HERBALIFE Another Fantasy Weight Loss Con!
Everyone wants the quick fix, to get rid of the weight gained over the years of an unhealthy lifestyle and with companies like Herbalife offering the holy grail and the body you have been dreaming of, people just get suckered in…
Ive already wrote about other diets such as lighterlife and Cambridge Diet, and with such a s choice of quick fix promised weight loss diets, its hard for people to say no. The problem is people dont put weight on over night, so to lose it properly, you cant just stop eating and crash diet and expect the weight to stay off.
I wont lie to you, stop eating drink these protein shakes, cut your caloiries in an excessive mannor and you will lose weight, but heres the catch – You will also lose the effectiveness of your metabolism!!! And with this your long term way to burn calories effectively.
Even when returning to a normal healthy eating plan, your metabolism will be so destroyed by the Herbalife style Diets that you will just put weight back on and begin the cycle of the yo yo dieting syndrome.
The Horrifying Fact Behind the likes of Herbalife:
Many, if not most Herbalife Distributors are not qualified Dietitions or Nutritionist! They have no nutrtional educational background or even fitness professional qualifications, Scary!
You wouldnt ask an office administrator to change your boiler, you wouldnt ask a school diner lady to treat a cancer sufferer, so why would you ask a diner lady or an office worker for Health, Fitness or Nutritional Advice???
Personally Ive been a Fitness Professional for over 22yrs, and I dont believe I know everything about nutrition, so how can an office worker who has jumped on the band wagon of pyramid selling with the promise of fortunes from their upline mentor give you advice on nutrition? What do they know about macro-nutrients?
Giving wrong advice can at best lead to gaining more weight than you were at the start of the diet once you come off it, at worse people have died by being given the wrong nutritional advice.
Herbalife are now even tapping into the Fitness Game, office workers, dinner ladies, unemployed, unqualified people taking fitness sessions in parks across the UK, my own home town Swindon Ive seen unqualified people giing this sort of advice and take people with obesity problems, unfit people and train them with no knowledge of how the human body works, no understanding or qualifications to show knowledge of anatomy and physiology and train people on mass, these people will have no insurance that will cover any injury from training and advice.
You should always ask the person offering you nutritional and fitness advice what their qualifications are, and if they say they are qualified Herbalife Distrbutors or Lighterlife Distributors, this is just a smokescreen, they are not formal qualifications, they are not worth the paper they are writen on and they are not recognised by the fitness industry.
My advice is to stay away from these people and look for a fitness professional that knows about nutrition and fitness and has the qualifications to go with it.
Herbalife have set up something called 24Fit Club, there are many of these across the UK, some may have a Personal trainer involved but most of the group leaders have no formal qualifications which means the fitness sessions they provide are not covered by any insurance.
There is no such thing as the QUICK FIX SOLUTION, if you want to lose weight long term, you need to have a sensible eating plan by a fitness/nutritional professional, none of these protein shakes work long term and are empty promises, so dont fall for them – seak professional fitness experts in your area, see a doctor with any concerns about going into a fitness regime.
It may come off slower but believe me it will stay off for good!
Mike Buss | Celebrity Personal Trainer/Nutritionist
Category: BLOG, Health News, Nutrition (weightloss)
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Funny you write a statement such as this when you use to sell Herbalife products to your clients.
As a fresh starting out young trainer, yes I did get approached by Herbalife to sell the product promising big riches, fancy cars and big houses as do all the pyramid selling companies, and I was young enough to fall into it, I guess I just saw the £ sign…
BUT then after selling it for about a year I realised this was just another diet, and Diets dont work!
Its all about promising the quick fix, the easy way out of obese life, but what should be done is that people should change their lifestyles, eat healthy and exercise and not take up meal replacement protein shakes, Diets and anyother quick fix that will never last long term.
The other major problem I had with Herbalife, and again like many other type of Diets similar, they are pyramid selling companies, you could be an office worker with no qualifications in Health, Nutrition or Fitness and become a distributor for Herbalife, then going to the public offering a diet with no qualifications to offer the advice, it is nothing but a pyramid selling company interested in profit.
If they only allowed fitness professionals and nutritionists to sell the product it would be more regulated, and possibly more suitable under a controlled professional eye, but then they wouldnt make the money they do, and the upline distributors would find it hard to find people to sell the product and make no money.
Most Personal Trainers wont touch such products with a barge pole and instead use their knowledge and experience to give sound nutritional and fitness advice and instruction to give long term results.
DIETS DONT WORK
Seriously you don’t know what your talking about…stick to running and leave people’s health to us, I’ve got over 75 long term happy testimonials which include clients that have used herbalife to help others
Secondly do supermarkets have nutritional qualifications in providing people with hydrogenated fats, trans fats and bad saturates?
Obesity is a growing problem, People’s health and happiness is at stake so instead of trying to fight Company’s that are there to help…support them to do what they do best which is fight obesity, you don’t have any knowledge obviously in what Herbalife does because if you did this conversation wouldn’t be happening
OK, let me have your qualifications Please??? Tell the world about your qualifications in the world of Health, Fitness & Nutrition… How long have you been in the industry? How long have you been training people? How long is your so called long term clients?
I on the otherhand have a Masters Degree in Sports and Exercise Science, Ive specialised in Sports Nutrition, I have been a fitness professional for over 20yrs.
I have trained athletes, Olympians, special forces, MET Police Officers in special areas as SO19, I have trained celebs, I have had my own Fitness TV Show. I could go on! What I do know is I do know what Im talking about, so please tell the world what experience and qualifications you have to say that you know what you are talking about… We are waiting…
Supermarkets dont need to have qualifications in nutrition, they are a food supplier for consumption and not for health, Herbalife and such like companies dont do this for the good of people they do it for the money, the billions that they make every year selling a dream that is a lie!
I have plenty of knowledge of Herbalife, I research my subject matter a lot each time, as a fresh personal trainer years ago, I sold the product, sucked in by the lies of my upline and then realised everything I was selling went against everything I learnt as a trainer.
I`ve been strongly disappointed by Herbalife Formula 1 shakes!
Instead of losing weight, I put on around 5kg in one month!!!!!!!!! That rubbish made me fat!!!
I complained and Herbalife Customer Care didn`t help me at all!
What`s more, Nora – the Herbalife Distributor Services Representative Uk & Ireland didn`t care about what I was saying! We argued for 15mins and then I told her I would post negative feedback online and she didn`t give a sh*t!!!!
People are getting rich because they know how to fool us! This is herbalife!
Ah, and by the way: I couldn`t check the ingredients in Formula 1, but I know that Aloe Vera concentrate is ONLY 40% Aloe Vera and I paid more than £20 for it!!!!!
Herbalife is rubbish!!!!
Hi Mike,
Thank you for this, I’ve just say and read this whole conversation and found it very interesting.
I’ve recently been approached by one of these people and straight off had a bad feeling about it…
I’m a young female, I am extremely fit and very lean but muscular. I eat very clean and train extremely hard. My training includes a mix of weight training, a variety of exercise classes including explosive cardio, and I’m also a long distance runner.
One of the “distributors” (was told off for calling him a sales person) came to me and started telling me that basically this could be a great thing for me, the benefits I would feel would be immense, if have more energy (believe me I don’t need anymore energy) and I could help other people along the way. He said I had the right “look” and people probably ask how I achieved this look. Well for starters it certainly wasn’t from “healthy meal replacements”. Hey then explained how much protein etc these shakes can give you… Can’t exactly remember but it was as much as x amount of chicken.. Well why wouldn’t I just eat bloody chicken????? I love my food why the hell would I start drinking shakes instead of eating food????? Well it’s more convenient… Food preparation takes time…. Yeah and I make time, every Sunday night I plan my weeks food and in the evenings I just set aside time when I get home, steam some green beans, put a tuna steak in the oven and bake it in spice and lemon juice… Is that really difficult? NO. He then said I was in the minority, with a growing population of obese people, only 10% have good diets. Well why on earth are you trying to change mine!!!!
Don’t get me wrong, I get it… These guys are trying to help people lose weight and make some money in the process. But it’s like you said, it’s for lazy people who can’t be bothered to make the real effort themselves.
