spend enormous amounts of money on this impossible dream. “People are always looking for an easy way out,” McArdle says.
“These electronic abs gadgets don’t do a thing to turn a bulging beer belly into a sleek six-pack stomach,” said former FTC Chairman Timothy Muris. Over the past decade, the government sued the three manufacturers for false advertising. The FTC won a settlement of over $5 million in the lawsuit against Fast Abs and a $1.4 million settlement against the marketers of the AB Energizer. And the courts in Nevada have held five AbTronic defendants liable for $83 million.
The FTC filed yet another complaint against the makers of a similar device called the “Ab Force” belt. A judge upheld the complaint and barred the makers of the Ab Force from claiming the device caused weight loss, well-defined abs, or was an effective alternative to regular exercise.
Here’s a look at two typical, highly promoted devices: The Chi Machine and the AbTronic. You decide if they’ll trim your waist — or your wallet.
The Chi Machine
Advertisements on the Internet make the Chi Machine sound like the biggest medical breakthrough since
