Tuesday, November 15, 2005

So Many Scams, So Little Time (and Money)

It saddens me to imagine how many innocent people have been ripped off by all the weight loss gimmicks out there nowadays. The advertising for some of these products is so slick that even old dieting pro's like me get duped by these scams once in a while. I'm ashamed to admit that I allowed myself to get seduced twice in just this year alone. Although I'm not the type of person who enjoys exacting revenge, I would like to share my personal experiences with these disreputable companies in my blog, in the hopes that my story might help others steer clear of the same traps. Pull up a chair, and let me tell you about the first one...

One of the newer players on the market, a multi-level marketing company called Isagenix, has recently gained a lot of press. Isagenix promises health, wealth, and weight loss with their detoxification and internal cellular cleansing system. I let myself get suckered into this one last July. Over the next 6 weeks on the program, I lost a whopping 30 pounds! Well, needless to say, that got my attention -- but, so did the chronic diarrhea that went along with it! Oh, and don't forget the hunger pangs. I was constantly starving on this program because all you're allowed is two shakes a day, some herbal pills that are supposed to help you burn fat, two snacks (more on those later), and one "sensible" meal of your own choosing which, for me, usually meant some kind of salad with protein in it. (I'm happy to report, however, that hunger is a thing of the past with my new low carb lifestyle! My stomach never growls anymore and I'm losing weight like crazy!)

People who have a lot of weight to lose are encouraged to do an Isagenix cleanse program two days a week. On cleanse days, you get to drink about a pint (mixed with water) of a liquid herbal blend that, according to Isagenix, somehow magically removes all those nasty toxins in your liver that have been preventing you from becoming thin and "flabu-less." Well, I don't know about that, but I can promise you this: the Isagenix cleanse drink is quite possibly the most vile tasting substance that could ever pass your lips. (Thankfully, nowadays I get to eat luxurious food while dropping pounds quickly!) No solid food is allowed on cleanse days, except for a grand total of six chalky wafers called Isagenix snacks -- oh, and an organic apple or two. The nutritional label reveals that these wafers are nothing but compressed powdered milk, fructose (which has been scientifically proven to be one of the worst things you can put in your body, although Isagenix claims their fructose is "special"), fatty acids, and a trace amount of vitamins. Yum, yum. Doesn't that sound tasty? The folks at Isagenix would like you to believe that ingesting 3 of these 20-calorie wafers twice a day is immensely satisfying, and will keep you feeling full until it's time for your next meal. Yeah, right!

I'd be remiss if I failed to mention the havoc this program wreaked with my budget. Each meal replacement costs somewhere in the range of $3.50 and $5.00, depending on your level of participation in the pyramid scam, er, scheme. Because of the way in which the products are bundled, it's next to impossible to get away with paying less than $150 a month, including tax and shipping. At the epitome of my Isagenix experience, I was spending more than $350 a month -- enough to buy food for an entire family on my new low carb lifestyle. Did I lose weight? Sure, at the rate of about five pounds a week. But guess what? Not surprisingly, it got to the point where I couldn't stomach the thought of slugging down another shake or cleanse drink, or gnawing on another one of those wafers that develop the texture of wallpaper paste in your mouthas soon as you start to chew them. So, I went off the Isagenix system and, in October, gained back 10 of the 30 pounds I had lost. Talk about disappointment! Well, my disappointment days are over because I've lost 4.7 of those pounds in just 4 days on my new low-carb lifestyle, and I'm expecting to lose a whole lot more!

Oh, oh, and how could I forget the most amazing thing about Isagenix? You can buy an entire three-ring binder full of Isagenix success stories for the bargain price of $25! Like any other company that is trying to make a quick buck, Isagenix has plenty of people singing its praises. One of the most extraordinary claims I ever heard was that the folks who have achieved dramatic weight loss (in excess of 100+ pounds) on Isagenix have no loose skin! ABSOLUTELY NONE!! Imagine that! Now, this I would like to see! Although, I guess we'll never really know will we? Unless...maybe...hey, do ya reckon some of these folks might be pursuaded to take off their clothes on stage at the next Isagenix convention? Hmmm...just a thought...

