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Ads for legit weight loss products should be allowed. How else would I learn about products that could help me lose weight? Would it be a good idea to ban ads

Ads for legit weight loss products should be allowed. How else would I learn about products that could help me lose weight? Would it be a good idea to ban ads for wheelchairs on the basis that it is "disability shaming"?

fotta 5y ago
What is "legit" though? I've yet to see an FDA approved weight loss product whereas wheelchairs do have to get FDA approval.
- kart23 5y ago
  https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-new-drug-treatment-chronic-weight-management-first-2014 https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-appr...
  - fotta 5y ago
    Oh interesting. Being pedantic here but I'm guessing there's a strong distinction between "weight regulation" and "weight loss" in the regulatory context though?
  - dawnerd 5y ago
    "for use in addition to a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity" So really it's not doing much other than reducing how hungry someone feels. Want to lose weight? It's easy. Go keto. For people that are fat, like myself, cutting carbs will, by nature, cut calories and a higher fat/protein diet will make you feel more full and eat less calories. The problem is a lot of people like myself want to lose weight while still eating fast food and sitting down all day. No pill/injection will change that.
    - notwhereyouare 5y ago
      or get a meal plan that pre-portions your meals. My partner and I struggled to do keto, we lasted like 3 months. The results were impressive, but not sustainable for us. We've started a pre-packaged meal plan. Meals are normally good (only had a couple we didn't like) but we are down a combined 75+ pounds and still doing the pre-packaged meals since we get a decent selection. Now, we do get a TON of chicken, and that is a struggle, but it's a trade off. As to your last point, agree. There's no magic pill that will let you lose weight without fundamental changes
      - dawnerd 5y ago
        Yeah longer term I don't think Keto is sustainable without eating a LOT of fat. I don't get people that are twigs going on it. But if you need to burn fat away theres almost no better way.
- flowerlad 5y ago
  A treadmill is an example of a legit weight loss product.
  - athenot 5y ago
    Ads in question are most likely not about treadmill but high-margin supplements / meal substitutes with dubious results.
  - basch 5y ago
    >Here's a rule of thumb: exercise very hard for one hour (swimming, running, or racquetball) and you'll lose about one ounce of fat. Light exercise for an hour (gardening, baseball, or golf) will lose you a third of an ounce. Want to lose a pound of fat? You can work it off by hiking to the top of a 2,500-story building. Or by running 60 miles. https://muller.lbl.gov/TRessays/22-ThePhysicsDiet.htm https://muller.lbl.gov/TRessays/22-ThePhysicsDiet.htm Caloric restriction is the way to lose weight. If that knowledge is not enough, and a book doesn't fix the problem, the solution is likely a regiment, program, club, routine, or subscription. Enter Weight Watchers. https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/weight-watchers-diet https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/weight-watchers-diet https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/best-weight-loss-diets https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/best-weight-loss-diets If paying money to a service to help you count calories does the trick, it is the answer. Food consumption routines and subscriptions should be allowed, because despite being profitable businesses, they also are beneficial to society. It may or may not be hard for WW to deliver its message around this ban. I would hope that Pinterest has somewhat flexible rules, and makes good judgement calls when something is close. I personally would err on the side of allowing WW to advertise, without letting it be a slippery slope back to snake oil.
- akira2501 5y ago
  Are weight loss products "medical devices?"
- edanm 5y ago
  There are people and products that promote eating in ways that cause weight loss. Calorie reduction via various methods. Eg ads for low calorie cookbooks, things to sis keto diets, low calorie products like ice cream, etc
mkr-hn 5y ago
They don't work. That's the problem.
- jimbob45 5y ago
  Weight loss companies are hardly the only industry that advertises non-functional products, right?
  - mkr-hn 5y ago
    What's your point? Ban all the deceitful garbage.
    - jimbob45 5y ago
      I don’t disagree but it seems less like they’re taking a blanket approach like that and more like they’re targeting this industry for other reasons.
- flowerlad 5y ago
  If they are banning because these ads are fraudulent then absolutely that makes sense. But if they are banning it because they are "fat shaming" then that makes no sense.
barneygale 5y ago
> How else would I learn about products that could help me lose weight? Is this a legit question? Use a search engine or ask your doctor/pharmacist. You don't need ads for it.
- flowerlad 5y ago
  Are you serious? There is no need for advertising or marketing departments for any product? If you invented a new, legit weight loss product why shouldn't you be able to advertise it?
  - barneygale 5y ago
    Correct - the world would be substantially improved with no advertising whatsoever. If your product is good it will spread through word-of-mouth and through professional opinions, e.g. recommendations by clinicians.
    - flowerlad 5y ago
      And then you as a consumer would have to pay for professional opinions and clinicians. Not for prescription medications, but ordinary products. Bad idea. A better way is to learn about a product through advertisement, and then you can read online reviews to see if the product works as advertised.
      - chin123 5y ago
        Why do you need ads for this? I don't remember the last time I bought something because of an ad. You don't need to pay for professional opinions on everything. I wanted to buy a pair of headphones recently, and so I just scouted the various headphone discussion forums on the internet (head-fi, r/headphones etc) and there was a lot of high quality information and opinions and I was able to make an informed purchase while paying nothing extra. It is very rare that I'm looking for a product and I can't find recommendations this way, and even if that happens I can ask my friends. The best part is that they probably don't gain anything from you buying some product, and that increases my level of confidence on the veracity of their reviews and recommendations. At this point I've pretty much trained myself to zone out when I see an ad because it is probably peddling some mediocre crap.
thomascgalvin 5y ago
> Ads for legit weight loss products ... There are none. Or, at least, there are few that the number is indiscernable from zero.
meowkit 5y ago
Weight loss is something you should go speak to a trainier or a nutritionist about. There is no shortcut or product. It’s calories in, calories out based on your resting metabolism + activity. Do not eat processed foods. Unprocessed whole foods, lots of fiber and micronutrients. There is no one best specific diet for everyone. There is no one best specific exercise regime. You figure it out from trial and error. We don’t need ads for this stuff.
- edanm 5y ago
  How do you know about this? And how do you expect people who don't currently know this to learn about it? Ads are a way to get someone with a product (which can include knowledge products like cico and diets) to be and to spread the word about those products.
jmuguy 5y ago
Don't see a lot of ads for broccoli online
mdoms 5y ago
> Ads for legit weight loss products should be allowed Sorry, why? Pinterest is a privately owned company, they are absolutely entitled to decide who they want to let advertise on their own website. Who are you to tell them what content "should" be displayed to their users?
KeepFlying 5y ago
A better analogy would be if wheelchair companies were causing people to be ashamed of using their legs and preying on a societal hatred of "walking people" and making everyone feel like they need a wheelchair to be accepted in society at all. If weight loss things were FDA approved, effective, and didn't carry the weight of a society that tells people that being overweight (or even just feeling overweight) makes you less respected as a human being, then I'd totally agree with you that they shouldn't be banned outright. But unfortunately with how we currently look at weight loss it's not as simple.

