Part 1:

Assignment: Managing Your Weight-Product Investigation

The challenge of sifting through all of the information regarding nutrition and fitness can be overwhelming. The assignment this week focuses on becoming an informed consumer when it comes to making decisions regarding nutrition and fitness products and/or methods.

Find a website that either sells fitness or health and wellness products. Examples could be but are not limited to muscle building supplements, recovery products, energy-enhancers, fat-burning products, specialized diets.

Type a summary of the website including ALL of the following information:

- Product overview-what is it supposed to do?
- Who does the company want as the customer? How do you know this?
- Where there any "red flags" about your product?
- Go to: consumerlab

Type in your product. What did you find?

Look for the following "red flags" when you are looking into your selected product or method.

1. Quick fix promises.
2. Claims that sound too good to be true.
3. Simple conclusions from a complex study.
4. Recommendations based on a single study.
5. Secret formulas.
6. Where is product advertised-Popular magazine versus academic journal.
7. Recommendations based on studies not peer-reviewed.
8. Counter indications or limitations.
9. Testamonials from personal experience.
10. If any was claimed, who conducted (or funded) the "research"?

Part 2: Watch the following youtube video and answer the question: "Why dieting doesn't usually work | Sandra Aamodt"

This talk is contrary to what the nutrition industry would like us to think. How might the information you heard in Sandra Aamondts' talk influence the way you look at "quick fix" solutions for nutrition, weight loss and fitness?