About 9 months ago I couldn't go a day, let alone a few hours with out hearing about Isagenix. Some of my clients were using it and I was hearing about it more and more from my colleagues. As with most things in nutrition, I like to try certain things out for 3 months to get a first hand perspective on what it’s like myself to better advise my clients. I did this for Vegetarianism, Carb Cycling, Atkins and now I decided it was time to do it for Isagenix and detoxing. Now before you continue on with this post I need to fully disclose that this is my personal experience with the product and not a direct attack on it or the people that are happy with it, that being said, let’s move on. Isagenix, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the brand, is a company that creates a whole line of products aimed at the health and wellness categories. Their primary product base promises weight loss with before and after photos of its users boasting six pack abs, leaner and happier people. They achieve this by having “Nutritionally complete” shakes, cleanses, detoxes, reducing your cravings and suppressing appetite. This is done with an onslaught of herbal ingredients and whey protein powder. Now that you have the jist of what Isagenix is about it’s time to dive into the actual experience. Now I won’t go too far in depth with the scientific issues with Isagenix as you can read about it on Abby Langer’s (a fellow Dietitian) review here, I’ll just talk about how the product made me feel. Now we all know how I feel about cleanses and detoxes, and a first-hand experience with the concept has made me hate it even more. My first cleanse day felt like I was going through withdrawal from pain killers from when I was hospitalized. It felt awful! I couldn’t think, I had no energy and was irritable. I just wanted to rip someone’s head off. I went to the Facebook support group for Isagenix and was horrified to learn that the Isagenix reps claim that this is “normal” (In what world is this normal?) I tried to last 12 hours but I couldn’t do it, I had to eat not for my own wellbeing, but for the sake of everyone else around me. After I ate the world was good again, I could do something as simple as read where as I couldn't even concentrate enough to do this during the cleanse. In fact the whole detox experience was reminiscent of a really bad hangover as I was stuck to my couch just marathoning TV on Netflix. So then I contacted the Isagenix support pages asking them for this amazing research that has been done on their products and I was extremely disappointed. This amazing research had nothing to do with the product at all. I was sent poorly conducted research on intermittent fasting to justify detoxing, which isn’t related at all! There were also more poorly conducted and privately funded research papers on individual herbal ingredients found in the product with no significant findings, in fact all the research papers showed no clinical or statistical significance in a small group of 10 people. When I got in touch with the support staff at Isagenix I was told there was exciting research coming out on the product, 9 months later and nothing. I was then sent to videos on their website which feature the Isagenix Dietitians speaking at a large conference explaining how the product works. Aside from flowery language and high-energy evangelical-like public speaking about the product the video offered nothing. They only spoke to the scientifically found ingredients in the product, which is only the Whey protein, and completely ignored the herbal ingredients. There’s no denying that the way the videos, representative meetings and any material sent your way about this product is so overwhelmingly positive that you’d think that this is some sort of cult, and it’s not too far off. The popularity of the product isn’t due to the taste (as it’s awful) but in the group support that you get when you enter a network-marketing business model (think legal pyramid scheme). They promise the glory of starting your own business (which it isn’t) and financial relief from the real world (which it doesn't), often citing one or two high level Isagenix representatives earning multi-million dollar salaries and lying on the beach all day mis-representing the majority of the representatives. Furthermore, the Facebook support groups are saturated with gym and mirror selfies with people talking about how the product has changed their life even though the vast majority of the pictures shown have been manipulated in on way or another. No I don't mean they were photoshopped, but if you want to look like you have a ton of muscles or lost a ton of weight then get a good workout in at the gym, snap a shirtless photo in the mirror as your 'after' pic (making sure you pic the right angle to over exaggerate everything) , then proceed to go home, binge on soda and heavily salted snacks to get you midsection as bloated as physically possible as your 'before' pic (and remember to pick the least flattering light and pose, oh and don't forget to frown). Low and behold you have the secret to the majority of before and after weight loss product pictures (Don't worry, I'll be posting a video explaining this at a later date). The promise of that kind of life coupled with the infectiously positive representatives is the appeal, at least for me because the products offered nothing in regards to health. I was starving all day trying to replace 2 meals with those shakes and wanting to commit a felon on the detox days. Did I lose weight? Of course I did, that’s what happens when you’re starving yourself. I lost about 5lbs of muscle mass as confirmed via skinfold assessment but I missed food. I mean I REALLY missed food. I was constantly thinking about it, craving it and just waiting for dinner every single night, at which point I would end up binging on dinner because I was so damned hungry. It’s not even funny; Isagenix took Hangry to a whole new level with me. I hated “eating “ lunch with my coworkers because they’d actually have food and I’d have a stupid shake that came out of a vacuum-sealed package that I hated. I was alienated and angry and just wanted the whole experience to be over. Let’s just say I didn’t end up lasting the 3 months that I originally wanted to do, it was close to a month before I stopped their suggested system and used the shakes as snacks and post workout shakes, at which point I returned to normal cognitive and physical functioning. Oh, and I gained weight at this point. All in all I think you get the picture, I hated the experience, would never do it again and wouldn’t promote it. I get that there are people out there that can do something like this, but I highly suspect those people didn’t care much about food in the first place. For the rest of the population, I’m afraid this falls under the category of a band-aid solution. This is another product that creates dependency and isn’t realistic or sustainable. Furthermore it doesn't address the underlying issue, so no matter what you're just avoiding the actual problem. So if you’re considering Isagenix or any other similar product like Shakeology or Usana, then ask yourself: “Is this something I can do for a year or five?” because if the answer is no, then you might as well explore other ways to get healthier and to create true sustainable change. Ben Sit, RD, Sports Dietitian Owner, Founder and President of Evolved Sport and Nutrition Complete Lifestyle Management
40 Comments
Ashley Kisslinger
25/2/2017 11:37:41 pm
I love your review. You are so right. I used the product for one year. I lost 40 pounds but the cleanses are horrible. I basically had to plan on being so grouchy, have a headache and wish I was in bed for 2 days. You don't make money doing it either. The way the comp is set up its impossible. They claim you plus two and you get your pack free, not true either.
