It's that time of year when millions of people make resolutions to once again try to lose those same unwanted kilos. But only 5 to 10 percent of us will succeed with just a small fraction of the lucky ones retaining results in the long rung. Diane Berry, a nurse practitioner and postdoctoral fellow at the Yale School of Nursing, conducted in-depth interviews with true weight loss champions -- 18 women who had lost at least 15 pounds and up to 144 pounds (and all had kept it off for an average of seven years). "Eighty-five to ninety percent of people regain any weight they’ve lost within 3-5 years". And the weight loss industry is booming. From pills, potions and programs to gadgets, diet food and drinks, we're gobbling them up, seeking an easy solution to our weight problems. You've heard it all - Eat more, exercise less, stay satisfied and still lose weight. Just three minutes a day will get you the body of your dreams. Drop pounds by eating as much fat and protein as your stomach can handle. And the list goes on. These are all hot buttons that advertisers push in order to sell the product.

An FTC review of more than 300 ads from radio, television, magazines and newspapers that ran during 2001-2002 found that a whopping 55 percent made claims promising more than the product or service could likely deliver. Don't believe everything you see and hear. Learn to read these ads with a big dollop of skepticism. Even 'Scientifically proven' or 'doctor-endorsed' products do not garantee that they work. Claims of being tested at "respected," "major" or "leading" medical centers or universities are rarely supported by the information on where the study was conducted, by whom or where it was published. And more often than not there's no scientific evidence behind these claims.

And what about recommendations from other people? Common on television, in print ads and on the Internet are the "before and after" testimonials -- personal accounts of success -- in support of a product or service, many with before and after photographs. Unfortunately, these provide little reliable information about what consumers can expect from using the product.

Typically, in the "before" photos, the person appears with poor posture, a neutral facial expression, unkempt hair, unfashionable clothes and washed-out skin tones. The "after" photos generally are better lit. The person stands with shoulders held back, tummy tucked in, wearing smarter-looking clothes and is carefully made up, coiffed and smiling.

More than 10 percent of the testimonials reviewed by the FTC claimed an amount of weight loss that was extremely unlikely -- if not impossible. The rest claimed results that occurred in a very small percentage of users.

What may sound surprising is that sometimes companies take healthy people, make them overeat and the "after" picture shown is really what the person looked like before they began overeating. Deceptive ads compound an already serious national health crisis by steering consumers away from methods that have demonstrated benefits.

So don't be surprised if once again you find yourself being 'ripped off' when the promised benefits of the purchased product fail to occur. And remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Especially when it comes to heath, there are shortcuts to the place worth-travelling.

Millions of us succumb to quick-fix claims and find it hard to believe in this age of scientific breakthroughs and medical miracles that an effortless weight-loss method doesn't exist. Even with appearance of some questionable pills that control appetite there can be serious side effects.

Science has yet to come up with a low-risk magic bullet for weight loss.Let's face it - you can't solve years of overeating overnight.

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