Paul Miller, Personal Trainer Havelock North first came across Isagenix when a client mentioned it to him last year, wondering what he thought of it.
Since then Isagenix has gained huge momentum and its seems like the hot topic in many a staff room.
This is what he said.
When you read the product information for Isagenix, you may think you have discovered a treasure chest full of diamonds.
At Isagenix, our products offer a whole-body approach to health and wellness that is revolutionizing youthful-aging. From the inside out and the outside in, Isagenix products offer nutritional cleansing, cellular replenishing and youthful aging.
Sounds pretty good right?
On the face of it Isagenix seems like it could be the much needed solution to obesity and for those looking for the much elusive six pack abs.
With words like whole-body approach, revolutionized youthful aging, nutritional cleansing and cellular replenishing, its hard not to buy into the marketing.
But is that all it is….Marketing?
Or will you really drop the kilos, get healthy and look 10 years younger just from taking some pills and powder?
For many people losing weight is hard, in fact most people reading this at some point would have tried a number of different gimmicky diets to drop the weight. It’s not a surprise when Isagenix and its bold marketing claims of a radical new weight loss system, so many jump in head first ready to get transformational results in just 30 days
Generally you start all guns blazing, full of excitement for what your future body will look like – images of a flat stomach and thigh gap run across your mind. You open the boxes which contain the treasure chest of diamonds … I mean pills and powders and you read the product details. You have no idea what half the ingredients are but hey all these products have had to go through rigorous testing and are all clinically proven right??
Week 1 is without a doubt a challenge, you have a huge headache from the detoxification, you are so hungry that when you walk past the bakery you have to literally fight yourself from running inside and ordering a lamington or three.
With only one real meal allowed a day and a pretty low calorie approach (1000 calories give or take) you start to lose weight. Its working, even though you feel tired, grouchy and hangry (hungry and angry) you’re happy that you have dropped a couple of kilos in week one.
Week two, three and four don’t get any better. That’s if you don’t fall off the wagon and make it that far.
The real problem comes after the program, when it’s time to start eating real food again. Unless you are educated about food, food values and food effects you will just go back to eating the same old food that got you fat in the first place.
Repeated research shows that 95-98% of all calorie restrictive diets fail within 6 months.
Isagenix Supplements – The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
Lets take a closer look at some of the supplements involved in the popular 30 day cleanse program
In credit to Isagenix some of the supplements they have used have been shown to be useful for fat loss
The main supplement of the diet would be IsaLean which is their protein powder. Many people don’t consume enough protein in their diets so supplementing with some form of protein can be a good idea. Real food will always have more nutrients but protein powders can be useful for those who are lacking in protein and simply don’t have enough time to make a good breakfast, lunch or dinner.
On the not so good side of things, IsaLean contains non-fat milk powder
Unfortunately, the powdered milk is produced in such a way that it becomes a health hazard. In order to make dried milk powder, milk is forced through tiny holes at a high pressure. During this process, the cholesterol in the milk becomes oxidized, resulting in milk powder that damages arteries and actually raises the risk of heart disease.
Thickener- xanthan gum, made by fermenting corn sugar with the bacteria Xanthomonas campestris. This gummy substance has a strange viscosity—it thickens and stabilizes a mixture, but when shaken or poured, it behaves more like a liquid. Xanthan gum is made using carbohydrates from corn, wheat, dairy, or soy, all of which are considered allergens.
The IsaGenix Snacks contain chocolate flavour – whatever that maybe, fructose, which without a good hit of fibre can skyrocket blood sugar causing weight gain and more stablizers.
IsaFlush which does contain a good hit magnesium also has a whack of Maltodextrin, an artificial sweetener – need I say more.
Maltodextrin is also found in the Natural Accelerator – So much for natural
To Conclude
The key to weight loss is to find an approach that works for you. I have seen people lose weight using Isagenix and keep the weight off (so far) but for every success I see many more failures on this program.
Isagenix states that the 30 day Cleanse is A long-term, flexible program to provide your path to weight loss and complete body health
I don’t really buy this is a long term approach. Imagine having to live off powdered supplements and just one meal a day for the rest of your existence?
Don’t get me wrong I am not anti-supplements but supplements are just that.. supplements – they are supposed to supplement your diet not make up the bulk of it.
Personally I think everyone should take some high quality fish oil, magnesium and a multivitamin but that’s about it. There are some other great supplements out there but without testing, how are you ever going to know if you are deficient. If you’re serious about your health stop guessing and start testing (find out more here)
Stop looking for quick fixes and focus on getting healthy. Eat real food!
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