# Lose kilos of belly fat with this one simple technique **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 5, 2012, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lose-kilos-of-belly-fat-with-this-one-simple-technique/633806 "2012-09-05T23:15:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DataX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lose-kilos-of-belly-fat-with-this-one-simple-technique/633806/21 "2012-09-06T05:34:34Z")
I know some of the recent internet weight lose scams are basically acai berry supplements that then are very difficult for you to cancel. I am not sure if this scam is related to Acai Berry or not, but I would guess it is. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lose-kilos-of-belly-fat-with-this-one-simple-technique/633806/22 "2012-09-06T06:59:56Z")
I virtual machined up and clicked one of those links once. The tip was to never eat the same thing every day because “the cavemen didn’t, and cavemen were obviously lean.” ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lose-kilos-of-belly-fat-with-this-one-simple-technique/633806/23 "2012-09-06T07:31:23Z")
One simple technique for losing belly fat: sell a worthless diet preparation on the internet, get rich, and hire a personal trainer. OK, maybe it’s not that simple. ---
**Author:** ![glaeken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@glaeken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glaeken)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lose-kilos-of-belly-fat-with-this-one-simple-technique/633806/24 "2012-09-06T08:51:05Z")
I have seen a few things that claim what the OP was asking. The latest miracle is apparently raspberry ketone. I am sure I remember something else a few years back that was unleashing the miracle power of mango’s though. As far as I am aware these things claim to thoroughly clean out the bowel and reduce swelling of the belly and so give amazing results quickly. They seem to centre around the idea that the bowel never fully clears out properly and so if you could ever get it to do this you could lose inches off your belly very quickly. As for the spammer technique on this sort of thing for forums I see them post what looks like an innocent question and then they let the conversation develop a little at which point they register another account and then post their link in the thread. I think the thinking is by letting the thread develop a little they are getting a few fish on their hook for when they post their actual spam link. As for the validity of the claims it’s telling I think that almost the exact same claims are made for some amazing natural product and then a year later the natural product becomes something else but the claims remain unchanged. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lose-kilos-of-belly-fat-with-this-one-simple-technique/633806/25 "2012-09-06T09:59:13Z")
> [@glaeken](#): > > As for the spammer technique on this sort of thing for forums I see them post what looks like an innocent question and then they let the conversation develop a little at which point they register another account and then post their link in the thread. I think the thinking is by letting the thread develop a little they are getting a few fish on their hook for when they post their actual spam link.. Well, that’s not really spam, is it? At least, not the kind of spam that really irritates people. If somebody (or a robot?) starts a legitimate thread, and then later adds only one post with one link, how much damage does it do to the integrity of the website or the forum? for example, in this thread, I read and enjoyed all the jokes and snarky comments about how to lose weight. If the robot then adds a post with a link, I probably wouldnt bother to click on it, but if I did, I would close it immediately, and go back to reading the Dope. One bad post in a thread with, say, 20 good posts ain’t so bad. ---
**Author:** ![FuzzyOgre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@FuzzyOgre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuzzyOgre)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lose-kilos-of-belly-fat-with-this-one-simple-technique/633806/26 "2012-09-06T10:31:42Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Well, that’s not really spam, is it? At least, not the kind of spam that really irritates people. > If somebody (or a robot?) starts a legitimate thread, and then later adds only one post with one link, how much damage does it do to the integrity of the website or the forum? > > for example, in this thread, I read and enjoyed all the jokes and snarky comments about how to lose weight. If the robot then adds a post with a link, I probably wouldnt bother to click on it, but if I did, I would close it immediately, and go back to reading the Dope. > One bad post in a thread with, say, 20 good posts ain’t so bad. Yes, but they tend to accumulate. Once you have legitimate conversation laced in with spam, its hard to clean up. You’ve probably noticed that some people resurrect 10 year old threads here. Its frowned upon, but occasionally it quickly spawns more pages of conversation. You can imagine after 10+ years of the dope, there is a lot of accumulated cruft. Thats what spammers want: their ideal spam link is like a purloined letter, hidden in plain sight. ---
**Author:** ![glaeken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@glaeken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glaeken)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lose-kilos-of-belly-fat-with-this-one-simple-technique/633806/27 "2012-09-06T10:33:12Z")
@chappachula What I was referring to is where the spammer pretends to be someone with a legitimate question and then posts again later in the thread under a different name with their spam link. In that method they never had a legitimate question they were just trying to get some activity going on the subject and then they post their link with the amazing answer. It’s a bit more of a hands on approach then some forum spamming but I do see it happening quite often. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lose-kilos-of-belly-fat-with-this-one-simple-technique/633806/28 "2012-09-06T10:39:12Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > I virtual machined up and clicked one of those links once. > > The tip was to never eat the same thing every day because “the cavemen didn’t, and cavemen were obviously lean.” Seriously? Should we also be going out on two-day hunts to catch our food and dropping dead at 30 of easily treatable diseases too? Who do I make my cheque out to? ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lose-kilos-of-belly-fat-with-this-one-simple-technique/633806/29 "2012-09-06T13:47:40Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Seriously? Should we also be going out on two-day hunts to catch our food and dropping dead at 30 of easily treatable diseases too? Who do I make my cheque out to? Me. Easiest GQ I ever answered! ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lose-kilos-of-belly-fat-with-this-one-simple-technique/633806/30 "2012-09-06T14:38:44Z")