People always ask me how I look the way I do, hoping and praying I have some miracle answer. But I don’t. My answer is I give 100%, in fully committed, I work hard, I eat clean and I absolutely love it. I get a buzz from cooking all different recipes, and I love preparing my food. A lot of people I have met in more recent years are personal trainers, nutritionists etc and every single one warned me away from this.
The way I see it, I’m lucky. This comes easy to me cause I enjoy it so much. Why would I drop all of that and start drinking shakes instead of eating proper healthy meals??? So herbalife can claim they are the reason I look like this???? No, I am the reason I look like this!!!!!!
Hi Mike,
Thank you for this, I’ve just sat and read this whole conversation and found it very interesting.
I’ve recently been approached by one of these people and straight off had a bad feeling about it…
I’m a young female, I am extremely fit and very lean but muscular. I eat very clean and train extremely hard. My training includes a mix of weight training, a variety of exercise classes including explosive cardio, body weight exercises, spin, plyometrics, kettle bells, circuits… and I’m also a runner, I do a lot of interval training, and a mix of short and long distance running.
One of the “distributors” (was told off for calling him a sales person) came to me and started telling me that basically this could be a great thing for me, the benefits I would feel would be immense, if have more energy (believe me I don’t need anymore energy) and I could help other people along the way. He said I had the right “look” and people probably ask how I achieved this look. Well for starters it certainly wasn’t from “healthy meal replacements”. Hey then explained how much protein etc these shakes can give you… Can’t exactly remember but it was as much as x amount of chicken.. Well why wouldn’t I just eat bloody chicken????? I love my food why the hell would I start drinking shakes instead of eating food????? Well it’s more convenient… Food preparation takes time…. Yeah and I make time, every Sunday night I plan my weeks food and in the evenings I just set aside time when I get home, steam some green beans, put a tuna steak in the oven and bake it in spice and lemon juice… Is that really difficult? NO. He then said I was in the minority, with a growing population of obese people, only 10% have good diets. Well why on earth are you trying to change mine!!!!
Don’t get me wrong, I get it… These guys are trying to help people lose weight and make some money in the process. But it’s like you said, it’s for lazy people who can’t be bothered to make the real effort themselves.
People always ask me how I look the way I do, hoping and praying I have some miracle answer. But I don’t. My answer is I give 100%, in fully committed, I work hard, I eat clean and I absolutely love it. I get a buzz from cooking all different recipes, and I love preparing my food. A lot of people I have met in more recent years are personal trainers, nutritionists etc and every single one warned me away from this.
The way I see it, I’m lucky. This comes easy to me cause I enjoy it so much. Why would I drop all of that and start drinking shakes instead of eating proper healthy meals??? So herbalife can claim they are the reason I look like this???? No, I am the reason I look like this!!!!!!
Absolute truth from Mike.
A very good friend of mine (at least he was) graduated uni with a degree in physical geography…….not even sport related. He now, 2 years on, tells us all how he will make his 1000’s from selling herbalife products and that ‘you could be earning as much as me’ or ‘why are you working in a job where you don’t make any money?!’. He’s even pestering friends or travelling to try and sell the stuff in New Zealand, all so that we can work underneath him and he can climb the Herbalife ladder.
‘But its not a pyramid company!’ he used to bang on, where anybody stood outside and not blinded by ££££ could see that it clearly is.
I even trialed the product for him when he first started distributing, I lost a couple of pounds that month….Great! However, taking a shake, an apple, a shake and some vitamin and mineral tablets does not make for a healthy lifestyle and in my job as a builder I quickly began crashing.
These products are designed to be sold to the fat, lazy people who are desperate for a quick fix. I am yet to meet anyone in sport whio takes this product to thrive. Even in the new Herbalife video promoting work alongside Christiano Ronaldo it can clearly be seen that the man has never taken the products before. He has been paid a lot of money to come in and be convinced, he’s not promoting it because he believes in the product. You pay me enough money I’ll tell you that liquidised excrement helped me loose weight, gain muscle and made me feel more alert.
I agree its a fantastic business model for making money, but it is not designed for the good of its customers.
firstly, as already mentioned I know Dan, and I know he is a qualified trainer, but others in the 24Fit Club are not qualified and should never even support such a fitness regime, it should be left to just fitness professionals. Herbalife can be bought into by any Joe Blogs, they do need qualifications! If you are giving nutritional advice, you need to have the qualifications to back it up.
You are correct that if you do a fitness course back in 2000, by now it is out of date information in some parts as the industry is fast moving. But to work in a gym, you have to be a member of REPs and part of that means you need to keep up to date with industry quals and education by taking workshops and quals to update you knowledge, these give you CPD points and you need to amount a number of points each year to keep your REPs membership up to date.
If you go to an indepentent trainer like myself I dont need REPs, as it is money that you can pay towards up dating further quals like I do every year and also attend industry events such as Leisure Industry Week and Fit Pro. However many trainers will just if not working in a gym not bother with REPs and not bother keeping quals up t date, these are not trainers Id ever reccomend.
So to say you dont need to be qualified to give and sell Herbalife I totally disagree with you, anyone can read parrot fashion out of a book, but understanding it is a totally different matter all together and why qualifications are important!
As for Pyramid selling, I know Herbalife and Avon and Kleeneze hate the word, but that is exactly what it is, they prefer the word network marketing, wrapping it up in fancy wording, but at the end of the day it is pyramid selling. You buy into the product, you get another 10 people to sign up to it, they each then get another 10 people and so on. Then once the people under you start selling product you get a bit of commision off their sales as well as selling to your clients.
Selling the idea to buy into the product they show you fancy success stories of BMWs, Big houses and you can be like this too, and then you see all the Herbalife and Kleenze Distributors driving around in Ford KAs with Herbalife Distributor on the back window, offering second income part time sales potentials of £1000 per month.
I fell into it when I was younger, I stopped thinking about what I knew and sold a product instead, replace your breakfast and lunch with a milkshake, take some soybeans and eat a normal meal in the evening. This totally goes against every course on nutrtion you can go on and totally against what I learnt in my degree.
So I stand by what I say, Ive posted a response to all your comments on the 24Fit Club Swindon Page and it was deleted, you have posted your comment on here and I have activated it for the public to see as I unlike the organisers of Fit Club Swindon have nothing to hide.
Maybe they could answer my question on what qualifications each of them have besides Dan, in Nutrition, fitness and running coaching? And then if each of them apart from Dan is actually insured? Something they have been very keen to not answer
Herbalife does not work, and to say you cant change the state of the food you eat is a joke… If you cant stop yourself from eating a big mac, every week then you are going to get overweight, if you cant control the amount of calories going inside you and cant make the effort to go out and exercise then you will get fat, all these are state of mind, you control you mind and therefore your destiny, you can chose to be fat or chose to be slim!
Eating sensibly and having an active lifestyle is how it is done! Not Rocket Science! You dont need Herbalife or anyother diet, you need to just eat the correct food, the correct amount and stay active.
Sit on the sofa and eat crisps all day will put weight on, and you dont need a degree to understand that. Life choices – Thats all it needs, not DIEts.
Your comments are amusing, Pyramid selling is illegal and has been for some time, Again if you knew Herbalife you would know its not a Diet!!!
Look at all the other franchises available in the world, it’s a way of helping people earn an income to pay for a better life for them and there families, you sound very bitter, like you have a grudge, I myself am a personal trainer and I use herbalife a fantastic nutrition along side a customised fitness regime for my clients and I have done for some time now
What is Mike Buss’s solution to the growing obesity problem in the world? Herbalife are successfully doing something about it, what are you doing?
Herbalife have already been taken to court and kicked out of one European country for being a pyramid selling company, so already in the eyes of the legal system they have broken the law.
Not a diet? Herbalife is a meal replacement system that lowers calorie intake by the person taking it, shake for breakfast, and shake for lunch followed by an evening meal… You are a personal trainer, any trainer taking up the likes of Herbalife, LighterLife or anyother Diet or meal replacement is selling out their industry and knowledge!!!!
You were tought in your personal training course about nutrition, you should as a trainer know Diets dont work long term, and the only trainers that take on the likes of Herbalife dont really care about their clients, they just care about selling cheap low grade protein for over priced costs.
