SCAM ALERT: Custom Keto Diet Is A Marketing Trap

What would you do if you meet a new person and the first thing they say is clearly a lie?  You’d likely runaway.  Well, pretty much the first thing that Custom Keto Diet tells you is a lie:  its creator Rachel Roberts doesn’t exist.   Our advice:  runaway!   This scam is yet another one of the weight loss pill schemes that proliferate on the Web.  Much like the abominable Keto Ultra Diet, and Pure Fit Keto, this one claims claims to offer customized meal plans for $37.  There are a number of red warning flags about Custom Keto Diet that lead us to conclude that this product is a scam and should be avoided.   If you mistakenly sign-up for this, you’ll become a target for even more misinformation and bad advice.

Why Custom Keto Should Be Avoided

So what are you getting for your hard earned $37?  They won’t tell you until you give them a whole bunch of personal information.    First, it resorts to a marketing strategy in which it enlists an army of “marketing affiliates” who create the fake review websites that use terms like “scam” “does it work” and “review” to rope in unsuspecting consumers who think they are actually getting objective information. Instead, they are getting fake info for which the affiliates will receive very lucrative commissions through Clickbank. And guess who is paying for those commissions?

This posting at Clickbank is telling affiliate marketers that they will pay out $39.28 from every consumer who purchases this plan. Given that they only charge $37 for people who sign up, this confirms that they use upselling to squeeze more money from the unsuspecting consumers.   The marketers then describe their scheme to these fake reviewers:

Brought to you from the creators of multiple million dollar offers in several different niches, rest assured we know what we are doing to maximise conversions and put money into YOUR pocket!  We have personally spent tens of thousands of dollars split testing and optimising our sales funnel so YOU get the very best conversions for your traffic.  We follow up with every optin that doesn’t buy to sell them on the great features and benefits of a Keto diet and also follow up with the buyers to upsell additional products to really maximise the ROI from every lead.

This is a red-flashing light that a scam is afoot.  You are an upsell opportunity to these marketers and they’ll keep trying to sell you more and more.

Rachel Roberts Isn’t A Fitness Coach and Likely Doesn’t Exist

The so-called creator of the Custom Keto Diet is nowhere to be found by the search engines.   Like so many of these scam diets, the alleged creators are usually paid actors.  Ms. Roberts, if she exists, has apparently never given a speech or written any articles other than this marketing pitch that these marketers already admit was brought to you from “the creators of multiple million dollar offers in several different niches”.    The Bottom Line:  Rachel Roberts is likely non-existent.  If she does exist, she continues to refuse to prove to us that she’s the one who came up with this diet plan.

Keto Diets Are Unproven

Sadly, Keto dieting may be possibly the worst diet fad out there because it’s not a sustainable diet (apologies to the Grapefruit Diet, which has you eating nothing but grapefruit until you commit yourself to a mental health facility).  Keto is a throwback diet to the widely promoted and subsequently discredited Atkins Diet in a wolf’s clothing.   Worst of all, it wrongly views all carbs as undesirable.  The American Heart Association, the National Cholesterol Education Program, and the American Cancer Society all recommend a diet in which a smaller percentage of calories come from protein.  The scientific community is largely in complete agreement:  Americans eat too much animal protein.

The esteemed Mayo Clinic reports that Keto’s high fat and protein content — and especially the high level of unhealthy saturated fat — combined with limits on nutrient-rich fruits, veggies and grains is a concern for long-term heart health.  Some health experts believe that if you eat large amounts of fat and protein from animal sources,your risk of heart disease or certain cancers may actually increase.    Recent studies show that beef consumption is directly linked to gut inflammation and certain types of cancer.

Why the Keto Diet May Be Dangerous

The Keto diet most frequently used was first developed in the 1920s to help children suffering from epilepsy.  It was believed that carbs triggered childhood seizures. It has subsequently morphed into a low-carb diet in which you  cut your carbs down to about 5 percent of your daily intake. Seventy-five percent of your remaining calories come from fat and 20 percent from protein.

It is called a keto diet because after a short period of time on this regimen, you will enter ketosis. Ketosis occurs when you don’t have enough sugar (glucose) for energy, so your body breaks down stored fat, causing ketones to build up in your body.  This is the body’s attempt to deal with the ketone overload.  It’s been known to trigger the Keto Flu,  a well-documented condition in which the body’s reaction to ketosis mimics flu symptoms.  Overtime, a keto diet can also lead to deficiencies in essential vitamins and minerals and increase your risk of kidney stones and potentially heart disease, depending on the types of fats people choose.

