Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Facebook Fat Loss Scam

Don't Fall for Testimonial Scams












Look Familiar?



















This ad on Facebook was brought to my attention from some outraged Fit Yummy Mummy's - including the FYM in the picture...Maria! You may remember Maria from the Transformation Challenge and her previous post:

Flat Abs After Five Kids Without a Single Sit Up


Well it seems others have enjoyed her before and after photos just as much for they decided to steal this copyrighted photo and use it to promote some sales of their own.

At first the ladies were thrilled to see Maria for they thought it was a Fit Yummy Mummy ad. They were surprised and upset to see that this photo linked to an unrelated product - a Fad Weight loss product - a hyped up green tea drink that helps you magically burn fat.

Of course it does no good to contact this green tea company for all the links are phony. Facebook is no help for they require you to submit a complaint that requires you to include the URL of the copyrighted photo being used. Kind of hard to do when the only URL you do get is the one of the green tea company that pops up after clicking on the photo. Facebook's ads run in this side bar and change constantly - so even the FYM's who brought this to my attention were unable to show me directly until they were able to capture a screen shot.

The message here - you need to be careful of the claims that are made to by many weight loss fads.

What follows is an article I had written to help the ClubFYM community when it came to making sense of all the promises that are made to you for fast and easy weight loss. I hope this example as well as the information in this article empowers you with a new awareness and the confidence to make better well informed choices when it comes to your weight loss efforts.

Your Fat Loss Funnel

Having trouble making sense of the latest Fat Loss Remedies, Prescriptions and Trends?

Do you tend to doubt your choices or feel confused by the variety of strategies with testimonial proof that promise you will look better, lose weight quickly and never regain it?

Many women fall in this trap and I’m sure you tried or know someone close who tried any number of diet fads with similar results....

* you initially lose weight, but that is mostly water and muscle tissue
* you feel weak because your body lacks minerals and vitamins
* you have unexpected cravings
* your moral is low
* you eventually regain all the weight you lost and most likely end up with a little extra too.

So how do you make sense of it all when each approach has a number of studies and before and after pictures to prove their method of "weight loss" works and is all you will ever need?

Enter - your Fat Loss Funnel.


Either you have the Fit Yummy Mummy System or you are just considering your options...doesn't matter for you still need a way to determine what is fact, what is fiction and what will work best for you.

To start, let's get the "easy" part of the Fat Loss Funnel.

No matter how glorified the "program" or "product" appears to be, you can feel confident in turning away if it has one or more of the following traits...

* Promises or Guarantees rapid weight loss.
Any weight loss of more than 2 pounds per week is too rapid, unsafe, and is unlikely to stay off.

* Promises easy weight loss without exercise or that weight loss can be maintained without lifestyle changes - this means, you do not have to change how you eat, how you move or how you think....and you will still lose??

* Uses miracle or magical foods or drinks.
No food or drink can melt away fat or undo years of overeating and lack of effective exercise.

* It's basis lies in restricting what you eat.
From asking you to consume less than 1,000 calories to asking that you consume only one (or a limited number) of foods - BIG red flag if the foods you are asked not to eat are whole, natural foods - or encourages consuming certain types foods in mass quantities. A sound nutrition plan is one that is balanced and includes a variety of healthful foods.

* Your results hinge on the use of unproven weight loss aids such as herbs, appetite suppressants, fat burning supplements, body wraps, pills, cellulite creams, etc.

* Sound too good to be true.
We are women. We were born with an innate trait called Intuition. This is that initial gut feeling you have about something....and if it is in any way a negative-not-so-sure feeling...Listen to your gut.

Just so everyone is clear - there is no magic bullet, instant cure, or easy way out. True Fat Loss Results are not mindless nor easy.

Here at ClubFYM you have access to a trusted source - one that actually cares about your ability to achieve TRUE fat loss results and make positive, permanent changes to your lifestyle so you will never have to ride the weight loss roller coaster again.

Next Step:

At this point - once you have the Obvious traits of a Fad out of the way - you have a decision to make.
This is a personal decision and may hinge on many factors but you first must choose based on what sounds good, feels right and fits into your lifestyle.

