Why I'm Against MOST Dieting Schemes

(LONG BUT SO WORTH IT)

This blog may step on some toes, but I’m sharing this information to help you become of aware of what’s out there.

In 2021, the diet industry (weight loss & weight management) in America was worth around $224,000,000,000 (yes, that’s billions) and is estimated to grow to around 405 billion by 2030 according to s study by Globe News Wire.

Most of these companies make promises, and they do deliver. ☀︎BUT..the consumer ends up failing.☀︎ There’s usually expensive products involved (they don’t usually make money based solely on a service-based business model).  

The ones I see most often, tell you to drink their shakes/smoothies and supplement with one healthy meal a day. There are others that have a point system, and some even do both.

They rope the consumer in with all the shiny promises. “You’ll lose X amount of weight”. “Think how much energy you’ll have”. “Can you imagine fitting back into your skinny girl jeans”? 

And I’ll admit, when anyone starts out on these “programs," they work. Consumers begin to drop the weight. They are “gung ho” about the whole program. Money is no object. $1200 a month??? NO PROBLEM if you can be skinny in 3 months, right?!

The prices these companies charge for their services and products is plain NUTS. So many of these companies are multi-level marketing companies so think of all the monies that have to be divided when they sell just one product. You have uplines, downlines, and the “way-up-there” peeps (who just happen to get in from the beginning). That’s how the physical pyramid works. 

I am not here to bash the MLM industry at all. But I am here to WARN YOU about the weight-loss ones. I haven’t found one yet that I trust. NOT ONE!

As part of my job and my due diligence here at Shelley Can Help, I do my research. When clients come to me and ask if X product is safe, I want to have the correct answer. 

Our society today is so addicted to the instant-results mindset. Have a question? Get an answer from google in 9 seconds. Want to make the best greek salad tonight for dinner? just hop on Pinterest. So it’s no surprise that this mindset also rings true in the weight loss category.

I’ll admit, these companies that sell these diet products aren’t dumb. It’s a cash cow. Why? Because consumers buy it, they lose weight. But then they stop. They gain weight. And the cycle starts all over again. Why? Because that “lifestyle” isn’t sustainable. It’s full of restrictions, chemical laden foods, and it gets BORIING. You think a consumer is going to drink 2 nasty shakes a day during the holidays??? COME ON! No way. That’s why these companies put all their chips in on the New Year.

Ever noticed how many weight loss commercials you see in January? Yep. Cash cow.

I am going to break down just one “weight-management” product for you. Let’s take the company Optavia. It’s reps pride themselves on weight-loss, helping people, etc. Before and after pictures are ALL over social media. They sell a vanilla shake. And here are the ingredients of that shake:

Ingredients: Soy protein isolate, sugar, soluble corn fiber, whey protein concentrate, maltodextrin, soy lecithin, salt, cellulose gum, erythritol, natural flavors, steviol glycosides, xanthan gum, carrageenan, vanilla extract, Bacillus coagulans GBI-30 6086.

There are literally 2 ingredients I recognize as food. 2! The rest is a bunch of factory made-HIGHLY processed chemicals. 

And the #2 ingredient is SUGAR! The food that makes us gain weight????!!!!!

It boggles my mind. It baffles me. This, my friend, shows you the power of marketing. Marketing works. And the sad part is…the Optavia reps sugar coat the entire program by posting somewhat healthy recipes as a buffer. 

They promote low-calorie foods. 

WE NEED CALORIES! Calories are not bad. Calories are NOT the enemy. 

Here’s where I stand with my clients:

When people ask me if I help others lose weight, here is what I teach, preach, and stand FIRM on…

If we shift our focus to incorporating anti-inflammatory foods into our diet, and start to cut back on the inflammatory foods, our bodies begin to shift. Our cells wake up and begin to rebuild. And guess what, if we keep doing this, our weight is going to take care of itself! 

How about we take action and get 2 results?! 

1. We begin AND sustain a healthy lifestyle
2. We lose because of the wonderful WHOLE FOODS we are feeding our body

Is it easy? Not in the beginning.

Does it take more time than buying a processed protein bar or shakes? Yes.

Is it worth it??? YES!

I wish I could bottle up the feeling of “I’ve never felt better in my life”. If I could, I would change the world. 

But, I am here. Waiting on you to make the decision that now is the time. 

✅ You are ready. 

✅ You are ready to stop yo-yo dieting. 

✅ You are ready to feel good. 

✅ You are ready to be healthy and STAY that way. 

✅ You are ready to kiss dieting goodbye.

If those ring true for you, stick around. Follow me on social media. Join my free newsletter. Take one of my classes. Have a look at my online community On The Fork. Join my FB Group. 

I’m here. And I will offer you all kinds of help when you are ready. But it requires you to eat real whole foods. The ones that mother nature creates. It requires you to cook a little bit. But I promise you this, when you do decide to make that decision, that decision to get and stay healthy, the results can be so rewarding. And you’ll look back and say “why did I wait so long?”

Xoxo.