For people with diabetes, heart disease, or kidney disease, both the keto diet is a no-no.   A study published in February 2017 in BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care looked at 10 low-carb studies and found dropout rates ranged from 2 percent to 60 percent.

A more recent 2019 study is even more alarming.  A Boston-based cardiologist published a massive, blockbuster global study of the eating patterns of more than 447,000 people around the world.  Her findings showed that no matter where you live or what your daily diet is like, banning entire food groups offers only short term benefits.  Even worse, the longer term impacts will cut your life short.   She pointed to the keto diet as an example of one that has harmful long-term consequences.

Yet another 2019 study published in the journal PLOS Medicine that surveyed the eating habits of 471,495 Europeans over 22 years found that people whose diets had lower “nutritional quality” (i.e., fewer fresh vegetables, legumes, and nuts) were more likely to develop some of the most common and deadliest forms of cancer, including colon, stomach, lung, liver, and breast cancers.

How To Identify A Weight Loss Supplement Scam

Weight loss scams are nothing new. In fact, the FTC has been prosecuting false diet claims since 1927. However, the Internet has greatly accelerated the speed and impact of scammer successes by gaining access to wide audiences and making it easy for them to reap large profits.

This blog spends quite a bit of time exposing some of the worst offenders, but we’ve only scratched the surface.  Regulators have the same problem; since 2005, the FTC has brought 82 cases against scammers for using false or unsubstantiated claims about weight-loss products, and yet they continue to proliferate.  We can try to help protect you, but you’ve got to be alert to the sophisticated tricks being used by the weight-loss scammers.   Here are some red-flashing lights to alert you to a probably scam:

  • The product claims you will lose more than one pound per week. Diet experts believe about one pound per week is the ideal rate for healthy weight loss. Any product that claims it can shed weight faster is probably too good to be true.
  • The product advertises you can lose weight without diet or exercise. It’s not fun to hear, but if you really want to lose weight, a diet and exercise are the only proven and healthy paths.
  • Be alert if it claims you can lose weight from a specific part of your body, that a single factor is preventing your weight loss, and/or any advertisement using the words “miracle,” “scientific breakthrough,” or “secret formula.”
  • The pictures accompanying the ads show dramatic “Before” and “After” pictures.
  • Claims that the supplement blocks the absorption of fat or calories to enable consumers to lose substantial weight;
  • Any product that causes substantial weight loss by wearing a product on the body or rubbing it into the skin.
  • Promises substantial weight loss no matter what or how much you eat.
  • The product uses affiliate websites that claim to “review” the product, but really are just trying to sell it.

The problem has gotten so severe that Congress has held formal hearings to determine whether new laws would help curtail the scourge of false advertising.   Sadly, the hearings didn’t result in any useful reforms.   But there are a number of things that YOU can do to avoid getting suckered by the weight-loss swindlers.   Just like how magicians don’t want to show you how to do a trick, the scammers don’t want you to know their tricks.   That’s why we are going to bust them and show you their tricks.

TRICK #1 –  Endorsements and Friend Referrals

Advertisers are beginning to realize that Millennials have begun to catch on to the fraudulent ads.  Most young consumers no longer trust ads — instead they rely upon referrals by their friends.    So, the Net shysters have retaliated by creating fake referrals.  That’s why many recent email scams have used Americans’ faith in their loved ones against them by hijacking email addresses to make it look like the scammers’ pitch was coming from a close friend or family member. In addition, these emails send readers to false versions of respected news websites, giving their false claims an air of objectivity, because even people who might not trust Uncle Fred’s diet tips might accept claims made by faux-journalists.  If you ever get an email, text or Facebook message from a “friend”, here’s what you do:

  • Always confirm that someone you really know sent you the email before you pay any money or volunteer any personal information.
  • Even if a site shows the logo of a major network, that doesn’t mean it’s legitimate. Check out the other headlines the page links to. Take a look at the ads on the page.
  • Are all the ads directing you to weight loss products or other similar businesses?
  • If you’re still unsure about a product or offer, question everything. What name did the reporter use in the video? Search for it online to make sure he or she works for that network.
  • Look up the product and see if it’s for sale at a legitimate store. Call the friend who sent you the email. Ask your doctor.

