As the weight loss industry grows fatter by the day, it might be making you lose much more than your weight, say the doctors.

A report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal says that losing a couple of pounds a week isn't good for you and desperate attempts to live up to the promises made in the packages may be psychologically damaging.

"Unfortunately when it comes to weight management, there's still this social factor where we feel that it's our fault," describes Dr. Sean Wharton, a bariatric medicine specialist.

The journal not only slams the companies that produce loss products like pills, herbs and some private clinics that fail to deliver the result but also the government for failing to regulate scientifically unproven therapies.

"Before we can truly address the devastating obesity epidemic, we must first stem the centuries-old flow of snake oil," wrote the editorial authors.

"We call on governments to require formal accreditation of weight-loss providers to ensure quality and to provide consumers with an easily recognizable means of identifying evidence-based services."