Of all of the supplement companies I get asked about, Advocare is the most common. I have stopped at Advocare booths numerous times at various trade shows and asked representatives easy nutrition questions; not one person has ever been able to answer them.
A big reason for this is that to be an “expert” in Advocare, all you have to do is pay $79 to become a distributor. After becoming a distributor, a now “expert” can use the sales tactic of supposedly having the best scientists and doctors in the world formulating the best products in the world. I am unaware of any top scientist, doctor, or supplement competition. I am only aware of one study done with advocare products. And that study said the product is useless. A truer statement would be that Advocare pays their “experts” to say Advocare is the best.
The next big selling point Advocare distributors use is that Drew Brees is a spokesman for Advocare, and he does not get paid. Yes, Mr. Brees does not get paid, but the Drew Brees Foundation and his wife sure do. Lebron James endorses Coke, McDonald’s and Dunkin Donuts. Celebrities are not endorsing products because they believe in or even take them; they are doing it for the money!
You will then get the “my brother’s friend lost 24 pounds and 17 inches in 24 days” sales pitch. I will admit there is one good aspect of Advocare: along with taking the supplements, healthy eating and exercise is recommended. But you are going to get great results from healthy eating and exercise whether you are taking Advocare or not.
Comments (309)
What do you think of Shaklee products? Cleaning products, vitamins, and skincare?
I will evaluate Shaklee in the near future. I can however promise you they are way overpriced.
A promise made without really researching…??? Hmmm???
With MLM the business model, the products are always overpriced. They have to be with their pyramid payment system. As an example shaklee vitamin D costs $9.40 for 90, 1000 IU tabs. You can get 100, 5000 IU Vitamin D tabs from Douglas Labs for $10. That’s about 5 times more Vitamin D for about the same price! I know it is just one example but it’s the same across the board.
I am sorry Isabenix did not work for you. Weight loss was an added benefit for me. The health benefits I received were far more than I ever imagined possible. The medications I was taken off of in the first 2 weeks speak for the benefit of great nutrition. Please don’t try to ruin someone experiencing this for themselves. If they don’t see and feel results they can make the decision for themselves. You can not speak for everyone and you should be ashamed for a biased opinion. I pray those who have read this will not let your “review” rob them of possibly improving their quality of life and improved health!
Everything in my post is correct. Pointing out facts isn’t a biased opinion…it’s showing truth. If anything was false you’d be able to point it out with data instead of just telling stories.
I agree
How do you feel about Shakeology and beachbody
When it comes to meal replacement shakes like shakeology, I feel that the only thing you should ever replace a meal with, is a healthier meal. A 30 serving container of shakeology is $129.95! I can purchase about 500 free range chicken eggs for that price!
I’m interested to see your comparison of the nutritional benefits of 500 free range chicken eggs and the nutrition found in one bag of Shakeology. Which one wins that comparison test?
Also, I see that you operate your own chain of “health centers”. How many employees do you have? Do you benefit from their hard work? Do they benefit from the hard work of others? How is your method of sales and marketing any different from others looking to promote health and wellness.
While I agree with you that consumers should do their research, I think it’s foolish to suggest that all MLMs are a schemes and that their products are overpriced.
For instance how much does it cost to receive services from your “health center”? How does that cost compare to a fitness program like Insanity, P90x3, or Turbo Fire?
Chris, The 500 eggs comment was to make the point that a person is much better served spending $130 on quality food than any powder mix. However, if you did want to compare you can check out the nutrient data in one egg here and multiply it by 500 (There is more protein in 3 eggs than one shakeology shake). In my fitness centers all of my employees get paid for the service they provide to our members. According to Jon M. Taylor, MBA, Ph.D., Consumer Awareness Institute “Based on available company data, approximately 99.7% of all MLM participants LOSE money – spending more on company purchases and minimal operating expenses than they receive in commissions from the company.” That is the difference. With MLM companies you have people under people under people and so forth. The only way for that model to work is to have ridiculously high prices on the products…example, $130 for 30 powder mixes. At my fitness centers we teach people how to eat, we teach them how to exercise and we have trainers there helping them through every single workout. I can’t really compare that to selling someone an exercise DVD (I do like their workouts). I don’t know what Tony Horton charges to personally teach people diet and exercise but I’m willing to bet it’s much more than us. In an nutshell and this is for everyone; The only thing you should ever replace a meal with, is a healthier meal!
So, just in general here, that was a terrible comparison to a real question. Shakeology isn’t a Protein shake.
Yes, I would agree that Shakeology is pretty expensive but wait for $4 dollars a day? That’s cheaper than any meal at an organic restaurant (like Chipotle). Also, Buying P90X, Insanity, or any other fitness program from Beachbody is cheaper than spending 3 months for a gym membership (average $40/month x3 = $120) and its cheaper than having a personal trainer (average $90 for 3 sessions). And having the people supporting you along the way is free. Tony Horton is free, so is Shaun T. (http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtg-WxwloE0cwFeIea7ckqw)
In fact the whole company is free to join (www.teambeachbody.com). And the Support from members is free, and the coaching.
Sorry I could go on and on here. Beachbody has changed my life. Also, nobody at Beachbody is trying to scam you like all these other companies and their gimmicky products. Shakeology has no artificial anything, nor is anything scientifically made. NOR is there some “claimed expert scientists trying to prove anything”, again no Hidden agendas.
Lastly, just for the record, if you don’t know anything about a product don’t go by your ego, it’s not a good idea, and you lose respect. Here is some references for future use.
http://sweetlifefitness.net/shakeology/shakeology-ingredients/
http://trek2befit.com/team-beachbody-scam
I think all of their workouts are good and will produce great results of done consistently. Now this is just my personal opinion but I can’t get nearly as good of a workout in my living room as I can in a fitness center. I need that environment to push me. I also think the 90 minutes is much to long of a workout, I like the P90x3 much better. Overall I think their workouts are great.
Just to correct you on the “shakeology has no artificial anything” comment. The folic acid and cyanocobalamin are absolutely artificial. They are just two examples in that product that don’t exist in any naturally occurring food on the planet. Dr Cordain explains folic acid quite will http://thepaleodiet.com/flour-fortification-folic-acid-good-idea-bad-idea/.
At my local whole foods store for that $4 I can get a dozen eggs and two heads of cabbage (I used that example because I just had a couple eggs and some cabbage for breakfast). Buying whole food is always cheaper and healthier than those shakes. People, keep doing the workouts, they are great. Save your money on those shakes and spend it at your local farmers market or grocery store!
Unless u are feeding your own chickens. .u really dont know crap about where they have been,what they get fed yada yada ya..ur opinion is JUST that….ANYONE that talks bad about anyone or anything is usually intimidated to talk bad rather than just state their own opinion. Get real….your business is a pyramid scheme,imo, because all the money for profit funnels up to you! Walmart is a pyramid too. Take ur opinions and toss them….u have NO DATA to support anything…just what u have regurgitated and believe u have heard or learned, into ur own belief! Think of this…u talk bad about anything…u ruin the industry not who u are trying to defame thru your jealousy or whatever it is…
Well that is an interesting angry word salad. I’m quite lucky really – I know exactly which chickens my eggs come from. Do you have any idea where the ingredients in Advocare products come from? I’m willing to bet much of it is from China. I can all but guarantee the caffeine advocare loads their products with is from China.
My articles on advocare are full of data supporting the facts I stated. I assume you didn’t take the time to read any of the 3.
You are mad at the wrong person.
Remember when primyd schemes meant the company doesn’t offer or sell products. Advocare has been around for yrs. maybe you should research something before you write. Also I’m going to need you to elaborate on how distributors lose money? It’s $80 to sign up and you make that back…..
A recruitment-driven MLM, or product-based pyramid scheme, is an MLM with a compensation system that rewards recruitment more than actual sales of products to persons outside the network of participants. So significant income is unlikely without recruitment of a large downline, which requires deceiving recruits into believing it is a legitimate “business opportunity – and persuading them to invest in inventory (front-loading) and/or to subscribe to ongoing monthly product purchases or payments to “do the business,” to “be a product of the products,” etc. For purposes of analysis, a recruitment-driven MLM could also be considered a “product-based pyramid scheme;” i.e., a pyramid scheme that requires purchases of products to participate in commissions or advancement in the scheme, rather than a cash investment such as those required for no-product pyramid schemes. Product-based pyramid schemes do far more damage than classic, no-product pyramid schemes, by any measure – loss rates, aggregate losses, and number of victims. Based on more recent data from the companies themselves, the loss rate for recruiting MLM’s is approximately 99.6%; i.e., 99.6% of ALL participants lose money after subtracting all expenses, including purchases from the company.
Everything you mentioned is against all Advocare policies… perhaps you should actually do your research and stop making assumptions. Sounds more like you were burned by a pyramid scheme in the past-get over it and just admit you failed.
I have never been part of any MLM company. I did however research advocare’s products and showed exactly how bad they are. The truth is the truth even if it means offending a few distributors such as yourself. Distributors should be mad a the company who continues to mislead them about what their products really are.
my dad owned and operated a restaurant business for years. . . VERY VERY successfully. . He was a multi millionaire by the time he was 30 and retired at 34 years of age. He had employees that worked under him to run the businesses. When these employees ran the business well, he profited and in return awarded bonus commissions and incentives such as free trips.
Each one of these employees has crews of employees under them. When the crews ran correctly, business did better and these crews were rewarded with commissions and bonuses and incentives . . .
etc . . etc . .
the world runs on the pyramid. . people at the top make more, the more the people at the top make the better their commissions and incentives are . . .
I am NOT an advocare distributor. I used it and hated it. HOWEVER, i find it stupid that there is so much hate against MLM . . . hate to say it but it is a true means to to add to your income stream.
You’re dad would disagree and I would guess didn’t teach you how his business worked. I’ve explained it before….
No, not all companies are pyramid schemes. Businesses aren’t as simple as putting dots on a paper then tracing a triangle. Let me explain it for you. Lets use a Nike outlet store as an example. There will be a manager of that store who will hire employees to sell products in the store. That manager will only hire qualified employees. When a person starts working there he/she immediately earns a paycheck and his/her pay will increase with time. He/she may even get a commission on the clothing or shoes he/she sells. That person may even get insurance, sick pay, holiday pay and even vacation pay. The manager will only hire as many people as needed to service customers in the store. The store will also spend money on marketing to promote their products and increase sales. This marketing helps to ensure the sales staff have a job. Phil Knight does make billions because he created one of the most powerful brands in the world. Now lets pretend that Nike outlet was a MLM company. As a manager I am going to hire as many salesman as I possibly can. The more people I have in my downline the more potential income I can generate. These people I hire don’t get a paycheck when they start work tho. They actually have to pay me $79 to become a “distributor” in my store. Then these employees have to buy the nike shirts and shoes from the store before they can sell them. Once they have done this they can start trying to sell the products they first had to purchase. These employees can then hire even more employees to sell the same products. That cycle can continue infinitely saturating the market with a sales force all trying to sell the same stuff. It is for this reason 95% or more of MLM “employees” lose money. Now, every person in the infinite downline gets a piece of the profit from their sales. For that reason the products have to be priced extremely high to try and make it profitable for many in a downline.
Your Dad’s business is NOTHING like MLM
DEAD chicken embryos! YUMMY!
LIVE chicken embryos are even better! Once they group up and find their way into my smoker 🙂
Thanks Steve for setting the record straight. I actually have a neighbor who is a doctor at Mayo who sells this garbage!
Thank you for your insight into Advocare. I am in the process of steering away from supplements of any kind. Trying to accomplish the things my body needs through food. I have a couple questions in regards to vitamins. I could be mistaken but some vitamins we can’t get our daily dose without consuming a large amount of food. Like the Omega 3’s, are there others that are better taken in vitamin form? The other question I have is after my workouts I look to have some sort of protein following my workout. I was using an Advocare product, that is no longer the case. I have switched to Protein 17, that is certified organic and has no other ingredients than whey protein. It’s a quick source for after a workout. Because I am new to this switch, any other ideas on whether there is a better choice for a quick after workout protein supplement?
I agree that some nutrients are hard to get with diet and supplementation is wise. Omega 3 fats are one of them. There are a few good companies that I’ve seen and personally I use Innate Choice fish oil. When it comes to post workout nutrition I always just go with food. Today after my workout I had some leftover turkey breast with mashed sweet potatoes and sugar snap peas. If you want a shake put a couple raw eggs, coconut milk, kale, frozen strawberries and a banana in a blender and have that. I checked out Protein 17 and it is a whey concentrate, not isolate. Whey concentrate will have casein in it as well. I hope that helps.
Dr Czys,
Love the post and as a Palmer DC student I will be following your blog a lot more now!
I did have one question. What have you heard about ID Life?
Their appetite and energy chews have synephrine in them. Caffeine is only 75mg in the energy ones. The protein is pricey but has chia seeds in them and it’s grass fed whey-isolate.
Overall, I really like the customized nutrition idea. Looks like the complete opposite of Advocare (“one-size-fits-all”). Let me know what you think of this company!
Hey Brett,
I have not heard of ID Life but I’ll take a look at them in the future. I do have a great piece of advice for you while at Palmer. Read and listen to everything Dr James Chestnut has to offer. The entire school curriculum should be based on his teachings.
I would like to know what you think of IDLife as well!!
Is it really safe to eat raw eggs though?
According to the CDC about 1 in 20,000 eggs may have salmonella. Personally I don’t worry about it one bit. I understand if it makes anyone else nervous. If so, just cook them.
I eat my eggs cooked 95% of the time. Most of my smoothies are fruit and vegetable based and I don’t add any protein but every once in a while if I’m in a really hurry I’ll add a couple raw eggs. Most people are getting plenty of protein in their diet, it’s the veggies and omega 3 fats that are lacking. I always load my blender with greens for every smoothie.
How do you feel about low carb high fat diets? What kind of diet do you recommend for weight loss?
To answer that properly I would need to do a full blog post. That will come in the future. I can tell you this. You can’t go wrong with vegetables. If the majority of your plate is veggies (white potatoes not included) every meal. Good things will happen. I try and have a big helping of greens (asparagus, broccoli, salad, brussel sprouts, cabbage) with every single meal. I’m about to have some asparagus with scrambled eggs for lunch 🙂
Thank you. I look forward to your future blog posts!
Work hard and eat healthy. There are no shortcuts.
I think you should spend some time and give Beachbody’s Shakeology a closer look. It’s not just a meal replacement or a plain old protein powder. There’s a lot more to it than just that.
William,
“There’s a lot more to it than just that.” Support that statement. I’ll do a full review in the near future. In the meantime, if anyone is considering the purchase of shakeology, I guarantee you are much better served spending that money on vegetables, fruits, eggs, and wild raised meats. If you really want a shake; put two eggs, any fruit you like, a big handful of spinach or kale, some coconut milk or water, and a dash of stevia and cinnamon into a blender and let it rip. It’s healthier than shakeology, 100% whole food, tastes better, and much, much cheaper. The difference between me and every MLM marketing distributor is that I’m not pushing them to buy from or distribute under me. I’m teaching them how to eat and the ones profiting are the local grocery stores and farmers.
So when you say blend 2 eggs are they cooked?
No, they are raw.
