Herbalife? Anyone try this to aid weight loss?

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Replies

  • Breizier
    Breizier Posts: 221 Member
    I used Herbalife for about 4 months. I lost 12 lbs over a reasonable time period and stuck for the remaining months. Once I stopped using it, the weight piled back on and each pound I lost bought a friend.
    If you are in a rush, eat a banana.
  • I think they taste really good...I buy the vanilla & chocolate mix & make them at home but I typically don't use them as a meal replacement. They are good after a big workout or if I feel like I want something yummy. I don't think they are that healthy to be honest. I add the peanut butter powder to both favors or sugar free jello pudding. It a great substitute when my family is eating ice cream! My friend was sick as a dog from their supplements but she still uses the shake powders on occasion too. Hope that is helpful.
  • dannatona
    dannatona Posts: 101 Member
    I have tried Metablife when I was younger (I'm 24), and it scared me. Felt like my heart was racing. That is my BIGGEST fear because all of the gunk in products.

    I think I may take everyone's advice and do protein powder + berries/PB. I have two jars of Slimfast mix (never used) that I might use for breakfasts with a banana or something and maybe oatmeal, but I just may steer clear of HL.

    THANKS ALL!

    Now...on to...PROTEIN SMOOTHIES/SHAKE RECIPES! :)

    I tried Herbalife, and just like a lot of other people said, it's a waste of money. You can get products that are even better for you for less money. I personally think drinking a healthy protein shake and a multi vitamin is the same thing...

    You mentioned that you like PB and chocolate, so here's my 'butterfinger' protein shake recipe.
    2 scoops protein powder (I use unflavored or Vanilla)
    1 tbsp of natural peanut butter
    1 tbsp of sugar free instant butterscotch jello
    about 2 cups of milk (your choice, almond, fat free, whatever)
    6 large ice cube
    Add everything in a blender and blend it till it's smooth.

    It's sooooo good! And depending on the milk and peanut butter you add it's only about 300 calories :smile:

    I also HIGHLY suggest you getting your fiance to start eating healthier with you. He's going to be your partner for life, and you want to be healthy for LIFE. It's much easier when you have a partner. If you start by just cooking for each other instead of going out and getting fast food that will help so much!!

    Good luck!
  • sakassab
    sakassab Posts: 34 Member
    I've never heard of "herbalife" but I use "premier protien" in the morning they have cases of them at Samsclub and there are 30 grams of protein in just one shake! I believe I spend like $20 on a 12 pack... but they are super easy, already premixed and come in 8 oz cartons... and they're non dairy so it pretty much works for everyone!
  • loviebear26
    loviebear26 Posts: 43 Member
    One Of My Favorite Breakfast Foods Is Carnation Instant Breakfast. Its Cheap Its Filling And If You Put It In A Blender And Add Ice And Peanut Butter Its Delitious! Its Is Almos Identical To The Ingredients In Slim Fast But It Has MOre Protien And sSlightly More Calories.
  • natalietk
    natalietk Posts: 1 Member
    Anyone who distributes and/or praises Herbalife is simply trying to sell it to you because they make money off of YOU and YOUR purchases pay for their products as well. If you want a good protein shake for a snack/breakfast replacement, go to a local GNC and they have a BUNCH! I currently use GNC Lean Protein Shakes. Only 200 cal for 2 scoops with lots of vitamins/protein; you can mix in with water or with milk/almond milk. I personally use unsweetened almond milk for texture and added taste. The rest of the day I eat HEALTHY (about 1200-1300 cal a day for weight loss).

    "Eat Clean, Train Dirty". It's about changing your lifestyle, not being on some diet. Eating healthy and exercising regularly has given me lots of energy, I am losing weight/toning my body, and I am so used to this lifestyle that I actually enjoy it and I am so much more aware of what is going into my body, which is extremely important.

