A friend of mine shared this with me last night, I HAD to pass it along!
Beachbody Shakeology or Visalus Body by Vi CONTROVERSY
First and foremost, I inform you this will be a little long, but when you're passionate about something, you share, right? Is there a difference between the products? YES!! Do I recommend them both? NO!!
Let me explain.
I've been a Beachbody coach (distributor if you prefer to use that term) since 2008 because I used their programs and saw results...why wouldn't I share that discovery with others? I believed in them, and so when they announced a new product, Shakeology was being released, I *wanted* to purchase it, but TWO things held me back: whether it would affect the stomach issues I already had (IBS) and the price. As a single mom, spending $120 per bag of 30 servings was something I wasn't sure I was ready to invest in. At some point, I decided to bite the bullet and just try it for a month. As a coach (distributor), I saved 25%. By paying my monthly $15 fee, I saved $30 on this particular product which results in a $15 savings overall...not too bad. At the time, I was doing P90X, and I hit a point where those last 10 stubborn pounds wouldn't come off. When I started drinking the Shakeology, I couldn't BELIEVE the changes. My energy level was up, the weight came off, and my stomach issues literally disappeared. My numbers at the doctor's office showed my blood pressure was lower and my health overall was excellent. Again, I decided to share my love of it with others...does it work? YES!! How was I able to justify the cost? I had to wrap my brain around it being a month's worth of breakfast (the most important meal of the day and the one I dislike the most) up front. The price really wasn't a concern to me because I realized I wasn't paying extra for my vitamins any longer, I had 30 meal options for breakfast (with many recipes to try), and you truly can't put a price on your health.Being in the Beachbody industry, you come across a lot of people and see many opinions about nutrition (Primal, Paleo, Atkins, raw, etc.). People have asked me about shakes in comparison to the Shakeology. They've asked about Slim Fast, Isagenix (where if you have an issue with Shakeology cost, you are going to have a BIGGER issue with the cost of this one...their 30-Day system with snacks, shakes, a cleanse, and something called Liquid Ionix costs $382!!!), various GNC items, and most recently, this product called Body by Vi by Visalus. People have talked about promoting it and switching from Beachbody. I've attached a photo of a comparison chart that was created by someone (I'm not positive exactly who made it, or I would give him/her credit). Well, I'm not one to give an opinion WITHOUT trying it out first. So, I contacted a distributor who had switched from Beachbody. A sample was sent to me, so I drank some. I don't use a blender...just a shaker cup. I remember saying, I made it the EXACT same way I make my Shakeology because I wanted to give it a fair comparison. I also recall telling this person that it tasted like cake batter flavored milk. Truly, I wasn't impressed that I just had a good tasting milk, so I dismissed the thought of purchasing/promoting the product. However, it kept popping up OVER and OVER where more and more people were buying this "Shake that tastes like cake." At that point, I thought I didn't give it a fair shot and remembered it did have a good flavor to it (not to give you the impression that I dislike Shakeology because I truly DO enjoy it...just wanted to give this other product a chance). I figured that maybe if I tried it with flavors, I would like it better. Also, I knew that it was only $49 for a bag of their product (more on this below), so I signed up. Their cost to become a distributor is $49. The cost to maintain the monthly business EXTRA tools is $30. They do have a FREE option as a distributor, but you wouldn't get the following: contact manager, personal tasks/calendar, business dashboard that shows all that's going on with your biz, additional landing pages, web/print tools, branded e-mail, e-mail marketing, and training and if you're doing it as a business, these are essential. **WARNING** Be careful if choosing to place your order after reading this because they DEFAULT you to the most expensive product. If you try to change something, they DEFAULT you back to the most expensive product!!After a month, my results were in and here is what I have to say. There is ABSOLUTELY a difference between the two products.