The true secret to Fat Loss Results is ........Consistency.
As Shannon eventually realized during a trip to the bookstore...feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of diet books available...just about any plan will get you results - As Long As You Do IT.

Therefore, when it comes down to making that personal decision...you must ask yourself if this "plan" is something you are willing to do for the rest of your life.

Shannon says it best:

"...maybe the "magic pill" is really about finding something that works for me.
As I read through Holly's ebook the first time, I just remember thinking things like: I can do this, I already do that, that doesn't sound so bad, those exercises look fun, we eat that already, I like eating every few hours. There was nothing that sent me running for the snack cabinet out of a Last Supper sort of desperation. And no crazy advice that a mom could never follow."

What is your Fitness Personality?


~ If you will be consistent by having one plan, that rings true to your needs and your lifestyle and eliminates confusion - then one is all you need.

~ If you will be consistent by having a couple trustworthy plans to pick and choose from for added variety - then your approach to invest in more than one program is what works best for you.

No matter what approach you decide to take, I hope that you will take the time to at least allow ClubFYM to be your checkpoint or funnel if you will, as you hold alternative approaches next to the concepts you do know work so you can avoid the thoughts of...."What if I'm doing this all wrong!"


"...what I've learned is that all sorts of diets can give people results (whether or not they maintain the results is another story), but what really matters is finding the one that feels right, and FYM really is a Mom's best friend." ~ Shannon

ClubFYM - a community that not only provides support and guidance - but is also one you can trust.

6 comments:

Selene Kumin Vega, Ph.D. said...

Holly, I am horrified enough by this story to be moved to post a thank-you for being a voice of honesty in this world. I'm not a mom, and discovered you through Jayson Hunter and Craig Ballantyne's work. The intuition you referred to says good things to me about what you are doing. So, just wanted to send a note of appreciation for you!

Anonymous said...

I see this all the time.... What a lot of people dont know is that when we sign up for facebook, myspace, hotmail, or any type of free services where we upload pictures.... we actually give up our ownership of those photos.... Most people dont ever read TOS.

So the are free to sell or do whatever they want the the stuff we upload to their sites.

Great Info.... :)

Anonymous said...

holly i saw that! and the picture looked familiar and i felt so confused! i cant believe that just illegally STOLE a picture! what a scam!

Anonymous said...

I am not a Mom either I just like your website and also arrived here via Craig Ballantyne, Dax Moy, etc...you are doing a wonderful thing for all women, not just mommy's.

Holly Rigsby said...

Shortly after posting this: Facebook contacted me....

Hi Holly,

Thank you for submitting your Notification of Alleged Copyright Infringement. In accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3) ("DMCA"), we have removed or disabled access to the content you allege is copyright infringing.

If you become aware of additional content that requires our attention, please be sure to let us know. It is most helpful if you provide a screen shot of the advertisement, the URL linked to from the ad, and the exact text within the ad.

Please note that the DMCA permits the user whose content was removed to submit a Counter Notification claiming that the content in question was removed as a result of mistake or misidentification. If we receive a legally valid Counter Notification, we will reinstate the removed or disabled content unless you notify us within 14 business days that you have filed a court action seeking to restrain the user from posting, transmitting or otherwise using the content in question.

For more information on our copyright policy as well as your privileges and responsibilities as a user of the Facebook Service, please visit our Terms of Use at http://www.facebook.com/terms.php, which contain a link to our Copyright Policy, Answers to Frequently Asked Copyright Questions and other useful information.

Thanks for contacting Facebook,

Zack
User Operations
Facebook

Anonymous said...

Hi Holly! And Hello to All You Fit Yummu Mommys!!

Holly, thank you for sharing this info (and thanks to your clients who pointed this out). Womens fitness and weightloiss is a very emotional and physical battle and we all need to support the safe and sound methods of body transformation so the TRUTH in fitness will carry onward! Holly thank you for being a fellow trumpeteer for healthy weighloss and body transformation.
Your program is awesome and you are providing highly effective exercise and supportiuve nutrtion guidance to your readers and clients!
Keep up your fantastic efforts and exposing of fitness falacies!

Sincerely,
Rob & Shannon Yontz

True North Fitness & Health

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