wow...a personal attack from a stranger - i must have hit a nerve. this is going to be fun...

i didn't say the formula doesn't work - i said it was difficult. i have tried WAY too many of the nutritional supplements and weight loss programs out there - and i am ashamed at how much money i have spent on such things.

the only thing that has worked FOR ME is counting my calories and hitting the gym. i have currently lost 65 lbs - i am the lightest and strongest i have ever been - and the only "supplement" i am taking is whey protein. i still have lbs to loose, but so far i am pleased with my results.

I hate to admit, but Kane begins to make a good point.

It wouldn't be sound judgement to anticipate that Isagenix is going to screw you based on previous experience with MLM. While this does help establish some prior record of similar companies trying to hose you, drawing the conclusion that Isagenix will do the same thing based on the false premise that all MLM schemes are clones of each other draws an incorrect conclusion.

You are right though, the cost is ludicrous. But lets not delude ourselves for a minute into thinking that companies actually price things to make them affordable. Companies charge what they charge to make money, and if they didn't make money, they couldn't even provide you with what you want in the first place. I am sure the margin on Isagenix is hilariously exorbitant, but the margin is probably equally gigantic for other supplements like whey, creatine, and BCAAs. In fact I would be really interested to actually see what the margins and costs are for manufacture, advertising, and distribution. I think when all is said and done, Mr. GNC is a very happy man.

But hey, that's what makes capitalism great. If you don't like it, you don't have to buy it.

Mr.Rosenturd....

I respect your explaination, however that IS NOT what your previous post
was indicating at all.

You said that Isa, doesn't work and that is a flat out lie. I'm happy that you were able to "loose" weight. The key factors were reduced calories and additional suppliments as well as gym time.

Isagenix is the Porsche of supliments and NOT everyone can afford it. That is NO reason to bash the products.

Bour...is right...do you know the mark up on clothing? 300%! So some of us shop at Nordstrom and some shop at Gap. It's called living within your means.

It's all good.

easy, killer...any "indications" or "implications" or "conclusions" are your own creation. my posts are simply text - there are no hidden meanings, and there are no implied thoughts. i said what i meant and meant what i said. my posts should be taken at face-value for exactly what the text is saying.

go re-read what i wrote. you see that i never said isagenix didn't work, i never bashed the product, and i never said that isagenix would screw anyone. i was simply sharing my previous experiences and my opinion on the price of the product. so, RELAX!

p.s. you might want to run spell-check yourself before you go pointing out other people's errors...

beating a dead hoarse.

BOUR....my thoughts excatly! I LOVE that my non use of spell check bothers other posters! LMAO

Rosenturd.....
I appologize....you did however generalize ALL MLMing companies as frauds. So...it is safe to say that you also don't have a car or a Compu t e r......wait your using one now, wow...I guess your obsolete machine is part of the retail consperacy caused by the man! LMAO.
Your a tool.
Have a NICE DAY

i made no such generalization...YOU did. or at least you drew that conclusion on your own from something i had written, but i...I never said that. did you read my previous post...?

and did you seriously just resort to "name-calling" to try and win an argument? that's cute - my 6 year old sister does that, too...

I didn't just start calling you names....You had me at hello, Mr.Rosenturd.LOL

You are typical...talkin in circles. You are on the WRONG thred if you are gonna BASH ISAGENIX. Move on....let it go. If you wanna war, I will win and you will loose. LMAO!!!

So are you saying that your 6 year old sister thinks your a tool too!?!
Out of the mouths of babes......comes the truth.

okay...this will be my last post on this thread. we are FAR off topic and i no longer want to respond to false accusations. i never bashed isagenix and am not talking in circles. read my posts - they speak for themselves.

from the first line you wrote me, kane, you have been trying to get a rise out of me. i don't know why, but some people get off on that sort of thing. to me, such pissing-contests are a demonstration of lower value and i refuse to participate in them. best of luck to you in all your future endeavors...

