Pills that claim to burn fat are total scams. And if you’re a seasoned keto dieter, you probably already know this.
Unfortunately for newer dieters, Google and Amazon data suggests that keto weight loss pill scams are still making millions of dollars in sales each year, despite widespread debunking from the Dr. Oz Show and Snopes.
Dr. Steven Heymsfield, a specialist in weight loss treatments even states, “There’s no scientific proof these keto pills work.”
Below, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the Shark Tank scam. This includes:
- Was it a complete scam, or was there an element of truth to it?
- Do Americans today still believe a keto weight loss pill was endorsed by Shark Tank?
- Is it even possible to create a keto pill for weight loss?
- Why do such scams persist, and what can be done about them?
The Truth About Shark Tank Keto Pills
The story goes something like this: In 2018, two sisters from Illinois named Anna and Samantha Martin appeared on an episode of Shark Tank, where they pitched a product called Slim Fit 180, a keto pill that helps people lose weight. The Shark Tank judges were so impressed they invested one million dollars for 25 percent of the company.
The only problem is that this never happened, and no keto pills or drinks were featured on Shark Tank, nor did Melissa McCarthy, Chrissy Teigen or Kevin Smith lose weight taking them.
These pills are simply 800mg of BHB or Beta Hydroxybutyrate that has zero effect on your body.
So avoid buying anything from “companies” like:
- PureFit Keto
- Keto Legend
- Holistic Bliss Keto
- Keto Rapid Max Pure
- Keto Max Burn
- Keto Supreme
- Keto RX
- Maxwell Keto
- Envy Naturals Keto
- Ultra Apex Keto
If you dig deeper, you’ll find that the pictures these scammers used were for a totally different product.
The previously mentioned sisters’ real names are Megan Reilly and Sarah Nuse. They appeared on season 2, episode 201 of Shark Tank, where they pitched Tippi Toes, a service that teaches young girls jazz and hip-hop dance techniques.
According to the official Shark Tank website, the sisters landed a $100,000 deal with Mark Cuban in exchange for 30 percent equity.
So scammers will use actual pictures from Shark Tank and say that their product was a major success in hopes of attracting naive customers.
The simple truth is that there has never been a keto pill on Shark Tank, and anyone that tells you otherwise is trying to sell you a weight loss pill that doesn’t work.
State Of The Scam Today
Our survey data suggests that 25 percent of the American population believes there was a keto pill on Shark Tank.
What’s worse is that sketchy websites are ranking on the first page of Google and getting shoutouts from other reputable companies. Take a look at this screenshot that shows nearly 10,000 people search for Shark Tank keto pills every month in the US alone.
Google searches for Shark Tank keto pills have been consistently high over the last five years, with little signs of slowing.
Amazon also has a healthy amount of users searching for weight loss pills, with a monthly search volume of 6,200.
Fortunately, only 18 percent of people end up clicking on these products with fewer buying it, which means most don’t like what they see.
The Truth About Keto Weight Loss Pills
Medical research shows that taking a keto weight loss pill does nothing to burn fat. To understand why we must first know what a ketogenic diet is.
What Is A Ketogenic Diet
A ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that encourages your body to use ketones for fuel instead of glucose. This requires around three to four days of carb restriction, and when your body produce ketones, you’re considered to be in ketosis.
Does Keto Pills Work?
In short, keto pills won’t help you lose weight.
You’ll see countless exogenous keto weight loss pills, drinks, and powders that apparently trigger ketosis and weight loss. However, it’s impossible to trigger ketosis without restricting carbs.
Ketones don’t cause your stored fat cells to release fat and help you lose weight. Instead, ketones are a result of your body burning fat when restricting carb consumption.
Still don’t believe me? Here’s what Dr. Monica Chan has to say about keto pills. “Be very wary of any supplements being pushed via email or pop-up ad – these points of contact are more likely to lead to a scam product.”
Should You Consider Buying Keto Boosting Supplements?
However, a keto dietary supplement isn’t useless.
If someone has Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease, keto supplements can help manage their condition. Research shows that ketones can improve cognitive and motor performance while boosting immune system function.
But the issue is that most keto pills don’t provide your body with exogenous ketones. It’s just small amounts of BHB which does nothing.
So if you’re looking to increase the amount of ketones in your blood, shop with a reputable company like Perfect Keto. Although this weight loss supplement won’t boost weight loss, it can increase your blood ketone levels.
Read our detailed Perfect Keto review.
Why Are Keto Diet Pills The “Perfect Scam”?
Even though there are countless medical papers proving that keto diet pills don’t work, sketchy companies are still making a killing. We believe this is because of four primary reasons:
- People are desperate to lose weight
- The Shark Tank effect is a real thing
- There’s little scrutiny on social media
- Google still has scam websites in the top 10 searches
People Are Desperate To Lose Weight
The main reason keto scammers are still making millions is that people are desperate to get healthy and lose weight.
And even though the only way to lose weight is to eat a sustainable, healthy diet free from processed foods, many want the easy way out. They want to enjoy their favorite junk foods while achieving their weight loss goals, so they buy these pills.
An effective way to prevent your close friends and family from getting taken advantage of is to talk to them about the ketogenic diet. Send them helpful resources and educate them about the Shark Tank scam.
By spreading awareness, we’re educating more people and preventing them from fattening the wallets of scammers.
The Shark Tank Effect Is A Real Thing
The Shark Tank effect is the phenomenon in which companies that simply appear on the show without getting an offer will significantly increase sales. Basically, the losers are still winners. If you want to learn more about Shark Tank statistics, feel free to visit Humble Raise.
Even if a company was never featured on Shark Tank, if unethical salesmen can convince enough people that they were, they’ll build credibility and sell more products.
So keto scammers use this to their advantage. They’ll write articles and ads about how their product received millions from Shark Tank judges and copy and paste a fake picture to make their story believable. Anyone who hasn’t done enough research will buy into this, and purchase their product.
The Lack Of Scrutiny On Social Media
Although articles and online videos are speaking out against keto scams, the number of influencers promoting them far outweighs the critics.
So when someone desperate to lose weight stumbles upon a magic pill, they are likely to ignore the small number of skeptics and instead believe the high amount of supporters being paid to spread misinformation.
We as a community can stop this and help others lose weight by bringing light to this issue. If you find posts on social media talking about how you can lose weight with a simple pill, don’t ignore them. Post a comment about how research shows this is impossible and link to reliable studies.
Or, if someone you know started selling keto pills, speak up and make them aware of how they’re taking advantage of other people’s desperation.
Google Still Has Scam Websites In The Top 10 Searches
I also noticed that many scam websites rank in the top 10 search results on Google for “Shark Tank keto pills,” which gives the false impression of credibility.
So when individuals start researching these weight loss pills, they’ll find websites on the first page of Google, and automatically think they are legit.
Final Thoughts On Shark Tank Weight Loss Supplements
Can you eat all the junk food in the world, avoid hitting the gym, and simply take a magic keto pill to lose weight? The short answer is no!
Keto scammers are looking to take advantage of vulnerable people new to weight loss. So they’ll say that their pill appeared on Shark Tank and use the pictures of real contestants to make their magic pill more believable.
The main reasons why people still fall for this fat burner scam is because they are desperate to lose weight, the Shark Tank effect creates false credibility, there’s little scrutiny on social media and Google still has scam websites in the top 10 searches.
The good news is that we can put a stop to this. Educate your friends and family about healthy weight loss and tell them to avoid this scam. If you see anyone promoting keto pills on social media, post a comment disproving it and link to resources that’ll help anyone new to keto.
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