"Eat as much as you want and still lose weight." That is just one of many claims made in weight-loss advertisements that a U.S. government report warns are totally false.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission released a report Tuesday which found that after reviewing 300 weight-loss products or services ad campaigns that about 55 per cent included at least one claim that was "very likely false" or "lacked adequate proof."

In addition, the report found that nearly 40 per cent of the weight-loss ads made at least one claim that was almost certainly false.

"The only thing these quick-fix things leave lighter are consumers' wallets," FTC chairman Timothy Muris told a news conference.

The ads appeared on television and websites or in magazines, newspapers, commercial e-mails.

The weight loss industry is a $1 billion-a-year business in North America. Many who have gone through diet after diet are always looking for the next one that could work -- even if it sounds to good to be true.

Christine Villewood thought she had found the answer to her weight problems. The ad, found on the back of a magazine, promised a product that would let her eat more and lose weight. In the end, she lost money and gained five pounds.

"I spent $80 on four little bottles of waters," she says.
Not only do these products not help with weight loss, but they can also make it harder to try to lose weight the next time.

"You think nothing's going to work because you've tried this diet and that diet and the literature said it's going to work," said dietician Sandra Cohen-Rose. "So you feel like a failure and when you feel like a failure, it's difficult to go on and try again."

The FTC's report said consumer testimonials and before-and-after photos were common in the promotions but "rarely portrayed realistic weight loss."

U.S. officials have more than 100 cases pending with regard to weight-loss advertising, but the cases cost a lot to prosecute and are often hard to prove.

There are many court cases ongoing here in Canada as well. However, the marketers who operate in Canada generally sell their products in the U.S., which brings in cross-border jurisdictional issues.

In Canada, about 47 per cent of Canadians are overweight and one in seven Canadians are obese. In comparison, almost 61 per cent of adults in the U.S. are now overweight and almost one-quarter are obese.