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Sara Buesgens
11/4/2017 07:43:04 pm
I have been on this product for 14 months, The first 4 years of my journey I only lost 3 sizes by eating fresh Killed, picked, and lifted off the ground in the Pacific Coast. where there is no preservatives or as many as the US. I will continue my story if this is a liget website or when i know it will be published. let me know i will continue. Your both so wrong!! Shame on both of you.
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11/4/2017 09:03:31 pm
Hi Sara,
Rachel
25/4/2017 09:19:44 pm
I'm glad to find someone else who was not impressed with Isagenix. I have been hounded over and over and over again how it's the "best" product out there. I did the 30 day cleanse -- firstly, I can't see how replacing 2 full meals with a shake is better than eating tons of veggies, good protein and healthy fats. Secondly, I was absolute MISERABLE on the cleanse! I'm a nurse on my feet or 13 hours and it was a disaster. I did the full 48 hours but was a horrbile person to be around. I never experienced the "mental clarity" my friends who love the product claim to get. I have a hard time believing that my headache, grouchiness and lethargy was from "detoxifying all the toxins" -- no, it was because I hadn't eaten in 2 days!
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Christy
16/5/2017 11:06:42 pm
I am sorry you had a bad experience but I have been using Isagenix for a few months now. I feel better than I have in years, I actually look forward to the cleanse days. I have so much energy and mental clarity! I have lost 3 pant sizes and sleep so much better. I don't starve myself and eat healthy dinners. I actually eat more calories daily now than I did while I was "dieting" before Isagenix. I'm sure it's not for everyone, nothing is but it sure has worked for me!
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Am
23/3/2019 11:28:44 am
I was on the program for a couple years and had huge success. The products and program work if you allow it but the people behind it ruin it. They are constantly pushing it and don’t offer support; making you feel like you’re not doing enough; pushing events that are expensive and not paid; and stealing success photos.
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Shirley
16/5/2017 11:14:52 pm
Just like any program,there are good and bad points or reasons for some and not for others. And just like any program, unless you are disciplined and actually change your lifestyle of "buying" into it, it won't make a difference what you think you know about it. I started Isagenix because if other health problems. It wasn't about losing weight, but of course I did and even better, the I chez of inflammation are gone. After several months, 8 to be exact, I am now in maintenance. It has been the best program I've been on and I've tried many. I did not start so I could sell it but when people asked I offered but I do like the fb page and the support they offer and all the pics are real because I am one of them. You can find pros and cons in any program depending on what you want from it. The only fault I see is not a book that gives exact instructions to start. And there are some who make it up as they go along. This is an international Co. I did not cleanse except for maybe 3 times. No one says you have to. If it didn't work for you, then do something else but don't bash what you didn't delve into with the right frame of mind. Who are you with little credentials. Just like any program, if it diy work for you, try something else.
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Esther
16/5/2017 11:14:56 pm
I'm sorry you had a poor experience. First of all, you did t have a coach who helped you the right way. You should have ate waaaay more food than you did. This is a LIFESTYLE not a quick fix or "bandaid" as you put it. A man like you should have a high calorie intake and use the shakes post workout like you said and in conjunction with healthy food. The cleanse days are totally customizable and it's a shame you didn't get help to figure that out. No one should be miserable while cleansing.
