Biting my tongue

get_fit2009

I went to an Arbonne party the other day. I love their products, but they are quite expensive so I was only going in order to support a friend who has decided to sell the products. HOWEVER - the main focus was on their weight loss system, which involved meal replacement shakes and one meal per day. No mention of exercise. I did ask what someone like me, who exercises a lot, should do and was told to add one recovery shake per day. Each shake is around 190 calories. Even with the extra shake, and a well balanced meal, that is still around 1,000 calories per day. I wanted to scream that slow and steady wins the race, that you shouldn't have to spend tons of money on a specific product to lose weight. But, since it was a group of civilized ladies, I didn't say anything. Then when I left and explained that the products didn't suit me and were far too expensive since I will have 2 kids in college in the fall, the hostess looked at me in shock and said, "But they're meal REPLACEMENTS. You don't have to spend money on the other groceries you would have bought!"

It actually just made me really sad that people still fall for this, and I have to remind myself it took me a long, long time to realize that gimmicks don't work. *Sigh*

That_Girl

You just said the best thing! And you're right! You shouldn't have to buy special foods/things to lose weight.

Those replacement shakes are a joke. You drink them, and then still eat an hour later because you are HUNGRY...so that basically just adds more calories to the day...and if you're like how I was, you won't log any of it and wonder how you gained weight while "dieting". Heh.

get_fit2009

I have been following "Clean Eating" for a couple of weeks now. There are no products to buy, she just tells you what foods are healthy and which are not and emphasizes exercise and choosing things that are not processed. It is probably the most common sense plan I have ever read, plus the fact that she is not selling anything besides the book makes me trust it more. I have dropped 5 pounds and feel great. The gal leading the gathering has been doing their diet and SAYS she feels great, but she looked very pale and had dark circles under her eyes. Not exactly the picture of health.

Shannon023

Slim-4-Life (now SlimGenics) was very pushy re: their vitamins & minerals. I just followed their food plan and still lost the weight.

get_fit2009

Slim-4-Life (now SlimGenics) was very pushy re: their vitamins & minerals. I just followed their food plan and still lost the weight.

At least they HAD food on the plan. My brain does not equate a shake with a meal. No chewing = no food. to my psyche.

ace175

That reminds me a lot of the SlimFast 3-2-1 plan. 2 meal bars or shakes (about 180 cals), 3 100 cal snacks, and a 500 well-balanced meal... thats 1,160 calories. Then if you work out, and burn say 300 calories you're net is 860, and you don't eat back your exercise cals!! I did this for about a month, lost about 20 lbs in 1 month, then got very sick, and my hair started to fall out then I gained it all back, then more! These "diets" are terrible, and I can't believe I tried to follow it! You're eventually going to come off these, and I'm sure for the one you mentioned....no one is going to drink shakes for the rest of their life!!

I know advise everyone I know to NOT do anything like i did!!

get_fit2009

That reminds me a lot of the SlimFast 3-2-1 plan. 2 meal bars or shakes (about 180 cals), 3 100 cal snacks, and a 500 well-balanced meal... thats 1,160 calories. Then if you work out, and burn say 300 calories you're net is 860, and you don't eat back your exercise cals!! I did this for about a month, lost about 20 lbs in 1 month, then got very sick, and my hair started to fall out then I gained it all back, then more! These "diets" are terrible, and I can't believe I tried to follow it! You're eventually going to come off these, and I'm sure for the one you mentioned....no one is going to drink shakes for the rest of their life!!

I know advise everyone I know to NOT do anything like i did!!

Exactly - it's like Slim Fast but at least twice the money!

naebear99

I did Medifast for a while, did lose weight, did feel terrific - in fact, all my aches and pains cleared up before I'd lost any noteworthy amount of weight. What made it worth extra is it isn't nearly as high in sugar as Slim-Fast, much better-formulated. However, as you observe, it's not sustainable, plus it costs as much or more than we spent on groceries (and I have a husband who likes to cook, buys top quality stuff, and likes to spoil me).

brit1329

Maybe the person you talked to wasn't exactly sure about the program. Or perhaps it is something very different than what I've seen. My step-mom sells Arbonne and regularly uses a lot of the stuff they sell in their weight-loss products and they were never meant to be meal replacements. They have shakes that are meant to be used the same way a lot of people would have a protein shake while eating a healthy, balanced diet. They also have some kind of chews that are supposed to suppress appetite. They have a sample meal plan that goes along with the program you can follow and if followed exactly, each day you be eating at least 1400 calories and some days more. There is a site that also goes with it that is very similar to this site. It is a place to get healthy meal ideas, keep a food and exercise diary, and chat.

Now, I totally agree that people shouldn't be following a plan where they are eating way too few calories. I also think there are some places where the Arbonne products are represented to be meal replacements instead of supplements but I don't think that is what the company intended. I think it may either be people looking for a quick fix, or people looking to make more money. (If all you eat during the day are those shakes you are going to spend a LOT more money on Arbonne products and the person selling them is going to make a lot more money off of your order.)

I'm also not saying they should or shouldn't be used, I just wanted to clarify that the company isn't promoting that someone should only be eating one meal a day with their product. Oh, and I don't know if you know it or not, but the hostess either makes a portion of the money from sales at the party or gets so much in free products according to how much sales are generated from the party. So she had a definite interest in you spending a lot of money.

Here is a link to their site for one of the weight loss product lines. It also includes a calculator that says I should never consume fewer than 1200 calories without consulting a doctor.
https://www.gofigure8.com/tools/diary_index.asp