Looking for Dieting Advice Online This Summer and How To Stay Safe

With this summer coming up, a lot of us might be looking for ways to lose a few pounds. There might be holidays coming up and bikinis to get in to. If you are like me, you might feel a bit more confident if you weigh a little less, and are a bit more toned up.

As a former personal trainer and someone that always has my health and weight on my mind, I know that there is a wealth of information out there. It can be tricky to know where to start, though. How many of us have been on websites and seen the popups for getting a flat stomach or how ‘so and so’ lost 12 pounds in a week?

It can be pretty tempting to try this kind of thing out, can’t it? It sounds so tempting, because wow, who wouldn’t want to lose 12 pounds in a week? Intel Security have found that around 57% of people in the UK, between the ages of 21 and 54 have clicked on a promotional link of this type. More people have reported that they are likely to do this just before summer time too (44%). Over half of us! I must admit that I have…

But often these kinds of websites are not trying to help you lose weight. First of all, it is unhealthy to lose that amount of weight in that amount of time. It sounds too good to be true, because it is. You should look for reputable sites for advice, rather than clicking on a random advert. Even if that bird from TOWIE has endorsed it. And second of all, if you click through these sites, they either want to get your private information, or infect your computer with some kind of virus or bug.

If you have searched for weight loss tips on Google, how likely would you to be to click on the top search results? Around 40% of us are more likely to. We need to remember that the top search results have paid to be there – it doesn’t mean that they are more reliable!

So here are some tips for staying safe when you are browsing for advice online:

• Click with caution
  • Like I have said, if it seems too good to be true, don’t click through to it. These sites should be viewed with caution. They could lead to sites that might tempt you to give away your personal information or allow cybercriminals to download malware to your computer.
• Browse safely
  • Beware of dodgy websites. Sites might have a web address that is very similar to a legitimate site. How many of us have had the emails through from PavPal, rather than PayPal? So look out for incorrect spelling and grammar. If a site asks for personal information, double check the URL. Make sure that the web address is what you think it should be. If you are using a credit card to pay for something, it should also have ‘https’ on it (the s standing for secure). Use a web tool like McAfee WebAdvisor that can identify risky sites, before you click through to them.
• Develop strong passwords
  • If you have a straightforward password like ‘monday1’, it ca be easier to break in. Use a variety of numbers, letters and capitals. Change your passwords regularly and don’t have the same password for all of the accounts that you have.

Hope this has been helpful to you and that you will be cautious when you are browsing for advice this summer.*sponsored and stats courtesy of Intel Security.