Here's what happened: Upon placing my initial order, I learned that if I wanted to "lose weight" which is why most people would consider using the Body by Vi shakes, you need to drink not ONE but TWO shakes per day. That bag of 30 servings isn't enough to fulfill that goal, but I still didn't think I should be replacing two meals per day with a shake for a month, so I test marketed with only ONE per day. The most noticeable change for me was digestive. As you can remember, I initially was nervous about Shakeology because of how it would affect my stomach. When it cleared up my issues, I didn't think that concern would pop back up with these new shakes...they did. They are supposed to be lactose free, yet whenever I drink one, I have uncontrollable gas for hours afterwards (this stinks). Additionally, my digestive issues returned, and there is no way to explain honestly without truly being graphic...on many occasions, there has been blood in my stool and I frequently have diarrhea. For this reason and this reason alone, I can not, in good conscience, recommend Body by Vi...EVER! However, there is more, and I feel my ENTIRE story needs to be shared. Maybe because I wasn't drinking two shakes, I didn't lose a pound...in fact, I gained 2!!! The "flavor" packets add a hint of flavor to the shakes, but the shake taste is so strong that adding other things in doesn't make it taste much different. I've added the strawberry and chocolate and peanut butter too...all I taste is the cake flavor. I even tested this with others...again, by adding flavors, they said they didn't taste a difference either. Additionally, my cravings for BAD foods are horrible...when on Shakeology, they are minimal if at all.
Now, to make things worse, from the initial startup of the business, a bad taste was placed in my mouth. I ended up having to pay MORE than I did as a Beachbody distributor ($10 for the initial distributor fee, $15 for the monthly fee, $10 for the shakes to lose weight if drinking 2 per day, and the points I would have to maintain are DOUBLE what Beachbody requires). When I had someone who wanted to place an order, I noticed I wasn't "ACTIVE" as a distributor. That's when I found out this company doesn't do business in a way I feel is fair to its distributors. I placed my order on October 1. The amount spent should have made me active, BUT it didn't...SAY WHAT?!? I contacted my sponsor who contacted the upline sponsor. My sponsor responded but I left a message for the upline sponsor and NEVER received a call back...again, another bad taste. Come to find out, the company decided that since they were having their big pow-wow, they would extend the previous month a couple of days (I was not notified about this when mentioning signing up...when I mentioned a date, I was told it wasn't a big deal WHEN I signed...it is OBVIOUSLY a big deal) so the distributors could reach their goals. In Beachbody, the items purchased today count for a month from today. However, with Visalus, as soon as they decided to extend it a few days, when those few days were up, they started a NEW month. So, if you order on October 31, your volume points will only count for one day. Again, those in it for the business know this is NOT GOOD!! To make matters worse, I had to contact about getting my order shipped as I had not heard anything after placing my order and wasn't sure why it wouldn't ship immediately (as I'm accustomed to with Beachbody).When the month was almost up, I called to cancel. Funny because again, I EXPECTED customer service with them to be like Beachbody...it wasn't. Beachbody stands 100% behind their product. Shakeology comes with a BOTTOM OF THE BAG GUARANTEE. If you try it, and after a month of drinking it decide it isn't for you, they will REFUND your money (minus the shipping). However, Visalus told me that products purchased were unsaleable, so they wouldn't refund it. I told them I had purchased 2 quantities of their 15-pack shake boxes and had 15-packs left. They said since I purchased 2 quantanties, I'd have to return ALL 30 packs to get a refund on that product. Again, poor customer service in my opinion. When trying to talk with the woman about that being a FULL box worth and it could be sold again, she became impatient with ME. What happened to the customer being right?!? Bottom line again, I can not, be a part of a company that doesn't seem to care...I've felt more like a dollar sign than a person!! Initially I told my sponsor if anyone was interested about the product in the future, I'd send them to this person...upon reflecting though, I won't. Sorry.Finally, in watching OTHER recruiters promote the Body by Vi, I notice all too often the promise of a chance at a BMW by joining the team. There is more to it than that, but I won't go into it...let's just say, it isn't as easy as it seems, and if you DON'T maintain your status in recruiting more, you are responsible for paying for that BMW. Is it more about WINNING a BMW or about helping others lose weight/lead a healthier lifestyle? There are opportunities with Beachbody to make money, and I do and so do many others, but for me, it TRULY is about HELPING others achieve results and NOT about me earning a CAR...at that point, it becomes more about making money than anything else. After seeing the changes that have happened to me as a result of my test marketing, I felt I MUST share. I'm sure I will lose some friends over this...If you want to settle for less, because you *THINK* you will be paying less, drink the cake shake.
However, if you want a product that will TRULY help you lose weight in a healthy way, improve your digestion, lower cholesterol, and will reduce cravings, contact a coach to order Shakeology today!! ~ CS ~
http://www.facebook.com/CoachEaglesgirl
The ROLLS ROYCE of Shakes to me is SHAKEOLOGY...see for yourself!!