NA NA NA.....NA NA NA.....HEY, HEY, HEY....GOOD BYE!

YOU bashed the Isagenix program for being a MLM company....based on
your FAILURE to read the "small" print when you delt with another organization. Bottom line is....you came on THIS thred to start shit.

I will not tolerate your insolence! So...long & don't let the door hitcha where the good Lord splitcha.

You may think what you want of me, you couldn't be more off the mark.
I value truth and you are full of crap.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Critique of Isagenix

The following article has been submitted by Dr Harriet Hall.

A friend inquired about a product, Isagenix (actually a whole family of products) that is being pushed by the leader of her weight loss group, claiming that "The Isagenix cleanse is unique because it not only removes impurities at the cellular level, it builds the body up with incredible nutrition. Besides detoxing the body, Isagenix teaches people a wonderful lesson that they don't need to eat as much as they are accustom to and eating healthy choices are really important and also a lot of the food we are eating is nutritionally bankrupt."

I went through the website (http://www.isagenix.com/) and watched the promotional videos. There is so much to criticize that I hardly know where to start. It's all misinformation, unsupported claims, testimonials, and money-making ploys.

I couldn't find a critique of Isagenix on the Web, but that's not surprising. No serious medical scientist would take it seriously enough to bother about it. And it's basically all been done before; it's just a slightly new wrinkle on an old scam. You will find some information on related products at:

http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/ detox.html
You can also go to the quackwatch.org homepage and type in cleansing or type in detoxification.

The claims on the Isagenix website are a mishmash of pseudoscience, myth, misrepresentation, and outright lies. For example:

Americans are sicker than ever before.

Toxicity accounts for most diseases.

The body protects itself from toxins by coating them with fat, causing obesity. [The truth: some toxins are soluble in fat and can be taken into existing fat cells, but no new fat cells are created.]

The internal organs become clogged and deteriorate if you don't cleanse. Nutrients that cleanse, revitalize, rejuvenate - what does this even mean? The human body needs cleansing like air conditioners that need their filters changed and car engines that need oil changes. [This is nonsense: the human body cannot be compared to a machine: it is a living, self-regulating organism that does its own maintenance.]

They engage in scare-mongering about toxins, but provide no data to show that the tiny amounts we ingest lead to any significant adverse health effects. They also provide no evidence that their treatment actually removes any toxins from the body. Or that doing so would have any significant impact on health. There have been no properly controlled scientific studies of their "cleansing" treatments, only testimonials of the sort that abound on the Internet for hundreds of other ineffective products.

There is absolutely no rationale for the particular combination of ingredients in their products. They have LOTS of different products, and have included just about every nutrient and herbal remedy in existence: 242 of them! Some of these we know to be useless, some are potentially harmful, and we have no idea how the particular ingredients in the mixtures might interact for better or for worse.

They offer "ionic" minerals from "ancient plant deposits." Minerals are the same thing wherever they come from, and all "ionic" means is that it is in a form that can be absorbed - i.e. magnesium as milk of magnesia rather than as a lump of elemental magnesium metal.

They advertise "no caffeine added" for a product that contains green tea; green tea contains caffeine. They repeat the tired old myth that our food isn't as nutritious as in the "good old days." They put digestive enzymes in their products to help you assimilate them, not realizing that orally ingested digestive enzymes are themselves digested in the stomach before they can do anything. They say that their electrolytes "ignite the body's electrical system" - I have no idea what this means, and it certainly is not scientific terminology.

Their antioxidant mixture contains 15,000 IU of vitamin A as beta carotene plus 5000 IU as palmitate. The Medical Letter recently reviewed vitamin A and warned that no one should take high-dose beta carotene supplements, and that women should not take vitamin A supplements at all during pregnancy or after menopause. Among other things, they said: Vitamin A may also have pro-oxidant effects in vivo. A high intake of vitamin A from supplements and food has been associated with an increased risk of hip fracture in postmenopausal women and with teratogenicity when taken during early pregnancy. A placebo-controlled intervention trial in Finnish smokers found that 20 mg/day of a beta carotene supplement increased the incidence of lung cancer by 18%, which was statistically significant. Another large double blind intervention trial in smokers and asbestos exposed workers, terminated early because no benefit was demonstrated, found that combined therapy with 30 mg of beta carotene and 25,000 IU of vitamin A daily was associated with an increase in the incidence of lung cancer, cardiovascular mortality and total mortality.