TRICK #2 – Before and After Pictures

The camera never lies….right?  You know better than that.  And when it comes to weight-loss photos and testimonials, you can be sure that the weight-loss tricksters are playing fast and loose with the camera.    Just read two stories:  one by a weight-loss model who was paid to lose weight in 30 days and one by a guy who explains how the camera can be used to fake weight loss.   You’ll never believe a Before and After picture again……nor should you.  Some of the tricks that the fakesters use include:

  • The before picture is taken in the morning, prior to eating and after completely voiding the bladder making the model appear the thinnest. Manipulating posture dramatically changes appearance as well;  internally rotating and wearing longer underwear makes the legs appear smaller.
  • Tipping the front of the model’s hips downward, while pushing the stomach out as far as possible makes = abs disappear. Protruding the head forward, and slumping shoulders together make any upper body musculature disappear. And lastly, a depressed look on the face creates an alarming “before” picture.
  • After eating a large breakfast and re-hydrating, models will complete an intense, full-body workout achieving a good “pump.” Retracting shoulders and neck restores proper posture, creating the illusion of upper body musculature.
  • Externally rotating thighs, wearing shorter underwear, and cropping the photo closer, adds to the illusion. Changing the lighting with a lamp, some coconut oil on the skin, and flexing completes the illusion of a transformation

These, and other tricks, make it possible to show a 10- to 20-pound weight loss on a scale in a matter of hours.  Dehydration techniques (fasting and spending time in a sauna) used by wrestlers and martial artists has allowed athletes (especially fighters) to lose 13 pounds in 24 hours.  But it’s simply water weight loss, and posture manipulation, both of which are temporary. Yet, these illusions helps sell thousands of weight loss gimmicks every year.

Other fraudsters will use stock photos and alter them.  If you aren’t sure if the images are authentic, use Google images to perform a reverse-image search. Google can show you all the places using a specific picture. The method for doing this varies based upon your Web browser. Just search “Reverse Image Search Google” to quickly find the instructions that will work best for you.

TRICK #3 –  Lose Weight Fast

Meaningful weight loss requires taking in fewer calories than you use. It’s that simple. Ads promising substantial weight loss without diet or exercise are, by definition, false. And ads suggesting that users can lose weight fast without changing their lifestyles – even without mentioning a specific amount of weight or length of time – are false, too. If you see any of these claims, you can be sure it’s a fraud:

“I lost 30 pounds in 30 days – and still ate all my favorite foods.”

“Lose up to 2 pounds a day without diet or exercise.”

“Drop four dress sizes in just a month without changing your eating habits or enduring back-breaking trips to the gym.

“Finally there’s _____ (fill in the blank), an all-natural weight loss compound so powerful, so effective, so relentless in its awesome attack on bulging fatty deposits that it eliminates the need to diet.”

TRICK #4 – Scientific Studies Support The Claims

The bottom line here is that there are LOTS of studies out there that support just about every weight-loss claim ever made.  In fact, one enterprising journalist created a Chocolate diet, using dubious studies and unethical sales techniques to convince a major news outlet that eating chocolate will help you lose weight.   It was a hoax, but it made the point that science is continually abused by the weight-loss con-artists.

Some FREE Proven Weight Loss Plans Available on the Web

The vast majority of reputable health studies show that quick weight loss pills and potions simply don’t work.  If you are serious about exploring a diet aid, check out these free and reputable dieting and weight-loss resources for you on the Net:

Smart for Life

Livestrong Diet –  Aims for a loss of about 1-2 pounds per week.

GM Diet  –  It’s not really a General Motors-designed diet plan.  It’s actually a short one-week detox program.   But it could be a useful starter to a major personal diet reboot.  Linora Low gives a helpful (and free)  step-by-step video and written guide to how to do this detox program.

The Lose Weight Diet –  It does what many of the diet scammers do (take free  information and distill it down to 3 easily understood phases) but he actually offers it for free!

Contrahealthscam recommends Truth From Within (Truth About Keto It claims that this program by Brad Pilon is designed specifically for women in response to the 2017 keto craze that left a lot of women in hormonal disrepair. So if you are a woman who wants to lose weight the right way, Truth from Within is something you should try.   It also recommends Eat Stop Eat, also by Brad Pilon has been studied extensively and has stood the test of time.

And if you are serious about wanting to shed some pounds, begin by going to the Mayo Clinic’s free and reputable website.  The medical experts at the Clinic have fashioned a thoughtful and time-tested plan that has worked for untold numbers of people.  Effective weight loss requires you to master the habits, urges, and feelings that rule our lives.   It’s really all about learning more about your impulses.  Once you do, you can create your “new” normal and the pounds will begin to disappear.