If you were any worth while personal trainer then you wouldnt touch Herbalife with a barge pole!
Herbalife is nothing but a get rich scheme, interested in money not the people it claims to want to help!
What is my solution? I have already set up a foundation for health in my local town, getting real results, no diets, no meal replacements! Its about education, showing why Herbalife and other diets dont work and exercise with long term lifestyle changes.
Obviously you have no idea about the industry you claim to be in and have sold the fitness industry out with CRAP from Herbalife
I think Mike you are totally right in everything you have said about herbalife, these diets do not work, i should know have tried them all at some point, the only thing that works is eat less exercise more ta dah not that hard put like that lol
Belgian court called it a “pyramid scheme”
http://pyramidschemealert.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Belgian.Court_.Decision.pdf
The Canadian Department of Justice filed numerous criminal charges against Herbalife for false medical claims and misleading advertising practices in 1984. The California Department of Health, California Attorney General, and FDA brought a civil lawsuit against the company in 1985. The company was charged with making misleading consumers, improper product claims, and operating an illegal ‘endless-chain’ scheme. Herbalife reached an out-of-court settlement by paying $850,000 in costs, fees, and penalties.
Herbalife was cited by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for numerous violation involving is business practices. 2006
http://www.ripoffreport.com/cult-organizations/herbalife-health-and/herbalife-health-and-lifestyle-fc5e0.htm
Is this really a company that you would want to get advice and products from??? I dont think so… Stick to getting fitness and weight loss advice from fitness professionals offering a service that gives good solid and sound fitness and nutritional advice and does not rely on meal replacement low calorie diets.
http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/herbalife-c136092.html
Herbalife Side Effects
Some people experience unpleasant side effects when using various Herbalife products. These are described and addressed in this article for your safety and well-being.
Bloating:
If you experience bloating, try changing the portion size to reduce this feeling. Enjoy healthy snacks during the day and smaller meals to assist your digestion. If you are using the shake mix as a meal replacement you may want to reduce the portion size or frequency.
Dry Mouth:
Some people report that their mouth is dry after black or fruit tea. Detox products often produce thirst so you can try increasing your intake of water. Dryness from using the shakes can be caused by acid reflux since it contains guar gum and psyllium husk. These have expanding properties, which can cause reflux. Guar bean is high in protein and oil and guar gum is used worldwide in many beverages, foods and supplements. In significant quantities, guar gum dehydrates the body and can cause some serious side effects. However, it is regulated by the FDA who only permits extremely small quantities of it in food. Guar gum in the shake mix is used to emulsify or bind the particles and has been determined to be of insignificant quantities.
Heart Palpitations:
Palpitations may be from caffeine sensitivity. The tea does have caffeine in it so you could either stop using the tea or eventually you will get used to caffeine and the palpations should recede. The shake mix does not contain any caffeine.
In the nineties it was found that Ephedra caused increased heart rate and Herbalife discontinued using Ephedra in any of its products.
Upset Stomach, Headache and Fevers:
In the first few days, many years of accumulated toxins and waste in the body begin to be expelled. Diarrhea, headaches, fever or nausea can arise.
These are temporary symptoms and will subside whether you continue the diet or not. The discomfort is not very common but happens to some people. Once you are detoxified you should feel great however. The body has toxins or free radicals surrounded by fat molecules, and when burning these fat molecules, the toxins are released into the bloodstream for elimination. They circulate through the body and are filtered out by the kidneys and liver. This can take up to 2 weeks. Areas where toxins and pollutants are expelled from the body can display reactions. You can first use a detoxification program to cleanse your system before starting the weight loss program if you wish.
Unpleasant-Smelling Urine or Perspiration:
This is another possible reaction to the body cleansing that is not caused by the products, but the waste you are cleaning out. The products are working just as they should.
Allergic Reaction and Blocked Sinuses:
People who are very allergic to fish need to know that some Herbalife products contain fish oil. See a medical specialist to determine if this is an allergic reaction. Sinuses are especially sensitive because they are soft tissue. Sinus irritations should clear in 1 to 3 weeks but if they get worse, discontinue using the product and consult a medical professional.
Malnutrition:
Beware of nutrient deficiency when losing weight. The Herbalife ShapeWorks program recommends that along with the 2 shakes and one healthy meal, you should add the Multivitamins and Cell Activator to ensure that you are getting enough nutrition. Cell Activator helps increase your nutrient absorption from food.
Stimulants:
Caffeine in green tea is not the same as in coffee. It is slower-acting and has a calmer quality. But if you feel too stimulated try half a cup instead of a whole cup for a while.
Swollen Legs:
This might indicate an allergic reaction to an ingredient in the Herbalife products. Please show your doctor the product labels and ask his advice. It would be best to discontinue using the product until you know what the cause of your swelling is.
Stomach Acidity:
If you are using Cell-U-Loss, try discontinuing it and see if that reduces your symptoms. If so, then Cell-U-Loss is not for you. If acidity persists when you are not taking it, there is some other cause. Cell-U-Loss contains 3 ingredients which may be causing the acidity: Apple Cider Vinegar, Vitamin C and Iron. It also contains herbs that have diuretic properties such as couch grass and corn silk extract.
Pregnancy:
Total Control (the metabolism booster) carries a warning to not be used by the pregnant, lactating (or those that want to get pregnant). Rapid weight loss and stimulants during breastfeeding can release too many toxins into your blood stream and thus into your milk. This can cause a decrease in your milk supply and be unhealthy for your baby. Avoid the stimulants in Total Control and the Herbal Tea, which contain caffeine. Herbalife products have nutrition labels that show warnings to guide women who are pregnant, nursing or who may become pregnant.
Rashes:
These are the most commonly reported side-effects that happen when the body is de-toxifying. Redness, blotchy skin and irritation can arise. Your skin being the largest organ, has the most cells to repair and also discharges toxins. It takes about 2 weeks to cleanse the blood stream and during this time the departing toxins can be irritating. Exercise produces sweat and will release toxins that can irritate the skin. Herbal Aloe Soothing Gel can provide symptomatic relief.
Hair Loss or Breakage:
Formula 1 Nutritional Shake Mix has been shown to improve skin, hair and nail growth. If you experience hair loss early in your weight loss program, this is because damaged cells are being repaired or replaced. When beginning a weight loss program, your body will target the most damaged cells. Hair usually has the oldest cells and is thus the first target for renewal. Hair soon becomes healthier than before so you need not worry about this.
General Detoxing Effects:
It is very well known that at the beginning of a diet or fast there may be some adverse side effects. These usually subside within a few weeks however. If you detoxify for a few days using plain water, fruit or vegetables you will also experience some side effects. When we have better nutrition, or when toxic substances such as coffee, tea, chocolate, tobacco, salt, and pepper are discontinued, amazing changes take place. Our bodies discard the lower grade materials and tissues to make room for newer, healthier ones.
Weight Gain:
An ideal weight-loss rate is between 3 and 5 pounds per week. If you lose weight gradually and are getting proper nutrition, it will stay off. Moderate exercise like walking is necessary to get the fat burning process going. Adequate hydration (drinking water regularly) is essential to flush the toxins.
Do not try to stop any Herbalife side effects by taking drugs. Either let the healing take its natural course or stop using the product if you experience an allergic reaction.
You are hilarious. Herbalife is the leading nutritional company in the world. We have doctors on our advisory board with PHDs… You clearly work for a different weight management company and are threatened by the quality of Herbalife products 🙂 bless you! Would Ronaldo & Messi take our products if the above we’re true????
Very funny… Doctors with PHDs are all on the payroll and bias to Herbalife, so wouldnt trust anyone of them as far as I could throw them!
I dont work for any nutrition company, I am totally independent, 100%
Im not threatened by anyones products or services… As for Ronaldo and Messi, if they are sponsored by Herbalife then that really doesnt mean they are taking the product! I know many Premiership players who are supposed to drink Lucuozade and they may have a bottle but take a different product, because they dont think much of Lucozade, there are many body builders sponsored by MetRex again they dont take it, they just take the money and say its great, they lie, dont buy into sponsorship endorsements too much especially in the suppliment world
I can confirm for a FACT neither Ronaldo or Messi personally take these products I have worked alongside 2 very well know nutritionist’s within the football world and actually spoken to Ronaldo myself and questioned this due to all the synthetic rubbish in the shakes as I was on a work placement he doesn’t. he is paid to promote it. I am a fully qualified nutritionist of 7 years now and I am accredited by 2 of the very limited UK professional nutrition bodies BANT & also the association for nutrition which both requires specialist competencies in nutrition or public health nutrition – most commonly a BSc (Hons) or MSc in a nutritional science or equivalent.