The Medical Letter concluded: "A balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables may be safer than taking vitamin supplements. No biologically active substance taken for a long term can be assumed to be free of risk."

Isagenix claims to promote weight loss. All treatments for weight loss work the same way: they get people to ingest fewer calories than they expend. There is no reason to think that a person who restricts calorie intake and exercises will lose any more weight if they add Isagenix products. Diuretic and laxative effects, psychological factors, and enthusiasm for a new method may initially fool people into thinking they have benefited.

Their medical advisor, Becky Natrajan, MD, tells us on a video presentation that she is "excited about results" but she does not say what those results are or why she thinks the results are due to the product rather than to diet, exercise and other factors. Perhaps her funniest argument is that the $5 a day Isagenix costs you is less expensive than open heart surgery. As if it were a simple choice between the two!

She tells you to contact the person who told you about Isagenix. And one of the headings on the website is "Wealth." There you will find out how you can sell products from your home and become an associate, a consultant or an executive with increasing levels of financial return. This sounds like a typical multilevel marketing scheme, typical of products that can't be marketed effectively based purely on their merits.

In short, Isagenix is a slick marketing enterprise that lines the promoters' pockets by selling baseless hope. There is a disclaimer on the website that should be taken very seriously: "These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease."

Harriet Hall, M.D.


posted by Kevin Paine @ 7:47 AM 65 comments

Saturday, October 07, 2006

I like-a way you walk,

I like-a way you talk...


I like-a way you walk, I like-a way you talk...Susie Q.

I've seen this a few times, and for the one doctor that critiques it, I can show many that promote it. Doesn't matter to me either way, I've seen the stuff work for me and others (I use it as an athlete/bodybuilder, not for weight loss). It is expensive, but the quality/cost isn't that far off other high quality supplements.
The funny part to me is the part I quoted is that I'm newer to the company, yet I've talked with many of the people who have made literally millions (I think there's over 20 now) in this company, but even funnier is that she'd bring out the FDA statement, which is on every single supplement you buy, creatine, arginine, green tea, etc... The FDA doesn't regulate supplements. Don't take this literally please, but you could put cocaine in a bottle call it a supplement, paste that slogan on it and sell it (barring the gov't hasn't made it illegal - ie: ephedra).

ephedra has only been illegal for one year. between 2004 and 2005.


I kind of disagree with you that Isagenix costs as much as other high end supplements. Isagenix runs what? at least 200 bucks a month, if not more?

I take a shit ton of supplements, but it runs no where close to that much.

I mean:

Whey
Creatine
BCAA
Omega 3
Vitamin D
ZMA
Multi-vit

It still costs less than 100 bucks a month for me.

Hello

Hello everyone))) I am new to this forum and I would just like to say that I love this wonderful supportive site. Now, I do have a dilemma that I am hoping someone could help me with. I just started the 30 day Isagenix program last Thurday 3/27/08. I did the two precleanse days and instead of doing only the 1 cleanse day per week I did it two day, on Sat. and Sunday. Now, I was very suprised to find that I didn't have any headaches or was feeling lethargic and my hunger was managable so everything seemed great. I was 150pounds on Thursday and was 147 by Monday. However, I have since gained back (in 2 days) almost two pounds (((( Why is this???? I have been following this diet to a T and I was hoping to really to lose some before my vacation on May 2nd. But if this is how it's going to be for the rest of the month I think I am just going to get my money back. I have been working out very hard. Doing at least 50 minutes of cardio and some strength training. There is no reason why I should have gained the weight. My boyfriend thinks because my period is coming soon that, that may have something to do with it but at this point I really don't know. Can someone please give me any insight into this because now it's is day 9 and it's becoming very frustrating.

