drawn about eating more meat to lose weight? In two of my previous articles I have recommended eating more protein to boost your metabolism and control your hunger. I believe that meat has a place in any weight loss plan and the ideas behind the Atkins diet are sensible. However, until more scientific evidence is available regarding the safety and effectiveness of low carbohydrate, high protein diets I would advise you to keep eating a good level of carbohydrates too. Ketosis is not the only weight loss method out there. By participating in regular exercise and eating a healthy, balanced diet with a little additional meat thrown in you can lose weight gradually without forcing your body to change its energy source.

In my previous article I exposed a number of myths that circulate the weight loss industry. New product are introduced to the industry every day complete with impressive claims regarding their weight loss prowess. Unfortunately, many people accept the myths behind these products without doing any additional research into the subject area. HCG (also known as Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) is one such weight loss product that has become rapidly accepted by the dieting community. In this article I will be discussing HCG in more detail and outlining how effective it really is as a weight loss supplement.

HCG is a hormone that is produced by the placenta of pregnant women. The presence of HCG in a woman’s blood stream generally indicates that they are pregnant. In fact, there was not a huge interest in HCG as a weight loss product until Kevin Trudeau released his book ‘The Weight Loss Cure’.

In his book, Kevin Trudeau claims that HCG injections can help you lose weight. His books have been bestsellers with ‘The Weight Loss Cure’ being on a number of best seller lists including; The New York Tims, Pulishers Weekly, USA Today and the Wall Street Journal. However, Kevin Trudeau is also a convicted felon and has been subject to numerous legal proceedings including an FTC contempt of court action in 2007 regarding his book ‘The Weight Loss Cure’. He has also been heavily criticised on the grounds of having; no medical training, no basis in research, no proof to back up his claims and even accused of making false endorsements on another of his books ‘ Natural Cures’.

Furthermore, there are no medical or scientific studies which prove that HCG can assist with weight loss. In 1954, Dr. Albert T. Simeons, a British-physician claimed HCG injections would allow dieters to manage more easily on a 500 calorie per day diet. However, he had no clinical evidence to validate any of his claims. Since then a number of clinical tests and studies have been performed to test the effectiveness of HCG as a weight loss supplement and not one has found HCG to promote weight loss. You can view full details of these studies by reading this article.

Overall, I would recommend that you stick to the tried and tested solution of a well balanced diet and a good exercise plan when trying to lose weight. This is the only proven way to lose weight without putting your health at risk. Until, the effectiveness of HCG as a weight loss supplement is fully backed up with clinical evidence I suggest you give it a wide berth.