I did go far enough to find out the name of one of those products, and googled it. Lots and lots and lots of fiber. To the extent that there were people posting stories of intense stomach cramps and diarrhea, and plenty of pain. ---
**Author:** ![Crab\_Rangoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Crab\_Rangoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crab_Rangoon)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lose-kilos-of-belly-fat-with-this-one-simple-technique/633806/31 "2012-09-06T16:12:21Z")
> [@digs](#): > > I did go far enough to find out the name of one of those products, and googled it. Lots and lots and lots of fiber. To the extent that there were people posting stories of intense stomach cramps and diarrhea, and plenty of pain. Yeah - but I bet your appetite goes way down. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lose-kilos-of-belly-fat-with-this-one-simple-technique/633806/32 "2012-09-06T16:22:58Z")
So, if you eat a lot of spam and it accumulates in your intestines, eating acai berries will clear it out, causing you to lose weight? ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lose-kilos-of-belly-fat-with-this-one-simple-technique/633806/33 "2012-09-06T17:10:21Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > I virtual machined up and clicked one of those links once. > > The tip was to never eat the same thing every day because “the cavemen didn’t, and cavemen were obviously lean.” Well, they must have been lean. Look at them. They’re just bones! ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lose-kilos-of-belly-fat-with-this-one-simple-technique/633806/34 "2012-09-06T17:14:37Z")
There was a disappeared spammer thread in GD the other day claiming that the secret to weight loss was to take supplements crammed full of free radicals. That was just so wrong I had to write up a few paragraphs explaining just HOW wrong it was, even though I knew the thread was about to vanish. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lose-kilos-of-belly-fat-with-this-one-simple-technique/633806/35 "2012-09-06T19:18:14Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > I virtual machined up and clicked one of those links once. > > The tip was to never eat the same thing every day because “the cavemen didn’t, and cavemen were obviously lean.” Yeah, the ones you find around these days are literally _skeletons_! ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lose-kilos-of-belly-fat-with-this-one-simple-technique/633806/36 "2012-09-06T20:33:25Z")
My understanding that there’s currently no way to focus where fat is removed. That is, you can get lean by eating less and/or exercising more, but where the fat comes off is based on how your own body works. Situps don’t remove more fat from your abs; leg exercises don’t remove more fat from your thighs, and pushups won’t – well, you get the idea. Likewise, one diet won’t make your butt leaner, another your belly. Maybe someday when we understand the control systems better we’ll be able to target fat removal, similar to the way the body seems to target areas when it adds or removes fat (usually the wrong places, according to my female friends). But we’re a long way from that. If I’m wrong, please fight ignorance. I’m unarmed, so it shouldn’t be hard. ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lose-kilos-of-belly-fat-with-this-one-simple-technique/633806/37 "2012-09-06T21:28:00Z")
I was horrified recently when my surgeon (hip replacement) recommended a diet that involved injections from the urine of pregnant women and a 500 calorie a day diet. Man, he’s a great surgeon, but wow! did this lower him in my eyes! I wonder if this is what the ad is about, since that diet is all about belly fat (per insane surgeon): ---
**Author:** ![Rucksinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/898d66/32.png) [@Rucksinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rucksinator)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lose-kilos-of-belly-fat-with-this-one-simple-technique/633806/38 "2012-09-10T22:15:31Z")
> [@Trepa\_Mayfield](#): > > While we’re on the topic, can someone tell me the trick to learning any language in ten days? I keep seeing the “language professors _hate_ him” ads, but I can’t fathom what they actually say. I’m not sure if this is the same, but I keep hearing ads claiming “learn a new language the same way you learned your first language!” Every time I think “How are they going to get my family to speak to me in this foreign language for a few years?” ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lose-kilos-of-belly-fat-with-this-one-simple-technique/633806/39 "2012-09-11T05:46:57Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > It doesn’t work unless it’s a weird tip invented by a local mom. Is that the same local mother who is 57 but looks 29? I’d really like to know her secret but I can’t be bothered to click on the link. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lose-kilos-of-belly-fat-with-this-one-simple-technique/633806/40 "2012-09-11T09:28:24Z")
> [@Rucksinator](#): > > I’m not sure if this is the same, but I keep hearing ads claiming “learn a new language the same way you learned your first language!” Every time I think “How are they going to get my family to speak to me in this foreign language for a few years?” I assume the language method is the [Michel Thomas Method](http://www.michelthomas.com/). It’s very highly regarded apparently. My nephew who speaks 3 languages other than English has used it. When he did it I don’t think it was very well known. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lose-kilos-of-belly-fat-with-this-one-simple-technique/633806.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lose-kilos-of-belly-fat-with-this-one-simple-technique/633806.md?page=3)