LiVea: The Latest in Diet Scams, Makes 79-lb. Weight Loss Promise Without a Lap Band

How is it that LiVea, like many other diet scams, can get away with "before and after" pictures of dieters who allegedly shed the excess weight, and yet still wear the same bikinis? Two of the "test subjects" pictured as having lost weight using LiVea are wearing the same bikini with the exact same color and style, and yet they've now lost all this weight. We'll just have to assume that our test subjects just like to wear the same fashions after losing their "67" or "79" lbs. In the wacky world of weight loss products, all you have to do to claim success in weight loss is to just pick a number that sounds good. The ad starts off with a "79-lb" weight loss promise, but later claims that "numerous scientific studies" only supported a "67-lb" weight loss. Oh well, let's have some fun with this, shall we?

LiVea, in their advertisement for their "all natural nutritional supplements," bills themselves as an alternative to costly lapband surgery, claimed by them to cost between $10,000 to $15,000. Yet the disclaimer which appears at the bottom of this advertisement claims "these statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration," and that "this product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The advertisement claims "numerous scientific studies" in which "test subjects lost 67 lbs." Where are these scientific studies? The ad relies on a lot of false perceptions, including a picture of a lab technician in a white coat, diagramming an unknown chemical equation, as if to create the impression that LiVea is some sort of scientific breakthrough.

Apparently, LiVea's real claim to fame is its function as an appetite suppressant. "When taken daily, LiVea stimulates appetite peptides that help you stop eating." Really! How is this supposed to help you avoid costly Lap Band treatment? According to www.godietpills.com, a website source that reviews diet pills that work, LiVea doesn't publish a list of their ingredients on the side of the bottle, and claims that "peptides do not promote weight loss at all." The same website points out that LiVea claims "no side effects," but also reminds us that without a list of ingredients provided by the manufacturer, the claim of "no side effects" is unsubstantiated.

The endorsement of the product by Dr. Joseph Fayad, decked out in his white coat and stethoscope, is somehow less than reassuring. Claiming to be the "co-founder of Well World Science," our would-be dieter anxious to obtain a supply of LiVea, should know that the co-founder claims, in his resumé found at the Well World Science website, to "treat upwards to 200 patients per week and performs up to 1,500 operational procedures annually." How is this possible? Assuming our hero works 60 hours a week and according to his own resumé, treats "200 patients per week," that's just slightly more than 3 patients an hour! How many doctors put in that many hours a week? But wait! Let's not forget the "1,500 operational procedures!" Even without the "200 patients per week," 1,500 operational procedures handled over the course of a 50-week year, assuming the good doctor takes at least 2 weeks off, would mean one operation every two hours of each day, plus treating 3 patients per hour! Do the math. Fifty weeks multiplied by sixty hours per week comes out to 3,000 hours. This can be verified by checking out www.wellworldscience.com, and checking out the "Executive Management" tab, featuring our hero, Dr. Joseph Fayad, who evidently doesn't sleep much.

Now, after all this, if you STILL want to order LiVea, you can pay $3.95 for shipping, charged to your credit card, of course. Then you have fifteen days to "evaluate the product." If you do nothing, the sellers of LiVea will then "bill your credit card $59.95," excuse me, "bill your credit card the SUPER LOW price of $59.95." Let's not forget, that if you continue with this diet "program," you are automatically enrolled in the "FREE membership" roster of the "LiVea VIP Program." The most notable benefit here is that your credit card will continue to be billed "the low price of $59.95 every 30 days" in order to make certain you have a "fresh supply." Although the terms and conditions can be found at the bottom of the advertisement, without hiding everything behind a hidden "Terms and Conditions" link, LiVea appears to be yet another attempt to market a snake oil cure for people anxious to deal with a weight control problem. Despite claims of "numerous scientific studies," none are cited. It makes the preposterous claim that its chemical properties containing peptides, which aren't even disclosed on the side of the bottle under a list of ingredients, are somehow a substitute for costly Lap Band treatments. None of the claims of this diet product make any sense, and the doctor endorsement of this product should definitely be questioned.