Comments:
Shame your body didn't respond well to the use of the product & you developed a hatred for the taste of the product.

BUT... Let me get this straight...

You Lost THIRTY (THREE ZERO - 30) pounds in 6 weeks.

Kept it off until you stopped using the products...

I don't understand... How is it a "Scam"?

And shame you think the mulit-billion dollar network marketing & direct sales industry is a "scam"

People like you serve as a reminder that uneducated opinions are like a-holes, everyone's got one.

Have a good life.
 
Kevin obviously is a Isagenix believer. I feel sorry for him and others like him. They are so gullible it amazes me. Isagenix is a starvation program and that is the end of the story.
All the foolish Isagenix users would be much better off to spend their hard earned money on a course that teaches sensible eating and good nutrition. It will take a little longer to lose the weight, but it took a while to put it on so why should it come off any quicker.
I too have tried Isagenix and do believe it works. However I did not enjoy the program. The shakes are quite gross as is the cleanse drink. I enjoy eating my meals as it is much more satisfying. I also was very unhappy whilst on the program, sort of like Kevin seems to be.
I have continued to lose weight on my own without Isagenix and am very happy with my results as I achieved them without anyone’s help. I also enjoy eating most of the same things that I used to eat, although I am counting my calories now.
The most important thing for everyone to remember is to avoid fast foods like burgers , fries and colas. If you were to look at pictures from the past , like the thirties ,forties and early fifties, there were very few fat people. This is because fast food chains were not around yet. If people such as Kevin watched a movie entitled 'Supersize Me' they would know this is the reason for the obesity problem in North America.
Isagenix is a scam Kevin. It preys on weak minded people who can't seem to stop themselves from overeating and making the wrong choices in the foods they eat. They should make 'Health and Nutritiion' a mandatory course in all schools.
It's alright if you try to call me names for my opinion Kevin. I will just consider the source of the ignorance and that way your name calling will not bother me one bit.
Besides I am the one who knows I do not need the help of some foul tasting garbage to help me lose weight. I will stick with my meat and potatoes. Mmmmmmmm much better than some foul tasting shake as a meal replacement. Don't you think Kevin. Mmmmm roast beef, yummy.
I will have a good life Kevin. Remember Isagenix just tries to make you eat less than 2000 calories per day. I can achieve that easily while eating real food. You think of me Kevin, I'll be eating my roast beef dinner while your chugging back that vile Isalean Shake. A wise man once said,"You can live to be a hundred if you cut out all of the things that you enjoy that are bad for you, but did you really live!"
You should educate yourself Kevin. Isagenix is a scam. A scam that preys on weak minded fatties like you. If you were to become aware of your caloric intake and limit it to less than 2000 a day , as well as limit your sugar , salt and fat intake you can’t help but lose weight. You are the one who seems to be uneducated. All you have to do is stick to aplan. That’s what you are doing with Isagenix.
I cook all of my own meals and it is still cheaper than being on the Isagenix program. I’ve been thinking about writing a book about ‘Health and Nutrition’. Maybe I could help some people change their minds about Isagenix. I’ve already changed the most important person’s mind in my life, MY OWN. Ken Lesko Kelowna B.C. Canada
 
I agree with Kevin. Im on Isagenix and ive lost 20 pounds in a month. Before Isagenix i was going to the hym 6days a week (working hard too) and didnt lose any weight. (not to mention that i was eating very healthy) Isagenix was the only thing that helped boost my metabolism and after the cleanse i felt so much better. i had more energy and even clearer skin. Also i love the shakes and the snacks. i do agree that the cleanser taste terrible but so what! Cough syrup taste terrible but you tke it if it helps you right? Millions of people have lost weight on isagenix including youself, why would you want to turn people away from a product that can help others?
 
