Before and after: The truth about diet photos

December 9, 9:30 AMDenver Low Carb ExaminerLinda Duffy

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Before and after pictures are often used to promote diet plans and diet products. They often show dramatic results that are credited to whatever product is being hyped. Too bad these before and afters have more to do with fantasy than reality. Here are a few examples of why you can't believe your own eyes.

Featured on the always amusing Failblog, these photos are a great example. Not only does this product make you lose weight, it causes spontaneous race change!

Jillian Barberie, formerly a Fox channel sportscaster, touts a 41 lb weight loss and credits it to Nutrisystem. Sounds impressive until you realize that her before picture is of her in a maternity dress. Her weight loss secret is apparently Nutrisystem, a personal trainer...and giving birth.

One of the most notorious before and after shots, these photos were used to promote the Kimkins diet plan. Kimkins was promoted as a faster, healthier way to lose weight than the low-carb Atkins plan. Careful study of the diet plan showed it to be a starvation diet that caused health problems including hair loss, gall bladder attacks, heart problems and fainting. The before photo is of the founder, Heidi "Kimmer" Diaz. The after photo? Stolen from a Russian bride website.

An actual photo of "Kimmer" taken during a deposition. She is currently the target of a class action lawsuit for fraud.

Anyone product can claim to deliver dramatic weight loss results, but don't believe everything you see. Many times you are being shown marketing hype, creative digital photo editing and outright lies.