Based on your above statement please advise what professional body you are with and with what experience and qualifications?
I would like to point out your above comments are not based on any factual statements or even provide any to counter Mikes points, I know there genuinely isn’t any because Herbalife is a vile short term weight management product that if used long term actually has the opposite effect as it destroys you metabolism.
In each serving it uses SOY protein (FULL OF GMO’S) which equates to 9grams of sugars and 135 milligrams of sodium. These are high amounts and certainly too high for a supposedly healthy meal replacement shake. Also, it only has 9 grams of protein, ideally there should be about 15 grams per serving.
I could go on but don’t feel there any point wasting my time and energy trying to explain to someone the concept of researching nutritional science, when clearly you put this comment with no founded research or facts.
Mike, You’re a bitter idiot who couldn’t make the simplest business work!
Let me see,
I got suckered into Herbalife years ago, dazelled I guess by the promise of fast cars and big houses with the ultimate business model, but this only works if you get lots of people signing up under you as distributors, so you get bullied into getting anyone to sign up but I wasnt ever going to sign anyone up that wasnt qualified… Then I took a long hard look at what I was selling, and realised it went against everything I have learnt as a trainer and sports scientist.
So Ive failed in business??? I have my own gym, I have a successful Bootcamp Franchise, I train athletes and celebs, I have 200members in my swindon Bootcamp alone and am a professional ultra endurance athlete who has apeared on the cover of several fintenss and running magazines around the world, so yeh if thats what you mean by a failure then I must be a failure…
Funny how all the Herbalife distributors that drive around selling the get rich dream actually just seem to be driving around in Ford KAs lol
Mike I’m with you.
As they say the proof is in the pudding, so many people getting sick from this silly product!!!
People need to be educated on real food.. Can healthy food make you sick? No!!!
There is no quick fix.. That’s life. Eat healthy and exercise. Very simple?
Your an idiot if you cannot read the ingredients and still think its a great product.
this is an interesting debate. I work as a personal trainer and bootcamp instructor. I dont know everything about nutrition and I am learning new stuff all the time, but i did study it for 4 years at uni.since then i have looked at different things. You know i used to sell herbalife and yes it does help people lose weight but you have to ask the question is it sustainable and is it healthy? Alot of these supplements contain Monosodium Glutamate (MSG). At the same time MSG has been used for years as a “flavor enhancer”, in foods such as Chinese takeaways, stock cubes, crisps and plenty others. Excitotoxins are damaging to the brain and the heart as they make both organs overwork. Both substances have been linked with conditions such as asthma, MS, fibromyalgia, migraines, and heart arrhythmias.
Children are particularly affected by them and intoxication symptoms present themselves as hyperactivity. Food labels are not allowed to include MSG any longer as it is renowned to be damaging to health, yet you will find it under different names. Yes, the same substance, just named differently! I know, this kind of sneakiness should be considered criminal! i know these supplement companies contain the following msgs.
Soy protein isolate
Soy protein concentrate
Autolyzed yeast
Corn syrup
Modified food starch
Corn starch
With herbalife its easier for people to make in the morning and lunch time. but you are encouraged to drink it with soy milk. There has been lots of research now about the amount of estrogen in soy milk. so if you are drinking it twice per day over a long period of time. i wonder what effect this is having on men’s testosterone levels? You have to look at the positives, they will be alot more men joining the tenners male voice choir.
The best way to lose weight is to exercise 3 times per week, doing a combination of bodyweight, kettlebell exercises and mixed up into a fun circuit, eating meat, fish twice per week, plenty of vegetables, and snack on a handful of nuts a fruit, drink plenty of water 1litre to every 25kg of bodyweight, fasting once per week is fantastic way to reduce insulin levels, burn fat reserves, it triggers hypertrophy with increase in growth hormone. and do the mind stuff. diets will never work until you change negative beliefs, negative emotions, and attitude towards your weight, and your relationship with food and exercise. i have done mind set stuff with clients who gain weight to protect themselves, and usually its from childhood. Sometimes its unrelated to weight. If the person has limited beliefs such as “im not good enough”, “Im a failure” then this could be enough to affect their body shape. you are looking for fatloss not weightloss. you want to build muscle to burn fat. and you do that with eating protein and food and weight training, plenty of rest. simples!
Very Good advice Richard, Simples!
fuck you richard, herbalife is full of shit, nothing but gimmicks, only thing you losing is your money, while youre making the ppl above you richer, too many ppl got fucked over and now it has to stop. Herbalife is fucking pyramid with people foolish enough to buy in their pyramid scheme, scripted fuckers. get the fuck out of here!
Mike I would love to say that I agree with one thing you had to say about Herbalife. I have read a fair amount of your blogs, and I have come to the conclusion that you are a quite intelligent person. I wonder though what happened to you, or better put, how you were wronged by someone in the Herbalife business, for you to post such a bias, non factual article. I have been on the Herbalife products now since Oct. 2010. I have lost 73lbs, gained 21 lbs. of Lean Body Mass. I also used to suffer from horrible joint pain, and Acid Reflux, both of which are gone. I have hired professionals in the past, personal trainers, nutritionists, I have even had Medical Physicians set me up on a meal plan. I was NEVER once told by anyone in herbalife that this was a quick fix. infact I followed my plan to the letter, and it took me just under 11 months. These are facts, and I know they are because they have happened to me. Its also to my understanding that any company regulated by the FDA has to follow mega dosing laws as well as labeling laws. Herbalife is FDA regulated. My deepest apology to you for however you were wronged. I wonder if you do not mind responding, What supplements do you recommend for and athlete, or a serious body builder? Thanks for your time!
-Caleb
Any diet is wrong and does not sustain and work long term, sensible eating, and exercise is the only way weight loss is sustainable long term.
GPs give out meal plans all the time and are not trained nutritionist and should not give out nutritional advice just as much as Herbalife distributors should not be allowed to give out nutritional advice. A company that sells the distributorship of a nutrition product to any tom dick or harry is taking advantage of an unregulated industry and dangerous.
As for your question about products for athletes or body builders, I have used many of the top brands, USN, LA Muscle, MetRex and many more but found a smaller UK based company called ISO2 Nutrition who after trailing their product over the past 3yrs I beleive they are the best on the market. Not only do they work but taste good too.
this is not a diet.
this is a food that has a lot of natural ingredients.
I have breakfast with Herablife Formula 1 since 2010 and I lost 8 kilos in a very easy way. And this products improve my energy!!!!
Thanks Herbalife!
It took you 2yrs to loose just 8kgs?… You call a milkshake food??? A Diet is where you lower calories and or replace food for such things like these shakes. It is a diet and there is nothing but cheap low grade soy protein in these shakes, if you eat properly and regulary exercise you loose weight become lean and improve your fitness.
Long term, dieting and replacing meals for shakes lowers your metabolism and long term does you more harm than good!
This is totally untrue. Herbalife does not offer a quick fix and it is not a ‘diet’ it is a ‘lifestyle’. Please contact me with issues you have concerning Herbalife or what other Distributors have offered you and said to you. korirewcastle1998@gmail.com
Sorry you will never change my mind on the likes of Herbalife, it is a cheap soy based protein powder that is used to replace meals, this is a DIET, reducing calories to loose weight, A MEAL REPLACEMENT DIET.
Ive had many clients come to me after the long term failure of the likes of Herbalife, and have put them into a healthy eating plan and exercise regime that works, a true lifestyle change, no diets!
This sort of product should not be allowed to be sold by unqualified people with no nutritional qualifications! Herbalife are a law upon themselves along with other companies like them and should be regulated.
Not that cheap at £27.50 a tub!