Also its not as easy as just limiting your diet to less that 2000 calories a day. before isagenix, i never took more that 1000 calories in a day and worked out very reg.(and still do)Doing both Cardio and resistance training. not to mention that im 17 and have a higher metabolism. I play volleyball, Basketball, Softball, and i run track. (& still go to the gym 6 days a week) Its also not fair to say that it is all fast food because i have not eaten a hamburger since before i entered into high school(& am pretty scared to eat any fast food) nor do i drink sodas. still before isgenix i was unable to lose weight. Not to be negative but your theroies on weight loss and Isagenix are not correct.
 
I have to agree that it's a scam just because I have a pretty unique perspective on it. My girlfriend's sister and husband are always the first to jump on any bandwagon, especially if they can make a buck. He started using Isagenix at about 300 lbs and claims to have lost 40 lbs within just well.. an unbelievably short amount of time. So of course, now they're pushing the stuff. You hear all about how its a cleanse and your body has all these toxins etc.. but who's able to back it up.
First of all, if you're incredibly fat, of course you're going to lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time no matter what you do. Second, this program does not HELP people because as soon as they stop using it, they gain that old weight right back. Finally, the marketing of this product alone shows what a scam it is. As everyone knows it's a pyramid scheme, where they get average joes that know absolutely nothing whatsoever to sell the product and talk about it as if they have actual nutritional experience when in reality most of them probably lack a college degree altogether.
This program does really target extremely gullible people who are not willing to research things for themselves just because they want it to work so badly.
Zack
 
I do research on pretty much anything I spend my money on. Of course it's a multi-level marketing company, but the difference is, they are selling a product that actually work. The weight loss was of no interest to me although I lost 4 pounds a week. My primary concern was that years of abuse does really terrible things to the body. At age 51, I got my first sinus infection...EVER!! I had it on and off for more than 7 months. Antibiotics and steroids and other harsh chemicals did nothing but mask the problem temporarily and I was told by my doctor and everyone else that once you have sinusitis, you're always susceptible to it. What's my point? The point is, scam or not, I am no longer congested, my energy levels are way up. I feel better than I have in 20 years and only after a short 2 months. If you do the research, you will find that they make no claims of this being a miracle drug... the idea is to rid your body of toxins and allow YOUR body to become the miracle by building up a healthy immune system and to educate you on how to change your life style and live healthy. WITH or WITHOUT the program. Come on, no one can do it for you. You have to make a conscious effort to change Sounds to me that someone else is making money and you're not, so that angers you... SCAM??? Who cares. It worked for me. If you want to get angry with someone, get angry with the Government for allowing chemicals in our food that causes the problems in the first place. Or the tv commercials subliminally telling people to eat the garbage they serve at fast food resturants.
I chose to live a healthy life eating organic foods and not over indulging in chemical contamination. I don't use ISAGENIX any longer and I'm still doing fine. I did not gain any weight back because I changed my lifestyle. I THANK ISAGENIX for the jumpstart. WE ALL HAVE A CHOICE. IT's UP TO THE INDIVIDUAL TO MAKE THE RIGHT ONE.
 
I purchased a bottle of ionix supreme on the advise of a clerk at a salon. I explained in am now doing test at the hospital for my extreme weightloss. I weight 100lbs, I have been taking it for one week as directed and now 95lb. I beleived I was misinformed about this product (gain weight). Also I think if I continue would be dangerous for my health. I do believe that a refund should be done under the conditions. I remain. gail
 
Um, Hanna, if you were actually eating only 1000 calories and were a regular 5'0" woman, even without the exercise, I have a feeling you were probably far too thin to begin with. Weight loss when you're only skin and bones = death. I'm sorry, but that smacks of either an eating disorder, or you seriously misunderstood how many calories you were intaking, PERIOD. It is impossible for an overweight person to eat only 1000 calories a day, exercise regularly, and not lose weight. Physically impossible.