    Focus on being healthy and fit, not on being skinny. These weight loss programs are not all what they seem to be.
  • gangstagirl625
    gangstagirl625 Posts: 187 Member
    body by vi is better
  • Wetcoaster
    Wetcoaster Posts: 1,788 Member
    No it isn't...it's just as bad.
  • merseyblue
    merseyblue Posts: 37 Member
    Several ladies have joined my slimming world group after having lost a ton of weight with herbalife. Every single one of them has regained at least a stone in the four weeks after stopping that diet. I would be very wary if I were you x

    Incidentally, I lost 5.5lb this week just eating really healthily, drinking lots of water, and walking lots. It was a whole lot more fun than drinking shakes :)
  • VoodooLuLu
    VoodooLuLu Posts: 636 Member
    Don't Do It!!! several people I know and myself have used the pills and shakes and once we quit we had diarrhea real bad and stomach cramps (tmi but i'm giving you my experience) and when you use it again it goes away so basically keep buying or be sick for awhile when you want to stop and gain more weight .....
  • kellster111
    kellster111 Posts: 113 Member
    Herbalife is quite new to the UK but we have had similar in Lighterlife for many years. Try Googling the founder of Lighterlife and see what it has done for her.
  • mattschwartz01
    mattschwartz01 Posts: 566 Member
    I'm not a fan of Herbalife. Your extra boost and aids can actually come from the support you get at MFP. I have a total of 174 pounds to lose of which I have 136 remaining. If I can do this without a boost, you can do it too.
  • clareyoung80
    clareyoung80 Posts: 177 Member
    I'd say avoid Herbalife like the plague, and anything else that's remotely related to pyramid selling. Anything that turns your friends into frantic sales-people is bad!

    I also don't do breakfast either; I have a bog-standard meal replacement shake that I buy from the store (try and find one that has less sugar and more protein in it - I'm in the UK so brands may be different) and that works out at £0.89 per shake. But, I do try and have a food-breakfast a couple of times a week, and I also know that the shake is just an interim thing whilst I get my calories back up to a sensible metabolism-respecting level!
  • drefaw
    drefaw Posts: 739
    If you want to do a MRS type drink. Ideal Shape or 310 Nutrition are a MUCH better choice. Herbalife is SOY based, and as someone already mentioned, is not the best thing in the world for you. It does not work without all the supplements that go with it, either. And if you have gout, it will be very bad for you.

    If you buy 4 containers of Ideal Shape at a time, it comes out to $1.33 a shake. And will last between 2-4 months, depending if you do 1 or 2 shakes a day. And you get 2 free bottles of supplements and a shaker bottle with it for $159.

    I'm in NO WAY affiliated with them either.... But I use their shakes along with 100% Whey Protein powder mixes to supplement my nutrition. I have had gout for the last 11yrs, and have to watch where I get my protein from, and what I intake into my body.

    I tried HL, along with my wife, a couple yrs back. I ended up with the worst gout attack I have ever had. Had me off my feet almost an entire month.
  • suheysanchez
    suheysanchez Posts: 4 Member
    I was looking into purchasing the QuickStart program from herbalife, I have to say that after reading some of your comments I am no longer interested. I have a hard time staying away from carbs and I am so lazy in logging everything I eat. I really hope to get better so that I can loose 40 pounds.
  • Kendra0024
    Kendra0024 Posts: 56 Member
    I have problems with breakfast too, so I started using Ideal Shape to supplement breakfast. Sometimes I make it with water, other times I use almond or coconut milk, and sometimes I add fruit and make it a smoothie. It's much cheaper than Herbalife, yummy, and keeps me full.
  • MrsDanner78
    MrsDanner78 Posts: 107
    I actually have been using Herbalife shakes for the past 3 months, and I've occasionally used their protein snack bars. I just have a shake for breakfast every morning, and once in a while I'll eat one of their protein bars as a snack before I go and workout at lunchtime. I love it - it helps me control my calories while giving me enough protein and nutrition to get me through my morning. I don't use a shake for lunch, or use any of their supplements or anything like that. But I've been happy with it so far!
  • JosieWoo
    JosieWoo Posts: 1 Member
    Hi everyone,I know a lot of people who have done this diet on herbal life,it's a quick fix to a long term problem,and as soon as you start eating food again you put the weight back on! My own experience I did the Jason Vale 3 day detox program,I lost 6lb in weight in the 3 days,and 7 1/2 inches over my body,more importantly it got rid of all my cravings for junk food and particularly chocolate,but my biggest change was my addiction to caffeine,I drank 10 cups a day,now I drink 2 at most and it's decaf,and I don't crave,I still juice but I eat good healthy meals and exercise moderately,I went from 10stone to 8 stone, and maintained it for 2 years. the good thing about these juices are you make them yourself from fresh fruit and veg,you know the exact contents of what your in taking,with herbal life and other such diets that come from a tub you can't be 100% sure of what your putting in your body!! So I highly recommend the Jason Vale program. And for motivation try and watch 'Fat,sick and nearly dead' should be able to get it on YouTube but I watched it on 5 On Demand,very inspiring documentary,good luck people
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
    I've been doing it for almost two weeks and I've lost 4lbs. I feel good, no headaches, not starving. I have two shakes a day and then a regular meal either for dinner or lunch. I don't really snack much, maybe one or two snacks a day. I have the shake recipe list so it hasn't gotten boring. I am exercising the way I was before so I haven't changed my exercise yet. For me it's cheaper and easier than doing the "real food" thing which didn't work for me in the past. I say if someone is happy doing shakes or meal replacements then live and let live.
  • ScreamingUnicorn
    ScreamingUnicorn Posts: 83 Member
    I'm going to copy and paste what I just posted on another thread about Herbalife.

