Our Vetting Standards: How We Define Trustworthy Weight Loss
Our Promise to You: Filtered for Fact, Focused on Health
The weight loss industry is full of quick fixes, sensational claims, and undisclosed marketing. At Weight-Loss-Trust.com, we cut through the noise. We believe sustainable weight loss must be safe, science-backed, and truly sustainable.
Adherence to our rigorous vetting standards involve a comprehensive process to assess an individual or entity’s suitability, reliability, and trustworthiness through various checks.
Before any diet, program, or product is recommended, reviewed, or even mentioned on this site, it must pass our rigorous, 5-Point Trust Vetting Checklist. This is our commitment to providing you with only the most credible, health-focused information available.
1. Scientific Basis & Safety (The “What”)
The foundation of our guarantee is our rigorous vetting standards. Under the “Scientific Basis & Safety” section, these standards dictate that every piece of advice, every program, and every external claim must be traceable to peer-reviewed research, clinical trials, or established public health bodies.
This ensures that the information you receive is not only safe and responsible but also represents the highest degree of evidence-based practice, eliminating reliance on anecdotal reports or fleeting “health trends.”
We scrutinize the fundamentals of every approach to ensure it prioritizes your health over rapid, short-term results.
| Criteria | Vetting Question | Red Flags (Automatic Fail) |
| Realistic Rate of Loss | Does the plan encourage a gradual, healthy rate of loss (generally $\le 2$ lbs/week)? | Guaranteed loss of more than 2 lbs per week or promises of “effortless” results. |
| Nutritional Balance | Does the plan promote a varied, balanced diet that includes all major food groups? | Requires the severe elimination of entire major food categories (e.g., all carbohydrates, all dairy). |
| Calorie Floor | Does the recommended daily intake meet minimum caloric needs for a healthy adult? | Recommended intake of less than 1,200 calories/day for women or 1,500/day for men (unless explicitly medically supervised). |
| Evidence-Based Claims | Are the core mechanisms of weight loss (e.g., appetite suppression, fat burning) supported by peer-reviewed human studies? | Claims lack any cited scientific research or rely solely on anecdotal testimonials. |
2. Source and Authority (The “Who”)
Credibility starts with credentials. We verify that the people behind the advice are qualified professionals, not just influencers.
Our approach under “Source and Authority” is governed by strict vetting standards that mandate total transparency regarding the origin of information.
Specifically, we require that any contributor, expert, or cited source must demonstrate verifiable credentials and recent, relevant experience in nutrition, endocrinology, or psychology.
These vetting standards ensure that the content is authored and reviewed by credible professionals who possess the necessary expertise to speak authoritatively on complex weight loss topics.
| Criteria | Vetting Question | Red Flags (Automatic Fail) |
| Expert Credentials | Is the content authored or reviewed by a credentialed professional (e.g., Registered Dietitian (RD), MD, Ph.D. in a relevant field)? | Authors are anonymous or use vague titles (e.g., “Health Coach”) without verifiable, accredited certification. |
| Editorial Review | Is there an explicit statement about an editorial board, medical review process, or a panel of experts who oversee the content? | Lack of any stated expert review process or use of content generated solely by AI without human oversight. |
| Professional Affiliations | Does the source have affiliations with reputable organizations, universities, or medical institutions? | The program has been publicly denounced or flagged by a major national medical or consumer protection agency. |
3. Transparency and Bias (The “Why”)
We demand clarity on how a program is funded and what conflicts of interest might exist. Advice should be driven by health, not profit.
The pillar of “Transparency and Bias” relies heavily on strict vetting standards to ensure that all advice and recommendations are free from undue commercial influence or hidden agendas.
These vetting standards require contributors to fully disclose any potential conflicts of interest, allowing our audience to trust that the information is presented with complete integrity and that the focus remains solely on the efficacy and safety of the content.
| Criteria | Vetting Question | Red Flags (Automatic Fail) |
| Disclosure of Sponsorship | Is all paid content, affiliate links, and advertising clearly and obviously labeled as such? | Advertisements or sponsored content is disguised as objective news or editorial content. |
| Product Push/Conflict | Does the program require the continuous, mandatory purchase of its own proprietary products (e.g., special shakes, supplements, foods)? | The program’s entire model is built around forcing product sales rather than teaching sustainable, real-food habits. |
| Clear Funding Source | Is the website owner, company, or funding organization easily identifiable and accessible (e.g., on an “About Us” page)? | Owner/funding information is hidden, vague, or impossible to verify, suggesting a hidden agenda. |
4. Long-Term Support and Maintenance
True success is keeping the weight off. We prioritize methods that focus on lifestyle change, not just a temporary diet.
For the “Long-Term Support and Maintenance” section, our vetting standards require continuous monitoring of all published content and programs.
This means the science, claims, and supporting data are re-evaluated quarterly against the newest clinical research to ensure ongoing accuracy and relevance.
These rigorous vetting standards guarantee that our advice remains current, trustworthy, and effective for long-term health, protecting our audience from outdated or recently disproven information.
| Criteria | Vetting Question | Key Requirements (Must Pass) |
| Maintenance Plan | Does the program include a clear, structured phase for weight maintenance and transitioning off the initial diet plan? | Must include actionable advice for long-term weight management. |
| Behavioral Support | Are components for psychological health, stress management, or habit change included or recommended? | Must acknowledge the non-diet factors (sleep, stress, emotional eating) crucial to lasting success. |
| Flexibility & Lifestyle | Can the plan be reasonably adapted to different lifestyles, cultural preferences, and social settings? | The plan is so rigid and inflexible that it guarantees social isolation and eventual failure. |
5. User Experience and Results
We verify that the information is current, your data is protected, and success stories are grounded in reality.
For the “User Experience and Results” section, our vetting standards go beyond scientific accuracy to ensure the practical application of our advice is effective and straightforward for the user.
These vetting standards mandate clear, actionable steps, intuitive program design, and consistent communication to maximize comprehension and adherence.
This focus on clarity and simplicity is critical, as a scientifically sound plan that is too complicated to follow will fail to generate measurable, positive success stories.
| Criteria | Vetting Question | Key Requirements (Must Pass) |
| Current Information | Was the content reviewed and updated within the last 12-24 months to reflect the latest medical guidelines? | Content is clearly outdated or cites research more than five years old as its primary evidence. |
| Data & Privacy | Is there a clear, accessible, and compliant Privacy Policy explaining how user data is collected and protected? | The site lacks a clear privacy policy or asks for unnecessary personal/financial information upfront. |
| Testimonial Integrity | Are individual testimonials accompanied by a clear disclaimer stating that results are not typical or guaranteed? | Results focus solely on extreme, outlier success stories with no mention of the average person’s outcome. |
How We Use This Checklist
Every review and article on our site uses these five categories as a Scorecard.
Phyllis Leonard founded Weight-Loss-Trust.com on the belief that individuals deserve genuinely evidence-based, trustworthy guidance, making it a true beacon of truth.
When you read a review, you will see a simple rating for each of these five points, allowing you to quickly understand where a program excels and where it has potential shortcomings – adherence to the World Health Organization’s principles for health communication.
We don’t just tell you what to do; we show you why you can trust it.