Yes, you're period can be a factor ... I always seem to "PLATEAU" prior/during my period ... but as soon as it ends, then there is a change, assuming that I've stayed true to my "EATING PLAN". [Diet has such a BAD conotation to it.]

But for food, what are you eating? I can tell you that I've lost weight by eating ORGANIC as much as possible, and lot of fruit & veggies and drinking lots and lots of TEA. as an fyi, I'm down almost (40) lbs in (3) months, with doing nothing special but eating GOOD,HEALTHY FOOD. No FAST FOOD! No Restuarants! No JUNK FOOD. Eating Organic is "expensive", but it is still cheaper than eating out and consuming loads of corn syrup and other junk and chemicals.

I can also tell you that in speaking with my Dr recently, I asked him for his opinion on all the different Cleansing Regimes, and he stated that if it is NATURAL/FOOD based like what is recommended by Don Colbert, then he doesn't see any issue with it, it may not help but it will not harm. But he says he doesn't see the value in the Commercially produced products, that they may not harm, but they will cost you a lot of $$$.

So if there is a money back guarantee, and you don't feel satisfied with your results, and you're following the rules, then I would ask for my money back.

Cheers!

Anna

There are numerous factors that could make your weight differ by 2 lbs. If your period is close, you may be retaining some more water than usual. It also depends on how much weight you really need to lose. Did you take your measurements? If so, how many total inches did you lose? Don't go necessarily by the scale if you're losing some inches, yet retaining a few pounds of water. Do your next cleanse day, stick to the two shakes, a 400-600 calorie meal, and add a snack in between each meal (see the manual for snack suggestions) so you're eating about every 3 hours. Keep good track of your numbers. Losing weight is a side benefit of the cleanse. Some lose more than others, but others find themselves feeling more energetic, some sleep better, among other benefits.

Ephedra was illegal, hence the example, and it couldn't be called a supplement. A 9 day cleanse retails at $165. Let's break that down:
4 days of cleanse drink (not juice, or tea): Can't find a good comparison, so I'll use the crappy "drug user" cleanse from GNC which is one serving of basically a few vitamins and psyllium (sp?) seed husk - $50
Natural Acclerator pills: most others contain lots of caffeine, which these don't, and run about $35-50+
Meal Replacement Shakes: A 20 pack runs around $50 for most companies, and most of them contain artificial sweeteners and other non-natural substances and definitely don't contain organic whey as their protein
So on the low end you're at around $135 for stuff that doesn't even compare in quality (I too use lots of bodybuilding supplements and have worked at GNC and look for the best stuff to put in my body, so I have a general idea what's considered good and what's low end budget crap).
Please tell me all the "high end" supplements by name brand that you take, as I'd like to see how you keep everything you just mentioned under $100 a month, and if you do, please tell me where you shop as I'd love to get that deal too.

Hello, thanks for the responses. Ok, so let me give you a basic profile of myself. I am 28 years old, my normal weight is 125. I have always been at that weight without having to do ANYTHING until two years ago when I began this sedentary job and everything just sat in my body and needless to say my ass expanded. Anyway, I went all the way to 162 in 2 years time...YIKES!!!! I know, but at work when you are sitting and you get bored and you start munching and the rest is history. Anyway, I started to work out which is something I never had to do and I lost 10 pounds in a month. Then the bad habits started again. I gained 4 pounds back then lost it again, so I have been between 150-152 ever since. Anyway, I am starting to work out hard again and I began Isagenix last Thursday to some promising success then disappointment. Let me give you some examples of what I have chosen as my meals so far on my shake/meal days. They are as follows:

-Salmon Salad with hearts of Romain lettuce, tomatoes and a few pita bread slices w/ a light vinigrette.

