Isagenix, Science or Woo?

I have two soon to be sister in laws who SWEAR by (and one of them sells in the pyramid scheme) Isagenix and the whole platform. Once has claimed MIRACLES in her life and they really want me to 'get on board' and "believe in the miracles".

I've done SOME research but it's hard to find anything real since it's so heavily marketed by the pyramid scheme people...

So, what's the consensus Woo or Science?
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Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    I'm looking at the website and I see a lot of dubious claims.

    What "impurities," exactly, is it going to get rid of?

    Why are the vitamins in their shakes any different than the vitamins you could get from food or cheaper supplements?

    How is it going to boost your metabolism?

    How will it improve your ingestion?

    It makes a lot of claims for the product that seem to be related specifically to ingredients (example, it doesn't have anything special that will help you retain muscle, that's just the whey protein in the shakes -- which you can get for much, much less).

    When I'm looking at products that make promises, one thing I find helpful is to ask myself HOW the product is going to do these things. If the answer isn't clear, or if the way it will accomplish this is something I can do for much cheaper, I stay away.
  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,817 Member
    My vote is for Woo.

    It kinda sounds like a cult.
  • Karen_can_do_this
    Karen_can_do_this Posts: 1,150 Member
    My thoughts would be woo. Just from a quick google.
    If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is.
    My Dr told me once "if there was a pill/potion/powder/thingie that created sustainable weight loss then there would be no fat people"
    You don't need to spend money on anything except a food scale. Weigh your foods. Log accurately. Follow your guidelines and you're laughing :)
  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
    I vote woo. You're losing weight from the calorie deficit created by the plan, not the miracle products that are pushed on the consumer. The products are severely overpriced as well.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    Woo
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    While it will work if you follow the plan, the general consensus would be that 99% of their claims are woo.
  • ew_david
    ew_david Posts: 3,473 Member
    I have yet to see a thread in the Success Stories titled "ISAGENIX IS HOW I LOST ALL MY WEIGHT AND KEPT IT OFF!"
  • ragenhay1
    ragenhay1 Posts: 158 Member
    My personal opinion is it is mostly hype. Yes you will most likely lose weight because you are restricting calories but you could do that without their products. I did try their shakes because a friend sells them and they are pretty tasty. I like a protein shake in the morning when running out of the house to get the kid and husband to school and work on time then me to the gym. Makes for a quick breakfast. I probably won't get isagenix because the cost is kind of ridiculous for what I want it for.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,223 Member
    edited November 2015
    Expensive, culty woo. As jane says above, they make a lot of claims with very little substance and claim to do a lot of things which simply don't make sense. Can it help you lose weight? Sure. But so can a calorie deficit. Will you feel better after losing weight? Most likely, most overweight people do. If you had a vitamin deficiency and weren't feeling at your peak, and the vitamins in the Isagenix fixed it, would you feel better? Most likely. But you could just take a muti. You see where this is going.

    Other claims, like getting rid of toxins and boosting metabolism are just straight up crap.

    It isn't a miracle product and can't do anything you can't do for yourself without buying into the hype. It's a money maker.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    edited November 2015
    It probably works. Anything that helps you cut your calories will work! You needn't pay for some specific product in order to cut your calories, though.

    Personally, I prefer healthy food and watching my calories. There is no way I'd pay for powders or shakes...but I know people who drink the shakes and like to do things that way.

    It's just a personal preference - how do you want to lose your weight?

    If the company says that the product is eliminating toxins, they're just flat-out lying. I wouldn't trust anything they said after that.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Kalikel wrote: »
    It probably works. Anything that helps you cut your calories will work! You needn't pay for some specific product in order to cut your calories, though.

    Personally, I prefer healthy food and watching my calories. There is no way I'd pay for powders or shakes...but I know people who drink the shakes and like to do things that way.

    It's just a personal preference - how do you want to lose your weight?

    But OP isn't asking if it will work as just as well as any calorie deficit plan. OP is specifically asking if it is a "miracle" and if the claims made for the product are based in science. That isn't personal preference. Just based on the claims on the website and what we currently know about weight loss, I think we can answer her question with a fair degree of confidence.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    Woo. Just like Beachbody/Snakeoilogy, Advocare, ItWorks and all the other MLM scams. The only person getting any benefit from it is the person who sells it to you.
  • jenathp
    jenathp Posts: 92 Member
    _dracarys_ wrote: »
    I have yet to see a thread in the Success Stories titled "ISAGENIX IS HOW I LOST ALL MY WEIGHT AND KEPT IT OFF!"

    That made me laugh.
  • jenathp
    jenathp Posts: 92 Member
    Kalikel wrote: »
    It probably works. Anything that helps you cut your calories will work! You needn't pay for some specific product in order to cut your calories, though.

    Personally, I prefer healthy food and watching my calories. There is no way I'd pay for powders or shakes...but I know people who drink the shakes and like to do things that way.

    It's just a personal preference - how do you want to lose your weight?

    If the company says that the product is eliminating toxins, they're just flat-out lying. I wouldn't trust anything they said after that.