    In desperation I tried using herbalife for a few months. I had a friend who sold the stuff and swore by it. Yes it did help me drop a few lbs but it wasn't long before I started to hate the shakes. I just love real food too much and hated eating through a straw all the time. And it was sooo expensive! It cost me $200 a month! To get a discount my friend convinced me to sign up as a distributor and still it cost $180 for every order. Even after you lose all the weight, they want you to maintain it by continuing to have one shake a day to replace a meal. Do you know why? Because after all that weight loss, you haven't learned a single thing about how to eat right and once you go back to eating the same way you did before, the weight piles right back on. So then what? You continue buying for the rest of your life? Thats why they call it HerbaLIFE in my opinion. I knew that it wasn't going to be a long term solution for me so I just stopped and thought to myself "What is it about these shakes that help people to lose weight?". The answer is that they are low calorie and high in protein. Thats it. Thats the only magic they have in them. But you know what else can be low calorie and high protein? FOOD! Glorious, wonderful tasty FOOD! So I quit buying that junk and started eating right. Low and behold I lost weight! Lots of weight. And i'm not super worried about gaining it all back as is often the case when someone stops using Herbalife. I'm not worried because this has been a lifestyle change that is easy for me to maintain now that I know how to eat properly. So here I am, an HERBALIFE DISTRIBUTOR telling you not to buy that crap anymore. I went to the meetings and seminars with my friend at her request to learn all about the product while I was using it but to this day have not attempted to sell to a single person because I know that its a scam and I can't in good conscience prey on the desperation of people willing to shell out hundreds of dollars to lose a few lbs. Save your money, please.
  • kerrough
    kerrough Posts: 1 Member
    I've never been a fan of the whole meal replacements shake mix thing, no matter if it's something like Herbalife, Slimfast, or protien powders. Also, just so you know, it's really easy to GAIN weight with protein shakes if you aren't getting enough exercise/physical activity. They're designed for people who want to gain muscle mass, not ones who want to lose weight, which means they easily turn to fat if you don't exercise enough.

    But yeah, I'm too crunchy for stuff like that. When I'm too short on time for a proper breakfast or just don't feel like cooking, I'll either eat a few pieces of fruit or make a smoothie from chopped fruit/veggies that I keep in the freezer. Toss in some flax seeds and Greek yogurt, you'll have lots of protein and fiber. Biggest benefit of this, in my opinion, is that it's REAL FOOD and not highly processed supplements or shake mixes. Plus, I'm pretty weary of artificial sweeteners of all varieties, which those types of meal replacements are usually full of so as to keep calories down.