As for the idiotic statements regarding toxins in the body and fat surrounding it to "neutralize" it or whatever the hell it's supposed to do, it's BS. Ask a doctor how the body actually works. It's a nice fairy tale though, because then we don't have to be fat because we're overeating, we're fat because of the toxins in our environment.

I know a girl who has become a walking advertisement for Isagenix and it makes me angry - I hate it when good people get taken advantage of. I'll be sad for her when the weight returns, and I'm hoping she'll actually start exercising and eating right instead of using this Isagenix crap. I thought we learned years ago that powders and diet drinks weren't healthy and effective ways to lose weight!
 
This comment has been removed by the author.
 
Is Isagenix a scam? LOL you have got to be kidding me. First of all just becuase it does not work for some people does not mean its a scam. Let see last week I had a head ache and took a asprin and me head ache did not go away oh my Gosh call the FDA Asprin is a scam.
 
Let's look at the definition of a pyramid scheme. I'm not making this up...I googled it and took the definition from a number of reliable sources.

"A fraudulent money-making scheme in which people are recruited to make payments to others above them in a hierarchy while expecting to receive payments from people recruited below them. Eventually the number of new recruits fails to sustain the payment structure, and the scheme collapses with most people losing the money they paid in."

Notice the trade of product for money is not mentioned at all.

There are good network marketing companies (avon, mark kay, tupperware) and there are bad ones (don't know of any cause they probably didn't last long enough)...just as there are good "traditional" businesses and bad ones.

Here is a pyramid scheme for you. I used to work for Magna International, a huge global company. I was there for 10 years. The year I left, the CEO make 54 million just in bonuses, the president of my division made around 5 million, I made 100K and the receptionist made 30K. Funny...shape of this organization was also like a pyramid. Gee...when you really think about it...who makes all the money where you work?

Donald Trump validates them and I think he knows a thing or two about making money and business.
 
Opps one more thing:

I think Isagenix fits more into the category of "capitalism" than "pyramid scheme".

Definition of capitalism:
Capitalism is an economic system in which capital goods are owned, operated and traded by private individuals, businesses, or corporations for the purpose of profit.
 
As a 15 year veteran of the nutritional industry I am dismayed where blog writers challenge without any proof of citations. Here ‘Beauty and the Brain’ steps into it:

“The nutritional label reveals that these wafers are nothing but compressed powdered milk, fructose (which has been scientifically proven to be one of the worst things you can put in your body, although Isagenix claims their fructose is "special")” What is ‘special’ B&B? You don’t know. Yet you spew falsehood without any proof. Shame on you.

I would suggest that anyone wanting to learn more about the top selling Isagenix products visit http://www.facebook.com/shakeandcleanse and look for John Andersons personal notes on the product formulation. There is also a good online presentation that speaks to each of the ingredients in the two products.
 
Just a few things to think about... anyone eating under 1000 calories a day is putting themselves into starvation mode, and although they may initially lose weight, regardless of method, will gain it back. Hanna, I think you tried to do too much, so your body started to preserve any calories you ingested. Also, don't forget muscle weighs more than fat, so try not to focus on the scale. Anything that removes so much weight in such a quick period of time often eliminates water weight, which will come back. I would just caution that this type of system would be just fine short term, but that it is meant to transition into healthy eating. I am using it for one month for the detox effects, and believe that it is important to cleanse the body once in a while to "reboot" our own systems, but it is important not to rely on products to do the work for us. It is hard to get and stay healthy, and everyone is looking for an easy way. It isn't easy, end of story. Independent of the product health argument is the one of sales. I also know many people who get all gung-ho about pushing this product, but I also know an equal amount pushing Visalus (same idea, different ingredients), mary kay, candles, princess housewares, etc.
Bottom line... decide your intentions/expectations of a product, inform yourself, and do your research before purchasing any product or getting into the business of things. Good health everyone!
 
i find it funny that you call Kevin "fattie" then go on to say that want to write a book on health and nutrition and help others. lol just sayin'
 
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