Slim 4 Life is horrible.

I have seen the ads for this program on my television. So I thought I would go and see what it was about. I went in for the free consultation and was told about how they are all for creating healthy lifestyle for their clients. She was telling me of some of their successes with people how much they lost by using their plan. I felt confident that it would work for me.

They said they guarantee me to lose 80 pounds by thanksgiving. I was excited and fell for it. She went on to say they have their own product line that you HAVE to take to help you lose the weight. They have special pills you have to take with every meal, their own slim snacks that are protein loaded. Then hit me with the cost. All this help for 1500.00, but your getting the sale price of 635 if you sign up right this minute. I asked a few times do you have to take the pills and eat their snacks. i was told if you want to lose the 3-5 pounds a week yes otherwise we cannot guarantee that you will lose the weight. You can do the food plan but you'll only lose a pound to a pound and a half a week. I said there is no way I could afford to pay that right now.

Though I agreed to a payment plan as I was desperate to start losing weight. So I got their prep phase food plan, which told me for the next three days of what I could and could not eat and had to follow it to a tee. I did and I lost 7 pounds from just those three days. This was with taking their products. Then I got my meal plan layout for the next twenty weeks.

Right off the bat, I had a slip up but in all honesty it wasn't bad. My father was in an accident and I took him to the hospital. I wasn't able to eat what I was allowed or was going to prepare for myself that night. So I had what I could that was healthy enough at the canteen. I had a turkey burger with the bun, 8 oz of no fat milk and a small side salad no dressing or toppings. So the following morning. I go in to get weighed, cause they want you in every day for the first two weeks. They weigh you each time, and the scales showed i only lost 6 oz. I was immediately asked what happened. I explained what happened and then I was told I had to flush my system with drinking more water.

So for the next three days I drank the extra water and took my pills and their snacks and ate what I was allowed to eat no straying off of the small approved list of foods. And only lost 6 oz for two days and 4 oz on the third. So I went from 314.4 down to 306.0 in the week of doing it their way. It was taking its toll on me though, as by sunday I had no energy and felt so sick and grumpy.

How was this teaching me to eat better? How was this healthy habits having to pop pills and eat their products? It dawned on me, this wasn't teaching me to eat right. So after a talk with my family I stopped. And updated and truly looked here at sparkpeople.

So I am following the meal plan that the tracker has given me. And I lost more weight in one day then the past five days popping the pills. I feel better too, because I know now after reading articles on here and seeing what is working for others its all about the correct portions and right choices. Not completely avoiding foods for a while until I can have them back at a later date.

I feel so much better with sparkpeople and the communities on here. I feel like I have real support outside of my own family. So what made me write this up? I received a phone call from Slim 4 Life today while at the store stocking up on the healthy veggies, fruits, grains and meat. I told them I couldn't afford to do the products and I wasn't coming back. The gentleman was very rude and proceeded to tell me that he has been doing this for 6 years and this is not his first conversation with people that can't afford the products. He said what you can't afford to do the food plan? He was just very rude and was very insistent that I come down in person to talk about this. I made up my mind and said no. I knew if I went down there I would have been pressured into sticking with the pills and snacks.

I later looked them up on a website that reviews diets and I honestly wish I saw that before going there. As everyone on there said it was a sham and once you stop taking their products you gain the weight back. You live and learn. I would not recommend them to my worst enemy.