    I don't know, like I said, that's just my opinion, but I really do think whole foods are the best thing for us and I've been having a lot of success with them, even with my tight schedule working FT/going to school FT.
  • hupsii
    hupsii Posts: 258 Member
    Hi, I have used it many years ago and lost some weight but got kidney stones instead ! Too much protein I guess. Of course I stopped using it and put all the weight back on.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    if you really want to do meal replacement just get some cheap protein powder and have a shake for breakfast..

    However, in the end you are going to be way better off just creating a calorie deficit with real food, and moving/working out more.

    herbalife just makes your wallet lighter ...think of it you are just replacing a meal with a shake which is creating a calorie deficit...you can do that on your own, and for free, with MFP
  • Lyerin
    Lyerin Posts: 818 Member
    I did Herbalife a few years ago and lost 40 pounds in a few months. I stopped drinking the shakes and gained it all back plus more. It didn't teach me how to eat in a healthy way even though I followed the plan exactly as it said. I learned nothing about portion control.

    Like someone else said above, I want to EAT my calories, not drink them (beer excepted, of course LOL). I also am concerned about consuming all that soy. I would much rather simply eat food.

    Now I am down almost 47 pounds (46.6 to be exact) by eating well, exercising and tracking everything. It has taken me almost 6 months to lose that much, but I am a much happier and stronger person.
  • I don't understand the negativity towards Herbalife being expensive or a 'pyramid scheme'... some writers wrote $200/month and that for two shakes a day, (or two meals a day). $200 divided by 60 (two meals a day for a month) = $3.33/meal, which I'm sure that includes vitamins and enhancers as well. And you don't have to limit yourself to shakes, you could use the powder to make pancakes, pie, cookies, etc. I guarantee everyone that has complained about Herblaife being "expensive" spends more than $3 per meal, and doesn't get half the nutrients and vitamins. As for 'pyramid scheme,' one could say a 'normal' 9-5 job is a pyramid. All the employees at the bottom, the supervisors one step higher, managers above that, district managers above that, directors above them, all the way up to the one single owner. Hmm, that sure sounds like a pyramid to me. The only difference between MLM and your 9-5 is that MLM pays on hard work and actually earning pay versus getting a guaranteed $10/hour. So one could easily say that every company is a pyramid. Herbalife is publicly traded on the NYSE and is over 30 years old.

    As for the products, the products work and the results are real, you just have to stick with your program.
    Gosh, all these negative Nancy's on here. Smile folks, it's the only thing that's FREE.
  • I've been wanting to try the herbalife, but I'm confused on how it works? Do I do the formula 1 shakes and the supplement with the shake? I'm looking to loose at least 15 pounds.
  • Isakizza
    Isakizza Posts: 754 Member
    My sister used this and did lose weight. I'd say maybe between 30-40 lbs more or less.

    However she did have a hard time keeping it off when she started to eat real food instead of shakes. She gained about half or more of it back. Then started watching what she eats and working out instead of using Herbalife. She's looking really good now. I think with all diet gimmicks, shakes, plans... they all work initially. Keeping it off is another thing, they're not a practical way of life.

    Best of luck.
    :smile:

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  • sweebum
    sweebum Posts: 1,060 Member
    My (close) friend did. She lost 60 lbs relatively quickly. Then she put on about 90 lbs or so. Not sustainable for the long haul.

    It's all about the deficit. Eat less than you consume, whether it be by diet, exercise, or hopefully, a combination of both. And if you want a good shake? Buy some protein powder. WAY cheaper.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    Is this like the whey protein jugs you can buy at Walmart? I am sooo new to this!

    Absolutely not. Herbalife is marketed as a Meal Replacement, where a "protein jug" from walmart is exactly that. A protein supplement.
  • Bercath
    Bercath Posts: 7 Member
    Hi, I had the same thing going on with a friend trying to PUSH it on me because at the end of the day they are on commission! do we need these kind of people giving us advice if it benefits them.... makes you wonder.
    I kept my money and motivation and went on holidays after losing 18lbs the good old fashioned way, make a bikini on holidays your goal its great motivation and you feel great and have a holiday. also from what I gather once you stop any kind of supplement you will regain your weight loss its the same if you don't watch what you eat or stop exercising. good luck
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