Caffeine-Infused...Bras?

Between the "banana diet" and replacing an hour at the gym with a glass of red wine (a real thing), weight loss has never been so, well, hackable. However, the latest weight loss method — or should I say, "hack" — has just been proven false: makers of the caffeine-infused bra, which was marketed as a weight loss tool, were recently accused of "deceptive advertising." One more time for the folks in the back: caffeine-infused bras won't help you lose weight.

Yep, according to Reuters, The Federal Trade Commission made Wacoal America and Norm Thompson Outfitters (the owners of Sahalie and other companies) refund customers who purchased the stimulant-laced lingerie because of deceptive advertising. They've agreed to pull ads for the products as well. Apparently, the companies claimed that their caffeine-infused bras, girdles, and leggings could actually help users lose weight and reduce cellulite.

Jessica Rich, the director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection told Reuters that good ol' fashioned working out and eating right is still your best bet when it comes to losing weight. "If someone says you can lose weight by wearing the clothes they are selling, steer clear," Rich said. "The best approach is tried and true: diet and exercise."

Yeah, the prospect of losing weight with the clasp of a hook-and-eye does sound a little too good to be true, especially when the company selling these bras and accessories claim that "results are visible in under a month," said one advertisement, as mentioned by Reuters. I repeat: "visible in under a month."

The craziest part (yes, it gets crazier)?

Reuters notes that the companies had zero evidence when it came to backing up their weight loss claims. So in case you came across one of these ads, the answer is no: "revolutionary iPant new shapewear" — as one boasted — won't reduce cellulite. But it does make you wonder, what other diet fads, weight loss methods, and exercise hacks are also complete jokes?

If you've been keeping up with the news lately (or, you know, just opened up your browser at some point within the last year) the thought of a weight loss bra really isn't that weird. Last year, cleanses and juicing became the way to get healthy and drop a few — a method which caused doctors to raise an eyebrow due to the method's lack of fiber (among many other flaws).

Funny enough, juice cleanses also sound pretty routine when compared to sites like DietBet — a company which encourages users to bet money on how much weight they want to lose. There's also the aforementioned red-wine-in-lieu-of-exercise diet, and the "banana diet" — as in, a diet where you eat 30 bananas for 30 days.

Though some of these weight loss hacks seem like answers to our prayers, I can't help but question them. When it comes to staying healthy, I'm with Rich's old school ways of diet and exercise on this one. Then again, maybe betting on whether or not I can lose weight on a banana/red wine cleanse is the way to go.

Image: Giphy