fotta 5y ago

What is "legit" though? I've yet to see an FDA approved weight loss product whereas wheelchairs do have to get FDA approval.

kart23 5y ago
https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-new-drug-treatment-chronic-weight-management-first-2014 https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-appr...
- fotta 5y ago
  Oh interesting. Being pedantic here but I'm guessing there's a strong distinction between "weight regulation" and "weight loss" in the regulatory context though?
- dawnerd 5y ago
  "for use in addition to a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity" So really it's not doing much other than reducing how hungry someone feels. Want to lose weight? It's easy. Go keto. For people that are fat, like myself, cutting carbs will, by nature, cut calories and a higher fat/protein diet will make you feel more full and eat less calories. The problem is a lot of people like myself want to lose weight while still eating fast food and sitting down all day. No pill/injection will change that.
  - notwhereyouare 5y ago
    or get a meal plan that pre-portions your meals. My partner and I struggled to do keto, we lasted like 3 months. The results were impressive, but not sustainable for us. We've started a pre-packaged meal plan. Meals are normally good (only had a couple we didn't like) but we are down a combined 75+ pounds and still doing the pre-packaged meals since we get a decent selection. Now, we do get a TON of chicken, and that is a struggle, but it's a trade off. As to your last point, agree. There's no magic pill that will let you lose weight without fundamental changes
    - dawnerd 5y ago
      Yeah longer term I don't think Keto is sustainable without eating a LOT of fat. I don't get people that are twigs going on it. But if you need to burn fat away theres almost no better way.
flowerlad 5y ago
A treadmill is an example of a legit weight loss product.
- athenot 5y ago
  Ads in question are most likely not about treadmill but high-margin supplements / meal substitutes with dubious results.
- basch 5y ago
  >Here's a rule of thumb: exercise very hard for one hour (swimming, running, or racquetball) and you'll lose about one ounce of fat. Light exercise for an hour (gardening, baseball, or golf) will lose you a third of an ounce. Want to lose a pound of fat? You can work it off by hiking to the top of a 2,500-story building. Or by running 60 miles. https://muller.lbl.gov/TRessays/22-ThePhysicsDiet.htm https://muller.lbl.gov/TRessays/22-ThePhysicsDiet.htm Caloric restriction is the way to lose weight. If that knowledge is not enough, and a book doesn't fix the problem, the solution is likely a regiment, program, club, routine, or subscription. Enter Weight Watchers. https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/weight-watchers-diet https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/weight-watchers-diet https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/best-weight-loss-diets https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/best-weight-loss-diets If paying money to a service to help you count calories does the trick, it is the answer. Food consumption routines and subscriptions should be allowed, because despite being profitable businesses, they also are beneficial to society. It may or may not be hard for WW to deliver its message around this ban. I would hope that Pinterest has somewhat flexible rules, and makes good judgement calls when something is close. I personally would err on the side of allowing WW to advertise, without letting it be a slippery slope back to snake oil.
akira2501 5y ago
Are weight loss products "medical devices?"
edanm 5y ago
There are people and products that promote eating in ways that cause weight loss. Calorie reduction via various methods. Eg ads for low calorie cookbooks, things to sis keto diets, low calorie products like ice cream, etc