Hi Mike,
Wow, stirred up something here! Firstly just want to say that I became a Herbalife distributor earlier this year and in know way was an easy, fast cars, big houses lifestyle ever proposed to me, although I do know that some of their literature does contain pictures along those lines. As regards the business I do agree with you to a certain extent that some distributors may be selling the products for purley profit and that training should be given if no qualifications in nutrition are held. Although, their online training is good, it isn’t neccessarily followed.
As for the products, they are the best range that I found when looking into providing an alternative to my preferred solution of wholesome, natural foods. As a qualified fitness coach, I agree that we should always first and foremost promote healthy eating through natural resources. I don’t use the word ‘Diet’ as I think that it is confusing. The true meaning of diet really just refers to the kind of food lived on, so whatever someone is eating is the diet that they are on at that time. So a good healthy diet works, a bad unhealthy one doesn’t. The reason why I decided to provide Herbalife was for 2 reasons. 1. for some it is just easier for them to fit in around their busy lifestyles and I find that with some people no matter how you prepare and help them with planning their meals etc. they don’t always do it. I still ensure that they eat natural foods along with Herbalife, which is in fact what Herbalife promote. This then is still far better than their previous eating habits. 2. as you will probably agree that unless we shop more diligently for our foods, alot of what we buy is lacking or low in essential nutrients including fruit, veg, meat etc. due to nutrient depleted ground, time it takes to get to us, how live produce is fed and cooking (particularly microwaves). So by taking in macro & micro nutrients through supplements, helps to ensure the body receives these and makes up for the lack of them in the foods we eat.
There are whole other debates about MSG’s, heat treated, cold pressed, etc. but for the clientelle I work with they just want to improve on what they know is an unhealthy lifefstyle. Herbalife for some of them does just that and also with the range Herbalife provide, goes on to support them in any sport or competition that they do.
As for the business side of it from my perspective, I have a supportive upline and will build a downline with that continued support. As a fitness coach and someone who is continually learning about nutrition, I will be able to provide them with the correct information to help their customers. Pyramid selling, it certainly isn’t but unfortunately all MLM business’s get tarnished with that brush by someone at some time. The products are the same price to the customer at what ever level you buy them. Just as you would with a wholesaler, the more you buy the greater the discount to the distributor. A Pyramid is where the price has to keep continually going up the further down the levels it moves until it reaches a point where the price is so high that the person holding the goods cannot sell on. The guy sat at the top of the ‘pyramid’ doesn’t care as his money is already in pocket! Hope that explains a true pyramid scheme.
Herbalife is really expanding at this moment in time, even in this recession and that I beleive is because they have realised that by bringing on board health and fit professionals brings more credibilty to their products and ensures that the end consumer is getting the right advice for them. (not in all cases I know, but it will never be an ideal world). I also think and this is just my opinion, that health & fitness is very individual and although our bodies function very similarly, a one size fits all approach isn’t effective. Everyone is different and mindset that was mentioned in a previous post is what needs to be looked at first. With this in mind and I don’t mean to have a dig here, but very opinionated posts about particular products, workouts, equipment, etc. could turn someone away from the exact thing that could have helped them most. So for example, I’m not a fan of working out in the gym, but it’s not something I will tell others not to do, as it could be the right thing for them.
Finally, some of the issues Herbalife have had, do date back to the early days and yes some things can come back and bite you (Lance Armstrong / Jimmy Saville). But in Herbalifes case, that was then and this is now and I do know that they are regulated and follow those regulations. I do just wonder whether the regulating bodies are all legit but hey, thats another debate!
Great to hear that you have a made a success of your business and I think that the important thing is that we help the people that come to us in the best way we can, which means that despite our differences, our objectives and purpose are similar.
Have a great Christmas 🙂
Rich
Most distributors are uneducated in the world of nutrition and fitness and should not be allowed to give such advice, Herbalife, LighterLife and all these meal replacement diets out there are a wast of time and money. None of these work long term.
Ive spent 22yrs learning and continuously learning about this industry, constantly going on up to date courses and workshops, gaining a degree and masters degree in Sports & Exercise Science and taking advanced courses.
I know what I know because of this and because of 22yrs of working with people from all walks of life, you say about busy life style, find time! Those are the weakest people who need the kick up the arse to be told how it is and to find the time and everyone has time! Its called time management.
Taking the easy option because of the thinking of no time to prep meals is just lazy, make meals that can be made on mass and frozen in freezer such as lasagne, tuna pasta bake, things that can be eaten the next day.
Cooking methods, the George Forman Grilling machine cooks in minutes, at the same time steam veg and rice etc to not lose the nutrients in food that is lost when boiling in a pan. These are very quick methods of cooking.
I hardly ever use my oven!
Prior Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance….
No time to shop for food, buy online, then the only food you need to get in the shop is your fruit and veg so you know you get the best – the rest of it can be just picked from online and delivered.
If they cant time manage, they will fail, if they take the easy option of a poweder replacement instead of real food they will fail.
Also to finish with you say about quality products, very amusing when herbalife just use very low grade cheap soy based protein for their shakes, if you are going to go down this line then you would be better becoming a retailer of brands such as USN & ISO2 who offer similar products at a far better quality.
Herbalife sports and energy products dont come near the quality and level of brands out there that speicically target sports performance.
Personally Id have a rethink of what you learnt back when you did your PT course, and all other course that show dieting is not good for you, and meal replacement is the worst kind of dieting. Its nothing more than ditching calories.
Understand life coaching techniques and work with you clients on a lifestyle level as well as their fitness and weight loss goals.
There is always time to look after yourself, if you dont see that then you are not serious in reaching your goals, there is always CAN and not CANNOT.
VISIT THIS LINK
Mike, you just upset that we give results… and people love our fun fitclubs more than you, get with the program.. Also im sure you have great qualifications, although they dont come close to our NAB members, we have leading scientists. and you are just a local guy!! have fun.. FITCLUB is the most amazing workout ever.. and is taking the world by storm!
I do love how you people hide behind the internet with fake email addresses and names because you cant back up what you say…
Herbalife have a number of scientists on their payroll – Yes I know this, but if you are on someones payroll you are always going to say they are great as they are paying you to do so!
I can find at least two scientists for every Herbalife payrolled scientist that is independent that will say Herbalife is just a cheap soybased protein meal replacement product diet that does not work long term and that diets over all dont work!
Im just a local guy, yes I am, so are the so called scientists you mention, we are all just local people in our local towns lol. A pathetic argument there…
Im not upset with the results Herbalife give people because the results are poor!! Long term no diet works! So keep on producing the crap you produce and I will pick up the pieces when people realise they dont work along with all the rest of the Personal Trainers that train their clients the correct way.
Mike, I completely agree. Their views can hardly be treated as impartial if they are employed by the company and will always be biased.
What I don’t understand is that people defend the company so fiercely, when all it takes is a simple glance at the ingredients label to see it’s no good!
As for the meal replacement bars I was quite horrified with what was on the ingredients list, after soy protein there is a long list of various sugars including high fructose corn syrup and to top it off hydrogenated vegetable oil! Reads like a recipe for diabetes and heart problems.
I am a specialist diabetic nurse. Have 28 years experience of medical nursing and 10 years as a specialist in diabetes with degree and masters qualifications. I have grave concerns about the claims made by totally unqualified distributors loking to make money. Plese dont claim you are trying to help people. Distributors are making money from the products ales first and foremost. They are brainwashed. It is al,ost like a cult.
One distributor scribed a severlyunderweight girl who clearly needsmedical care. Probably having electrolyte disturbance due to such low body mass. The products can do real harm in these circumstances. A qualified dietician studies nutrition to degree level. People with eating disorders need the right help these unqualified people have not even the basic knowledge to recognise that they may be doing more harm than good. Please seek proper medical advice.
I dont have any vested interest in these products. buthave witnesses a family member with no dietetic qualifications become a distributor. The conversations we have cause me concern. it is clear that thetraining is aimed at maximising income for thecompany not educating the distributors. She comes out with dreadful misinformation. Telling customers normal food has no nutritional value. If you have been overweight all of your life and unable to find a good relationship with food yourself then what qualifies you to advise others to co so. Encouraging your children as young as 5 to use the products ?
Havent there been concerns about levels of lead in the products?
i have read that some patients with liver failure have tried to sue the company?
