Abhijit Das, 38, went for a weight-loss programme that made his stomach churn, his head spin and his pocket lighter, if not his body. Debparna Sengupta (name changed), 30, underwent “heat wrap therapy” to trim her tummy, only to be wrapped in health problems that sent her scurrying from the slimming centre to the doctor’s chamber.

Welcome to the world of allegedly dubious quick-slim programmes that lure people with weight problems to air-conditioned boot camps with the tantalising promise of size zero in six weeks.

Abhijit, a senior company executive, realised in three days that the weight-loss programme that was to make him “feel good about myself” would aggravate his diabetes and hypertension.

“I paid Rs 38,000 for the slimming package at Vibes, little knowing what was in store. I was given a heat wrap and ended up feeling dizzy and nauseated on the very first day. When the symptoms recurred on the second day, I demanded to see the in-house doctor, only to be told that he would be available for consultation only on weekends,” said Abhijit.

On the third day, Abhijit decided to exit the slimming programme and demand a refund. “Vibes refused to give me back my money or accept responsibility for my condition, at which I contacted the centre’s head office in New Delhi. They told me that no customer was entitled to a refund under any circumstance,” he complained.

Homemaker Debparna had a similar experience and was advised by her doctor to stay away from the weight-loss programme.

According to doctors and licensed fitness experts, “trainers” who have had little or no training run many slimming centres in the city.

Strength and conditioning expert Ranadeep Moitra thinks the professionals employed by these centres need more than a working knowledge of “clinical exercise physiology” to handle high-risk groups like diabetics and those suffering from metabolic diseases.

“The lack of training means they often prescribe steroids and fat burners without knowing the implications,” warned Moitra.

Ankur Jain, the director of Vibes, denied that the trainers at his institute were responsible for Abhijit’s plight.

“We have had 500 clients for Size Zero in the past six months and in all these cases, we have been able to give the results we had promised. Abhijit Das did say he had hypertension but that does not prevent anyone from undertaking the programme. He didn’t attend a single session of that programme and instead opted for inch-loss therapies, for which there is no guarantee of weight reduction,” he said.

Jain also denied that Abhijit collapsed or was taken ill at the centre.

“We have consultants who draw up special programmes for people with certain medical conditions. We do not take in pregnant women or patients with metal implants, epilepsy, uncontrolled diabetes, certain neurological conditions and those who have undergone surgery less than three months earlier,” said Arti Kohli, the general manager of weight management at Vibes.

Shanti Ranjan Dasgupta, a sports medicine practitioner, said the root of the problem lay as much in the lack of expertise as in the ignorance of clients about the effects of crash diets and quick-slim therapies. “First-timers should verify the credentials of centres before enrolling for any programme,” he said.

According to bariatric surgeon V.K. Bhartia, the majority of those who visit slimming centres “don’t get any benefit out of it for lack of a scientific approach to weight loss”.

Carolann Hooper of Solace, a wellness centre, said a regimen must not overdo anything. “Healthy exercising is the key.”

But for many like Abhijit and Debparna, the journey from fat to fit has been far from healthy for body and mind.

Size-zero scare

• Verify credentials of slimming centre before enrolling
  
  
• If you have any disease, consult doctor about risks of a slimming regimen
  
  
• Say no to crash dieting
  
  
• Obesity is mostly linked to lifestyle; adopt healthy habits so that you don’t need a weight-loss expert