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CNN Live Saturday

Interview With Lisa Drayer

Aired December 14, 2003 - 18:43   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: The end of the year is fast approaching and if one of your New Years resolutions is to lose weight, the federal government has some words of warning. CNN's Julie Vallese has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As millions of Americans fight the battle of the bulge, looking for the perfect diet or that all illusive miracle pill, a new campaign is under way to help raise a red flag to fraudulent advertising.

TIMOTHY MURIS, FTC CHAIRMAN: This business education is designed to give the media the tools they need to help protect their readers, viewers and listeners from weight loss fraud.

VALLESE: The Red Flag guide contains what the Federal Trade Commission says are seven too good to be true claims, including weight loss without diet or exercise, permanent weight loss or the use of patches and creams to shed pounds.

(on camera): Participation in the campaign is voluntary. The FTC has no authority to enforce the recommendations but believes it is in the media's best interest to comply.

MURIS: Overall, the media's good faith effort to use the guide and reduce the dissemination of the most egregious, false weight loss ads will have a positive effect and be valuable for consumers.

VALLESE (voice-over): And the infomercial industry sees the value as well, not only for better business but a better reputation.

BARBARA TULIPANE, ELECTRONIC RETAIL INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION: I think it will be good for our members because the good will rise to the top. And the people who aren't reputable will be out of the industry.

VALLESE: What to do if there isn't across the board compliance is a bridge the FTC says it will cross when it has to. Until then, it says, the commission will keep doing what it has always done bring legal action against companies making fraudulent claims. Julie Vallesse, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Avoiding the pitfalls of bad diets is quite a challenge, so joining me to sort through some of the diet dos and don'ts is a registered dietitian Lisa Drayer with Dietwatch.com, a lot of d's there, Lisa. Hi, how are you?

LISA DRAYER, DIETWATCH.COM: Hi, good, how are you doing?

LIN: You know, I was wondering some of these claims are so fantastic, lose 20 pounds in a week, just take this pill. Why do you think people actually buy into it to begin with?

DRAYER: You know, I wonder that often myself. And sometimes it is some of the most rationale people that I know. But I think that the reason is that when we want to lose weight it is not always for health reasons. Sometimes it is. But often times, it is to fit into the dress for New Years or to look slim for the college reunion. And so, it is often an emotional or a psychological decision and manufacturers know this. And they have these claims that are very enticing. And so we make this impulse purchase, even if we know deep down, you know, it is not necessarily the smart way to lose weight. But the key is that a lot of these pills and quick fixes can have the potential to do harm. So do we need to be careful.

LIN: I want to go through just a couple of the FTC red flags and then ask you for some of your own as you see some of these ads. For example, the FTC says watch out for anything that is claimed to cause weight loss of two pounds or more a week for a moth or more without diet or exercise, cause substantial weight loss no matter what or how much the consumer eats. I mean, is it possible Lisa, I know some people who say I don't know I have just lost a few pounds here and I haven't really changed what I have done. Is that possible?

DRAYER: The answer can it be done in a safe manner, no. I am not going to deny the fact that there are pills out there that enable your metabolism to speed up and, therefore, increase the rate at which you burn you calories without making changes in your diet or exercise. But these are simply not safe tools to use. The most effective and safe way to lose weight is to cut back on your calories and to increase your physical activity. And we are talking about a net calorie deficit of 500 calories per day that will enable you to lose one pound per week safely and keep it off over the long term.

LIN: But wait, there are some pills out there that actually claim that they block the absorption of fat and calories.

DRAYER: You know, if they do, which I am not sure it will have a substantial effect, there is the potential to also decrease the absorption of fat soluble vitamins, because we need fight. And we need fight to absorb vitamins A, D, E and K, for example. So, again, it is just not a safe way to go.

LIN: All right. So some of your actual terrific New Years resolutions, can you share some of them?

DRAYER: Sure, I have simple strategies. The idea is that you don't have to change your diet overnight. But if you just take some simple steps. For example, if every day, you know, you have whole milk in your coffee and you just switch to one percent you are saving 50 calories on a daily basis. It translates to about 2 1/2 pounds per year. Now you can add an extra pound if you do skim milk, instead. Also, if you cut the sugar out of your coffee you are saving about 25 calories a day. That translates to 3 pounds per year.

LIN: Wow. That cup of coffee can really add up.

DRAYER: Exactly. And especially if you have more than one cup per day, which many of us do. But other examples I like are, you know, salad dressing. A tablespoon of salad dressing has about 80 calories. If you do fat free, you are talking some are as low as 20 calories. So that can save you about 13 pounds over the year. And my favorite example is soda, if instead of grabbing that can of soda, which is 140 calories, you substituted it with water, you would lose 15 pounds over the year, just by making that one simple change.

LIN: Wow, all right. And something else to think about is as your kids are growing up maybe not to introduce them to soda so quickly.

DRAYER: Soda and juice, yes.

LIN: But one of your pieces of advice I find interesting because it doesn't mean depriving yourself, for example, when you go to the movie theater, buy something instead of another, for example.

DRAYER: The gummy bears.

LIN: Yes, the popcorn.

DRAYER: Exactly, because the popcorn at the movies is like probably the worse choice, simply because often times the popcorn is popped in oil which brings the calorie count to over a thousand calories for that monster bucket. And that's before you add the butter.

LIN: Oh dear, I just had one of those.

DRAYER: That's a no, no.

LIN: Back to the treadmill and the gummy bears at the movies. Thanks so much, Lisa. You have a great holiday.

DRAYER: You, too.