11 thoughts on “SCAM ALERT: Custom Keto Diet Is A Marketing Trap”

  1. Every single product, business and franchise on the planet uses multiple marketing strategies and upsells on products to maximise sales. It’s the goal of any business. Do you think McDonald’s get rich by selling regular fries. They have burgers and drinks and multiple meal options. Complaining about marketing and upsells is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.

    Reply
  2. I’m not sure what your credentials are, but I am a Registered Dietitian and there is SOOOOO much science based evidence about the benefits of the keto diet. The important thing is doing it right, which many do not. Which is why I help people with the keto diet to ensure they are doing it healthy. It’s not a Fad diet, it’s backed by science and can really help people get healthy. I don’t think the Custom Keto diet is a scam at all. And I have purchased the product myself to get more ideas for myself and my clients. So for those of you reading this article, do your research from health care professionals that know the science based evidence…

    Reply
    • Tiffany, thanks for your comments. We have done some extensive analysis of the Keto diet and while it can be useful on a short-term basis, the potential for it being misused is very high. We’ve written about it most recently at this link. We are strong proponents of the modified Mediterranean diet, which also has been referred to as “Pegan“. However, our strongest recommendation is that you (and others) read about the low-cost diets that have been proven to work over centuries. We’ve done the research. You just need to take the 10-minutes to read it.

      Reply
  3. I have been on a keto diet for a while now and I have to disagree with what this article says. customketodiet.com is such a steal for the things you get such as an eight week keto meal plan based on your preferences and the option to change the meal plans to suite your taste. Getting an 8 week custom meal plan for 37 dollars is far better than looking for a keto meal as the experts can create a custom keto diet. Not sure about the clickbank affiliate program but then again how does that affect you?

    Reply
    • Generally, we find if the sellers are not responsive (which is common), we recommend that you dispute the transaction with your credit card carrier.

      Reply
  4. Thank you.
    I was actually trying to get back to site “customketodiet” that I saw yesterday, but was unable to locate it today. That is when I came across this article.
    In addition to what you mentioned, I wasn’t able to locate the company name on that website only Clickbank was mentioned as the payment vendor.

    Reply
    • That’s not a real review. To review somwthing, you need to sign up to it and review it from the inside. This is just discrediting the product to push his own. My friend lost 123 pounds on Keto diets.

      Reply
      • Thank you for the commment, Pierre. But your logic appears to be a bit skewed. You assert that unless you actually try a product, you can’t review it. So, if something is clearly snake oil, you’d require anyone to ingest it before commenting on whether it works or not. You appear to have not read our review. We are not opposed to keto diets, as a short-term food regimen, but we recognize when unscrupulous marketers attempt to exploit consumers thinking that they want to try a keto diet — about which information is freely available on our website. Plus, you state that your “friend” lost 123 pounds on Keto diets. But you don’t mention whether s/he used the “Customer Keto Diet” service.

        Reply
        • I do not think Pierre’s logic is so skewed, I think Pierre was just being concise.

          I believe this is more of an exposure and speculation of marketing techniques used rather a review.

          Your example of snake oil is actually perfect and vague, what if I don’t know anything about snake oil and rather than do my own research I buy it for some ailment I recently am suffering, coincidently my ailment healed on its own and I believe the snake oil helped. I could then review the snake oil as something that worked and cured my ailment. Am I a scammer? Or some ignorant sucker?

          You’re pointing out the marketing tactics used, if you look at the main two factors that help with weight loss which are moving more and eating less you realise that’s it, that’s all you need and its been known for a long long time and its been over sold and over marketed since forever.

          If I had wrote a review on a new album released by Adele with just looking at the cover and not actually listening to it, would you still say the review is valid?

          You’re using a marketing technique here in this article, where you promote free information on weight loss, again it comes down to the consumer doing their own research and not functioning on impulse. I believe maybe some people will find that diet from that company to work.

          And in your review you mention Keto diets may be dangerous, not CustomKetoDiets. You even rubbished a registered dietitian in the comments above, she has probably experienced weight loss first hand by using said diet?

          Going by your snake oil logic, who do I trust? the registered dietitian or the blogger?

          Your pagan diet should be the main subject in your review and the clickbait is the customketodiet scam alert.

          Reply

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