This was an awesome article. I have been doing a very laid back version of Paleo eating and it has worked wonders. Basically all I eat is veggies, fruit, meat, eggs and nuts. No proceeded garbage or anything that’s not a natural source of energy. I have never felt better! The best part is I don’t feel like I’m a diet, it’s a lifestyle which is what works vs these fad diets. What are your thoughts on the paleo lifestyle?? (Well the not so strict version 🙂 )
Processed*
Thanks Kristyn, Paleo has become such a broad idea. I would say I follow a not so strict version as well. I like to incorporate lots of veggies in my diet and never count calories or worry about percentages of macro nutrients. I go with the low stress just make healthy choices method. There will be blog posts to come on this topic 🙂
I am a chiro also and have not found a better supplement company than Standard Process. Have you done any studies on them? And thank you for validating what I have been telling people for years about Advocare or any other synthetic based company.
Eric,
I actually live in WI and have been meaning to take a tour of their company. They do have a lot of good whole food based products. My only concern with standard process is they send health care providers a book in which you look up a symptom and see what standard process recommends for supplements. For every symptom imaginable they recommend a laundry list of products. If you take everything they recommend you hardly have room for food. I feel we should be promoting food and only giving supplements when it is hard to get enough of something in food. Also, their fish oil (tuna oil) is not good product. The sales rep from Standard Process even told me he takes his from another company. I really respected the fact that he was truly about promoting the best products, not just his company’s products.
SP is a great company and a ton of DCs sell it! But honestly their protein bars aren’t the best tasting. But just shows you how healthy they are then haha
Can you please research a company called TrueStar Health. I really like them and their free web resources. Product is spendy but they seem to be good with creating good overall health guidance. Thanks!
Adam,
I will write a full blog post on them in the future. I would like to give one example of how expensive they are. Their Vit D product costs $19.95 and you get 100, 1,000 IU tabs of Vit D3. I go with Douglas Labs Vit D3 and get 100, 5,000 IU tabs for $10. That is 5 times as much of the exact same Vit D for 1/2 the price!
I would be curious what you think of Synergy. Specifically, ProArgi-9+. (I apologize if you’ve already been asked this.) I keep getting recommendations for it because I get chronic migraines.
I can guarantee you that your migraines are not caused by a deficiency in ProArgi-9+. I would first recommend finding a doctor who will check for food allergies, cervical spine issues, or any possible cause of your migraines and address the cause. In regards to ProArgi-9+ the first ingredient L-Arginine is one of the 20 most common natural amino acids. There is no reason to supplement something you get plenty of in your diet. The product also contains the artificial sweetener sucralose. I would never recommend taking any product that contains artificial sweeteners.
Don’t forget to mention that all those preworkouts that have arginine in them claim they can cause vasodilation are false. Agmatine Sulfate is a good one to research, however.
Research on Arg and no effect on vasodilation:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/18708287/
Curious on your take about Juice Plus-the product, not the method of sales. All the research is primary, most of the research is done independently and published in leading journals, plus it’s NSF certified for safety and athletes. Thanks!
I have had people try and get me to sell juice plus in the past. I looked up the studies referenced and just about all of them were studies on powders made from fruit and vegetable juice, not actual juice plus products. I advise people to get a vitamix or a juicer and just use fresh whole foods. Sometimes it is nice to have the powdered juices just for the convenience of it. I compared Dynamic Greens to juice plus and found it to be a better product and much, much cheaper.
Excellent article! I have a very dear ex-friend who has gone off on the Advocare Distributor path. She has been brainwashed at their conventions. She feels important with all those who deem her an “expert” yet I find her actual knowledge very deficient. It is scary really; she gives nutritional and fitness advice with so little training.
She cites the “panels of doctors” who strongly support Advocare yet doesn’t want to hear about their economic connections. Oh, and you are correct… Drew Brees and the generous support given to the Drew Brees Foundation by Advocare….
Thank you for a well written article. You have summed up all that I feel about Advocare. I am sorry that I lost a friend.
Thanks for the article. I can’t tell you how much money I’ve spent I weight loss products. None had lasting results. Last year I went to a simple, healthy, whole food rating plan and regular, meaningful exercise. In 8 months I lost over 140 pounds and my health is 1000 times better. Keep it simple. I have my weight loss story on my web site. No sales, nothing to buy, no advertisements, just my story. TysonShakespeare.com
Have you heard of the new Javita craze? If so, what’s your take on it? If not, would you be willing to do a review? Thanks!!
I will definitely check it out. Thanks
I am curious to know if you ever reviewed Javita?
http://www.myjavita.com/jinkaid
I appreciate your break down of the Advocare products. I actually ended up in the ER after sampling the Spark.
I am curious if you have ever heard of Yoli? This is a new craze in my area. It seems to promote healthy lifestyle changes and clean / natural eating and products.
Hi! Can you please tell me more about why you ended up the ER after spark? Just had some for the first time and I’m light headed
Ok, what about Thrive?
I am assuming you are referring to thrive from the company le-vel. I’ll get to it in the future. In the meantime I guarantee you I won’t be wearing a thrive vitamin patch….I literally thought that was a joke when first mentioned to me!
Yeah…I went to an event and the co-founder himself said that clinical tests have proved it’s absorption so it will be interesting to see when those tests come out to the public
The way humans have been absorbing nutrition since the beginning of our existence is by eating it, not by absorbing it thru our skin. How about we have the thrive co-founder lay in a bed for salad three times a day and I’ll eat salad three times per day. We can see who gets better results 😉 I’m sorry but this product is a joke and it’s criminal how people are being taken advantage of. You and everyone else are much better served by purchasing and eating proper foods.
It works???
Have you heard of Body Balance? I currently use it, but now I’m skeptical…
Is it a product from life force?
yes
yes
Thanks
I’ll check them out in the future.
Why does everyone keep asking what about this what about that? Are you all that desperate to waste your money? The message you should be getting is Eat healthy real food and get moving!
Unfortunately a lot of people are desperate. They are also confused by the conflicting advice they get. What is more unfortunate is how many companies are preying on this desperation and marketing them to purchase overpriced, poor quality products. I want to debunk all of these predatory companies claims and teach how healthy food choices and exercise works for everyone, every single time.
Unfortunately it’s not that simple for some of us who have insulin resistance and gut health imbalances. After 3 C-sections, postpartum depression, and a 100lb weight gain during each pregnancy, I was exhausted and depressed. I had been a cross country track runner in college and worked at a fitness center through college. I was eating clean, organic meals, counting calories on a fitness app, measuring portions, and not eating after 7pm. I was running 5 miles a day, weight lifting, going to fitness classes…at home I was too fatigued to even sit on the floor and play with the kids. I was starving, exhausted, drinking 5 cups of coffee a day, agitated, and on the brink of suicide because I hated the person I had become. A friend gave me spark and it was amazing. I ordered the 24 day jumpstart plan and stayed on the products. I lost 54lbs and was down to 130 pounds. I was the active happy mom I wanted to be and it was amazing. I’ve kept it off for 3 years. I’ve never made any money from the MLM and I’m happy to invest in my health because if anyone has felt like I’ve felt in the past, yes! We are desperate to feel better. I have no regrets. A few artificial sweeteners will always be better than obesity and the health concerns that come with it.
It had nothing to do with the spark. It was YOU! YOU decided it was time to make change. I guarantee YOU also started eating better at that time. Please don’t give the credit YOU deserve to a product with terrible ingredients…..
I wish I could JUST HIT A LIKE button on a bunch of your comments!!! Veggies have become my best friend…LOVE LOVE LOVE asparagus and broccoli and just tried beets for the first time…YUM! I have been on so many supplements that make all these health promises…it does boil down to the fact that EATING healthy makes the biggest difference. Cut out sugar, soda, and so much more! Thanks for your post! I will be following you!
Thank you 🙂
I agree with the nutrition part and this is a
great article by the way!! Don’t agree with the pyramid claims. Go read The New Professionals by Dr Charles King. Network marketing has been around for over 100 years, do some research on the industry before making false claims and bashing it. Great job on the article!!
Just because something has been around a long time that does not make it ethical, moral, or a good business plan. My opinion on MLM companies came from here and http://www.mlm-thetruth.com/tools1/consumerguides/faq/. According to the Federal Trade Commission, 99.1 percent of MLM distributors lose money on their business venture (Taylor, 2011). Thanks for the compliment on the article.
So you own your own company, correct? And I would be willing to bet you make more then the employees or people that work for you. Therefore, you run a pyramid scheme as well. All companies are a pyramid. The person at the top makes more then the bottom. And there is usually one person(CEO, president, owner) at the top and 100’s to 1000’s at the bottom. If that was drawn and you connected the dots it would look like a pyramid.
I also love how you claim to care for everyone and aren’t here to make money. Are your services that you offer people on your blogs free and include all the information? Or do you just give them enough to ask for more and then charge them in your Chiropractic office?
No, not all companies are pyramid schemes. Businesses aren’t as simple as putting dots on a paper then tracing a triangle. Let me explain it for you. Lets use a Nike outlet store as an example. There will be a manager of that store who will hire employees to sell products in the store. That manager will only hire qualified employees. When a person starts working there he/she immediately earns a paycheck and his/her pay will increase with time. He/she may even get a commission on the clothing or shoes he/she sells. That person may even get insurance, sick pay, holiday pay and even vacation pay. The manager will only hire as many people as needed to service customers in the store. The store will also spend money on marketing to promote their products and increase sales. This marketing helps to ensure the sales staff have a job. Phil Knight does make billions because he created one of the most powerful brands in the world. Now lets pretend that Nike outlet was a MLM company. As a manager I am going to hire as many salesman as I possibly can. The more people I have in my downline the more potential income I can generate. These people I hire don’t get a paycheck when they start work tho. They actually have to pay me $79 to become a “distributor” in my store. Then these employes have to buy the nike shirts and shoes from the store before they can sell them. Once they have done this they can start trying to sell the products they first had to purchase. These employees can then hire even more employees to sell the same products. That cycle can continue infinitely saturating the market with a sales force all trying to sell the same stuff. It is for this reason 95% or more of MLM “employees” lose money. Now, every person in the infinite downline gets a piece of the profit from their sales. For that reason the products have to be priced extremely high to make it profitable for everyone……No, not all businesses are pyramids.
As for how I make a living. Of course this blog is free as nobody gets charged to read it. Any time I get the same question from multiple gym members or chiro patients I write a post to answer it. If a few people ask, there must be many more out there looking for the same answers.
Great info. Great blog and you are saving people a TON of time, energy and money on nonsense products. I do have to chime in on the MLM deal. The one reason people lose money or don’t make money is because of the person. Not all are built for self-employment. People know themselves, they know their work ethic and they shouldn’t sign up for something, out of their lane, so to speak. I’m certain there are people with the same education as you who aren’t helping the public with a blog or offering products or services. It’s obviously not because the market isn’t saturated. It IS! It’s because they lack the drive and compassion you do. I have been in love with direct sales / MLM for years. From home goods, to candles, to clothing…almost every product has a way to buy direct and more power to them. With some companies you purchase up front and sell, others you sell from a catalog or samples and keep the difference in profit. I haven’t made millions but I certainly haven’t lost money. I make a nice income that takes care of my family. The effort I put in, is what I get out. Like anything else, it’s an industry. Swap a dentist and doctor and neither could expect to do the others job. They haven’t been educated how to do so. Same applies to MLM, most people sign up and think they are going to walk in day one and know what they’re doing. Wrong. They don’t bother to educate themselves and then cry scam, it’s simply not the case. It’s NOT the industry it’s the people attempting to work it. I’m sure you know folks who have a “rotten” way of conducting business in your industry. I hear so many people make general statements about network marketing, MLM and direct sales. It turns my stomach the same way I’m sure these “wellness” companies do yours.
Lastly… not all companies have infinite downline, not all have extremely high prices. There is a new fashion jewelry company on the scene. About 3 years now. Every piece is $5 all the time. People know what they are buying with a $5 piece of jewelry (some are surprising cute) and sellers know what they are selling. Heavy hitters in same company are bringing home over $20,000 a month. Like the quality of life for anyone, it depends on what a person is willing to do to succeed. MLM, network marketing and direct sales are not the enemy. It is and always has been, what it becomes in the hands of certain people. We both know, some people are FOUL. lol. 🙂
I would agree with a lot of your points. I don’t have a problem with direct sales when it comes to things like kitchen supplies or jewelry. I do strongly agree that success is a direct reflection of passion and effort. When it comes to my health clubs I think people can tell that I care, a lot!
My issue is with any direct sales that involves the most important asset to a person, their health. There is a difference between being a good salesman and being educated in the field of health and really know what can help a person get healthier. When it comes to direct sales of supplements most of the sales force have very limited knowledge at best. That is very dangerous.
I am currently using Plexus and drinking advocare…because I was misled to believe this stuff would help me. it never fails that I get sucked into these weight loss MLM products. I think I’ve tried everything under the sun.
I will say I lost 33lbs the hard way…no pills, shakes or powder.
My question is…do you have a Facebook that I can follow you on?
Thanks
Virginia,
please follow my blog for now. I’ll have a facebook page to share soon. Thanks
I have a friend who was sucked into the Advocare cult and was an overnight expert on health and nutrition. I turned down her pyramid scheme offer, but to spare her feelings, haven’t told her my thoughts on it. The company thrives on misinformation and greed, because their distributors are just looking to make fast money and don’t have the smarts or interest to research the products themselves. They take the Advocare propaganda as gospel! It’s a pathetic company model that takes advantage of the nutritionally uneducated majority.
What about the new “mynt” supplement line from monavie? Trying to convince a friend it is just another scheme.
thanks.
What about Body by Vi? I get that real food is better than anything that comes in a package regardless what the caloric content is. I’m just curious if you’ve done any research on those products.
This was a great topic by the way. I have multiple friends who sell it, use it, sweat by it but I just can’t seem to wrap my head around the concept. I think the reason people but into it makes so easily is that it’s simple.. Eating REAL FOOD, takes prep time and work. Eating a meal replacement is easier than making scrambled eggs.
Thanks for the info!! 🙂
What is your opinion on Juice Plus? It is whole plant nutrition.
Juice plus does have pretty good ingredients, however their cost is outrageous. On their website you can get a month supply for $44.50. Each serving contains 3 grams of inorganic fruit/veggie. If you were to get dynamic greens made by nutri-dyn you get mostly certified organic fruit/veggie powder and it is 10 grams per serving for $40. You are getting 3 times as much of a higher quality product for a better price. There are more options better than juice plus as well, that is just one example.
I loved this. My wife paid to be involved in a “wellness clinic” that was either 80$ to join, pay 80$ to become an advocare distributor. This was with a well known and highly recommended chiropractor in my area. I attended the meetings as support for her and was astonished as to the “teachings” he offered. She now drinks spark every morning because she gets great energy. Is it a safer idea to take the caffeine pills and kool-aid over spark.
Was the clinic by chance called Reset? Advocare products have absolutely no place in the term wellness.
I love how you are so passionate about your work the health of others. To the point that you will actually take the time to reply to each person. I wish we had more Dr like that out there. I struggle with weight, joint pain, fatigue, hair loss and digestion issues. I went to a doctor and she put me on Amitriptyline! Just to get me out of her office!!! Thank you for trying help others and not just make money!