LIN: Lisa Drayer.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired December 14, 2003 - 18:43   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: The end of the year is fast approaching and if one of your New Years resolutions is to lose weight, the federal government has some words of warning. CNN's Julie Vallese has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As millions of Americans fight the battle of the bulge, looking for the perfect diet or that all illusive miracle pill, a new campaign is under way to help raise a red flag to fraudulent advertising.

TIMOTHY MURIS, FTC CHAIRMAN: This business education is designed to give the media the tools they need to help protect their readers, viewers and listeners from weight loss fraud.

VALLESE: The Red Flag guide contains what the Federal Trade Commission says are seven too good to be true claims, including weight loss without diet or exercise, permanent weight loss or the use of patches and creams to shed pounds.

(on camera): Participation in the campaign is voluntary. The FTC has no authority to enforce the recommendations but believes it is in the media's best interest to comply.

MURIS: Overall, the media's good faith effort to use the guide and reduce the dissemination of the most egregious, false weight loss ads will have a positive effect and be valuable for consumers.

VALLESE (voice-over): And the infomercial industry sees the value as well, not only for better business but a better reputation.

BARBARA TULIPANE, ELECTRONIC RETAIL INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION: I think it will be good for our members because the good will rise to the top. And the people who aren't reputable will be out of the industry.

VALLESE: What to do if there isn't across the board compliance is a bridge the FTC says it will cross when it has to. Until then, it says, the commission will keep doing what it has always done bring legal action against companies making fraudulent claims. Julie Vallesse, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Avoiding the pitfalls of bad diets is quite a challenge, so joining me to sort through some of the diet dos and don'ts is a registered dietitian Lisa Drayer with Dietwatch.com, a lot of d's there, Lisa. Hi, how are you?

LISA DRAYER, DIETWATCH.COM: Hi, good, how are you doing?

LIN: You know, I was wondering some of these claims are so fantastic, lose 20 pounds in a week, just take this pill. Why do you think people actually buy into it to begin with?

DRAYER: You know, I wonder that often myself. And sometimes it is some of the most rationale people that I know. But I think that the reason is that when we want to lose weight it is not always for health reasons. Sometimes it is. But often times, it is to fit into the dress for New Years or to look slim for the college reunion. And so, it is often an emotional or a psychological decision and manufacturers know this. And they have these claims that are very enticing. And so we make this impulse purchase, even if we know deep down, you know, it is not necessarily the smart way to lose weight. But the key is that a lot of these pills and quick fixes can have the potential to do harm. So do we need to be careful.

LIN: I want to go through just a couple of the FTC red flags and then ask you for some of your own as you see some of these ads. For example, the FTC says watch out for anything that is claimed to cause weight loss of two pounds or more a week for a moth or more without diet or exercise, cause substantial weight loss no matter what or how much the consumer eats. I mean, is it possible Lisa, I know some people who say I don't know I have just lost a few pounds here and I haven't really changed what I have done. Is that possible?

DRAYER: The answer can it be done in a safe manner, no. I am not going to deny the fact that there are pills out there that enable your metabolism to speed up and, therefore, increase the rate at which you burn you calories without making changes in your diet or exercise. But these are simply not safe tools to use. The most effective and safe way to lose weight is to cut back on your calories and to increase your physical activity. And we are talking about a net calorie deficit of 500 calories per day that will enable you to lose one pound per week safely and keep it off over the long term.

LIN: But wait, there are some pills out there that actually claim that they block the absorption of fat and calories.

DRAYER: You know, if they do, which I am not sure it will have a substantial effect, there is the potential to also decrease the absorption of fat soluble vitamins, because we need fight. And we need fight to absorb vitamins A, D, E and K, for example. So, again, it is just not a safe way to go.

LIN: All right. So some of your actual terrific New Years resolutions, can you share some of them?

DRAYER: Sure, I have simple strategies. The idea is that you don't have to change your diet overnight. But if you just take some simple steps. For example, if every day, you know, you have whole milk in your coffee and you just switch to one percent you are saving 50 calories on a daily basis. It translates to about 2 1/2 pounds per year. Now you can add an extra pound if you do skim milk, instead. Also, if you cut the sugar out of your coffee you are saving about 25 calories a day. That translates to 3 pounds per year.

LIN: Wow. That cup of coffee can really add up.

DRAYER: Exactly. And especially if you have more than one cup per day, which many of us do. But other examples I like are, you know, salad dressing. A tablespoon of salad dressing has about 80 calories. If you do fat free, you are talking some are as low as 20 calories. So that can save you about 13 pounds over the year. And my favorite example is soda, if instead of grabbing that can of soda, which is 140 calories, you substituted it with water, you would lose 15 pounds over the year, just by making that one simple change.

LIN: Wow, all right. And something else to think about is as your kids are growing up maybe not to introduce them to soda so quickly.

DRAYER: Soda and juice, yes.

LIN: But one of your pieces of advice I find interesting because it doesn't mean depriving yourself, for example, when you go to the movie theater, buy something instead of another, for example.

DRAYER: The gummy bears.

LIN: Yes, the popcorn.

DRAYER: Exactly, because the popcorn at the movies is like probably the worse choice, simply because often times the popcorn is popped in oil which brings the calorie count to over a thousand calories for that monster bucket. And that's before you add the butter.

LIN: Oh dear, I just had one of those.

DRAYER: That's a no, no.

LIN: Back to the treadmill and the gummy bears at the movies. Thanks so much, Lisa. You have a great holiday.

DRAYER: You, too.

LIN: Lisa Drayer.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com