This is usually how these conversations start. Before you know it, your long lost “friend” is inviting you to a new 30-day challenge that also requires you to buy hundreds of dollars worth of supplements. Are MLM supplements healthy, necessary, and good quality? And do they really work? Let’s dive in…
I’m not here to talk about people who want to take part in MLM (Multi-Level Marketing) companies. If you do, thats is awesome – keep up the hard work, because it is hard! I’m here to talk about the supplements, the actual products, and challenges and show you how badly you are getting screwed.
Here are the straight-up facts, no fluff…
MLM Protein Price
Every single MLM supplement company I have looked into sells extremely overpriced supplements. Why not? The people selling them have to make some money. And the people who recruited them have to make some money off of them. And the people who recruited them have to make money off all of them…kind of like, dare I say…a pyramid?
Take “Herbalife” for example. Their base protein powder sells for $67.00.
In that tub, you get 30 servings, and each serving is 15g of protein. This comes out to $0.15 per gram of protein.
Compared to my personal favorite – Dymatize ISO 100 – $66.84 for 71 servings of 25g of protein. Or in other words – $0.04 per gram of protein.
How do the others stack up? These are the companies top-selling protein supplements (price per gram of protein at normal price*):
- Advocare – $0.10
- Arbonne – $0.13
- Shakeology – $0.25!
- Isagenix – $0.11
*When I say the “normal price”, this is based on the price you pay without being a “member”. So yes, it IS cheaper if you sign up, but you also pay to sign up and are bombarded to buy stuff that you don’t need.*
I won’t even get into the pricing for all the other supplements because frankly, it’s all just a waste of your money. More on this in a bit…
MLM Protein Quality
So now that we know MLM powders are about 3.5 times as expensive, maybe that is because they are better quality?
Nope.
Many of these companies’ protein supplements are made from the lowest quality forms of protein. Soy, rice, or even whey concentrate are the bottom of the barrel when it comes to quality protein sources. They provide much lower bioavailability (your body uses less of it for what you want it for) than the gold standard – hydrolyzed whey isolate.
Also, whey concentrate can cause some GI issues for people who have lactose intolerance.
And this is just the protein – now let’s talk fillers.
Here is the Dymatize label:
And here is the Herbalife label:
Now, you might be saying, “well some of these are beneficial vitamins!” – and you wouldn’t be wrong. But again – they are low-quality forms of these vitamins, suboptimal doses to really make a difference AND they are just in there to make the product “look” healthier.
Bottom line is – protein powders should provide protein. Get your vitamins and minerals from balanced foods, and multivitamins or other supplements if needed (as directed by a real health professional, not Jimmy the washed-up bro).
How do the others stack up? These are the companies top-selling protein supplements (first ingredient – and comments):
- Advocare – Whey Protein Concentrate – minimal other ingredients, so thats a small plus.
- Arbonne – Protein Matrix Blend (pea protein isolate, cranberry protein, rice protein)
- Shakeology – Protein Blend (Whey Iso, Pea Protein) – and you only get 17g!
- Isagenix – Protein Blend (Whey Isolate, Whey Concentrate, Egg White)
Now, if you are going vegan, whey is out of the picture anyway. Pea protein IS your best option as far as bioavailability, but just know you can still find a much more affordable and better quality product than Arbonne.
Here is the top reviewed, Consumer Lab-tested pea protein – NOW Sports – 100% Pure Pea Protein Isolate
…at an impressive $0.02 per gram of protein!
Now onto maybe the most important issue – the lack of realism these companies promote.
Do MLM supplements (or honestly any fat loss supplement program) really work?
So your friend is doing their 6th “jump-start” or “cleanse” this year? Do you ever wonder – “man, if that jump-start or cleanse is so good, why do they need to keep jump starting?”
Here is how all of these “amazing” 30-Day Transformations work:
You buy all the magical supplements. You follow the exact supplement and diet protocol, take about 15 pills and shakes a day, and you lose 10-20 pounds FAST!
WOW!
Here is how they REALLY work:
You waste a bunch of money on overpriced, underdosed protein powders, and other mystery pills that have cute names like “Fat Melter XTreme”, “CelluLoss Torcher”, “Tummy Toner”, “AdRENaline Prime”.
All of the fat loss supplements sold by these companies do not work – otherwise, they would require a prescription or I would be selling them (being honest!). There are currently 6 prescription drugs on the market – and even they have MAJOR drawbacks for sustainable results…
The reason you ACTUALLY lose weight is:
You eat about 1200 calories of shakes and bars for 30 days while taking loads of stimulants, “natural” appetite suppressants, and other pills that desensitize you to the extreme starvation you are putting your body through – and potentially worse!
*If anyone has more questions about any of the other supplements – I am happy to answer them* Shoot me a message over on Facebook or Instagram.
Meanwhile, you are eating super low carb, because “carbs make you fat” (not true) – so you lose a ton of water weight – BUT you lost weight!
THEN, after you finish your brutal 30-day challenge, you are 20 pounds lighter, a couple of hundred dollars poorer, and haven’t learned a single sustainable habit to get you past day 31.
What do you think will happen? Jump Start #2 here we come!
Look, I wish these things worked. It would make my life and job a lot easier. However, I have ethics, morals and am not interested in making 3% off of your purchases. I’m not anti-supplement, I’m anti garbage and anti-scam.
Be wary of the “coaches” that only know how to sell “Advanced Fat Loss Programs” or “30-Day Transformation Supplement Plans”.
Save your money, or better yet – invest it in a coach who is actually a registered dietitian and can teach you sustainable habits, the basics of nutrition, and how to take what you learned with you to last a lifetime.
It might take longer than 30 days, but think about how you will feel, eating real food that you actually want to eat, learning skills that will last a LIFETIME, and finding the journey to be enjoyable vs. looking forward to Day 31.
Would you like more guidance on taking back your life, learning to love food again, and getting life long results along the way? IF so —> CHECK OUT ONLINE COACHING***
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Stay healthy my friends,