That truly is sad and extremely frustrating. I guarantee your weight, pain, fatigue, hair loss and digestion issues is not the result of an antidepressant deficiency. You need help with what lifestyle choices to make and how to stick to them. Follow my blog and I’ll answer all of those questions. Thank You
I’m curious what you think about Genesis Pure? Also I was under the impression that because our soil has been stripped of most of it’s nutrients that supplementing was recommended. I just started used some of the products in Genesis Pure. Thanks
If the soil was that bad plants wouldn’t be able to grow in it. Every MLM supplement company uses that same pitch to sell their products. I would say breeding plants to produce a larger yield, grow rapidly, be pest resistant, and harvesting before ripening for shipping may have an impact on nutrient density. A Certified organic whole food supplement like this is a much better option than any MLM company I’ve seen.
I tried Advocare, and when I told the person I bought it from I really didn’t feel like it was for me, she had some guy call me and try to give me medical advice! I am hypo-thyroid and told him I think the best thing for me is to just eat healthy and exercise. He was trying to get my full medical history over the phone in order to ‘advise’ me. I asked him if he was a Dr. and he said “well no, but I can help you with your health and nutrition”. Ha ha! Needless to say, that was the end of the conversation.
Your article is very biased and full of wrong accusations of AdvoCare. You need to research correctly and actually interview these people who formulate the products, talk to the CEO of the company, the non-paid endorsers and hear thousands of testimonies that AdvoCare DOES work and is safe, effective, very affordable and is to AMPLIFY people’s efforts of healthy eating, exercising and proper sleep.
The CEO and product formulators are the ones with a financial interest in the company and would give the biased info. I have no financial ties to advocare or any multilevel marketing company. In no way, shape, or form does advocare “amplify” healthy eating, exercise and proper sleep. That is an absolutely absurd comment. I’m sorry you have been duped by slick marketing.
My wife and I tried the product. We followed the guidelines we were given. My wife didn’t lose any weight and felt like garbage. I lost more weight without spending the rediculous amount of money on Advocare. I changed my diet and started exercising. I lost more weight and felt better without Advocare. Alicia it doesn’t always work and it isn’t affordable. Dr. Czy actually went to school to learn about health and wellness by scientific means, instead of spewing propaganda from a company pushing overpriced suppliments. You may do well to do some actual research from a source outside of Advocare…
Alicia, “your article is very biased and full of wrong accusations of Advocare”. Do YOU have information to correct him? I tried Advocare as well and it’s nothing more than overpriced supplements and a typical MLM.
I’m with you when it comes to Advocare. It’s at best a scam and at worst a cult. It’s great that you’re exposing this quackery, but, seriously, do you need to engage in similar quackery when it comes to sucralose? A simple Snopes search shows your claims are bunk. http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/splenda.asp
You said:
“A human’s digestive system has about 75 trillion healthy bacteria living in it; these healthy bacteria digest nutrients, strengthen the immune system, and are, therefore, required for life. Recent studies indicate sucralose kills these bacteria”
Correction, study not studies. Just one study has stated this and even that one study has already been called into question. From Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology in 2009:
“A recent study in rats investigated the retail sweetener product, Granulated SPLENDA No Calorie Sweetener (Splenda). The investigators reported that Splenda increased body weight, decreased beneficial intestinal bacteria, and increased the expression of certain cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes and the transporter protein, P-glycoprotein (P-gp), the latter of which was considered evidence that Splenda or sucralose might interfere with the absorption of nutrients and drugs. The investigators indicated that the reported changes were attributable to the sucralose present in the product tested. An Expert Panel conducted a rigorous evaluation of this study. In arriving at its conclusions, the Expert Panel considered the design and conduct of the study, its outcomes and the outcomes reported in other data available publicly. The Expert Panel found that the study was deficient in several critical areas and that its results cannot be interpreted as evidence that either Splenda, or sucralose, produced adverse effects in male rats, including effects on gastrointestinal microflora, body weight, CYP450 and P-gp activity, and nutrient and drug absorption. The study conclusions are not consistent with published literature and not supported by the data presented.”
You also claimed that there is a laundry list of maladies caused by sucralose, stating:
“Reported adverse health effects related to sucralose ingestion range from gastrointestinal problems, seizures, dizziness, migraines, blurred vision, weight gain, and blood sugar elevation to allergic reaction.”
Can you show me some evidence? Maybe some peer reviewed studies? I’m having trouble finding anything empirical to back this up, other than the one study you mentioned and a link to Mercola.com. Mercola…..seriously? The same Joseph Mercola who has claimed that HIV is not the cause of AIDS, that immunizations are terrible, and that fluoride in the drinking water saps and impurifies our precious bodily fluids?!? Also, the same Joe Mercola who has been warned repeatedly by the FDA to stop misleading consumers? Sorry, but if you use Mercola to debunk Adovcare you are just trading one set of quacks for another. The Snopes article had this to say about possible health risks.
“As is also typical with Internet-circulated food health warnings, the accompanying laundry list of “reported symptoms” should be taken with many grains of salt. Self-reported adverse events are simply anecdotal raw data; there is no certainty that the reported events were actually due to the product consumed, much less that they demonstrate a causal relationship between the product and the reported events (especially after consumers are influenced by reading anti-sucralose reports that list what symptoms they’re “supposed” to be experiencing). Such determinations cannot be made until reports have been investigated, evaluated, and analyzed, and no studies have confirmed that the symptoms listed are a common reaction to sucralose.”
I personally don’t agree with everything Dr Mercola says but not everything he says is quackery. Nor would I consider everything on snopes to be the absolute truth. I’d have a hard time taking any health advice from the couple behind snopes. As far as sucralose and the research behind it. When I bring this topic up in my health talks I always conclude with I can’t guarantee it is bad for you, nor can I guarantee it is healthy because there are is no long term research to show either side. However, this scenario has played itself over many times in history and I like to learn from that. Doctors used to be on commercials saying there is no evidence smoking is unhealthy and it can even open your airways for better breathing. We were told that butter and eggs will kill you and you need to eat margarine. Now margarine is being banned in the USA. DDT was a wonderful safe insecticide. Until it almost wiped out all the Bald Eagles and made countless people sick. Ask yourself this, when have we ever made food healthier? Sucralose was approved for use in 1998. It hasn’t been around long enough to see any long term negative health impact. The 2 studies snopes referenced were 2 weeks and 13 weeks long, hardly long term. I could smoke hard for 13 weeks and show no evidence of lung cancer. Does that make smoking a few cigs a day for 30 years safe? Also, when people report symptoms and adverse health effects they can be valid even if not in a peer reviewed journal. When I was growing up I didn’t need a peer reviewed article to tell me drinking milk gave me terrible stomach pain, gas, and diarrhea and I shouldn’t drink it. All of that being said, I cannot guarantee sucralose will cause people health problems, nor can I guarantee it is safe. I can guarantee that based on learning from history I’ll never drink the stuff. Why take the chance?
Your entire response just became anecdotal which is exactly what you criticized Advocare distributors of claiming. I do not disagree with your premise, when dealing with nutrition everyone’s body reacts differently. I would also caution you to criticize what someone else does and finds effective. The brain is an extremely powerful tool. The simple act of taking a protein shake or pre-workout similar to that of spark can help illicit strong neurological pathways to creating healthy habits by enduing the notion of reward or pleasure in an activity.
Again I do not disagree with some of your claims like these products being overpriced, however there are times when dietary needs cannot be met with simple food due to practicality. This is why supplements exist in the first place. Even those who area deficient can adjust there diet to balance out these deficiencies. The issue comes in at cost, time, and convenience. Most supplements provide an extreme overdose of the body’s needs and therefore we end up literally flushing it away.
I would make a suggestion if you are really bi-partial in this topic to explain benefits and negatives of both sides. This allows someone to make an informed decision based on what they feel is best for them. I understand you have your professional opinions as we all do. We must watch from allowing our opinions to be condescending and more informative if we truly have no steak but to help others. If there is some self serving purpose, that is equally OK we all have to make a living and have our own morals and ethics to live by. Lets not pretend they do not exist though and try to masquerade them around as something they are not.
Yes – the placebo effect is real and very powerful. If you want to claim that advocare works because of placebo effect that’s fine. When you look at the ingredients it’s easy to see the products are awful. 100’s of comments on this article and not a single person has proven a point I’ve made wrong…..
Regardless, no that all of your downlines are gone I highly doubt your passion for advocare will survive.
You are absolutely right that AdvoCare is not for everyone. But haters are gonna hate no matter what. Have you actually tried any of the AdvoCare products? Or are you just trashing them to promote yours? Seems to me this is your truth/opinion about AdvoCare, and you certainly are entitled to it, but you certainly are not the all authority over it. Not trying to argue with you or try change your mind about it, just saying this is your opinion and each person need to make their own decision. Have a great day.
After looking at the facts (not opinion) when it comes to the ingredients in advocare products there is no way I’d try the stuff. Not hating, just telling it like it is 😉
Love this! I have many around me trying to sell that crap and I stand firm. Nothing natural about taking 20 pills a day and why does Spark include GABA? Any how, you confirmed what I already know.
Agreed. I can not fathom the ignorance of some people. Even if one doesn’t understand the science behind these products, I would like to think common sense would kick in. If these were miracle products, they would be touted by all medical/health professionals.
Cheryl, did you read the article? I am a fitness instructor and personal trainer and I agree 150% with what DrCzys has written. If you eat the proper nutrition your body needs, you should not need supplements. Also, most of Advocare’s products contain a very simple, inexpensive ingredient: CAFFEINE. You can get caffeine tablets at any grocery or drug store or in a gas station for that matter. Advocare also is loaded with synthetic ingredients that are not healthy for your body and especially not for long term use. You are putting chemicals into your body for fuel, when you should be using FOOD. Good foods are the best way and healthiest way to fuel your body. If you are eating healthy, exercising and making good choices, you shouldn’t need supplements of any kind. I’m not a hater either. I just believe in the power of a true, healthy lifestyle. As DrCzy says, make a lifestyle change, eat healthier foods and save your Advocare money on good foods and a maybe a gym membership instead of the supplements.
I am not a distributor, and I stopped getting the results I wanted. I decided to try their Mns3 and started to see results. Why is that?
I am not sure what results you are getting but one serving of that product has a lot of caffeine. Caffeine will definitely make you feel energized for a while. There is a lot of evidence to support the performance enhancement from caffeine. Bur, improved performance isn’t always healthy.
There is not any caffeine in the MNS products. It is a multivitamin, COQ10, Calcium, and Omega-3s. It is about giving your body proper nutrition that you are not getting from your food. Then you will shed fat. That is why it worked. This guy is just disgruntle because it wasn’t his idea. It definitely works and is good for you.I have the backing of a cardiologist, surgeon, pediatrician, and an OBGYN. Not to mention the doctor that invented the inter-venous feeding tube, but apparently this guy knows more.
“There is not any caffeine in the MNS products” Guarana extract and green tea extract is the caffeine source. Guarana is extremely high in caffeine. It’s right on the label. Add to that some very low quality vitamins or vitamers and you have your MNS 3. It should be illegal for people who don’t understand a label to sell supplements or make any health claims regarding them.
I agree. It SHOULD be illegal for people who don’t understand a label to sell supplements. So much harm can be done! It’s sad because the person buying the products wants so much to be healed and to find the truth!
Man, that was golden!
Thank you for this article! I agree with you 100%!
I just wanted to give a great big Thank You for writing this. Like you, I am big on research. Everything you have mentioned here, I have found to be quite true through my own research. Also, your comment that “the only thing that should replace a meal is a healthier meal”… Brilliantly put. It amazes me how far we have strayed from science and real health toward fads, diets, and quick fixes. College takes 2-4 years, Making babies takes 9-10 months, developing our brains can take a lifetime! So why do so many people think you can supplement your diet and wake up skinny in a few weeks without consequences. And the comment you made about sucralose and not knowing the side effects, well.. You were partially mistaken there. While there is still much research happening on long term effects, it has already been found to lower sperm count and egg fertility, and push puberty to start earlier than average. GO SPLENDA! Also, was NEVER found to be SAFE for human consumption at any point. Since only 36 studies were even performed and only 2 complete before the FDA re-released it. The FDA refuses to claim it is a safe substance, only that it is consumable. HAHA! Rat Poison is consumable but we don’t eat that! Anyways, keep up the good work! We need more people in the world like you.
I am so grateful for the Google search engine helping me find this page! I was researching Advocare and the Spark drink after SO many have been preaching to me about how I need it.
I have adrenal fatigue issues and a few other issues related to hormones. I need some kind of adrenal support, and was researching the Spark. THANK YOU for this article!
Now…what about that adrenal thing? I eat very healthy and exercise. Still, that extra 10 lbs will not go away.
Do you have suggestions?
Sincerely,
A new fan
The first thing I would ask is how much sleep you get per night and how much caffeine you consume throughout the day? I’d also want to see what kind of stressors are in your life and how you handle them. Stress and how a person handles it can have a huge impact on hormones.
http://www.advocare.com/science/faqs/ingredients/404.aspx
I agree with you 100%! Always look forward reading to reading your articles. This is what they have on their (Advocare) website. Let me know your thoughts and concerns about this!
I would like to hear the Dr’s thoughts on it as well. Thanks.
I too would love your evaluation of Shakelee vitamins. They sell a Vitalizer Gold Strip that is supposed to 100% all natural and organic.
While I agree with you that the best thing for our bodies is nutritious whole foods along with various forms of physical activity on a regular basis, I think you’re doing a disservice to those who may be able to benefit from some of these nutritional products. Not all of these companies and their products are created equally. Although the MLM might be a commonality between all of them, some of these products do provide wholesome nutrition and can promote great results when coupled with physical activity.
Yes, the cost of some, if not most of these programs is ridiculously high. But if a regimented program is what it’s going to take for someone to lose the extra weight they need to become and stay healthy, I’m all for it. It’s worth the expense.
Would I recommend having these shakes and other products in place of whole foods at each meal? No. However, in our always on the go society, some people need a vehicle to get their nutritional needs met. For many people, it’s just not a reality to be able to cook a nutrient-rich meal for each meal, each day, or to “put two eggs, any fruit you like, a big handful of spinach or kale, some coconut milk or water, and a dash of stevia and cinnamon into a blender and let it rip.” Most people understand what they should be doing to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but it’s oftentimes a matter of convenience. We didn’t become the second most obese country in the world due to lack of knowledge about healthy living and eating.
With all that being said, there are certain products from some of these companies that I would avoid, as you mentioned. But to lump all of the companies and their products together isn’t fair and is inaccurate.
I have worked with thousands of people in regards to improving health and losing weight. Most people actually DO NOT understand what they should be doing to eat healthy. What is lacking is in fact the knowledge. In regards to lumping all the MLM companies together not being fair. I have yet to find one that is any better than the products on the shelves at Walmart. That doesn’t meant great MLM products don’t exist as there are so many now I haven’t come close to seeing them all. Which ones have you found to be good?