mkr-hn 5y ago

They don't work. That's the problem.

jimbob45 5y ago
Weight loss companies are hardly the only industry that advertises non-functional products, right?
- mkr-hn 5y ago
  What's your point? Ban all the deceitful garbage.
  - jimbob45 5y ago
    I don’t disagree but it seems less like they’re taking a blanket approach like that and more like they’re targeting this industry for other reasons.
flowerlad 5y ago
If they are banning because these ads are fraudulent then absolutely that makes sense. But if they are banning it because they are "fat shaming" then that makes no sense.

barneygale 5y ago

> How else would I learn about products that could help me lose weight? Is this a legit question? Use a search engine or ask your doctor/pharmacist. You don't need ads for it.

flowerlad 5y ago
Are you serious? There is no need for advertising or marketing departments for any product? If you invented a new, legit weight loss product why shouldn't you be able to advertise it?
- barneygale 5y ago
  Correct - the world would be substantially improved with no advertising whatsoever. If your product is good it will spread through word-of-mouth and through professional opinions, e.g. recommendations by clinicians.
  - flowerlad 5y ago
    And then you as a consumer would have to pay for professional opinions and clinicians. Not for prescription medications, but ordinary products. Bad idea. A better way is to learn about a product through advertisement, and then you can read online reviews to see if the product works as advertised.
    - chin123 5y ago
      Why do you need ads for this? I don't remember the last time I bought something because of an ad. You don't need to pay for professional opinions on everything. I wanted to buy a pair of headphones recently, and so I just scouted the various headphone discussion forums on the internet (head-fi, r/headphones etc) and there was a lot of high quality information and opinions and I was able to make an informed purchase while paying nothing extra. It is very rare that I'm looking for a product and I can't find recommendations this way, and even if that happens I can ask my friends. The best part is that they probably don't gain anything from you buying some product, and that increases my level of confidence on the veracity of their reviews and recommendations. At this point I've pretty much trained myself to zone out when I see an ad because it is probably peddling some mediocre crap.

thomascgalvin 5y ago

> Ads for legit weight loss products ... There are none. Or, at least, there are few that the number is indiscernable from zero.

meowkit 5y ago

Weight loss is something you should go speak to a trainier or a nutritionist about. There is no shortcut or product. It’s calories in, calories out based on your resting metabolism + activity. Do not eat processed foods. Unprocessed whole foods, lots of fiber and micronutrients. There is no one best specific diet for everyone. There is no one best specific exercise regime. You figure it out from trial and error. We don’t need ads for this stuff.

edanm 5y ago
How do you know about this? And how do you expect people who don't currently know this to learn about it? Ads are a way to get someone with a product (which can include knowledge products like cico and diets) to be and to spread the word about those products.

jmuguy 5y ago

Don't see a lot of ads for broccoli online

mdoms 5y ago

> Ads for legit weight loss products should be allowed Sorry, why? Pinterest is a privately owned company, they are absolutely entitled to decide who they want to let advertise on their own website. Who are you to tell them what content "should" be displayed to their users?

KeepFlying 5y ago

A better analogy would be if wheelchair companies were causing people to be ashamed of using their legs and preying on a societal hatred of "walking people" and making everyone feel like they need a wheelchair to be accepted in society at all. If weight loss things were FDA approved, effective, and didn't carry the weight of a society that tells people that being overweight (or even just feeling overweight) makes you less respected as a human being, then I'd totally agree with you that they shouldn't be banned outright. But unfortunately with how we currently look at weight loss it's not as simple.