IsaWhat? The Background.

One of the many side-effects of Facebook is an explosion of multi-level marketing opportunities. It is much easier to hold a "Facebook party" than an in-home party, and you're not limited by geography (within your own country, at least). Facebook's terms on business use are pretty strict, so everyday users aren't generally bombarded with sales materials all over their newsfeeds. (Most MLM companies have social media rules in place, as well, to avoid their brand from getting a bad reputation or even banned from Facebook.) People are free to post about their personal experiences with their MLM product, of course, and so every so often I see posts from friends about their weight loss programs.

Two of these seemed to get the most hype: Isagenix, which is never mentioned by name on personal Facebook posts (generally referred to as a "nutritional cleansing program"), and Thrive, which for a while was annoyingly mentioned in several personal posts a day. Posts from users of both products are along the lines of "I'm just loving all the energy I have with [this product/system], no more mid-afternoon naps for me!" or "I've lost x pounds and still going, and I don't even crave sweets anymore!" I have multiple friends using each product, so I've been able to see a range of results, and compare the two programs. Since I have more than a few pounds to lose myself, and since I'm lazy and disorganized, easy fixes are always appealing to me! I looked into each system, and tried to get beyond the marketing hype.

Thrive
The first thing I do with this kind of research is Google "product scam" -- although the MLM companies have cottoned on to this approach and so many of the marketing sites are couched in terms such as "Is Thrive a Scam?" Still, I found a few unbiased analyses of the products (Supplement Geek is a good resource), as well as a description of the program. Many sites allow comments, which I also find very informative. With Thrive, a few things turned me off. One was that, while they claim to only have as much caffeine as a cup of coffee, the product is actually full of stimulants. This explains the many statements of users who say if their forget their patch, they're sluggish and tired all day. Another turn-off was that the program requires you to take two capsules "before your feet hit the floor" in the morning. That doesn't work for me for several reasons: one, I can't drink room-temperature water and I don't have a fridge next to my bed; two, I am up and down several times in the morning before I get up "for real" -- am I supposed to take the capsules before my feet hit the floor the first time, or the last? Three, I have dogs that sleep in bed with me and there's no doubt they'd drink my water overnight (and try to chew up the capsule bottle, too!). The biggest turn off, though, was that the many people who said the program didn't work for them were told it was their fault, that they were "doing it wrong".

Isagenix
I again searched for "scam" articles, and product analyses. While there are plenty of sites that disparage Isagenix, most of them admit the system probably works, but object to the MLM side of it, or the cost, or that it's something one could do independently. Comments are both positive and negative, but the people who commented that the product didn't work, while often questioned as to whether they followed all the steps, were also given suggestions for modification that might be helpful, or simply the acknowledgement that not all products work for all people. I also appreciated the many modifications of the program that are possible, as well as the fact that the company has been in business for 14 years and there is (albeit limited) published research as to the program's effectiveness. I also could see for myself, in person, the results that several of my friends have had on the program. (Not so much with Thrive.)

Still, I'm a contrary type and I know darn well how to eat healthily and exercise to lose weight. It's really not rocket science for a healthy person. So a large part of me resisted these programs, with an "I'll show them" attitude of losing the weight and getting into shape without shakes or patches or whatever. The problem is, as much as I know how to do it, and say I'm going to do it, I don't do it. I've been saying I need to lose weight for decades. I've been saying I need to "eat like a grown-up" for at least six years (when I turned 40). I've yet to do it. Breakfast is often a donut, lunch is McDonald's or Taco Bell, plus a "snack" of a Hershey bar (don't ask what size!) or a half-bag of Hershey Kisses. (Dinner is usually fairly decent, because my husband is usually on a healthy eating plan, but sometimes it's pizza or steaks or burgers and fries.) Logically, I know I need to eat a variety of whole, fresh foods, limit fats and sugars, and follow an "everything in moderation" approach. I lack the motivation and willpower to do it, apparently.

The Soft Sell
Anyway, I was still on my "I'll do it myself" while not actually doing anything kick when one of my Isagenix friends reached out to me, and asked if I would like to be added to a Facebook group just to see what the program was about and ask questions if I had any. Since I'm big on information, and there is still kind of a cloud of secrecy about these things, I agreed. While I didn't ask any questions, I did search through the group messages, read the files, and follow the current discussions. What I saw was a lot of support, suggestions for healthy meals, exercises, etc. Although I joked to my husband that I was being asked to join a cult, there was nothing really cultish going on in this group. (I do realize that not all Isagenix associates are equal, and some may be more, erm, intense than others.)

I was causally thinking about whether or not to start the program, but still mostly on the fence. Then one day my friend told me Isagenix was doing a promotion for the week, with a free membership plus a discount on the first order. I am all about buying stuff on sale, so this threw me into a fit of indecision. As soon as I read her message, my brain started groaning like Tina on "Bob's Burgers". (I actually sent my friend this gif, as it so precisely captured my state of mind, but I don't think it animated for her so the effect was probably lost.)

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9fCF9VCTYlU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Two days later, I made my decision. (And to give my friend credit, she never tried the "hard sell" with me. She just let me know about the sale, gave me a couple of days to think it over, and then checked back in to see if I had decided or had any questions.) I evaluated my reasons for not doing it, and found they were easily addressed:

1. This is not groundbreaking. I can do the same thing on my own, by eating well and exercising. True. This came up on many of the reviews, too; the shakes looked decent and the program probably would work, but you could do the same thing on your own. All you're doing is cutting calories (although in fairness, you're still getting 1200-1400 calories per day; some other sake programs take you down below 1000 calories per day), and fasting four days a month. Except I've been saying I can do it on my own for years, and haven't.
2. Once you're on the program, you're on it for life. Kind of true; like with any diet, the danger is that once you go off of it you'll go back to your old habits and gain the weight back. I acknowledge that risk, and probably would continue to have one shake a day even after I met my goal weight. Breakfast is always a challenge for me, mostly because I don't wake up early enough to make anything, and as I told my friend, a protein shake is surely a better breakfast than pretzel sticks or a donut. Again, I know how to eat well, and maybe if I can get a good jump start with this program, I can do better and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. (Plus the company has an ongoing 16-week challenge that you can enter as many times as you'd like. That might help provide motivation, too.)
3. It's expensive. It sure seems like it is, but I went back through my credit card charges and in the last two months I spent more on breakfast and lunch for 18-20 days per month than I'd spend on the 30-day Isagenix program.
4. It probably tastes awful. Well, maybe. Lots of people say it's good, but I am rather picky and so how it tastes remains to be seen. This is one area where I'll have to say "suck it up, buttercup", at least for the first 30 days to see how the results go.

So, I ordered my "starter kit" and am starting the Isagenix program on Monday, October 3. I will update my progress and thoughts on the products as I go along.