I will not go on attack. I have been a product user for 16 years. These products helped me manage Hoshimotos, helped my sister finally get control of her weight and my daughter with healing from a disabling accident. I have been around doctors and nutritionist over the years consistently and they have all pushed supplementation because you cannot change the facts. Research, not done by Advocare, but independent scientist have proven that the stripping of the land and not rotating properly have taken the nutrition from the foods. The pesticides used also have messed with Soy and Corn products. While you have a DR in front of your name, I find no PHD in your experience listed. However the scientist you argue get money from Advocare, do and they have a reputation to protect. They will not be putting their name on products that are dangerous or low grade quality like what is found at Walmart..By the way Walmart was one of the companies that had to pull their supplements when they said something was in their products but were not really. Advocare sends their products to an independent company that checks the quality and makes sure there is nothing added that is not supposed to be added. This testing is why we have so many unpaid endorsers. They get paid in products not money like other companies do. They prefer the products. Now, I agree not everyone can make money in Advocare, but I know the products are safe, and can be trusted. 16 years and I was able to become a Personal trainer along with a nutrition coach. I have been apart of several people as they have gotten control of their health along with their weight. As to Stevia being better than Sucrolose, that has yet to be determined. Even Stevia goes through a processing to make it into a sugar substitute. Stevia doesn’t taste good otherwise. Everything is synthetic in some ways, but Advocare pulls herbs from all over the world. They use extracts from some of the herbs versus the stem or the root, due to the proof that the extract was what was shown more effective. The products at Walmart will not have what we have or the purity. I agree that not everyone will make money in Advocare. Just like not everyone will make money in Mary K, Tubberware…ect..Some of us, choose to use it as a tool to help others, and do not use it as the only source of income. As far as the comment that it is pushed on kids, that is not the case. Before the surgeon general changed the caffein allowed for a child, we were considered safe for children. Now that it has changed, Advocare has changed its label to being for 18 and above. I still as a mother have given it to my children as they were growing instead of ADHD medicine. Also the doctors then approved it for my daughter with her head injury because of the branched Amino Acids. I choose not to allow them cokes, which has Acids, and same or more caffein. I may not have been a perfect Mom, but I sure tried and sought out any and all info for my kids when needed. My daughter now is a Junior in college after the doctors gave a grim prognosis for her brain injury. I attribute the quality nutrition in helping her heal. I have done side by side comparisons for clients. Those that follow the food plan, along with work out plan. Then I have had those that are on products, the difference is big enough to show that the products work for most people. While I agree that some are sensitive to ingredients sometimes, and may not even realize they have allergies, that is not the case for most people. People don’t have to jump on and buy if they think it is too expensive. It is a business as well, who 20% of the population will see. As for a Pyramid, I would prefer this over a Job any day..Now that is a pyramid scheme! I can easily out perform my up-line and surpass..guess what that just blows away the pyramid portion of your theory.
I am very grateful you decided to “not go on attack.” There are so many incorrect comments in your post I just can’t take the time to address them all. This is a classic case of cognitive dissonance. When confronted by new information that conflicts with existing beliefs, ideas, or values to a person it causes mental stress. A person cannot support their beliefs so he/she will try and discredit credentials (DR not PHD) or resort to personal attacks. There will also be unproven personal stories. “adcovare helped a brain injury and helped manage Hashimotos’s disease.” I know sasquatch exists because I say he does…. I am deeply sorry that your daughter had a brain injury but please do not say advocare helped her heal. That is just absurd. When a person is deep in the cult of advocare there is little chance of bringing them out. My hope is that when people read my posts they won’t get suckered in to begin with. I am certain your post will help with that mission.
One point I have to address is the “our soil is depleted so food doesn’t have high nutritional value” line that many supplement companies use. First of all if soil is that bad plants can’t grow in it. Secondly, wouldn’t your supplements be made from extracts of the same nutrient-less foods making it useless as well? Third, would all the soil in every field that all plants are grown in be equally poor?
What is valid is that the hybridization of plants may create produce that may not be as nutrient dense. Also, harvesting a plant before ripening on the vine does not allow it enough time to produce as many nutrients.
Hi Dr. Czys,
I came across your blog when researching whether Yoli products are indeed
just laxatives marketed as a “cleanse”. I have a friend involved (suckered) into the program and after simple research I’ve noticed the presence of magnesium hydroxide as well as magnesium oxide in their “alkalete” and their “Pure probiotic”. And don’t get me started on the potassium hydroxide also added (caustic potash??? why!) Prolonged use of laxative use is quite detrimental to health, I’m not sure how this company has gotten away with this for so long…you are one of the only entries on Google even addressing the topic. Please write an article about this company!
Thank you for inspiring me to start my own blog. I am sorry that some people that use or distribute the Advocare product cannot see that you are just informing them of something they already know, or should know. That deflecting negative comments with unsupported arguments such as “best doctors in their field of study have researched and tested these products” or “Read the third party research”. I bet both of us would if it existed. I have no doubt they used research to develop the Advocare product. But I agree with you that there are no signs of research proving the efficacy of the Advocare products. I think there might be research, but for some reason they do not want us to see it. Or, it just does not exist. Please check out my blog at http://advotruth.blogspot.com/
I noticed some people accuse you of not doing your research (he laughs) so I did it for you. Found research that shows the Spark drink does nothing to improve performance. Research on the colon indicating bacterial flora is host specific, and that any toxin in the colon would in fact cause an immune response leading to other problems. Thank you for what you do, and I really hope you read my blog.
Sorry I should have wrote that any toxin trying to penetrate the colon would most likely cause an immune response,
Thank you SO much for this article! I tried Advocare for the 28 day challenge. About 14 days into it, I felt like hell. My kidneys were overloaded with the excessive levels of synthetic b-vitamins and I was in adrenal stress because of the caffeine. I didn’t even bother taking the other 14 days of the “challenge”. I felt like crap. I quit the supplements, ate real food, and lost real weight. It’s amazing to see how the ingredients compare to those available at a discount over the counter. The cleanse is a joke…you can do the exact same thing with a canister of Metamucil and a bottle of senokot otc. Of course I was introduced to these products by a couple of personal trainers who insisted that all of their clients be on the program. Nothing but a scam.
Thank you for the comment. I’m glad you are on the right track.
Dr Czys,
I enjoyed your article, definitely stated the facts. My wife is huge on advocare due tot he fact it worked for her, she lost weight/feels better physically and mentally. Now I’m not saying it would work for everyone but I’m trying to play devils advocate with my wife on these products, are there any positives to these products that you see?
I guarantee she changed her eating and exercise habits as well and that is why she feels better. The only positive I see about the products, and really it has nothing to do with the products, is a healthier diet and exercise is encouraged. Out of curiosity what is she taking? I promise there is higher quality alternative products at a cheaper price.
I put the labels side by side with our supermarket fish oil the day my wife’s first shipment of omegaplex came. The savings would have been over 30 dollars cheaper. The supermarket oil was a clear winner in quality, potency, and price. She still said she was taking the Advocrap. She won’t see much of a change as she has been on fish oil, multivitamis, and fiber for over a year. People love to buy hope in a bottle……
I’ll give advocare credit for one thing. They are great at marketing. It’s not easy getting someone to pay a higher price for a lower quality product.
Its not that hard to prey on the insecurities of women when it comes to weight/beauty or men when it comes to sexual performance. Not hard, just not moral.
Dr.Czys,
Hello, I found this blog by trying to get some help or relief for myself.
Thank you Dr. Czys for having this blog it will help people. I am writing this in hope of helping someone else and maybe Dr.Czys could also give me some advice. I started the Advocare 24 day challenge on February 16th, 2015 I usually never take supplements, I thought I would try something new (a motivator). On day 15 (March 2nd) of the challenge I got extremely sick went to ER had IV for dehydration and then on March 6th went to my PCP and that night went to ER again with horrible burning all throughout my body. My blood test came back fine and they sent me home (gave me Pepcid). That night my face was flushing, my heart was about to pound out of my chest, and stomach was churning/burning. As of now 4 months later going on five. I am still sick. I have been to two GI specialist. The doctors did an endoscopy of my stomach and a biopsy and the biopsy came back fine. My stomach is inflamed. I also have had a colonosopy. My colon is mild/moderate inflamed. I have had bleeding from my intestines. Advocare is what I was taking. I know that there are others out there that have had reactions because I have talked to one of them. As of now I do not know what my future holds. I am in utter misery all the time. I am currently on 60 mg of Dexilant it is one of the strongest medications to help reduce the acid. I am not able to eat much and when I do it is painful. I am doing my best to manage this illness and not let it manage me. It has been extremely difficult because I am a 40 year old wife and mother that has been stopped in her tracks. I am trying to find things I am able to eat that do not cause much pain. My stomach bloats so bad it is unreal (even before I was on any acid reducing meds) I have pain in both LUQ and RUQ, and back.
I followed the plan and I had a horrible reaction. I may be the minority, however, there are forums popping up all over the internet of people that took Advocare and had reactions, unfortunately mine was extreme. I am speaking only of my experience with Advocare I know there are many people that take it and it works fantastic for them, not in my case.
I feel the key to me getting well is all in my diet and it has been a struggle figuring out what to eat. I am not able to eat much and am continuing to lose weight. I have been eating bananas, almond butter, almond milk. A little chicken of course nothing spicy or fried. Dr.Czys if you have any information to help me please send it to me. I am hoping to find a Registered Dietician that specializes in GI. My next GI appt is coming up.
Sincerely,
Christie Abrams
I would start by eliminating all grains, products made from grains, beans, and dairy products from your diet. Start taking a high quality probiotic and try to eat some fermented foods like sauerkraut every day. I personally take this probiotic. If you do this consistently your system will heal and get better.
There is one other factor I should mention. Stressors in life can cause digestive issues. If there are any serious worries or concerns that you are fighting with those need to be addressed as well.
Dr. Czys,
Thank you for responding. I will definitely try the diet you recommended. That means no yogurt. What can I replace the yogurt with when I make smoothie in blender? I usually have spinach, banana, almond milk, almond butter and small yogurt added to help with flavor. I am currently on a probiotic it has helped so much. I will cut out dairy products I have been having cheese and eggs. I feel like I am getting better it is just so slow going.
I’d add some other frozen fruit and maybe a dash of stevia for flavor. Eggs have nothing to do with dairy and are extremely healthy. I eat close to 6 per day. I think eggs being part of the dairy group on the old food pyramid is still stuck in our brain sometimes.
Thank you Dr.Czys for your input and help. I have used stevia before it is good. I had a friend mention fermented foods as well. Is there other fermented foods I could buy besides sauerkraut? Do I have to make the fermented foods myself? Thank you for everything.
http://www.fizzeology.com/20-2/ I’m sure there are other companies as well if you don’t feel like making your own.
Dr. Czys,
Hello, Would digestive enzymes be helpful? I have seen a psychologist and plan to follow through on everything the doctors are telling me to do. I am doing my best with focusing on getting better. I spoke with my GI doctor at last appt. and ask him to give me a Registered Dietician that specializes in GI, he is testing me for Gastroparesis first and then go from there. My next step will be University of South Florida Gastroenterology that is all I know to do at this point. I understand there is no quick fix. I would like some relief. Would it help for me to try chiropractic care? I did try it about 4 times he used more instruments then adjusting and I was not able to do decompression.
Before digestive enzymes, chiros, or any other health professionals I would recommend eating meat, vegetables, and herbs cooked in olive or coconut oil only for 8 weeks. Drink only water. If you can maintain the discipline to follow that I’d bet money you’ll start feeling better as your gut heals.
Dr.Czys,
I will do it for 8 weeks. I have to try something new. I do feel my system will be able to handle that. I may go nuts a little!! LOL No matter what I eat I hurt. I am trying to eat things that hurt me less. I am able to handle chicken tenderloins with vegetables. I have EVOO.
Thank you for helping others.
I am on 60 mg Dexilant to stop the burning when I stop taking it for one day it starts burning again. My stomach and middle of my back it spreads to back. With that said I was burning for a month before I got in to see a GI doctor I did not eat anything for 2-3 weeks just drank water and drank chicken broth. I could not literally eat anything because of burning and pain.
A part of me just wants to stop the Dexilant, however my stomach will burn. When I stop the Dexilant I have to sleep with a wet rag on my stomach and back it burns so bad. I have never had gastritis before.I am wondering if it is better to deal with the burn or should I take a Dexilant every other day.
I have seen a lot of people get off acid reflux medication after they develop a healthy eating lifestyle.
Thank you for this great informative article and for your feedback in the comments. My brother is selling this and my initial gut reaction was, this sounds like a cult. And I was right. I’m hoping he cuts his losses before he gets in too deep. I have a difficult time finding energy to work out, etc. What do you recommend that is natural and effective for an energy boost?
Every energy product that exists is nothing more than a caffeine delivery system. Coffee or caffeine pills are the least expensive forms. My advice for improving energy is get more sleep, and get your workout in first thing in the morning. At first getting up will be hard. In a short time you’ll start to get to bed early, sleep deeper, have more energy all day from the morning workout, and have true “natural energy”.
I totally agree. I get up early 4 times a week, eat correctly, and take vitamin supplements. I have recently been introduced to Isagenix due to my 9 year old having Hashimotos Disease. What are your thoughts about Isagenix?
Here are my thoughts on isagenix. Who recommended it for Hashimotos?
I just recently let my Advocare membership go this past month. Over the years of trying to sell this expensive stuff to a poor town, I always had an itch in my spirit. All my friends are organic whole food eaters and they helped turn ne into one also. You can’t sell Advocare and be an organic, whole food label reader. It was like standing in two canoes at the same time with them floating apart. Yea, I found myself doing unnecessary splits. I have put more money into Advocare than I ever received. Now I just buy cheap whole food supplements from vitacost.com or Nature’s Sunshine. Now that I am also a kosher eating gluten free label searcher, Nature’s Sunshine fits my lufestyle better than Advocare. I’m not going to sell vitamins ever again. Advocare was the biggest mistake I ever made.
Better late than never. Glad to hear you dropped them.
Hello Dr, and visitors,
I took the time to read your article again and added a link on my blog so other people can find their way here. I also just finished adding a page pertaining to spark. It addresses the idea of taking spark while pregnant and using it to treat children with ASDHD. http://advotruth.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_3.html
Although it is not as thorough as my Advocare review I still back everything with viable research. I would like to thank everyone that took the time to read my article as it is greatly appreciated.
I really hope people don’t actually recommend spark for pregnant women. That is an entirely new level of ignorance.
DrCzys I could not agree with you more. After I wrote the spark article I found out that some parents give the Advocare products to their children, and that really concerned me. So once again I have created another article titled “Should Parents Feed Kids Advocare Products?”. Of course, I provided a link to your website again. The article can be found here http://advotruth.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_7.html if anyone is interested.
No child of pregnant women should be taking Spark. And if someone tells you they can they need to be reported. It is not in AdvoCare guidelines. That is insane. I am sure some pregnant women have taken it and that is a choice I am sure hoping all adults make good decisions,
I agree, but there are parents giving spark to their children because Advocare found spark had some comparable effects on children with ADHD. I have written several articles pertaining to multi level marketing if anyone is interested. I just recently wrote a type of story using MLM and the Titanic if anyone is interested. http://advotruth.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_16.html
Our daughter-in-law has been selling/taking Advocare for several years now. She has developed stomach issues and attributes that to milk allergies, cheese, and any other dairy product she can think of. She has never seen an allergist and defends their product to no end because she has lost weight. Every time we’re with her she spends more time in the bathroom complaining about stomach cramps and the runs. Our son said it’s common for her to do this on a daily basis. Could her issues be related to Spark and the other supplements that Advocare promotes?
If she feels it’s the dairy products why is she still eating them? I can’t say the advocare is definitely causing the problem but it is a possibility. It could be from the artificial sweeteners, caffeine, are any number of the cheap synthetic vitamins.
What about Thrive? I’m pregnant and my doctor actually reviewed it and says it’s fine to take.
