Weight Loss and Bodybuilding Supplements – Advertisements, Hype and False Hopes

You’ve probably been subjected to a weight loss or bodybuilding supplement advertisement implying that you could obtain a phenomenal transformation if you were to purchase that particular product. Claims such as “Lose 10kg in 3 weeks” or “Gain 5kg of muscle in a fortnight” are not a stranger to the weight loss and bodybuilding marketing industry.

It is quite possible are that you are going to be relatively impressionable when watching such an advertisement, particularly if you’re not overly familiar with the industry. We are naturally driven by the desire to be happy – and attaining an “ideal” body is often associated with a heightened sense of fulfilment. So, a product that almost promises guaranteed accomplishment of your ultimate goal can sometimes be far too emotionally driving to resist, even if the claims seem a little too good to be true. It’s no wonder that the dieting industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. Bodybuilding supplementation advertisements also draw upon the same emotional response as the weight loss supplements do.

But just how true are these supplement advertisements and should you trust them? Well “technically speaking”, they are true – otherwise those ads would be deemed as false advertising. Though, many are very misleading as a result of a highly subjective presentation. Let’s consider two typical examples; one in each of the bodybuilding and weight loss supplementation arena’s.

The supplement ad that claims that you will gain 600% more lean mass. Often a claim like this will be highlighted and a highly subjective article will follow. The first obvious misconception about such a statement is that “lean mass” is muscle – this is incorrect. Lean mass refers to fat free tissue. Often a gain in lean mass can be attributed to an increase in fluid retention, for example. Next, we must question 600% more lean mass relative to what? Was it compared to a placebo? Delving deeper, you should then ascertain exactly how this claim was determined – was this via an objective third-party independent study, or was this conducted by the supplement company itself?

The statement “Lose 5kg in 5 days!” Such a phrase implies that you will lose 5kg of fat in 5 days, but this is not correct. The statement suggests that 5kg of body mass can be lost in 5 days. This is not necessarily fat tissue – this could be muscle and/or fluid weight as well. Especially in the early stages of dieting, significant weight loss is common due to a reduction in fluid retention in particular.

You could analyse almost any claim and subsequently identify that there is often a lot of “hype” associated with many of the marketing campaigns in this industry. Ultimately statements can often be quite misleading and it is your responsibility to understand exactly what is being said.

Now please don’t misunderstand – supplements are of great value in aiding you in accomplishing your health and fitness goals – otherwise we would not sell them in our supplement store. When used in an appropriate manner, they can assist you significantly in obtaining significant body transformations. Supplements, in conjunction with an appropriate and consistent exercise and dietary regime have the potential to completely transform your body, no doubt about it. What you must avoid however is developing unrealistic expectations when you do see a supplement advertisement, as this may very well be setting you up for failure.

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