The Herbalife con
Eat a healthy balanced diet and exercise if you want to lose weight.
I can’t believe people actually fork out a small fortune for Herbalife products.
I accept there is a place for supplementation when training, especially to ensure the necessary intake of protein and carbs is achieved. But trust me there are far better and far less expensive products on the market that will aid your training more effectively than Herbalife or any other diet shakes for that matter. If you actually sit down and read the independent reviews of their products and comparisons to other well known, and not so well known brands they never come off by well.
Basically you’re paying over the odds for an inferior product, promising fast results.
Don’t believe the hype and all the glossy advertising.
Do you not realise the great weight loss you see in the 3 day weight loss trials is actually due to the fact that you’re missing 2 meals per day for 3 days. Say an average meal weighs in at 300-400 grams multiply that by 6 for the amount of meals you’ll miss and you’ll lose around 1800-2400 grams in weight. That’s pretty much 4-6lbs, as soon as you come off the shakes and eat food again you’ll see the weight go back on.
The reason the weight goes back on is because generally, people that resort to diet shakes use them because they aren’t fully aware of how to eat a healthy balanced diet. Therefore after coming off the shakes they’ll revert back to their old eating habits.
Why?
Because the shakes don’t actually address the persons poor understanding of how to eat a healthy balanced diet.
What happens next?
The person then goes back on the shakes in order to lose the weight they’ve put back on because they associate the shakes with successful weight loss, when actually all they’re doing is creating a yo-yo dieter. This in turn creates a repeat customer to a very expensive overpriced product (same way a drug dealer hooks a new customer).
Do yourselves a favour and read the complete guide to sports nutrition by Anita Bean if you want sound advice on diet and nutrition.
Herbalife is successful not because their product is good but because their sales people are.
Some of these monthly diet packs they sell you can cost in excess of £100, now bare in mind that dependant on the level of success that the distributor has in selling the product determines exactly how much they make on the sale. One distributor I know makes 50% on each sale, so basically that means if you pay £100 the distributor is taking £50 of that and giving £50 to his supplier. Of course the distributors supplier is further up the pyramid than they are and will also take a cut from the £50 he gets. This goes on in this process 3-4 time as there are at least 5 levels in the Herbalife pyramid scheme. If each of those higher up the chain took just £5 from that remaining £50 then then by the time the cash actually gets into Herbalifes bank account there could be as little as £30 left.
Basically you’ve just paid £100+ for a product that the company that retails it actually sells for a pittance.
Basically you’re being conned out of a lot of your hard earned cash with the promise fantastic results that could as easily be achieved by buying a mid range brand of protein from most supermarkets for a fraction of the price, or even Slimfast.
Or you could do the sensible thing and simply do a little reading. Ask someone with a nutrition qualification and actually learn how to eat a healthy balanced nutritious and varied diet.
hi mike,
I have a BSc hons in sports therapy, level 4 in lower back pain, been involved in sport and the body since collage (2006 till now)
i have been with herbalife since november 12 and im starting to see that there are a ‘few’ people who have made it big…ONLY because they have around 500+ people working under them.
as for the Products, its debatable;
A) If you stay on them, u will lose weight. Come off and u put on weight.
B) All these medical experts ARE ON PAY ROLLS but it does make you think, why tarnish ya name for a check? Got to be some worth to them.
The business can and only work if you have ALOT of people under you. It took a guy 18 years to get to chairman club (200k a month) and at the rate this company if expanding, i dont think there will be enough people to grab and sign up.
End of the day its personal option on this company. It has just hit me that you have the gift of the gab to sell this and I am slowly backing out as i want to kick my sports therapy currier rolling.
very interesting topic to read.
regards
mark
Caffeine Overload
Herbalife contains caffeine. Many people who who take Herbalife supplements have claimed to feel restless and nervous, along with experiencing the jitters and anxiety.
Lead
Herbalife products, when analyzed, were found to contain high levels of lead. The amounts found in Herbalife products were above what the laws allows and were deemed toxic.
Hypertension
Herbalife products have been liked to hypertension, which can lead to heart failure.
Unsubstantiated Claims
Herbalife’s checkered past includes warnings from the FDA for false claims about their products.These artificial claims included helping to treat many diseases, getting rid of tumors, increasing circulation, improving alertness and improving overall health.
Side Effects
Many users of Herbalife have filed lawsuits and complaints about side effects they experienced when using the products. Headaches, constipation, diarrhea, lightheadedness, nausea, and stomach upset are some reported side effects.
Questionable Ingredients
Ephedra, a main ingredient in Herbalife, has been known to cause psychosis, tremors, kidney stones, high blood pressure, sweats, rapid heartbeat, and damage to the heart and other organs. It has been linked to strokes, seizures and death.
Its product line involves a complex herbal formula that’s also purported to cleanse your body and improve vitality. The diet has a myriad of fans who attribute success in overcoming ev erything from obesity to serious medical conditions to the company’s concoctions. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not back any such claims and even forced the company to recall a training manual that claimed medicinal values, reports “Cincinnati Magazine.” If you’d like to give Herbalife a go, check with your doctor first. Also know that Herbalife can have side effects.
Cascara Sagrada Effects
Herbalife contains Cascara sagrada, advises Mary McCarty of “Cincinnati Magazine.” This is a laxative that can cause diarrhea. Cascara sagrada can have side other effects such as cramps and abdominal discomfort, notes George T. Grossberg and Barry Fox in “The Essential Herb -Drug-Vitamin Interaction Guide.” It also can raise risk of irregular heartbe at if taken with certain medicines such as acebutolol or insulin. Cascara sagrada increases risk for low levels of potassium in your blood, a condition called hypokalemia, when taken with me dicines like cortisone and chlorothiaxide. If you have a gastrointestinal disease, it also can worsen your condition
Senna Effects
The senna leaves in Herbalife can cause vomiting, nausea, flatulence, irregular heartbeat and kidney damage along with cramping and diarrhe a. This herb can lead to hypokalemia as well, especially when combined with Cascara sagrada and/or medicines that have diuretic effects, note Grossberg and Fox. Ingesting senna with drugs such as estradiol can decrease your blood levels of estrogen. Senna can trigger or worsen electrolyte imbalance, dehydration, gastrointestinal problems and heart ailments, note Grossberg and Fox.
Uva Ursi Liver Concerns
Some Herbalife formulations have unknown amounts of uva ursi, says Deborah R. Mitchell, lead author for “The Diet Pill Guide.” One chemical in this herb, called hydroquinone, can be toxic to your liver, advises the University of Maryland Medical Center, or UMMC. Thus, you should take products with this herb only for five days at a time, no more than five times a year, advise the experts at UMMC. It also can lead to insomnia, irritability, vomiting and nausea. You should not take products with uva ursi in them if you have high blood pressure, are pregnant, have a kidney or liver ailment, suffer an ulcer or have digestive problems, according to UMMC.
To all wise people and so called health nutirition expert explain how this product is to be taken without a proper doctors care???
Should this product really be in market as it is???
After reading the whole discussion, your summary is the most useful answer for me. Thanks Andy.
For a person who just start taking Heballife, I don’t really care if it is pyramid or not. I only want to know what are the issues with this product. Is it really a cheap low grade protein like Mike said. If so, is there a better meal replacement product?
I agree those distributors are not very professional and only give positive advice. But that what you are expecting from sales anyway, isn’t it? I won’t expect to hear them put their own products down.
For all those Fitness Professional above, as a normal person who hates exercise, I can understand where Hebalife’s ideal come from. Not everyone likes or have time to go to gym three times a week. If there may be an easier way, why not take it.
I guess Hebalife may not suit for me since I do have some stomach issues and I will check with my GP first. For the same reason, I still need find a OK meal replacement since most oil food will upset my tummy. And eat boil food all time is not fun.
Hi you will be better off going to a Nutritionist in your area to fully advise you on the best course for you, find one that specialises in food allergies – Herbalife is a low grade cheap protein product and sold at a very high premium and sold by mostly people who have no qualifications in nutrition and diet to be able to advise safely
I took herbalife for a while & many people would tell me how bad it was but like any other herbalife lover i was the same & would defend it. I didn’t wanna open my eyes but then i had to learn the hard way,the tea makes you get high blood pressure. I did all the propper eating, i would drink a shake for breakfast then later a healthy snack, the next shake for lunch then a healthy snack again, dinner then another snack, people tell me that it was cause i wouldn’t take it right when i followed everrything as said but you know people that sell it act like if they’re doctors & make it seam like it’s the healthiest meal replacement when in reality you’re giving your body trash!!! People should look more into the ingredients & get medical advise before taking anything.