I would strongly disagree with your doctor. Thrive is loaded with caffeine and that is not something you should be consuming while pregnant. I did a write up on how bad Thrive is and shortly after their lawyer sent me a letter threatening to sue. I didn’t need the headache and pulled it down. My wife just gave birth to our baby boy 3 weeks ago. A quality fish oil, probiotic, and vitamin D is what she supplemented with.
Wish you didn’t have to take the thrive article down
Can you send the thrive article in some other way? I’d be interested to read your thoughts. They claim low quantities of caffeine, but how can one know for sure? I’m using it currently, just the patch and one capsule each morning. I’m a little concerned about long term side effects. My integrative medicine doc muscle tested and said my body likes it for now. Any info you can provide is much appreciated.
I have to know…what test is done that can tell “your body likes it for now”? Whatever test this doc did sounds awfully fishy to me. If it is one of those tests where you hold a supplement in your hand and then he pushes on your arm or something please disregard it. There is zero evidence supporting those “tests”.
If a company won’t tell you the exact amount of caffeine in their products that is a huge red flag. You couldn’t pay me to take thrive products….
I truly appreciate your review of Advocare and some of their products. I am in the uncomfortable situation of having a whole family heavily involved with them and it dominates everything we do at family functions. I actually shut down my Facebook account because the flood it with comments constantly. To me, this is about the $ and not about helping others. I am still puzzled as to why if their products are the end all be all in the nutrition/supplement world, why is it not sold in every Walmart, Target, CVS, etc? Wouldn’t they be able to change more lives if that were the case? Have the doctors who are on the board and referred to by all of the distributors provided any comments, reports or any other documents to address the concerns with their products? I have a daughter-in-law who is trying to get pregnant and is now hooked on Spark. But I feel like if I say anything, I will get chastised by the family. And, as you stated, God forbid you challenge them. Thanks again for just stating the facts which cannot be refuted with any evidence by the Advofanatics…..have a great weekend.
This article makes you sound like an idiot. Do you know who DR Stanley Dudrick is? Maybe you need to go back to school.
This is one of my favorite comments. When a someone has no research to cite or any proof what-so-ever to support their position they will attack a person professionally and/or personally. You managed to do both in 3 short sentences! I patiently await the studies that show advocare provides any improved health outcomes. 20+ years in business and they still have zero. Name dropping is not evidence either….
Here is the one study I could find on advocare and surprise, surprise, it was found to be useless.
Brian he is an idiot posting under the title of DR. when in fact we know he is not a doctor more than likely.
Providing data to refute the facts in my article is much more effective than name calling 🙂
Good afternoon – I am with you about the necessity of all the Advocare products to be “healthy”. I am not aware of a scientific study about losing so much weight so fast as a lot the Advo-cates claim all the time. My research shows that with good eating habits and routine workouts, a healthy weight loss is about 1-2 lbs a week. I was at 234 and my doctor advised a lifestyle change. Took my eating habits seriously and did the Jillian Michaels workout program for 3 months and dropped to 191. But like most things in life, people don’t want to work for things. I have even seen posts about succes stories for Advocare where claims of weight loss up to 30 lbs while doing their 24 day challenge and they are proud that they didn’t even have to work out. Nice habits.
I do have a question about sucralose. I noted your comments in the article and actually picked up the whey protein I use after workouts. It contains sucralose – in fact when I went to the store to find one that didn’t contain this ingredient, I couldn’t. Do you know of any protein products that are natural and do not contain sucralose?
Finally, I have an Advocare representative telling my daughter-in-law (who is going to try and get pregnant this fall) that they tested Advocare products on an Amish community in which pregnancies were stagnant. They claim that after the 24 day challenge their hormones were now balanced and they all became pregnant shortly thereafter. Yet I cannot find this research any where. I just worry about all of the miracle claims and that the people selling this are not educated in nutrition or the medical field. Thanks for your time.
Congrats on the weight loss! Be proud of that! I’m 5’9 and a lean 205. I haven’t used a protein shake in over a decade and highly doubt you need one either. However, if you really want some protein powder google Mark Sisson. He sells a quality protein powder. The Amish hormone balancing claim is absolutely moronic. He/she should be embarrassed to say something so foolish. “balancing hormones” claims always intrigue me. Which hormones exactly are being balanced? What measurement was used to find that they were in fact “out of balance”? Did they follow up with measurements post “challenge” to show this balance. It is all puffery….a nice way of saying complete bullshit.
Dr. Czys – thanks for your response. I have been told by a lot of people that work out about getting protein in my system to help build muscle after a workout. I will definitely check the recommendation you made on the protein powder but wanted to know your thoughts on protein intake after a workout.
With respect to Advocare, has anyone or analysis put the labels side by side with regular store products to identify what the “magic” difference is in their products?
I have to say they have a following for sure and it seems to be growing. Again, I am not sure why if the products are the end all be all and can make such a difference, why wouldn’t the doctors on the advisory board want to touch more of the world by making the products more available via Walmart, Target, etc?
Just puzzled about the miracle claims that so many make but yet cannot provide info on long term usage of the products. Thanks again for providing thoughts and opinions.
There is a common belief that a person needs to get protein within 30 minutes of a workout to replenish muscles. This is a myth based on nothingness that has for some reason been accepted as fact. I get my protein from lean wild meats and eggs and I eat when I’m hungry. It’s that simple.
Advocare is just very good at marketing and creating beliefs among their distributors. Nothing more.
I have to disagree , AdvoCare saved me. I have crohns, and nothing I have ever tried obsorbs in my body . I am not saying it’s a cure. But it works . I have no more pains and can now function and actually eat food now. So we do what works . I can go on and on but will leave it at that. I have my life back. So thank you AdvoCare.
You changed your diet while starting advocare. It had nothing to do with the advocare products and everything to do with your change in food choices. There is nothing in those products that could have caused your intestines to heal. However, eliminating the foods that were causing the digestive damage will cause you to heal. You got your life back…those products deserve zero credit. Ask yourself. How could a product that uses the exact same ingredients as the cheapest supplements at any box store get better results? It doesn’t make sense.
I tried all those other products . Trust me I did it all. Actually anything I was told to take . Along with remicade for over 4 years . Changing diet, what diet ? I could not eat anything without loosing it . Heck I can’t explain it. But they helped me. It is all about what works . Steroids and remicade got me to a whopping 205 lbs and size 16. I am now size 8 and 55lb lighter, and yet still always in pain. I can eat veggies and they are not killing me . I don’t go to bed in pain I don’t sleep 24 /7.
“and yet still always in pain.” That doesn’t sound like very good results to me. I know for a fact you didn’t do it all. Here is what you didn’t do and what I would recommend you do. I would be very strict with diet. Absolutely no dairy, legumes, or grains of any kind. Only drink water. I would recommend quality fish oil, probiotics, and vit D located here. These are much higher quality and less expensive than what advocare has to offer. Also, and you will never hear this from a distributor, feel free to buy those products from any place you can find them. I am not looking to make a buck and call myself a “champion” off you. I just want you to actually take a quality product. Do that for 8 weeks, absolutely no cheating, and you’ll be feeling better.
I am not in any pain. That was how it used to be . And I did take over the counter for years , begged doctors for better and nothing . On top of remicade , steroids , operations . And no longer on anything . You are not understanding . And that is ok . I lived the healthiest life ever before this , went to gym daily . Life ended when this hit me . I now live again . And if something works for someone not sure why people bash it. If others don’t agree then they should do what helps them .
When a person has a belief system it is hard to accept any other information that disproves it. The ingredients in advocare products are the exact same ingredients you find in the cheap stuff at a department store. Take the advocare products in and compare the labels. I am glad you are feeling better. The problem is you are giving credit to the wrong thing. How could it be advocare when they use the same ingredients as any cheap company of which you saide you tried it all and none worked? They use the same ingredients, it makes no sense!
I am happy whenever someone gets healthier. What bothers me is when someone makes claims about how great advcore is when there is zero research to support any of the claims. The only research that exists shows it’s useless. These people make these absurd claims to sell product and build their “downline.” Too many people get taken advantage of and lose money because of this marketing tactic.
Well Dr,
She would have never changed her diet or knew what diet plan to follow if she never started Advocare. Ive been in the fitness industry for years and supplements do work. They give you motivation to eat right and when paired with a solid diet plan, they are great at finishing off your results. You must pair them with a solid diet plan to see results. No one is going to eat Mcdonalds and then get results. But what a person can do and what plenty have experienced, is when you start eating whole foods such as grilled skinless chicken breasts with brown rice , a nice Whey Protein shake a couple times per day will bring you muscle gains and a leaner body. They go hand in hand.
Also you rip on the products. The top bodybuilding pre-workouts such as Nitraflex by GAT has 300 mg’s of caffeine per serving. 300! Bodybuilders love that because it works and you can’t find it in stores like Walmart. The 120 mg’s that Advocare has in Spark is far from dangerous.
You seem to not be involved in the bodybuilding industry that much because the numbers you say are bad, are actually the ones that are in demand. So maybe YOU are not aware of what works and what doesn’t.
Bodybuilders…I am interested in maximizing health. Not building massive amounts of muscle. There is a huge difference. I do thoroughly enjoy people watching at the Arnold Classic. there are a whole lot of very muscular and extremely unhealthy people walking around. If a person is interested in a lot of caffeine go to your local walgreens and purchase a bottle of 200mg pills. You’ll save a fortune relative to buying spark.
Using supplements as motivation to eat right doesn’t make much long term sense to me. I prefer to have people determine what they value the most in life and then correlate healthy eating, exercise, better health with improving what they value the most. It is very powerful and motivation that will last a lifetime. As far as supplements working….QUALITY supplements can improve a person’s health, no doubt. Advocare is far from quality.
Thank you Dr. Czys for posting this! I have long since thought Advocare was a scam. I have seen friends of mine get sucked into what I feel is a cult like atmosphere. Suddenly they surround themselves with only Advocare supporters, alienate friends and family. Facebook posts suddenly are all about God and how he blessed them with Advocare. Michael W. Smith playing at the “success school”. Do they really think God wants them to sell a product?! This stuff is crazy!
You have thought correctly. Advocare is a scam.
Dr. Czys,
You need to step back and look at yourself. Look at your life and your actions. You are writing a blog and bashing an entire group of people who for the most part only want to help others. They see HOPE. They see a way out of their horrible situations. 80% of Americans are in financial trouble with no way out. Why would you bash a group of people trying to make others happy, healthy, and debt free. That my sir is a scam. You are scamming people out of their dreams. Let them live and do what they feel a passion for. If you don’t like it don’t buy the products or join their team, but don’t sit around and try and tear them down.
You are confusing hope with false hope. Over 99% of people who join the advocare “business opportunity” lose money. The numbers to support that statement can be seen here. If 80% of Americans are in financial trouble with no way out as you claim, selling them on a “business” in which 99% will lose money is the worst type of scam….Taking advantage of those who are desperate. Advocare is even low enough to use religion to sell to these desperate people. I doubt any religion would support a practice in which the top .5% make money off the bottom 99.5% of their community. If teaching people the fact that the ingredients used in the products are awful and that over 99% who join will lose money labels me a scammer then I guess I’m guilty as charged. I did take the opportunity to sit back and look at my life and my actions. Yesterday morning I stood in front of a group of people and spent 90 minutes teaching them about healthy eating, teaching them about exercise, I taught them why they should avoid MLM companies like advocare. To be honest, I feel really good about myself 🙂
I agree that the VAST majority fail, but also what was also not mentioned is the fact the about 95% of start ups also fail in the first 18 days and that only 5% of people are in a position to retire with no money worries. So, it kind of holds true along the board. While, the many may fail, at least they get a reality check of what had work it takes to run a successful company without losing the thousands or tens of thousands of dollars.
How does a person even make such an absurd claim that most businesses fail in the first 18 days? This would only possibly be true if all MLM supplement companies were included in the data pool.
I have enjoyed your posts on Advocare. Finally, someone who is talking common sense about this stuff! I’d be interested in your opinion on the new Yoli craze as well. I feel like everyone around me is swearing by it and losing weight, yet I don’t understand how an alkaline tablet would help you lose weight. I feel it is the same as Advocare, they are given a high protein diet to follow and that is why they get the results–not from the pills or shakes.
Hi DrCzys,
I am probably one year to late for submitting a comment but i just found this site. I really like the write-up regarding Advocare. If i could l would like to add a little to it, I toke the time to look up one of their top selling products (Spark) and priced out what it would cost you to buy just the bulk ingredients (with the exception of some because i didnt know how much they used- sucralose as an example) and i came to a total of $370. And this is if you were to buy each ingredient in 100g or something close to that. With the $480 of raw ingredients you could remake the spark drink everyday (once a day) for 6.5 year. If you were to buy spark from Advocare and take it everyday for 6.5 years you would spend $4400.
But do you have the time and energy to put it all together? Do you have the equipment and the knowledge to combine the ingredients? What about the money? You can buy your own coffee beans, then roast and grind them for that perfect cup of coffee, the question begs do you have the time or knowledge to?
I am not trying to be a jerk, just saying that there is more to the price than just the raw ingredients.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to make a cup of coffee…..
You can get the exact same raw ingredients for much cheaper at Shopko.
I don’t agree. You can bash any product you want but I love Advocare. You don’t have to go crazy and take everything! I workout, watch my eating habits and I am now healing while I have amazing energy! I’m not going to save my money. I’m going to save my life and buy healthy items too? I’ve gained 20 lbs from 94lbs and being sick with stomach problems including esophagitis, hiatal hernia, GERD etc… Pretty sure it’s safe! I’d be in the hospital if not and plus consult your dr. Before using anything. 1/2 of these stories come from people taking medications that work against certain products. Don’t blame the product. Blame yourself for not asking.
From what I could understand from that post is you started eating better and working out, which is why you are feeling better. Advocare is loaded with caffeine so of course it will give you energy. If you take enough caffeine you even get “amazing energy”. According to you, the reason advocare isn’t a miracle cure for everyone is because 1/2 of people who take advocare are on meds that block advocare’s magic…? The repetitive thud you are hearing is my head beating on the desk 🙁
To “someone who is healthy” – if the people at Advocare believe their products have such healing/healthy powers, why is it not available at Target, Walmart, Walgrens, etc? If the doctors on the advisory board care about helping people, why do you have to be a distributor or buy in to Advocare to get their illustrious products?
EXACTLY! None of the distributors could answer that question when I asked them. Why wouldn’t brick-and-mortar stores sell the product? What does the company have against making money in a WalMart? The answer is, WalMart, Target, etc. do not sell products involved in pyramids.
Ed. Wanna talk pyramid scheme. Let’s talk… And I will use Walmart as a example since you put it out there.
Will the janitor at WM make more then a cashier? No.
Will the cashier make more then the store manager? No.
Will the store manager ever make more than the district/regional manager? No.
Will the district/regional manager ever make more then any of the top WM executive? No!
Welcome to your “pyramid scheme” Ed.
I’m curious… What do you do for a living?
For the record…. I “make more” then my sponsor. Advocare is a product driven company….. Not a pyramid scheme.
Be nice to Ed Jaime…this is how business really works. When over 99% of the employees (distributors) lose money in a company that is very much a scheme.
