SAS Fat to Slim: ‘Dangerous and gimmicky’ weight loss start-up gets slammed on Shark Tank India

• SAS Fat to Slim is a startup that claims to provide diet plans for weight loss which requires no practice.
  
• All judges withdrew from investments in the startup.
  
• Sharks Namita Thapar and Anupam Mittal called it out for promoting unhealthy food.

Of the many pitches made in season 1 of Shark Tank India, Navel Fukai aka the Belly Button Shaper was one of the most bizarre products, which was ultimately rejected by the entire panel. In Season 2, it was SAS Fat to Slim’s turn to be criticized by all the judges who alternately called the start-up’s weight-loss plan “dangerous” and “gimmicky.”

Founded by Shikha Aggarwal Sharma, SAS Fat to Slim is a Delhi-based startup that promotes weight loss with diet plans and no exercise. According to Sharma, diet makes 80% of the difference in weight loss and exercise only 20%.

But shark Namita Thapar, executive director at Emcure Pharmaceuticals, called the product nothing more than a gimmick.

“How can you say ‘no exercise’? I fundamentally disagree with your theory. Let’s spread the message that losing weight happens by changing one’s lifestyle. Our country is turning into a diabetes capital and blood pressure capital because people are doing such “gimmicky” activities and messing with their health. I’m sorry, but hearing such claims makes me angry. I think we should stop misleading the country,” Thapar noted.

Multiple reports reflect Thapar’s sentiment. Doctors and other experts recommend a combination of regular exercise and diet control to combat weight gain and other lifestyle-related conditions.

‘Your diet is akin to poison’

Sharma shared how she believed a diet dominated by soups and salads — which require extra prep time — was a luxury. But SAS Fat to Slim focused on readily available products, created through her own weight loss experience and knowledge of diet and nutrition.

However, her claims were refuted by the sharks. Shaadi.com founder Anupam Mittal shared that he had studied a bit about diabetes and the impact of sugar on the human body, and denounced the example diet Sharma shared for a person with diabetes.

“According to macronutrients, you recommend a diet with carbohydrates because you did not recommend protein until now. It’s like poison for a diabetic,” Mittal noted.

According to reports, one in six Indians has diabetes. Chhavi Kohli, Senior Lecturer in Diabetes and Nutritionist at Medanta the Medicity, Gurgaon, also shared with https://londonbusinessblog.com/ India that “there is no special diet for diabetes; the whole idea is to nourish the body by taking different nutrients in the right proportion and at the right time.”

Mittal also added that all bodies are different and while Sharma’s plan worked for her, it could prove dangerous for others. “You lost weight with dedication and that is remarkable. But now you’re repackaging the same template that worked for you for other people. It can be dangerous,” Mittal shared.

‘An investment will only make it worse’

Although Sharma defended her company by saying customers have benefited from her products, the sharks were wary.

Mittal backed out, stating that he disagreed with the founder and did not find her company investable. Sugar Cosmetics co-founder Vineeta Singh also backed down by adding that she did not match Sharma’s core business proposition – lose weight without exercising

Lenskart co-founder Peyush Bansal, meanwhile, backed down, stating that he did not believe the startup needed investment.

“An investment will only make it worse. You will have the pressure of ROI (return on investment) after an investor invests, trapping you in a vicious cycle that can affect the authenticity of the diet,” said Bansal.

Gupta also backed down citing his fellow shark Thapar’s slogan – that he has no expertise in the field.

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