How not to be a sucker for weight loss scams

PLEASE, please, please stop being a sucker for weight loss schemes and con men.

Buyer beware! This is the time of year when the con artists flood the media with their sham products for weight loss that will only leave you broke and broken.

Last week, I saw women in the locker room who have already been suckered by the weight-loss hucksters, and they are the inspiration for this column.

So, here are the first five signs you are being hustled by the weight-loss peddlers:

1. "Eat all your favorite foods and lose all the weight you want."

2. "Instantly melt the fat off your waist, hips and thighs."

3. "No Dieting and No Exercising = Guaranteed Weight Loss."

4. "Convert Fat to Muscle."

5. "Drop 2 sizes in a week."

Why do many intelligent people believe this nonsense?

It's simple.

As our national waistline continually expands, such outrageous claims regarding quick weight loss are enticing, seductive, and well, effortless. However, like most things in life, apply the age-old axiom: If it sounds too good to be true . . . well, then you know it is.

These "quick fix" weight loss schemes are an outright fraud at the very least, and in some cases deadly. One thing is for sure: The only thing you'll be losing with these weight loss wonders is your hard-earned money. And in some cases you'll lose something more precious than your money - possibly your health, or even your life.

Even so, if you find yourself battling the bulge, and looking for easy ways to lose the weight, read closely. Forget about the latest miracle cures because they're all frauds. The following are some of the worst weight-loss cons on the market:

* Plastic Grey Sauna Suit: This is temporary water loss, not fat loss.

* Blue Rubber Waist Trimmer: Localized temporary water-weight loss.

* Sensa: Magical fairy dust you sprinkle on cheese fries to supposedly lose weight without dieting.

* Pills labeled carb blockers and fat blockers: Just plain old lies.

* HCG Diet Direct: Reduces appetite and boosts metabolism. Yeah, right.

* Herbs and teas: Weight loss by diarrhea.

* Master Cleanser: Natural weight-loss hooey. Your body is a self-cleansing organism.

* Ultra Abdominal Belt Toner: Electric pulses to your abs will produce a six-pack. (LOL)

* Mummy Suits, a/k/a body wraps: More temporary water loss, not fat.

* Lotion potions: Slather this magical lotion on your thighs and watch the cellulite melt away. Things have gotten so out of hand that the Federal Trade Commission has stepped up enforcement and fined several companies for deceptive advertising and fraud. But don't think for a minute that this will stop these hucksters, because as soon as they can cook up another scheme, they'll be back.

Trust me - none of these products can solve your weight-loss problems. But, once you crack your personal code, you can lose weight, and lose it permanently. Yeah, it will be hard, and take plenty of practice and patience, but it will be absolutely worth it. Yeah, you can do it!

(Editor's note: On Monday, TV infomercial whiz Kevin Trudeau, whose books include The Weight-Loss Cure, Natural Cures and More Natural Cures Revealed, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for, among other things, fraud.)