Not all companies are pyramid schemes. Businesses aren’t as simple as putting dots on a paper then tracing a triangle. Let me explain it for you. Lets use a Nike outlet store as an example. There will be a manager of that store who will hire employees to sell products in the store. That manager will only hire qualified employees. When a person starts working there he/she immediately earns a paycheck and his/her pay will increase with time. He/she may even get a commission on the clothing or shoes he/she sells. That person may even get insurance, sick pay, holiday pay and even vacation pay. The manager will only hire as many people as needed to service customers in the store. The store will also spend money on marketing to promote their products and increase sales. This marketing helps to ensure the sales staff have a job. Phil Knight does make billions because he created one of the most powerful brands in the world. Now lets pretend that Nike outlet was a MLM company. As a manager I am going to hire as many salesman as I possibly can. The more people I have in my downline the more potential income I can generate. These people I hire don’t get a paycheck when they start work tho. They actually have to pay me $79 to become a “distributor” in my store. Then these employes have to buy the nike shirts and shoes from the store before they can sell them. Once they have done this they can start trying to sell the products they first had to purchase. These employees can then hire even more employees to sell the same products. That cycle can continue infinitely saturating the market with a sales force all trying to sell the same stuff. It is for this reason 95% or more of MLM “employees” lose money. Now, every person in the infinite downline gets a piece of the profit from their sales. For that reason the products have to be priced extremely high to make it profitable for everyone……No, not all businesses are pyramids.
Here is the truth about why you cannot find many products in Walmart and Target. They are big box stores that sell junk. They are concerned about price points. They use a strong arm tactic to get companies to lower their wholesale prices to be able to put a product on the shelf that will get millions of people to walk by.
Absolutely wrong. The big box store products are the same quality as advocare. Just walk in and compare labels…same junk different sticker.
DJ. Great question and one I can answer for you. The reason Advocare is not sold at these places is because our founder Charlie Ragus wanted Advocare to be sold only through direct sales. And for al Kat 24 years, that is how it has been. Same reason why you do not see Mary Kay in department stores. Being a distributor is just part of it. No different that being a customer at Sams or Costco… You have to pay for a membership. Hope this helps!
The reason is because MLM is a great way for the top few to make a ton of money off the bottom majority. You see it with isagenix, shaklee, plexus, advocare, usana, thrive, and on and on…. Every single one of those companies uses the exact same marketing tactics. Science advisory board, endorse athletes, personal stories, bullet proof shields….
I found this page after trying to research what a scam this whole Advocare is. The few people I know that are distributors are people who dont want a real job so think selling this crap makes them an entrepreneur. I still cant believe there are so many dumb people out there that continue to fall for this crap. Anything you have to buy from a distributor is a ripoff. I dont know any exceptions. I just wish the people I know who live on welfare and medicaid would get a real job. Everything is a sales pitch. Its so obvious. Why cant people see that. Why are people still so gullible. They need to realize its all psychological and they prey on the less than intelligent people.
I wish I would have found this site a week ago. I started the 24 day challenge a few daysa ago because I saw results with a friend of mine. After I started I noticed the meal plan and knew that had to be where the weight loss was coming from. I’m 19 and I’ve technically been obese since I was 16. It never mattered of I ate healthy or worked out so I thought I’d try this. It would have saved me 220$ if I’d seen this first…
Sorry you were duped Chelsea. Share this post and hopefully others will not got duped as well!
I was in the same boat!
Ended up doing the 24 day challenge so that I can build a story so I can sell the product to friends family, but after the 24 day challenge I had a change of heart I Knew it was not the product that gave me results it was changing my diet and making sure I ate the right amount of protein let alone eliminating dairy and processed carbs. The red flag came when They said I need to pay $1789 to continue to the next level (already spent $700 in damn product) what they did not tell me I would still need to keep a up line in sales to maintain that level and higher others under me. That’s when I knew I was in on a pyramid scheme. Glad I deiced to get out quick because I have heard stories of people dropping $20.000 – $50.000 for the (Go ALL IN) and leaving the job then down the road going broke and going the the negatives.
Wise choice my friend.
Izzy. I hope this reply gets to you as I want to address your comment. It breaks my heart to read what you went through. Whoever your sponsor was flat out did you wrong. That is NOT the Advocare way. Shame on that person for putting you in that situation and pressuring you to order more. I hope you know that is not the norm and I am so sorry that happened to you. For the record pyramid schemes are illegal and there are certain cans and cants we are trained on to keep us clear from it. The whole keep a up line/ downline to keep what I am assuming is your discount was incorrect as well. You were just flat out led in the wrong direction and given terrible
“advice”. We have no minimums, there are no quotes to meet to keep your discount level, etc. Now if you want to get to advisor, there is a certain route you have to take…. But it’s your choice of you want to do it or not….. NOT your sponsors! Such a shame. I’m sorry you went through that mess. I hope this clears the air some. Advocare is an amazing company with incredible products…..
I do hope you have found something to help you with your health and wellness goals.
“Advocare is an amazing company with incredible products” I would like you to support that statement. Show consumers the research advocare has done to improve health outcomes. Personal stories and the bullet proof shield are not valid. Here is the only advocare study I found.
Very interesting thread! My search about sucralose led me here. I’ve always questioned why sucralose and aspartame are put in natural health products. Thankfully people are reading labels and becoming more educated.
I agree and agree to disagree on many of your points Dr. Czys. I would like to preface this comment and tell you I am a Shaklee Distributor. Shaklee is the #1 Natural Nutrition Company in the U.S. Brandishing all MLMs and supplements in the same category is negligent.
I live in Indiana where obesity and ill-health is rampant. Rutgers did a study and found 99.9% of people are nutrient-deficient. 90% of people are Vitamin D deficient. Supplementation is not an option; it’s a necessity. You bring up the soils and plants wouldn’t be able to grow in bad soils. Companies like Shaklee search the globe for plants that have not been tarnished by poor soils. Aligning with a company who tests for purity and potency is paramount. Shaklee is beyond organic. They have a study on every product they launch and have the only long-term Landmark Study proving their products are safe and work. The Shaklee Difference is what sets them apart in the industry.
Shaklee does not rely on vendors to tell them they have a clean product. Rivers are full of pesticides running into organic fields. You better hope the company who acquires the raw ingredient from these fields does their own testing for harmful contaminants and removes them. Most companies don’t care and don’t have the funds or facilities to do that extensive testing. Grapes have lead in them. Shaklee’s resveratrol product Vivix takes 28 days to make, and, yes, they make sure the lead and any toxins are removed from the raw material before it goes into the tonic and tablet.
Our oceans are so toxic; I’m very cautious about eating any fish today. Fukushima is still spewing tons of radiation into the Pacific each day. We have a dead Gulf due to the BP Oil Spill and CorExit spraying. Most people don’t know that due to the media silence. Shaklee’s fish oil is put through a distillation process 5 times. So many pre-natal and children’s vitamins have toxic levels of lead. My point? Know the manufacturing standards of the company’s products you buy. And low-cost doesn’t necessarily equate to high-quality.
Doctors are still not on board with nutrition. I’ve seen it over and over. People tell me their doc says food/lifestyle doesn’t have anything to do with cancer, their colon or immune problems. They also say all vitamins are created equal. Wrong-O! People on this thread are smarter than the average bear. But, let’s be cautious when we say that MLM distributors aren’t qualified to talk about nutrition. That is furthest from the truth. I think they are more informed critical thinkers than lots of docs out there.
I would also like to address all the negative comments about direct sales. I worked in Corporate America for 15 years, and I must say that Corporate America is a BIG ponzi scheme. Workers today are no better off than back in the 90s. Those at the top are rewarded handsomely and when fired given golden million dollar parachutes. Minions are punished for coming in 5 minutes late, don’t get raises for years and bonuses are eliminated. I’m glad that gig is OVER; now I have a biz that I can work where and when I want. I don’t wake up every day and think I’m making money on other people; I wake up and say “I’m getting people healthier and wealthier.” Mindset matters.
Direct sales is very misunderstood. Why on earth would you want these products at Target or Wal-Mart? Direct sales eliminates the middleman, the warehouser and the SuperStore. No inventory means the money goes to you, the sharer of these products! Is that so wrongt? A MLM is relationship marketing. That is so lacking in today’s retail world.
We all recommend a good restaurant, chiropractor or hair stylist. Why not awesome nutrition products? I’m not saying Advocare is bad or good. I don’t know enough about their products to give an informed opinion. I don’t think we should stereotype all MLM products as too much money or not effective. All supplements are not created equal just like all healthy foods are not created equal.
I want to point out that anybody in an MLM can get their products for free by sharing products. That is a brilliant sales model, really. You can’t do that at a chiropractor’s office, superstore or GNC. Direct sales can be a social security plan for many and empower people to have a life of freedom they so crave.
In summary, align with the right company with a strong integrity, heritage and commitment to high-quality products. Do your research! And please try not to make blanket statements about all companies before that research is done. Continue your passion to share wellness Dr. Czys and fellow health advocates. And in the process, be kind. Science is constantly evolving, so what’s right today may not be right tomorrow.
To your health and wealth! Lisa
“Shaklee is the #1 Natural Nutrition Company in the U.S.” – Based on what criteria? Because you say so? “Shaklee is beyond organic. They have a study on every product they launch and have the only long-term Landmark Study proving their products are safe and work.” No they don’t. If they did you would have provided more than zero links showing them. I do like your Vitamin D example and I do take Vitamin D myself. I see the shaklee D3 costs $9.40 for 90 tabs containing 1,000 IU’s each. Here you can get 100 tabs with 5,000 IU’s of D3 each for $10. That is a 5 times better deal. I’m willing to bet you don’t tell your vitamin D deficient customers where then can go and buy D at a much better value. That would take money out of your pocket. That also proves my point of ALL MLM supplement companies being massively overpriced. I can show your customers higher quality products at a much lower price point for every product shaklee offers. A quick glance at the shaklee protein drink shows they use the awful soy protein as a protein source. Check out soy and protease inhibitors, phytates, lectins and still say how great the products are. Within those drinks are also synthetic vitamins and vitamers. Of course shaklee doesn’t have to worry about pesticides on plants because they use synthetic vitamins, not vitamins from food. Notice how the “certified organic” stamp is nowhere to be seen on their website. It’s because their not. I’m sorry but what you believe to be true and what is actually true about shaklee are not congruent. I forgot you mentioned the fish oil. I can show your customers a higher quality fish oil that costs less as well. It is 3rd party tested to guaranty purity and freshness.
Thanks for your timely response. I apologize for not providing a link. Here’s the archive of Shaklee’s clinical research studies, a glossary of product ingredients and our Landmark Study. http://healthresource.shaklee.com.
Shaklee combines the best of science and nature to fuel its products. All of Shaklee’s raw materials are third-party tested and then tested again before they go into a capsule, tablet or tonic. They have the facilities to remove heavy metals and harmful ingredients. That’s not the case with food, even organic food and many supplements that claim organic status. We all know food and supplements are barely tested.
I would like to know – can I get the products you recommend for free? I would rather align with a quality company whose business model allows me to succeed, teach others to succeed and get quality products for free. Yes FREE! Are you recommending quality products where customers can do that? We could easily agree that’s negligence, right? Free is about as good as it gets.
Regarding your Vita D assessment . . . honestly, I have told customers to go elsewhere for their Vita D3. My recommendation is not cost-related; most people don’t want to take 5 or more 1,000 IU Vitamin D when they can take one or two. Hopefully Shaklee will launch a 5,000 IU product soon. Shaklee distributors (and customers) are very educated about getting their levels tested to optimal levels. And yes, many of us do buy and recommend health products outside of our business.
Is it so hard for you to believe that the direct sales environment is a group of people who want to help other people? Do you tell your patients to go to another doctor because it’s less expensive? Or do you offer value and a service that people love and depend?
People align with people and companies that align with their CORE beliefs. Shaklee has a strong history of building health and long-term relationships. Their environmental heritage sets them apart too. They were the first company in the world to offset all their carbon emissions and are certified carbon-neutral. They launched the first biodegradable cleaner back in 1960, when GREEN was just a color. Please don’t tell me it’s not true because I didn’t provide a link.
I’d be happy to arrange a meeting for you to interview Shaklee scientists and tour their science innovation center to further educate and understand The Shaklee Difference. Arguments through intimidation are not my stick. I’m in business to make a difference. The “just because you say it’s so doesn’t mean it is” – hey, right back at you! Critical thinking tells me we could say that about everything in life.
My goal is to empower people to get their citizen scientist ON. Our bodies are complex but have the ability to heal if given the right holistic combination (and I’m not talking just supplementation). Education is key. There are awesome health products out there to be had (and lots of them from MLMs.). There are so many people in this world making a difference in the area of wellness. Opening the mind to a higher level of conscious kindness goes a long way to healing (and also free!). Rock life with peace, love and harmony! Lisa
When someone had a strong belief system he/she will often disregard any facts or logic that challenge that belief system. It is very common among MLM distributors. This response is for anyone that a shaklee distributor is trying to sucker into buying products. The shaklee company was most likely founded with great intentions. In 1989 it was sold to a Japanese Pharmaceutical company. I highly doubt any pharmaceutical company would hold the same values as the founder. Regardless, none of the products are certified organic. When looking at a label the same cheap synthetic ingredients are used that you’d find in much cheaper alternatives; Calcium carbonate – the cheapest, worst form of calcium, cyanocobolamin – a form of B12 made in a lab that doesn’t exist in nature, folic acid, dicalcium phoshpate, etc… how can anyone claim products are 100% natural or organic when the ingredients don’t exist in nature!? Hilariously the baby lotion product says 87% organic on the label. What is the other 13% being spread on the baby? The mind boosting products are just caffeine pills labeled as guarana or green tea. A common trick in the vitamin industry. You are better off having a good cup of coffee. It takes all of two seconds of label review to show that everything distributors such as this ones says is wrong.
Now the vitamins for “free” pitch really bothers me. With MLM it is a fact that over 99% of people lose money. The 1% of people who get “free” vitamins are getting that money or product because of the 99% who have lost money. That is no different than the person on welfare who doesn’t appreciate the checks that arrive in their mailbox are from the taxes of the working class. It is really hard for a person to admit being wrong, admit to being duped by company sales tactics. I see it all the time. He/she will often attack me. I could care less about the lost cause distributors. I just hope that reading these posts will keep others from being duped in the first place. I get emails regularly from people who have avoided the trap and that is very rewarding!
I like you. Thanks for keeping it real. People too often want a quick fix; we didnt put all the extra weight on in a week, but we want to lose it that fast. The only right answer is cleaning up your diet and moving your body.
I was hoping you could share any ideas for weight loss.
I was paleo but added wheat back in bc I was getting tested for celiac. Go for testing in 1 week.
I was severely iron deficient (no ferritin, no iron binding capacity)
I am 10 lbs from where I want to be and can’t seem to lose weight.
I exercise regularly, eat 5 times a day, clean eating.
All I can think is cut out alcohol 100% and go back to paleo.
I was totally going to do advocare but after your post I won’t.
Just wondering what could help.
Any basic meals plans I could follow?
Should I go down to a 1200-1500 calorie intake a day?
I do cardio/HIIT/lifting 4-5 times a day.
I know it all starts in the kitchen.
I may be wrong but you seem like a go go go type A driver personality. I would make sure you are getting enough sleep for starters.
Other than that you answered your own question. Cut out the booze, grains, and dairy.
Eat lots of green veggies and be careful with portion sizes when it comes to nuts, oils, or any dense calorie food items.
Lastly, 10 pounds is nothing…I assume you are already looking good and make sure you are thankful for that!
I was recently diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF), I have always excercised at least 3 times a week, and consider myself pretty healthy. I have been trying to come up with a regimen of supplements that may prevent me from getting sick as often maybe increase my immune system, and give me more energy. I am glad you wrote this article, I have a bunch of friends that sell from the different companies. What do you suggest?
