Who hasn't seen an advertisement or so-called 'infomercial' (rather mis-informercial if you ask me) advertising a weight loss device or slimming belt that miraculously makes you lose weight without actually doing sports or changing your eating habits. Common sense alone dictates that such a thing is hardly possible. However, the advertisers are very cunning and they claim to achieve the aim of losing a lot of weight in little time with even less effort by using new, revolutionary technologies. Now, I am not a tech freak and I cannot claim to understand all the workings of infrared light/ heat (Melt Belt and Sauna Belt, vibrations (Slimming Belt) or whatever 'new' technology is used to supposedly achieve weight loss. So, if I told you these devices are useless why should you believe me any more than the advertisements? It's very simple: you don't. Although I am an expert on the fields of nutrition and sports medicine you should not believe a single person making a claim. However, the United States Government has realized that obesity is a rapidly growing problem and that deceitful advertisements for weight loss devices can event present a health risk for people relying on these devices to lose weight if they don't additionally work out and change their nutrition. The Federal Trade Commission is a government agency that monitors advertisements for bogus or deceptive claims. In its brochure "Red Flag - Bogus Weight Loss Claims" (downloadable at www.ftc.org; an illustrated version of this article is available at www.beautyhealthsource.com) the agency lists 7 ways to identify false ads and products. Using those 7 indicators you can check the ads for Melt Belt, Sauna Belt, Slimming Belt and any other miracle weight loss device such as non-prescription diet drugs, dietary supplements, skin patches, creams, wraps or any other product that is worn on the body or rubbed into the skin. Instead of taking my word for it, use the FTC's recommendations and your own common sense to check if Melt Belt, Slimming Belt or the Sauna Belt can help you lose weight - and keep it off. You are throwing your money out the window if the product you buy claims to: 1. Cause substantial weight loss by wearing it on the body or rubbing it into the skin. You might think of the US government what you like, but honestly: why should they publish a guideline for healthier living and protecting people from product scams if their findings were not true? Especially since these guidelines only confirm what common sense tells most of us anyways. Products like body belts, body wraps, rings, creams or lotions cannot make you lose substantial weight. Ads claiming that products from this category can make you lose as much as a pound a week are simply put: just lies. 2. Cause weight loss of two pounds or more a week for a month or more without dieting or exercise. Even though certain advertisements wants to make us believe differently, everybody knows that in order to lose weight you have to exercise more and/or change your diet consuming fewer calories. According to the nutrition experts of the FTC any advertisement that claims otherwise is simply false. I personally agree wholeheartedly that it is not true if a product promises to make you lose weight without changing your lifestyle.