-2 Chicken Satay skewers w/o the peanut sauce and 1 1/2 cup of soup w/ tofu, ground chicken &chinese broccoli.

-Trout Filet with a light tomato sauce lightley breaded with a cucumber salad

-2 Chicken Skewers w/ 13 roasted olive oil and garlic asparagus tips and a side of dill cucumber salad.

-Chicken Ceaser Salad w/fresh parm and very very light dressing.

Please give me further insight!

Oh and by the way, when is the best time to weigh yourself for the most accurate assessment of ones weight? I just weighed myself (8:07pm PST) and it now says that I am 150.4 pounds (((( 147 to 148 to now 150.4 in 3 days ((( Geez (((

First, your idea of what constitutes "high-end" is totally subjective. If you can prove, and I mean PROVE that somehow the ingredients listed in Isagenix products somehow adhere to a higher standard of refinement over their competition, and provide such products at a lower price, I'll give your thoughts credence.

However, we should realize you were really comparing apples and oranges. I believe Isagenix products don't accomplish the same things as most supplements weightlifters take, most of their products are geared towards body cleanse/meal replacement stuff right? So your comparison was merely meant to state that money spent on Isagenix over the course of a month roughly compares to what a powerlifter would spend over the course of a month, even though they would be two different things?

Now, you say a 9 day cleanse is 165 bucks right? is that all I would require within a month? No additional products? So the total cost to a consumer that religiously follows the Isagenix regime only involves spending 165 bucks on a 9 day cleanse? or is it more than that?

Anyway, this is how I stay at about 100 bucks a month for what I listed above. I am not sure what you consider "high-quality," but it gets the job done for me, and done well.

Whey:

40 bucks, lasts me about a month or so. This stuff is pretty good for whey, it has about 5.5 grams of BCAAs, so pretty typical.

creatine monohydrate

13 bucks, lasts me about 3 months, so 4 bucks a month. This is good stuff.

BCAAs

22 bucks, lasts me about a month. Not bad for the price, it averages about 2.2 grams of BCAAs per 3 capsules.

Omega 3
30 bucks, lasts me two months because their recommended dose is exorbitantly large. Still good stuff, I either get this stuff or the generic vitamin shoppe stuff that costs about 16 bucks and lasts me 2 months. The generic stuff still has a decent amount of EPA/DHA, at about 1200/480 per two capsules. Thats roughly 1.6 grams, which is great. So either way fish oil costs me 15 or 8 bucks a month.

Vitamin D, I take about 2000 IUs daily, this size bottle costs like, 12 bucks and lasts 6 months. So barely any cost here.

ZMA 15 bucks, lasts me one month.

Multivit
I know Mega men is practically an atom bomb of nutrients, so I usually only take one capsule every other day. There is just no way this dosage of vitamins and minerals that they recommend is healthy for your kidneys to process. 25 bucks for roughly 6 months, 4 bucks a month.

There you go:

Whey: 40
Creatine: 4
BCAA: 22
Omega 3: 15
ZMA: 15
Multivit: 4

Total Cost: exactly 100 dollars.

If it keeps me at a combined of over 1200, and growing, I'd say it is doing its part.

Here's the thing Bour, a cleanse would actually supplement your supplements, so yes, they are apples and oranges. Basically, by doing a 9 or 30 day cleanse every 3 to 6 months, you're eliminating many of the toxins that are currently in your system (those that your kidneys and liver can't take care of naturally). After doing this, you'll most likely find (as I did) that your other supplements are being absorbed better, hence getting more for your $100/month. My last cleanse I lost 2.5 inches around my midsection and a total of 12lbs. I didn't lose any size off my legs, arms or chest, and was able to put 7lbs back on in a month without any added inches around my midsection. I've listened to this explained by D'Marko Blewett, who is also involved in Isagenix. To see why he might be credible, check out his site www.dmarko.com and click on "contact me" to see his photo. Also, this is kind of long(about an hour), but there's a web audio call that was conducted with the trainer of the Dallas Cowboys, the head trainer of Powerhouse Gym in L.A, a professional boxer, and two others, that revolves around how Isagenix is beneficial to high level athletes. It's at
www.byoaudio.com/play/WDP7KgS7
There's also www.weightlosshalloffame.net and click on "teams" and then "bodybuilders and athletes". These are all profiles from Isagenix users. If you're seriously into making your body better, I recommend checking them out.