Change your mindset from being pretty healthy to getting extremely healthy:) Avoid dairy and grains, take 5,000 IU of D3 every day, high quality fish oil, and high quality probiotics. Equally important as what to take, is what you should be avoiding!
Do you have a brand of D3 that you recommend that is sourced naturally? Also, your thoughts on Magnesium/calcium supplementation?
Hey,
I just finished up making my own Vit D. 5,000 IU’s of vit D3 in flax oil perles. They should be here on Thursday.
I feel MG/Ca++ sufficiency can be achieved through a healthy diet. If you do supplement them avoid calcium CARBONATE and MG OXIDE.
I’d go with citrate or lactate.
Can you tell me your thoughts on Genesis Pure?
I wouldn’t buy it.
Can you go more in depth on the ingredients in GP, like you did with Advocare? I mainly take it for the liquid multivitamin, but also take the sulfur, probiotic, and superfruits. Have I been hoodwinked as well?
Can you also give your opinion on Juice Plus please?
“Dr” Cyzs i would highly advise you look a little more into what you are talking about considering that the doctor of Intravenous Feeding, Dr. Stanley Dudrick backs up Advocare and is the head of the Scientific & Medical Advisory Board.
The guy collects a royalty to have is image on a website. That’s it! Le-Vel, Isagenix, and most others use the same marketing tool. “We have the best doctors in the world, our advisory committee is the best, blah blah blah…. A quick look at the ingredients tells the truth.
This is such a great post….with the Advocare masses #ALLIN on their 24 Day Challenges, I would love to have a placebo challenge where no one takes the supplements, just changes their diets to fit what Advocare recommends. It would be great to see the same results all these people have gotten from their “challenge” that cost them $220. All the exhaustive before and after pics, all the testimonials….where are all the 24 Day Challenges gone wrong? Where someone lost NOTHING. And don’t even get me started about the Debt Busters system they brag about. Because I would bet my life on the fact that NOT A SINGLE ADVISOR would turn down a credit card that someone wants to use to pay for any products or a distributorship. The products are cheap. Filled with soy, additives, artificial sweeteners (all things you spoke about…) Everyone who wants to sign up or take products for any of these nutritional supplement companies should read this first. THANK YOU!!!
Thank You. There are a lot of advisers that don’t like me when all I did was lay out some facts! Not one has been able to dispute any of the article’s content tho 🙂 I honestly thought more would be thankful for helping them see the truth and stop paying to damage their own health. Unfortunately I was wrong.
Bro these references are 1. plagiarized from a similar blog I saw before 2. Inaccurate, the FDA unbanned sucralose because it is inherinitely safe, the study was predicated on testing with rats, after time the male rats developed bladder cancer “from repeated ingestion of sucralose”; however, upon further investigation it came to light that only the males developed the cancer and not the females. Why could this be you ask? It’s due in part to the males being predisposed to developing bladder cancer. Thus the sweetener was un-banned… the following excerpt is directly from WebMD “In the late 1990s, the Calorie Control Council stated that the main health concern about saccharin was bladder cancer in male rats — not people. They stated that further research has shown that male rats have a particular predisposition to bladder cancer and as a result the National Institutes of Health removed saccharin from its hit list of cancer-causing agents.
“Congress said no to the [original call for a] ban due to backlash but stated that there has to be a warning,” ACSH’s Kava recalls. “More recently, Congress de-listed saccharin as very high doses may cause bladder cancer in male rats — not in female rats or anyone else,” she says. According to the National Cancer Institute, there’s no scientific evidence that any of the artificial sweeteners approved for use in the U.S. cause cancer.”
So are you going to refute the FDA and national cancer institute or are you going to just going to hide behind a computer trying to shamelessly promote your own business spreading lies about others. I’ll check back in later to address your other remarks or maybe you will recant your bullshit.
I didn’t know a study or article can only be referenced once and then it is to be locked away and never mentioned again…..Out of all the points I’ve made about advocare products; synthetic vitamins, low quality protein, high caffeine etc….you seem to only have found info on sucralose. Anyhow, the FDA approved artificial fats (Trans Fats) and now they are banning them. Why, because they have killed 100,000’s of people. BGH is banned in all but two countries in the world but the FDA approves the use in the USA. Ractopamine and Olean are other examples of FDA approved foods banned elsewhere. But, back to sucralose. If you feel sucralose is safe and want to consume it, have at it. When I look at how terrible artificial fats are I am going to play it safe and say artificial sugars are good thing to avoid. Better safe than sorry “Bro” 😉
Simple truth : The majority of the population in America are overweight – any assumed risk that may be encountered 30-40-50 years down the line from a substance that is declared safe by National Cancer Institute and FDA is probably the lesser of 2 evils. People need a system that will jump-start their metabolisms, ideally person X would diet correctly, exercise regularly and live a generally healthy life; however, in a world predicated on dollars and cents most people are more concerned what goes in their wallet then their mouth. I know there are far more un-reputable companies out there that will prey on uneducated adults. Advocare is not one of those companies, they go so far as to hire 3rd party testing agencies. Pro athletes have been using it for years, because its safe, effective and doesn’t land them in court for PEDs. Being honest I’m an inherent skeptic, with any diet company but this company comes as close to being a magic pill as there could ever be, if the program is followed you will lose weight. You’re obviously educated in your field and know what to look for, I respect that. If you look hard enough at anything you will find inaccuracies and potential dangers – shit if you drink too much water it’ll kill you. The point is obesity isn’t a futuristic problem, its right now. Compare the average rate of deaths from heart failure due to obesity and then compare the average amount of deaths to people taking Advocare products, to say they are unsafe and to be feared is a disservice to every person who could possibly change their entire life with such a simple system. In terms of true nutritional benefits, Advocare is replete with healthy value. Can you diet effectively without Advocare? OF COURSE! Will people be disciplined enough to adequately monitor and develop a system to be consistent? If history is any indicator, hell no. Just my thoughts – Thanks.
Yes, people are overweight. Telling people that the way to lose weight is to buy an extremely overpriced supplement that contains synthetic vitamins, caffeine, artificial sweeteners, and cheap low quality protein is just wrong. Advocare is exactly a company full of uneducated (in health) adults preying on other people..sometimes kids and teens! Over 99% of people who become a distributor lose money! That is the definition of preying on and taking advantage of desperation.
Explain exactly how advocare (jump starts) a metabolism…
“Compare the average rate of deaths from heart failure due to obesity and then compare the average amount of deaths to people taking Advocare products”…because obesity kills more people than advocare that must make advocare good? makes sense….
Go to walmart and look at how many pro athletes are pictured on products there. Using the pro athlete argument is senseless.
Obesity problems are solved by education, not selling them garbage supplements. When people eat healthy foods, in proper portions, plus add some exercise they will lose weight and feel better – every – single – time. That is what I teach all day, every day. When I convince people to throw away their BS gimmicks like advocare, isagenix, plexus etc…. and teach them how to eat and exercise I get results like this.
I have no faith in the FDA or our government to make sure that the foods I eat are safe and healthy. The fact that Hillary wants to change GMO to some other acronym that sounds less scary should tell you something. The FDA actually brought a continual law suit against Dr. Burzynski, a doctor known for finding a healthy cure for cancer by injecting the tumors with high doses of vitamin A. There is an entire documentary on this,i suggest watching it. Anyway, I have been an advocare user for several years, my mother likes plexus, and I have several friends using Thrive (which I tried and didn’t feel any different. my question is, I have changed my diet and eat lots of fresh fruits & veggies and chicken. I have been drinking a spark every morning and use the fiber drink, probiotic, catalyst and the meal replacement shakes. I am very concerned about the long term affects of putting these in my body. should I just stop? help!!! lol
Stop? You should have never started.
I feel a good probiotic, D, and omega 3 are wise for just about everyone.
HERE are the 3 my family and I take.
Combine that with a healthy diet and exercise and you’re golden my friend.
Simple truth sucralose = bad!
DR, How do you feel about plexus? I recently cut pop and caffeine from my diet. But my body misses the caffeine. Any suggestions? I’m not supposed to have before and after my upcoming surgery. But I’m so tired.
Search plexus in my blog and you’ll find the answer. Caffeine is an addictive drug. It is best to get rid of it if you can. If not, I’d go with organic coffee or green tea. Every energy drink is nothing more than a caffeine delivery system.
Why do you call yourself a doctor? You truly aren’t and pretending to be doesn’t make you any smarter. You claim to have all these licenses and certifications. Wheres your proof your a doctor or certified in anything. I can say I’m certified in everything and a brain surgeon. Then start a blog like this and try to sound smart, with no backing of what you claim on here. Your an idiot. I for one am a doctor along with being trained and educated in nutrition and sports exercise. Sincerely Dr.Gaffnee
To add to it that you are just a glorified personal trainer with this Eupraxia you speak of. A simple trainer that bought into a business model like a gym. Your a glorified joke that is preying on other companies and people that have issues to make yourself sound superior
Nah….we just teach people how to exercise and eat healthy…no preying. It is “you’re” not your…. At least call me names using proper grammar…
Your intelligent, grammatically correct post got me….I have been laying in a fetal position crying since I read it. Why refute any facts in the article with data that supports your views when you can just start name calling? “Your an idiot”…..it’s “you‘re” my friend. I do appreciate the post, it gave me a good laugh.
I believe the author does a great job breaking down Advocare pretty good. If I were telling you about computers I would not go find a bunch of links to support my argument. I am claiming to be proficient in the field. My thought is this. He presented you with information, and if you disagree, find something that proves him wrong instead of calling him names.
Author of advertisetruth.blogspot.com
Hello good Dr.
I am the author of advertisetruth.blogspot.com and unfortunately due to someone else utilizing the advotruth wording, and because they showed signs that the did not approve, I was forced to change the address to my website. Unfortunately that means that the backlink at the top will no longer work. I still have you on my blog as a perma link because I believe people should be reading your material. I do not know if there is a way you can change the backlink but I thought you should know it is not working. Thanks for such a great article and for sharing the truth, something my blog is all about.
Author of: advertisetruth.blogspot.com
Thanks ED!
Dude this article is awesome! I am so tired of advocare and plexus and the like. I plan on writing a similar post soon myself and Id love to have you as a guest writer on my blog if you’re interested.
I’d be happy to. Thanks
I think some of your points are fair. However, one issue that I have in your commentary is this “Now I realize I only reviewed two Advocare products. I think it is safe to say that if their two top sellers are this bad, the rest cannot be anything too special.” If you are going to ridicule an entire suite of products from a manufacturer, perform the due diligence on the remainder of the products. Additionally, it is also fair to asses the reasons of why sucralose is concerning; there was heightened focus that it interferes with the absorption of certain prescription drugs. The other concerning issue isn’t whether someone eats healthy, but it’s the content of the mass food that is produced. There are almost weekly recalls of food that is deemed healthy, and it is also hard to determine if organic harvested food is really that. Supplementation is a benefit that may provide benefit for some. I believe it is irresponsible to provide a negative brush stroke on that concept in general. Just my two cents 🙂
Hello, I found this page as I was looking into Thrive and maybe how it is compared to Advocare since I know a lot of people use Advocare I was just curious as top the comparison of ingredients. — The reason I’m looking into Thrive is because someone I know is having a good experience with the product. I may be an average joe or slightly above in terms of health as I try to eat healthy and get some exercise. I am a breast cancer survivor and so is my friend. She took the product to her oncologist who gave approval.. (honestly never looked into any of these types of products before now, and I just want to eliminate the tired feeling and afternoon lag.) Anyways after all the talk here if you feel like you need more energy, more drive etc., and what you try to do naturally with eating right exercise etc. isn’t working What would you do?
First I wouldn’t take nutrition advice from too many oncologists. Thrive is awful. It’s just a massive amount of caffeine. You are asking for big trouble if you stay loaded up on caffeine. Eating right and exercising always work…plus getting enough sleep. Most people think they are eating well…but really are far from it.
I recently started Advocare and now 6 months later I have severe adrenal fatigue. Do you feel advocare has contributed to it? Now mind you, I had a life changing event 2 years ago that caused a great deal of stress but I thought advocare would make me feel better, but now I feel like I am going nowhere with my weight loss. Very frustrated.
Absolutely advocare can be a contributing factor. Let me explain…. When you are under a stressful situation your adrenal glands release stress hormones causing the fight or flight response. Your blood pressure goes up, heart rate goes up, muscles get tense, digestion goes down, plus a whole lot more. This is great in a short term stressful event. However, if you are under chronic stress this can “fatigue” the whole system and is very unhealthy. Caffeine actually causes the same response…it blocks the hormone adenosine and causes the release of stress hormones. If you are consuming caffeine (which advocare products are loaded with) plus under a lot of chronic stress….that is a recipe for disaster. Get that garbage (advocare) out of your system….Eat well, get sleep, relax, live!
Can you help me? I want to get off AdvoCare and replace it with over-the-counter supplements and/or food I’d buy anyway. I should have known better, nothing worth getting is easy! 🙂 Thank you!
Ali
I’d be happy to.
Me too please. 🙂
I think I’m going to put together a CD where I teach people exactly what to eat and why, what supplements I take and why….
You can listen to it in your car repeatedly and really understand proper nutrition.
I’ll take 20 years of learning and pack it into an hour or so of great content.
Did you every put together that CD??? I found your article while searching for a cheaper alternative to Advocare. Thanks for this! I almost bought it today and you talked me out of it.
It’s close! Thank You for saving your money! Go buy some good food 🙂
I’d buy the CD. Have you put it together yet! I am 58yrs old, I live with my little Chi Maggie May. I’ve been a widow for 20 yrs. I have had 3 surgeries 3yrs in a row. I am limited to exercise. I’ve gained 50lbs. I am tired and don’t enjoy cooking alone. So I could use all the help you have to offer
Thank you,
Coming soon!!
I would appreciate the same. Please and thank you. 🙂
I began researching Spark because my son (18 yr old that plays D1 baseball in Texas) sent me a text stating that he needed this product for a before workout drink.”all the guys use it”. I was immediately concerned when I read the ingredients. I have been suffering with digestive issues for 4 years and have been slowly trying to heal my gut. We, as a family, have been eating whole foods for years and I buy limited processed food’s much to the displeasure of my growing teen age boys that want anything that comes in a brightly colored box. We stay away from most “natural flavorings” and all artificial so this was a red flag for me. We dropped using splenda years ago. However, now that my son is eating in the cafe or fast food (which is far from whole foods) he is finding it a challenge to get healthy foods into his diet. Now he is wanting to add a product like this because “everyone else is” isn’t sitting well with me. But I also know that he is up late at night, up early in the morning, eating garbage and is tired and wanting an energy boost. Do you have something that you would recommend to a college athlete that doesn’t have the option of changing his diet?
I was a college athlete as well and I know for sure “doesn’t have the option of changing his diet” is not true. If he truly understood how important healthy food is, how much healthy food will boost his performance, and how no supplement can replace or negate the effects of a bad diet, he would eat healthy. In my health talks I am very good at helping people see how important diet is…once you understand that you will find a way to eat healthy. Why strive to be like everyone else? Be better than everyone else!
Have you reviewed shakeology yet? I’m studying nutrition and the only thing that stood out where the B12 and Folic Acid, which apparently is the same kind I was taking anyways. I wholeheartedly believe that whole food (or derived) sources are 100% percent better than anything in a shake but for the price of everything in there, I haven’t found anything else that compares. Have you?
