# What you can and can’t say about fitness products on Instagram > Fitness ads get pulled for weight-loss numbers, edited before and afters and claims about pain. **A first pass, not legal advice.** This playbook sets out the main rules for ads seen in the UK, as we read them on 7 November 2026. It is a starting point for briefing creators, not legal advice. Check your claims with your compliance lead or a lawyer before an ad runs. ## Say it’s an ad, up front Paid or on commission, the post is an ad, and people have to know that before they tap or read on. Source: CAP 2, Influencer guidance. Don’t say: - Leg day fuel \#sp (Flagged by the #ad check, CAP 2) - New gym bag essential, thanks guys (Flagged by the #ad check, CAP 2) Say instead: - \#ad What I take before every session - \#advert My training kit for this block Put \#ad at the start of the caption and turn on Instagram’s paid partnership label too. In Stories, label every frame the product is in. ## Weight loss: no numbers, no promises An ad can’t promise a set amount of weight lost or a rate of loss, and slimming ads can’t be aimed at under-18s. Source: CAP 13. Don’t say: - I lost 10kg in six weeks with this. (Flagged by the claims check, CAP 13) - Burns fat while you sleep. (Flagged by this rulebook, CAP 13) Say instead: - I train three times a week and this is part of it. ## Shakes and creatine follow the food rules Protein, creatine and pre-workouts are food. Health claims for them come from the GB register. Source: GB register, CAP 15. Don’t say: - Boosts your metabolism. (Flagged by the claims check, GB register) - Increases your energy for the whole session. (Flagged by the claims check, GB register) Say instead: - Creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high intensity exercise. - Magnesium contributes to normal muscle function. Creatine’s claim needs 3 g a day. The register lists more nutrients than are shown here. ## Kit can’t fix pain or injuries Saying a product fixes pain or an injury is a medical claim, and needs the evidence a medical device has. Source: CAP 12. Don’t say: - It fixed my back pain. (Flagged by this rulebook, CAP 12) - Cures shin splints. (Flagged by this rulebook, CAP 12) Say instead: - It’s what I use for every session. ## Before and after, done honestly Before and after shots must be real, unedited and of the same person, in the same light and pose. Source: CAP 3, CAP 13. Don’t say: - An edited after shot (For your reviewer, CAP 3, CAP 13) - Photos taken years apart with no dates (For your reviewer, CAP 3, CAP 13) Say instead: - Same light, same pose, dated ## No promises about results Guaranteed, instant or for everyone is likely to mislead. Say what it was like for you. Source: CAP 3. Don’t say: - Guaranteed results in 30 days. (Flagged by the claims check, CAP 3) - Clinically proven to build muscle. (Flagged by the claims check, CAP 3) Say instead: - Here’s week one and week eight, same light. ## Made with AI? Say so AI-made people, results and testimonials need a label wherever a viewer would take them as real. Source: CAP 3. Don’t say: - An AI-made person giving a testimonial, with nothing to say so (For your reviewer, CAP 3) - A result the product can’t give, made with AI (For your reviewer, CAP 3) Say instead: - Add a short on-screen line: “Made with AI”. ## Authorised wording from the GB register Word for word from the register. A line can be used only when the product has the nutrient at a significant amount: at least 15% of the reference intake in a daily dose, or 3 g a day for creatine. - creatine: increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high intensity exercise - magnesium: contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue; contributes to normal muscle function; contributes to normal psychological function; contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism - vitamin D: contributes to the normal function of the immune system; contributes to the maintenance of normal bones; contributes to the maintenance of normal muscle function - vitamin B12: contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue; contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism; contributes to the normal function of the immune system; contributes to normal psychological function ## The rulebook Sign up as a brand and these lines go on every product you add, ready to edit. Creators see them with the brief, and every script is read against them when it comes in for review. Lines creators may not say: - Burns fat - Weight loss or lose weight - Fixes pain - Cures, treats or heals Lines creators may say: - Part of my training Disclosure: \#ad [Use this rulebook](https://affilo.app/playbooks/fitness/use) ## Sources - [CAP Code section 2: recognition of marketing communications](https://www.asa.org.uk/type/non_broadcast/code_section/02.html): An ad must be obviously identifiable as an ad. - [CAP Code section 3: misleading advertising](https://www.asa.org.uk/type/non_broadcast/code_section/03.html): Evidence for objective claims, testimonials, prices and edited images. - [CAP Code section 12: medicines, medical devices, health-related and beauty products](https://www.asa.org.uk/type/non_broadcast/code_section/12.html): Medical claims, and what beauty and health products may say. - [CAP Code section 13: weight control and slimming](https://www.asa.org.uk/type/non_broadcast/code_section/13.html): Weight-loss claims, amounts and rates of loss. - [CAP Code section 15: food, food supplements and health or nutrition claims](https://www.asa.org.uk/type/non_broadcast/code_section/15.html): Nutrition claims, health claims and medicinal claims for food. - [The GB nutrition and health claims register](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/great-britain-nutrition-and-health-claims-nhc-register): The authorised health claims, word for word, and the conditions for each. - [The ASA and CMA guide for influencers on making clear that ads are ads](https://www.asa.org.uk/resource/influencers-guide.html): Where \#ad goes, and which labels aren’t enough. --- Rules as read on 7 November 2026. Source: https://affilo.app/playbooks/fitness PDF: https://affilo.app/playbooks/fitness/pdf