    I am being quite successful on MRP's for two meals a day and then eating the majority of my calories for dinner. Right now I'm at about 1.5 pounds a week when I'm being good and when I'm bad then I stall. I've just added in the last 2 weeks regular exercise (aerobic and light weights). I'm using MFP to track exercise and calories. I just started to weigh my food yesterday so that I can get a more accurate calorie count but I'm losing slow and steady by watching CICO. I just happen to do it through MRP's because I can get high amounts of protein and fiber which keep me full and not needing to snack for 4 hours. Plus I like the fact that I get to have sweet stuff and not feel deprived (chocolate shakes).
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    I would ask how it is different from soylent, and why it costs more.

    Well Soylent uses rice protein and contains soy, Isagenix uses whey and doesn't contain soy so those are some differences. Have no idea on the cost question.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    Its a mlm scam. I call woo on isagenix
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    jenathp wrote: »
    Kalikel wrote: »
    It probably works. Anything that helps you cut your calories will work! You needn't pay for some specific product in order to cut your calories, though.

    Personally, I prefer healthy food and watching my calories. There is no way I'd pay for powders or shakes...but I know people who drink the shakes and like to do things that way.

    It's just a personal preference - how do you want to lose your weight?

    If the company says that the product is eliminating toxins, they're just flat-out lying. I wouldn't trust anything they said after that.

    I am being quite successful on MRP's for two meals a day and then eating the majority of my calories for dinner. Right now I'm at about 1.5 pounds a week when I'm being good and when I'm bad then I stall. I've just added in the last 2 weeks regular exercise (aerobic and light weights). I'm using MFP to track exercise and calories. I just started to weigh my food yesterday so that I can get a more accurate calorie count but I'm losing slow and steady by watching CICO. I just happen to do it through MRP's because I can get high amounts of protein and fiber which keep me full and not needing to snack for 4 hours. Plus I like the fact that I get to have sweet stuff and not feel deprived (chocolate shakes).
    If it works for you, that's great. I'm not a fan of the shakes, like I said, but I have a friend who drinks them when she's dieting. I've known others who drink the shakes, too. I get that people like them.

    Just keep in mind that if you're not planning to drink them for life you'll need some plan for when you stop drinking them. Maybe transition into food and count your calories when you're ready to quit the shakes - something like that. Just keep it in mind, you know? You don't want to start gaining when you stop drinking the shakes.

    Best of luck with your weight loss!
  • misskarne
    misskarne Posts: 1,765 Member
    SCAMWOO
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  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    It's all about cleansing and ridding your body of toxins.

    Major WOO.
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    I think it's woo personally. Of course if you cut your calories enough, you will lose weight. But that's not due to any special "properties" of their products. You could get the same results with less hunger and less expense on your own.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    jenathp wrote: »
    I have two soon to be sister in laws who SWEAR by (and one of them sells in the pyramid scheme) Isagenix and the whole platform. Once has claimed MIRACLES in her life and they really want me to 'get on board' and "believe in the miracles".

    I've done SOME research but it's hard to find anything real since it's so heavily marketed by the pyramid scheme people...

    So, what's the consensus Woo or Science?

    Woo.

    The reason any person loses weight on any diet aid, including Isagenix, is because they are eating at a calorie deficit.

    If they are not eating at a calorie deficit and taking Isagenix, then they would not lose weight.

    Therefore, it's best to tell your sister in laws to stop bugging you.

    Eat at a calorie deficit and you will lose weight. :)
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    edited November 2015
    misskarne wrote: »
    SCAMWOO

    I like this. SCAMWOO will be my new word for the day. :D
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    I say woo, sorry.
  • allenpriest
    allenpriest Posts: 1,102 Member
    Woo
  • tomteboda
    tomteboda Posts: 2,171 Member
    Multi-level marketing. In other words, a scam. With woo on top of it.
  • PokeyBug
    PokeyBug Posts: 482 Member
    Anytime you restrict your calories, you're going to lose weight. That's just basic science. You don't need a magic drink for that. Just eat lean proteins, lots of vegetables, and exercise. I just checked their prices, though. Ten oatmeal raisin bars for $14? Fourteen vanilla shakes for $66? I sense a scam to separate desperate, overweight people who don't want to diet from their money, Calling it 'woo' is being kind.
  • momar23
    momar23 Posts: 292 Member
    SLLRunner wrote: »
    misskarne wrote: »
    SCAMWOO

    I like this. SCAMWOO will be my new word for the day. :D

    Love SCAMWOO. I need to forward this to a friend doing a 2 day isagenix cleanse:)
  • bmaw01
    bmaw01 Posts: 40 Member
    edited November 2015
    Lol, Isagenix is not a pyramid scheme. It's called network marketing. When I lived in Thailand I met a few guys in their thirties who made their fortune from network marketing.

    Now, does it work? IMO, a diet rich in vegetables, fruits and lean meats is a better choice. Want to get rid of toxins? Go on a juice cleanse instead. Most of this stuff hasn't even been tested yet. We don't know the long-term effects yet, or if it even works or not.