I have 4 kids. I’m an Army wife, I work and I go to school so I don’t have the luxury of the time or the money at this moment to buy everything the shake provides and get it all into my system.
My meals are pretty well timed out but it can be pretty tough making yourself a priority, even when you know you have to be the healthiest to keep the family going. We did paleo for over a year and didn’t see any major changes (other than increased energy) until I started drinking the shakes. I just had such a hard time getting all of my macros in.
So, going forward in agreement that whole foods are better, are there any meal replacement shakes you like? Let me add that I don’t drink Shakeology to lose weight anymore. We have it as a snack just to get all over nutrients in 1 shot.
We had been doing beachbody workouts off and on over the years, before it even became an MLM thing and finally decided to check out Shakeology’s ingredients and try it myself, I didn’t know anyone that used it personally but I pretty much fell in love with it after week.
ok, let me add that military get 25% off so I get it for about $106, if that helps at all for your comparison. Please keep that in mind with your recommendation for me. Thanks so much!
You named a couple things I’m not fond of in their shakes. They added synthetic vitamins as well as vitamers (fractions of a whole vitamin) like beta-carotene. I’m not a big fan of pea protein either. It doesn’t differentiate how much whey and pea protein there is. I think these shakes are much better than anything advocare has to offer, but I think you can do much better…
Here is what I do as a healthier, cheaper, and equally fast option.
I have a good blender (vitamix) and throw in some frozen berries, banana, kale, spinach, avocado, raw eggs (they are loaded with protein and vitamins), water or almond milk, and then some cocao, stevia, cinnamon, coffee enrich or any other seasoning you like. You’ll get great smoothies, with a variety of flavors..depending on how you make it, and save a bunch of money. Higher quality, less expensive….it’s a win win. Plus it’s kind of fun. Get the kids involved and get creative!
HI, I had a bad allergic reaction earlier to something in Advocare’s MNS packs. I plan on returning for a refund. I have a Vitamix Blender but I am allergic to many nuts and avocados. What do you suggest I put in my blender?
Here are a bunch of smoothie options for you 🙂
Have you ever looked at Advocare’s 24 day challenge? It has sennosides in them in vague quantities!! Of course people are losing weight when you are feeding them exlax throughout the day!! Ugh! People want quick fixes, and they are poisoning their bodies to get them. Sennosides abused (which quick fix cleanses do), is so dangerous! Decreased function of the Digestive system, thyroid issues, colon cancer to name a few. Please review that! I will publish you findings everywhere. 24 day challenges (at huge cost) are all the rage here. So dangerous.
You nailed it Becky. Most of these “I lost 15 pounds in 24 days” claims is do in large part to water loss from the laxatives in some of the 24 day challenge products. What you don’t see is the “I gained 15 pounds back in a week” claim once the person is off the laxatives….
What are your thoughts on Plexus and It Works? I have several of the nurses I work with at the hospital that are always pushing Advocare/Plexus/It Works … I have seen many of them with results but I see more of them that are wasting money. What are your thoughts on each of these products and how they weigh up to each other? Also, Please let me know when your CD is ready … I am very interested in that. Thanks!
You can find my thoughts on Plexus here.
I have not written an article on It Works yet but I always recommend people to ask this question.
Are my weight issues because I am not It Works body wrapping enough…..or, do I need to eat better and exercise?
My wife has her Master’s in nursing and never had one nutrition class. I find it very sad how little
is taught to our health professionals in regards to the single most important factor in health…nutrition.
I do have a CD ready. I’ll send you a PM.
I lost 14 pounds on advocare on the 24 challenge,do you think it was just from the eating healthier foods and exercising more and the supplements had nothing to do with it? I ate all fruits and vegetables and protein meats like turkey, chicken and tuna. Walked 4 miles a day for 24 days. But I also took the supplements.
First off kudos on the exercise and diet changes! The healthy eating you are doing can be done and will keep you healthy for a very long time.
I promise you did not burn off 14 pound of fat in 24 days. A good portion of that weight would be water loss from the laxatives in
some of the 24 day challenge products. In my opinion 1-2 pounds lost per week is ideal. You can burn off 1-2 pounds of fat per week with diet and exercise. Slow steady and long term change is the best. In a year that’s 52-104 pounds! 🙂
I am interested in what you think of the shakes from Living Fuel? They seem to be a very healthy, organic shake and were recommended to me by my naturopathic doctor. http://www.livingfuel.com
Thanks
Hi there! I just found this article and my gym really tries to push advocare and I wasn’t comfortable with it. The guy who pitched to me knows his stuff but I think he really only wants to see the good in the products he is selling. He kept naming off people/athletes/doctors who have a part in making advocare what it is and stating that they are important and fully reliable sources but I just think if they work for the company or are sponsored by the company they would have a bias because of course they are going to do what they think is the best. Do you know if they have every had any third party testing to ensure the quality of their products without the bias?
If a guy is pitching advocare, he really doesn’t know his stuff……
There is only one study that I could find and it said the product was useless.
The link to that study can be found in the blog…just search for new advocare study.
There is plenty of research available to show the ingredients used in
advocare products are in fact useless and/or harmful.
Just found your site in a search for information on Advocare. Thank you so much for all your information.
Do you have any opinions and/or done any research on Young Living Essential Oils? They have a few supplemental products, but didn’t know if you use oils for health and wellness.
Thanks!
Here’s the thing. There are really two reasons why people don’t feel their best. They are either toxic or putting something in their body they shouldn’t or they aren’t getting enough of something they need. There isn’t a single known health condition that is a result of essential oil deficiency.
That being said if a person likes using essential oils I see no harm in them. There is something calming about a pleasant smell. You can’t beat the smell of apple trees blooming in the spring.
What’s your thoughts on mannatech? I’ve tried just about everything else mentioned and didn’t know they were bad for me, everyone claims “all natural and life changing” but I see they we wrong, this product does seem healthier just curious what you think… thank you!:)
I couldn’t find any product labels on their website. Mannatech is a MLM company which means the products will be very much overpriced.
I know I wouldn’t spend any money on their products.
You say you’ve tried just about everything else. What are you hoping to achieve? I can guide you in the right direction.
Thyroid problems cause me to have no energy and even with dieting i can’t lose weight! I want to look and feel better 🙂
Those are very common issues that I work with. I’d like to help as I’ve helped very many in the past. I’ll shoot you an email.
I’m in the same boat. Hypothyroid and pre-diabetic. Can’t loose weight.
Have you looked into Kyani? More of a health than wealth business and has been helping alot of people I know. Would like your opinion on these products. So far been life changers for friends and family memebers
I took a quick glance. You won’t catch me paying that kind of money for what they are offering. It is a MLM business just like advocare and just like advocare the products are way overpriced. One product is basically fruit juice with some added synthetic vitamins. Another is a low quality, low dose fish oil. What I would do…what I do, do…. Is spend my money on berries and a high quality fish oil. It’s better for you and less expensive 🙂
Fact…. natural means nothing and natural can be put on just about any label. Naturally Occurring is what you would want to look for. If you look at the attached label you will see folic acid – synthetic, sucralose – artificial or synthetic sugar, beta carotene – a vitamer not a naturally occurring vitamin, soy protein – anyone reading this DO NOT buy soy protein! Do you know why they are a growing company…..because people who aren’t truly educated in nutrition fall for their marketing BS. The thigh master made $100 million…was that because it was so effective? The shake weight…. $40 million in sales. Unfortunately you have a strong belief system based on marketing, emotions, and lies…..there is not logic, science, or common sense even to support the absurd claims. You are right about one thing…the products are not just a caffeine pill…they are much worse.
https://media.le-vel.com/Documents/THRV011.pdf
I am curious if you have looked into dōTERRA and their Lifelong Vitality Vitamins?
My family uses their certified pure therapeutic grade essential oils for many things including wellness support, emotional support, cooking and even for cleaning.
However, I am curious about their vitamins. They claim to be whole food derived. I would love to know what you think.
What is your take on Advocares SleepWorks Liquid Vitamin and Mineral Herbal Supplement? My son has trouble sleeping. Some days very hard to fall asleep and then can’t stay asleep. Doctors have had him try different sleep pills but none really work. His girlfriend recommended the SleepWorks…she said she has used it before and it worked for her. Just curious on your thoughts.
I don’t think any medication or herb is the answer. Advocare sleepworks would be a definite waste of money.
I would look at his exercise habits, what’s he eating that he shouldn’t be, what’s he thinking at night, stress level, etc…
Getting a good night’s sleep is never about just getting the right pill.
I have been taking many advocare supplements over the last r months. Why taking the Catalyst Amino Acid Supplement I found a pill that didn’t look like the others. While the others are not marked I found a pill in the bottle marked Meta C it was the see size as the Catalyst, same color yet it was marked and had a tan ring around (like a seal of the capsule). When googled it was Nutribiotic line. Same ingredients, same look. Where Catalyst is $38.00 or more depending on which person is selling, Nutribiotic is only $11.99.
What is your thinking on this? I am quite sure Advocare never intended to let that slip thru. Are they buying from a cheaper company, repackaging and selling as their own product?
Most supplements are the same low quality products with different wrappers and marketing plans…..
There are so many scammers it drove me to start my own.
I love Advocare and I love sleepworks, it’s not a waste of money at all. Sleepworks has melatonin and lavender. Natural sleep enhancers. I’d highly recommend it!
go buy some melatonin and lavender for a fraction of the price…
Get up early, workout first thing and stick with it…. that’ll get you sleeping better.
I find it funny to tell people not to supplement their health with vitamins and nutrients from a reputable company such as Advocare while in the same breath telling people to eat meat. Seeing as how meat is listed by the WHO as one of the top four carcinogenic substances for humans. I did Paleo when I first started crossfit bc I listened to the masses, but after actually doing some research, it was easy to find that while Paleo makes athletes look better on the outside, it’s actually destroying them on the inside. I cut out all meat and dairy and use supplements from Advocare (including their Green line) to ensure I’m not missing any vitamins, especially B vitamins. This lifestyle choice has had nothing but a positive impact on my body. My body fat has decreased, my strength has increased, and I feel incredibly healthy overall. So if you want to address scams, do some research and expose the meat and dairy industries who continue to pay out huge amounts of cash to lie to consumer all the while slowly killing us.
Reputable company? According to who? Even ESPN wrote on article about the scam that is advocare. “meat” isn’t bad. Low quality meat is bad. Those studies claiming all meat is bad are so flawed their conclusions are meaningless.
Substituting quality food with the cheap synthetic caffeine loaded supplements advocare offers is not a wise long term solution.
Today a friend that is an Advocare distributor convinced me that I needed to try the “Spark” energy drink. I have one low-carb Monster rehab in the mornings a few days a week. (I hate coffee). My friend, who is a nurse, said, “Those energy drinks are so bad for your heart, you have to stop drinking them!” So, I try one Spark drink packet. Two hours later I’m having heartburn and palpitations. I compared the labels from the Spark and the Monster, and they very similar ingredients! How is Spark any better/different from a Monster rehab (besides a few grams of sugar)? (yes, I realize they are all bad for me). I hate taking pills and like to eat actual food, so buying any other products, from whatever company, is a no-go for me. I do take vitamins, only because I have to though.
It is no better than monster…. the least expensive way to get your caffeine is just buy a bottle of caffeine pills. Every energy drink is really just a caffeine delivery system.
Throughout the blog you were asked several times your thoughts about IDLife however, have yet to respond? Can you please provide some insight on them?
Thanks
Hey, I write posts when I get a number of questions from my local members. ID Life hasn’t popped up around here yet. I took a quick glance and didn’t see anything I’d use. I never use pre or post workout drinks and I never use protein powders. I didn’t see the most important supplements on their site. Omega 3’s, d, and probiotics. Here is why you don’t need protein shakes. https://www.drczys.com/protein-powders/
What are your thoughts on UniKey and the Fat Flush Plan?
Fat Flush Plan…. that 3 word line of nonsense is enough for me. Eat well – train hard – fat goes away.
I’m 43 year old male and in the best shape of my life. I have been drinking an average of 3 Advocare sparks daily for the last 4 years and probably missed no more than 12 days total in that time. I have been healthier as well thanks to the additional 750% B6 and B12 vitamins and many others. So No Thanks for your advice. I will continue drinking what has contributed to my healthier lifestyle.
Have a great year!
You get in the best shape of your life by working out. Kuddos to the work ethic. A shitty energy drink has nothing to do with better health. You can get those same cheap vitamins for a fraction of the cost at walmart. Save yourself some money!
I’m just curious about your thoughts about Orgain meal replacement powder? I like to add small quantities of unsweetened greek yogurt, a banana, organic almond butter or peanut butter or unsweetened organic frozen fruits. I mix it up on what I add for variety. The ingredients seem to offer a healthy mix of plant based protein, sprouts, greens, veggies and fruit with low sugar and a close protein to carb ratio. I don’t always have time to cook eggs, my usual breakfast with veggies and fruit, and it tastes great. I’m starting to work out and choosing whole healthy food options, and I don’t want to sabotage my efforts. It’s been difficult to lose weight in my 50’s and having 3 surgeries in the last 2 years has not helped me stay active. I’m able to be active now with my new knee and appreciate any advice for losing weight/inches.
I recently purchased the Slim and Biocharge from Advocare but cannot tolerate the caffeine in the Slim. What about the statements about Biocharge being “A blend of branched-chain amino acids and botanicals designed to support improvements in muscle performance during a workout and accelerate post-workout recovery.*”?
You’d be far better off taking whatever money you were spending on the protein and clicking HERE.
That will show you a bunch of WHOLE FOOD breakfast options that are fast, easy, great tasting, more nutrient dense, will keep you full longer, and LESS EXPENSIVE than that powder!! Plus much, much more….. You’re welcome 😉
What about a juice plus product that runners could drink/take before a race that is safe? My son is 16.
Hey – I’d go with the advice in this article https://www.drczys.com/carb-loading-match-day/ Follow the plan for practice races and tweak it a bit to see what makes him feel and perform the best!
I have been an Advocare user. I am reading your article because it came up when I was looking for legitimate reviews about the products to verify my concerns. You have helped to confirm my suspicions. I was/am very skeptical and everything you say about the distributors not knowing the product is true. And true….jumped shipped when the pyramid broke down and went to Zuniga. Now that product is better….hmmmm. They go to rah rah sales rallies and have no idea what they are pushing. I’ve tried multiple products and have experienced weird side affects. I have had to do a process of elimination to determine all the side affects I have had are from reactions to Advocare ingredients. My scalp developed itching and dermatological issues. I stopped a product and it went away (MNS 3). I get a tingling in my head when I use spark prior to a workout. I have tried 1 bottle of Coreplex and Omegaplex on a daily basis and what is left is going in the trash. I am experiencing abdominal cramping and my hair is falling out by the handful when I wash it. I can only attribute it to the Advocare products. I eat healthy and work out regularly. I am going clean from all the products. Any I have left are going in the trash.
Found this post while researching their Rehydrate supplement. My parents have been distributing these products for years and as a dietetics student in college right now I noticed how this particular product had basically nothing beneficial to replenishing electrolytes (only 100 mg of sodium??? Trash). Of course I pointed that out to him, but why listen to someone who actually studies nutrition when you can be told what you want to hear from your biased superiors I guess lol