[b][/b]I've been using IsAgenix and have now lost 16 pounds, feel amazing and still going. I've been to the doctor and was told my blood pressure is absolutely perfect -- something that was borderline high. I'm absolutely convinced. I've really checked out the company. I've never met a group of people with more integrity -- people who really care about your progress -- even if they aren't in your "upline". I went from a -8 as a believer to a 10. I say try it! The most amazing thing is that if you don't like it, there's a 100% money back guarantee. I've never seen anything like it. If you want more info you feel free to get in touch.
Jackie

So here are my questions:

Question 1
For those of you that are PRO-ISAGENIX, in a few words, can you tell me why? (a) Cost , (b) Quality, (c) Health Benefits, (d) Weight Loss, (e) Convenience, (f) Other.

Question 2
Have any of you gone to your personal doctor and asked him(her) for his opinion on the Isagenix product?

Question 3
Have you considered doing the CLEANSE/Detox process naturally, using Natural Fruits and Vegetables? Why or Why Not?

Thanks in advance for sharing your reasons.

Anna,
a) Cost is $165 to $350 retail depending on 9 or 30 day cleanse
b) I personally feel that the quality of the products is second to none. A lot of organic products, minerals, vitamins, proteins, etc and no artificial stuff.
c&d) My wife and I, and numerous clients(we're personal trainers) have lost weight (5 up to 19lbs) and some have reported sleeping better, among others
e) The meal replacement shakes make eating during the day very convenient, as they're quick to make and easy to drink
2. My chiropractor (I don't see a regular doctor that often) is very particular about what he takes and gives to his kids(he's anti-artificial sweeteners), and he uses the products
3. The thing is, is that with the blend of products, it really is all natural. you'll get more out of the cleanse and shake program than if you just ate fruits and vegetables. If you want some sites for testimonials or actual ingredients, click my name and send me a message, I'd be happy to send them to you.

I tried Isagenix the first time in late 2006. I lost 28 pounds in 2 months and that is not following the plan 100%. I had a few cheat days and snacked quite a bit. The 30 day cost about $250 but I got it through someone who was selling it and had lost a bunch of weight. I had no interest in selling. For me it was a good kick start. It forced me to plan my meals and motivated me to exercise more. The shakes actually taste good. The cleanse days are tough but you reap rewards afterwards.

By summer 2007 I was only drinking the shakes after a morning workout and not watching what I was eating otherwise. By Dec 2007 I completely stopped Isagenix and could not workout for various reasons. I have since gained about 18 pounds back. I just started back on Isagenix last week to jump start my weight loss again on hopes of losing 25 pounds. I found this website when I was looking for some motivational materials and thought I would give everyone my experience.

Thank you very much for your time guys, I am happy that you understand thta this is not a spam..thanky again www.p4p.mobi WWWWW I love the wellness

I also tried Isagenix the first time in late 2006. I gained 28 pounds of muscle within 2 days and that is not following the plan 100%. For me it was a good kick start. Within the week I noticed I could hear people calling for help from blocks away and I could literally see for more than a mile! After two weeks I could lift cars and within the month I was saving the city from impending doom. I've stuck with it and I think I'm actually developing the ability to manipulate the very fabric of the universe.
I know I'm just adding to the pile that this thread has become but I had to share my success! A couple hundred dollars a month for all this is a steal. Keeping my cells flushed has been the best choice I have ever made. I have to go, there's a woman in Wyoming stuck under a car! One quick shot of ISA and I'm out the door!
Good day to all!!