I’m not a fitness proffessional, but have been into fitness for years. I have read countless books, studies and articles.
But, even i can tell people who support this programme are deluded. Not eating a meal for breakfast and for lunch for an entire year, like Caleb. It’s Crazy! You must be plouging hundreds and hundreds into the company for these shakes and things.
Yes it will work, as you are consuming less calories per day then your body needs to maintain it’s current weight/fat percentage. You can do this by simply eating fresh foods like lean meats and fish and lots of vegetables. No need to buy gimmicky shakes and things. Just simple, healthy living.
And if you want to lose more weight, then simply go on a diet (as herbalife is) to implement a calorie defecit in your daily amounts to achieve weight loss! Simple as that!
People do need to have more education about these things as these things are driven solely by advertisments and sales tactics.
Hi I’ve just recently purchased herbalife but suffer from high bloodpressure shuld I be using product??
Stop right now! and seek medical advice from your GP, take the products you are using in with you so the GP can see what is in the products you are using
Hi, Just wanted to add my opinion. I joined a herbalife sliming club called limelite. I paid an up front fee of £50 to be part of the group for 12 weeks. At the initial meeting i was shown pictures of fantastic results of the main distributor, assured that i didn’t have to buy any herbalife products to take part, could join the fit club for free and get lots of support. Well here is how it went. Each of the twelve weeks we were introduced to a different herbalife product and made to watch videos from America telling us how fantastic the product was. At the end of each session the items were hugely pushed onto us. I did relent and buy a couple of the shakes, tablets, creams and energy bars. The only support i got was a phone call when the distributor worked out that our products should be running low trying to encourage me to buy more. The fit club was doing an exercise video in a small cramped shed with about 10 of the other ladies. I did lose a stone but that was due to extra exercise i was doing myself. I hardly touched the stuff i got from herbalife as i didn’t like the taste, also was still hungry after using them and i know it sounds strange but i actually missed eating properly. During the 12 weeks we were fined £1 if we put on 1 lb or £3 if we missed a weigh in!!!. At the end of the twelve weeks i was bombarded with phone calls to try and get me to sign up again (which i didn’t). I would be really interested to hear how much the actual cost is to make the products…I have also since found out that the fantastic photos i was shown at the initial meeting were misleading, The distributor lost 4 stones through healthy eating and diet then started selling herbalife 2 years later but told her customers that she did it through herbalife. When i started the group there was 23 ladies. At the end of the 12 weeks there was only 6 of us left….Healthy eating and exercise is the only real way to lose weight and tone up, we are programmed to eat, chew, etc so drinking my meals just did not do for me
My wife asked me if her dress made her look fat, I said no, its your ass and belly that does that!
Sensible eating, sensible exercising is all that is needed to loose weight and maybe just a tad of will power…simples
It concerns me that Reps of this product target new mums,playgroups and even breast feeding mums concerned about baby weight. Why pay to drink milkshakes and loose the joy of eating???? eat less and walk more…..may take abit longer but HEY job done.
Well Said!
Oh and for the record – Mike I am in awe of your amazing achievements you are not Mr Average in any way at all so please do preach to us mere mortals !
**do not !!
Thanks Kate, I hope that any information I put on my website and from other trusted experts in the world of Health & Fitness help you
Again thanks for your kind words 🙂
Very interesting to see both sides of the debate here. Clearly science is not with herbalife, though outstanding marketing is. I will stick to keeping one eye on what I eat, and the other on my hrm. Solgar multivitamins are as far as I’m prepared to go to spend my money to make up for nutrient depletive farming methods. Saying that though that Adidas-cannabis type looking logo of theirs is so very appealing…. Hypnotising in fact
Eat healthly and exercise is the only way to lose weight and keep it off. People only gain weight if they eat crap and laze about.
There’s thousands of weight loss products out there but they are only quick fixes. Wake up to reality people
I need to lose about a stone, and having seen how much weight a friend has lost on Herbalife, I thought I might give it a go. That is, until I read all of these comments!! It has given me the wake-up call that I needed-weight loss will only come about effectively with a healthy diet and exercise. Yeah, I could lose that stone with the shakes, but how long would that weight stay off? It’s all about educating the mind and realising a healthy eating plan is the key. I’d rather spend my money on veg, fruit and grains, instead of lining the pockets of people who are motivated by money. Yes, we are seeing an increase in obesity and companies like Herbalife may claim they are trying to counter this, but surely what society needs is education about health and well being, and making healthy food like fruit and vegetables more affordable for those on lower incomes?
Here’s to a healthier lifestyle!
Was looking into buying herbalife as im a fussy eater and thought it would be a replacement of eating a Healthy meal, exercise is not a problem! I know nothing about Healthy eating or this product except from what i have Read.. Is it the best thing for me for quick results?
No diet is long term good for anyone, Fussy eaters do have a problem when it comes to eating healthy, but you just have to look a little more creative and take a look at other options from real food… Maybe worth getting in touch with a local qualified nutritionist that can sit down with you face to face and plan with you
Hi i am really impressed with blog. Could say it the best i have read in my internet blog reading. And make i think you are right about a a lot of what you said about herbal life. I have used it for nutrition back i. 2010 and it helped me gain wait not loose it . My iron and vitaminD levels also improved since i was born in tropical african country living in another climate reduces our vitamin D levels. Again i tried few month ago. I am breas feeding and i felt lost of sleep and milk reduction so i stopped it. So as i alive in Australia which is different to where i grow up where everything was natural and organic what is your advice for proteins and vitamins.
Hi Aisha,
Your best bet is to find a local nutritionist to you where you can see face to face, everyone is diferent and general advice isnt always the best advice, so best to see a local expert face to face to get all the info you need
Do you mind if I quote a couple of your posts as long as I provide
credit and sources back to your webpage? My website is
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I would just like to add as an allergy sufferer I had a huge reaction to the free from shake…im allergic to grains, Corn is a big one for me and the fructose in these shakes is in fact high fructose corn syrup!! It’s not listed as such and it took a whole heap of calls and emails to discover this! Now I’m no expert but high fructose corn syrup is not good for you. How they get away with calling it a healthy meal replacement is beyond me!!
This has just convinced me, to never touch these products. I was with Mike all the way through this article, but since reading the comments and feedback from Herbalife lovers & distributors, it just enforces how little they know about nutrition or the products they are selling. You might as well be selling class A drugs.
Mike you are really intelligent and a guy like you would surely be able to set up personal nutrition programmes for anyone.
I myself am not overweight, but a little unfit – have recently started swimming, an ab workout 3-4 times per week, weights 3 times, and hopefully running & cycling towards the end of the month. Aside from the equipment & clothing, trainers, etc. A healthy lifestyle shouldn’t mean any additional cost.
For me I want to improve my muscular endurance and tone up, arms/chest & back.
That’s all from me.
Mike – We need more people like you!
You’ll lose weight on 3 yazoos a day! Is that healthy?? Give me food anyday!
Have you seen a food label on herbalife ? Soy and fructose and syrup -great??!?!
Thanks for this Mike You really have helped me make a decision when it comes to herbalife! a friend of mine recently became a distributor, the same friend who lives on take aways, drinks every weekend and has never seen inside a gym in her life and now she is the very one trying to give us advice on healthy living! Out of curiosity do you have the same opinion on the forever living products for example the clean 9 detox? I was researching both forever living and herbalife before coming across this article and to be honest i dont think Id like to try either now but would like to hear your opinion on forever living products. Thanks so much mike!