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Spisgrl
16/5/2017 11:22:52 pm
If I'm reading your review of the products correctly you didn't fully finish your cleanse days. And for the first couple of cleanse days you do feel cloudy exhausted worn down and like you're coming off of a drug because caffeines and sugars are drugs. You do get headaches and get cranky just like anybody normally does coming off caffeine and sugar highs. Being a dietitian dietitian you should know that. It hurts your credibility already that you don't! Had you successfully completed two cleanse days, for two weeks in a row you would have seen and felt the energy the mental clarity the cravings diminish and more weight loss. How can you post findings on your personal experience if you didn't complete the program properly? Shame on you for pretending and for downing another program to get better financial gain out of your own. As amazing and incredible as I felt for the past 21 months on this program, if they want to call the cold then give me the damn Kool-Aid. Because at 47 years old I feel better than I did it 20. I will never stop putting this nutrition in my body!!
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Katherine
16/5/2017 11:49:01 pm
The people who introduced me to Isagenix are all in Europe for the summer. They put the effort out and everyone I met was successful if they did the work. I personally love the shacks and all of the products for the most part. Did not like the dairy free. Biggest problem I have and what I have seen is if you don't drink enough water your results will be compromised. I am not at a job that I can leave so frequently to use the ladies room. Headaches during cleanse, same thing. You are cleaning the body out, it reeuires a vehicle to move it out of your cells and body. Good luck!
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I've been with Isagenix for a year now. I not only lost my baby weight, my inflammation on my would go on and off on my face disppeared ever since I've started on the products. I had these red skin rashes for 2 years., and heck I don't even do the whole day cleanse. DO you realize you can even do nightly cleanses which in my opinion is way easier? This company has been around for 10 plus years. That means something.
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17/5/2017 12:01:14 am
It seems the people that say Isagenix is not the best program out there, have NOT done there research! Way too many people with AWESOME results, like me! I used to have Fibromyalgia and I no longer have it and many injury pains have gone too. I'm able to work out again, and have lost 28 lbs. I feel I could stay on this program forever...if you only knew the nutrients that go into our shakes, compared to the rest, you wouldn't compare us to them...DO YOUR RESEARCH...you are Wrong!
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Isagenix User
18/5/2017 07:36:10 pm
As someone who has used the products for 2 years I must say I enjoy the taste! Not sure why you didn't and sorry you had that experience. That said, I cannot cleanse the way that "most do" but know that there is an option for EVERYONE as you can cleanse when you sleep! Take cleanse before bed and good to go but do it nightly.
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April Fields
27/5/2017 08:53:05 pm
I have been on isagenix for 2 1/2 weeks now and have never felt better. I have high blood pressure and am about 60 lbs. overweight. This program is amazing if followed correctly.
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lauren
18/6/2017 02:41:20 pm
I agree with a lot of what you say for sure..I've done the cleanse days and hate them and refuse to do them again. I can IF for 12-16 hours (counting 7-9 hours of sleep lol)....It is a band-aid and hard to sustain for most people, especially with cost. I also don't advocate consuming soo much dairy, so unless someone is going for their Dairy free shakes and switching on & off, then ok...most people don't learn enough on how to eat and balance meals. I can see Isagenix without the double cleanse days being a good jump start but that's it...I'm not familiar with Usana, but Shakeology I think is sustainable as it's 1 shake and used more (IMO) for the vitamins, pre & probiotics, adaptogens that are beneficial and it can be had as a breakfast, snack or post workout...
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Christine
21/6/2017 01:29:22 am
Hmm. Sounds like you had preconceived notions about the business model which prompted you to write a "hate" review. Just a tip - maybe if you are going to review a product you should sit down with someone who represents the company so you can ask questions and write down the information they give you and and do some research online (in our case, visit Isagenixhealth.net) to give an intelligible review instead of just making stuff up. No one who is educated and thinks critically will take this review seriously.
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Natalia
23/6/2017 07:10:00 am
Wow! The isagenix cult found you, and heaven forbid you write a critical review of their product. Thank you for looking more deeply into the research and writing your frank impression of the product. I am barraged by people touting this "amazing nutrition," but the science points more to increased hydration, support, accountability, and reduced calories rather than an amazing product.
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Barbara
19/9/2017 08:33:20 pm
I feel people would benefit much better from eating healthy food than spending a lot of money on healthy fast food products.
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Leslie Johnson
5/2/2018 09:29:04 pm
I have been using these products for the last 9 months and it truly has been lifechanging for me. And when I post my results they are real. I have lost 130lbs so far and I am not starving myself by any means. I really take offense to anyone saying that peoples results are altered. I will be happy to prove my results anytime to anyone. I think if you want to write a credible review you need to give it the entire 30 days, not just the minute time you did. After 30 days if you are not satisfied you will get a full refund. Isa4life!
