Liz says: I was persuaded to try Amway's Healthpointe 2.0 programme for weight loss after hearing about it from a friend. Stupid, idiotic, and even more stupid! When they persuade you to purchase the programme ("You can't put a price on your health!"), they charge you about $80 Australian dollars. I didn't realise how much it was going to cost me until I went shopping for the basic recommended items and walked out of the Amway Business Centre with an additional $600 charge to my credit card. Not to mention the meat, fruit, vegetables, and other consumables for the meals that will not be replaced by a protein bar or a protein drink (for a total of 6-8 weeks of supplies). (However, I received a large number of PVs as a result of it, much to the satisfaction of my upline.) BTW, I only received a $24 check in return for all of this, which was fantastic!)
As for the programme itself, I was completely dedicated to seeing it through to completion because it was so very costly! For that amount of money, I could have gotten a year's worth of gym membership. The bad news is that despite my determination (and all of that money), I gained 5kg and then lost the rest of it throughout my two-month stay on the programme. I consider it a major failure... but a valuable lesson learned.
The Amway diet plan has come up a couple of times in the past, usually as a way to poke fun at the speakers on stage who are walking advertising for the company. Trim isn't functioning properly, so I decided to investigate it further. Body Key by Nutrilite is the new name for the product that was formerly known as Amway Body Key. So you may call it whatever you like. Interestingly, Amway's diet/weight loss programme appears to have the same success percentage as Amway Independent Business Owners (IBOs) who actually generate money - less than 1 percent success rate.
After hearing that Ambot's sponsor Captain Fuck Up was on Trim and losing weight, Ambot decided to give it a shot himself. Or, to put it another way, buy it but don't use it. This Amway Trim Advantage binder was tucked away in a high shelf of the closet behind the one where I keep replacement biscuit tins. I have my doubts that Ambot ever opened it. There are various sections in it, including Meal Plans, Recipes, and Exercises. A CD can be found at the back of the book. As if we require yet another fucking Amway CD! The Trim Advantage Body System is the name of this system. Never used or opened. Is it possible for us to seek a refund? Unlikely. It's going into the garbage, which is the best place for Amway faeces unless it's being flushed down the toilet, which was not an option because this was too large.
At the beginning of the binder's contents, there is an introduction letter, followed by a commitment to optimal health "contract" that the IBO is expected to sign after reading it. The reason for this is that a person who is not an IBO would be unlikely to pay the hundreds of dollars required to get started on the Trim Advantage eating plan. It is less expensive to join just about any other diet plan or gym and receive personalised help that way. So, what exactly do you do with the contract once you've signed it? What if you give it to your upline Platinum so he can mock you in board plan meetings if you fail to shed the extra pounds?
Right underneath the commitment contract is a page named "Plan Ahead," which has a list of the Amway items you'll need to purchase in order to succeed. Nutrilite Vitamins are a group of vitamins that have been shown to increase nutrient absorption.
CLA 500 is worth $80. (prices rounded to nearest dollar, prices have probably increased)
ProDigest - I can't find it on Amway's website, so I'm not sure if the product's name has changed or if it has been discontinued; the product was last known to cost $60.
Chromemate - same as above, can't seem to locate it - latest known price was $45
Digestive Enzyme Complex (50 dollars):
“Keep Your Commitment - Stock Up on Favorites” is the title of the paragraph that follows it.
Protein Bars with a Trim Advantage
Chocolate Delight (25 dollars)
Smoothie with Mixed Berries - $20
Nutrilite Protein Powder is available for $30.
In my search for this binder thing that we have in the house on Amway's website, the most significant thing I discovered was that the company had changed its name from Trim. The Nutrilite Weight Management Program is the name of the diet programme presently. Upon further investigation, I discovered their Better Balancer Program kit, which appears to be identical to what Ambot purchased a few years back. It will cost you $250. I believe Ambot spent more than $200 for the system, which included, in addition to this binder full of "essential" information, a package of snack bars and a meal replacement powdered drink, which I believe was a bonus.
So simply to get started, I spent nearly $500 on the items listed above, not including the binder and CDs. Wow!
Examine the Amway meal plan that is contained within the binder now. The first few pages include diet-related information that may be found for free at your local library or on the Internet, such as drinking water, serving meals on smaller plates, choosing low-fat goods when grocery shopping, and so forth.
Let's have a look at the food plan for Day 1:
Breakfast is a Trim Body System Berry Vanilla Shake, which is delicious. I won't give out the entire recipe, but the Amway product that is required to produce it is Nutrilite Protein Powder ($30), which you may already have if you followed the preceding guidelines and stocked up on it before starting.
Trim Advantage Crunch Zone Snack Chips (one bag) as a snack. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find it on their website, but if my memory serves me correctly, it came in a box with two distinct flavours and cost roughly $60, which was for something like 10 bags of chips in each flavour. In addition to the snack, you will receive a cup of vegetable juice. The most horrifying of horrors. You'll have to go to the grocery store for that one because they don't have any Amway products on the shelves.
Salad with apples and cheddar for lunch. There is a recipe for everything. There will be no Amway items. Going to the grocery store once more is a pain in the neck.
Trim Advantage Meal Replacement Bar is a snack that costs $25 for a box.
Dinner - Beef Stir Fry - there's a recipe, but there are no Amway goods used in this dish. Uncle Ben's instant whole grain brown rice and 1 cup skim milk make up this recipe.
That's more than $100 worth of Amway goods to have on hand just for Day 1 of the campaign. For the rest of the week, I won't bore you with my thoughts. Anybody anybody have the distinct impression that Uncle Ben is receiving a kickback from Uncle Dickie?
Is there anything else wrong with this situation other the cost? What do you think about eating at least 5 fruits and veggies per day? Let's toss it out the window, even though their meals for lunch and dinner contain approximately 3 servings each. Oh, wait a minute. What in the world is the point of eating fruits and veggies in the first place? Amway has a vitamin for just such a situation. $40.
Naturally, this is a gimmick by Amway to sell more pricey products to independent business owners (IBOs) who believe they must lose weight.
Amway isn't the only corporation out there that promotes a diet approach that incorporates their products.
There are a variety of diet plans available, ranging from fees to participate in the programme to the purchase of the program's meals and nutritional supplements. Amway's plan appears to be the most expensive in terms of what you get in return. The site provides absolutely no help, no individual counselling (ha ha, counsel with your upline! ), no discussion boards, and absolutely nothing. Just hand over your cash, purchase the costly junk, and hope for the best results.
Yes, this is yet another fake diet programme operated by con artists.
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