Hi there, yes my opinion stands with all these companies that have unqualified people selling a weight loss programme… Its like getting an unqualified person coming in and fixing your boiler, you wouldnt do it
I,m was due to start herbalife tomorrow but after reading these comments I,m going to eat less and move more that seems to be the answer
Thank you for posting this site. I’m glad to hear that others are speaking out about Herbalife and this dangerous trend of “WellnessCoaches & Shake Clubs”. Being in a small town where everyone knows everyone it breaks my heart to see people with eating disorders and emotional issue being conned into being the “biggest losers” at our area “wellness Club”
I’m so glad I was given this advice! I’m pretty slim but I wanted to use herbal life to tone up. I googled and researched everything I could about the products met up with soo many different people selling it and they all sound like robots. They seem to have it fixed within in their brain to tell me how amazing it is. I’m a pretty smart girl with degrees all over the place but how stupid was I contemplating in that! It’s the same story in the make up industry. Being a poor student at one point I wanting to join avon as a quick money solution. Things like this won’t change fast but educating and understanding is key to pull the people like myself out of these shocking chains.
Hi Mike, just read this blog after googling herbalife and I have to say wow wow wow. I am very shocked at what I’ve read. I started herbalife 5 days ago to help me lose about two stones. The first day I felt extremely lightheaded and the same on the second day it has not stopped. I’ve also noticed a slight headache BUT what caused me to google herbalife was the decrease in my breast milk, I had my baby 19weeks ago and I have now decided to stop taking the products because I am afraid it could cause the milk to dry up. Would you be able to explain why or what’s caused my milk to decrease.
Thanks
I totally agree with you Mike. I’ve used one of the quick fix soup/shakes diets to shift a couple of stone a few years back…it soon started to creep back on when I ate food again. I’ve since kept to eating a healthy balanced diet and get a fair bit of exercise and I’m in good shape, just mustn’t take my eye off the ball for too long. In my opinion it doesn’t matter what method you use to try and shift weight, if you don’t tackle the reason why the person overeats in the first place it will just pile back on. Overeating is a choice.
Hi Mike,
I totally agree! You wouldn’t go to the Doctor and expect to receive medicine from an untrained GP. You would not go to the Chemist and receive your medication from an unqualified pharmacist but Herbal Life fans are expecting a “Wellness Coach” to advise you on food suppliments without a qualification to support it. I know 8 of them, none of them are trained. All are in it for the money and not to help the individuals. They are just good sales people, that can talk the talk without walking the walk, that is all. A good PT will always work with the whole person long term, not short term. There is NO QUICK FIX! as soon as the suppliments stop, the weight goes back on. It comes back to Education! Education! Education!
I think we all really know that a healthy diet and exercise is the requirement for safe weight loss. We look for a quick fix and a prescribed program instead of taking control and thinking for ourselves as this also takes less effort! Reading this blog has made me realise this about myself so thanks mike. Although this was not what i expected you have done me a favour today. I think i will spend my money more wisely and take control by motivating myself and putting some effort in!
Voice of reason & sense!! I too have been in the Fitness Industry for 20 years & am sad to say that some current members have fallen for the nonsense that is herbalife. Some we have managed to pressure off it with correct nutritional advice & explaining that their metabolisms will slow down due to lack of nutrients & calories. Some were shocked to learn that with herbalife (& othrs) much of the rapid weight loss is in muscle & water & not fat Therefore destroying current & future metabolic rate. As women are prone to Osteoporosis, it is further dangerous to them as they are losing valuable nutrients beneficial to them in menopause. It has disgusted me for some time now, how these people can get away with giving “nutritional” advice. Do they not understand that this is real peoples long term health they are playing with? Fitness professionals need to stick together & continue to educate on the importance of exercise, lifestyle, healthy nutritious food & how to put them together for best results. I’m glad I read your piece on here as there are many of us now utterly scunnered by herbalife & its peddlers blatant disregard for the safety & welfare of their clients. In our industry we are here to help people, not hinder their long term health. Anyone thinking of herbalife – stay away from it – think about this – even weight watchers did studies & introduced pro points as they realised that their members weren’t eating enough calories to sustain & maintain weight loss. That in itself should say something & I’ve never been a weight watchers fan either.
A very interesting debate. I stopped ballroom and Latin dancing a year ago and my body gained a bit of weight, i firmly believe in exercise and eating right to weight loss. All i wanted to find out is if these products contain MSG and sadly they do. Thank you Mike, had it not been for this blog i would not have the knowledge i have now.
I looked at herbalife but thought I would try something different. I ate a mars bar for breakfast and then a snickers for lunch. I then had my normal meal at dinner. Amazingly I lost 10 pounds in 2 months. Wow. I’m going to start selling mars bars.
Life-on-mars. £10 a bar…. any takers. Same result.
At last!! A factual based debate where the real hero shines through………sensible eating, exercise, lifestyle ,,,,oh and Mike!!
In our area we are being bombarded from all angles by the Herbalife band wagon that dietary wise has the same ethos as slim fast!
As for the business model im afraid I see it as cult marketing! total brainwashing! and I am sick of losing my friends to this because they become defensive of the product. Herbalife???….GET A LIFE! I for one am sick of the sight of the logo on the KA”s 🙂
A big red flag here is that when some people fall for Herbalife, it becomes the only thing they can think about and there’s no way you can reason with them.
Behind all these too good to be true Herbalife and Arriba claims, is one of those mind-bending American cults like Scientology.
http://mlmtheamericandreammadenightmare.blogspot.fr/2013/08/herbalife-hlf-under-boss-jim-peterson.html
http://mlmtheamericandreammadenightmare.blogspot.fr/2013/06/the-absurd-origins-of-herbalifemlm-lie.html
I’m using a fake name as I don’t want my friend to spot this. She’s super fit, she’s always trained and has a six pack. she also models part time. She’s recently started selling Herbalife, so I googled it and found your page. I found your comments very interesting and informative. What worries me is that my friend is claiming on her facebook page to new friends that her amazing figure is down to Herbalife, but I know that she’s always looked that way (through hard work, so I’m not calling her for that). It makes me wonder though, what hard sell has brainwashed her into deceiving others?
Whenever I question her about the company and about pyramid selling, she gets really defensive. I’m not expert on herbalife, but I’d say from the way she’s reacting, its not a reputable company. Also, she’s still holding onto her day job, so she’s clearly at the bottom of a very large pyramid. Just sayin!
P.S. Joe never did say what his qualifications were!!!
Hi mike
I am very concerned as my wife is 28, she has had 2 children , she weighed 15st & a size 16 in 2008.
She is now a size 10, and weighs 11st goes gym 4 times a week.
But some dick head has got into her head and sold her herbalife…..
I have worked as a chef for almost 15 years, mostly in top london restaurants.
I know to well of heathy foods and non so heathy foods
What confuses me the most is this,
If herbalife and lighter life was good for you, why can’t you buy it from a chemist or get your doctor to prescribe it to you..
Let’s face it, you can get anything else on prescription – and seeing as the govenment has highlighted that the uk has such a high obesity problem… Everyone should be medically on herbalife or lighter life…
Get real you diet fraudsters
If herbalife is so big joe how come it’s not sold in any retail store? how come major nutritional stores won’t buy into it? How come herbalife never invested in a stand at this years bodypower expo….we all no that really thats because someone would catch you out on nutritional advice and lets be honest as much as people who take it or promote are probably the nicest people you may meet they are getting their nutritional info from someone else who isn’t even a nutritionists. Take juice plus everyone turns into a fucking sales person. They promte healthy living by taking 9 tablets of 30 types of fruit yet they still advise you on eating fruit..? ? I also know a friend who has set up 24 fit club and he has no qualifications in fitness or nutrition. Ok you’re trying to promote healthier lifing but these crash diets are bad in the long run and its been proven.
Hi Mike. I am happy I found this. I myself was the victim of herbalife. I introduced to this meal replacement diets. Stop eating real food, replace it with shakes, loose weight by being in excessive calorie deficit and also destroy your precious metabolism. Results ? weight decrease from 72 kg to 68 and then started to raise again. I advised to drink more protein powder. The idea was if I raise protein shake intake it will to bring down the weight scale further. It was actually going so heavy on my pocket. Those were the times when I was working as a junior advocate and I was not earning even a single penny. Moreover my mind was not convinced to the idea that if I pay more money what next? What if I left these shakes? You can’t replace real food for life time. I found no substance in this type of diet. Thought money wasted for the good and left it there. I gained back all weight in first week itself. This is just a crap. I am happy to read your article.
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