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amanda
13/2/2018 01:09:59 am
I want to point out 7 of the reviews with different names were posted within minutes on the same day....if you have to pretend to be multiple people to stand behind a product I find and issue with that. Not saying it was the same person but very odd to have that many one right after another within less than an hour time span. Also to the writer of the article. I think it was a great account and informative.
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Charlie Thomas
5/3/2018 03:06:08 pm
Hey 👋🏼 I always appreciate reviewers and their opinions good and bad. I use Isagenix for weight gain and it’s been amazing for me personally. Your not meant to starve on a cleanse day, they aren’t even compulsory. There are products you use on a cleanse day to regulate your blood sugar and you can eat apples etc. I would never advise anyone to not eat. Most people can’t get through a day without eating, myself included. So although yes if you decide to do a cleanse use the cleanse day products and if your hungry guess what? Eat!!! As long as it’s healthy eg fruit, greens etc. I’ve tried ensure drinks and probably most whey proteins on the market and nothing compares to the results I get from these products. Sorry you didn’t feel it was for you 😀
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Laura Young
17/3/2018 09:47:09 pm
Ive been using Isagenix for 6 weeks. I love the shakes and the cleanse. I feel like a different person! I wake up in the mornings and actually have energy. I wake up and get up before the alarm clock every morning. I still set it though, just in case! I have people at work that started using the system because of my weight loss and energy.
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Gail
14/8/2018 12:44:26 pm
Love Isagenix. I have been using the products for 2 years. I have had a healthy weight loss, gradually over this time. I shared before and after pics of the difference in my face and over all body. Not altered, they actually surprised me when put side by side. I drink the cleanse every evening before bed. Love the shakes and snacks. I do not starve myself. If i do have fast fatty foods, snacks, then i do crave them again. If i stay disiplined i can eat what i like with 2 shakes per day and not think about french fries. (nothing wrong with that). One shake costs less than the starbucks mochas i used to crave. ( i still treat myself once in awhile). I have tried many different weight loss programs but nothing sustainable. Friends and family ask me about what i have been doing, then i share. No pressure from me. However i will go on about Isagenix if you ask me as i love love love it. I have made money using isagenix with no effort of my own. Just sharing the products, people buy from their own website if and when they choose. Isagenix has challenges you can particpate in if you want that help keep you accountable. There are no Isagenix police out there. I know a highly paid Isagenix associate but i approached her when i saw she had an Isagenix accessory that i liked and i asked her about it. This company has a great reputation with fantastic caring people behind. I liked this read but feel it is one persons opinion who doesnt struggle with weight. Isagenix truly is changing my life.
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I am a retired healthcare executive who was introduced to Isagenix by my diabetic daughter who had experienced such positive benefits using the products. After being in retirement for almost 4 years , I found myself at the age of 63, quite overweight, hardly any energy, sleeping poorly and in general not so good health. Now at age 67 soon to be 68, I am in the best shape of my life. I have dropped all of the excess weight but more importantly I have put on lots of lean muscle. My doctor was aware of my using the products and when I recently had by annual blood work, he called and was more excited than I was with the results. Everything was perfect and my blood pressure is now lack it was when I was in my twenties.
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27/8/2018 10:51:50 am
I've been using the isagenix 30 day cleanse for about 3 years now and I really like it and feel it has helped my health.
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Milam
16/10/2018 06:45:55 am
This review is inconsistent with my experience. couldn't be further from the mark! I consider this a subjective, highly biased review to the health detriment of many.
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Ann
24/10/2018 07:39:54 pm
I wish I read this before I wasted 340 dollars
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Amanda
4/3/2019 05:47:18 am
You have t wasted your money. If u didn’t like the products the company offer you a money back guarantee
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Jessica
23/2/2019 03:37:33 am
Oh no, the person I was dating fell far down this rabbit hole. Ironically I'm listening to the Gateway. Congratulations to those that received wonders.
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Amanda bogle
4/3/2019 05:44:37 am
I am a Isagenix user and I love the products. I have lost 17kg and feeling absolutely fabulous.l, 10 - 15 years younger woohoo.
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joe
17/4/2019 08:09:55 pm
So from what I heard you say, you try out whatever the new fad diet may be at the time. This is a HUGE red flag and leads me to believe you are quite ignorant on the topic of nutrition considering it is your line of work. Someone who has studied and familiarized themselves with the copious amounts of research on nutrition would understand that these fad diets, meal replacement shakes, etc. are exactly what they are: fad diets that are aimed at people that do not understand the complex topic of nutrition. I am extremely disappointed to see a "professional" with such little knowledge on their respective subject.
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Karl
11/7/2019 02:34:24 pm
I am what you would call an avid athlete. I have done half ironmans with four months of training without practicing swimming (I was on a ship). I avidly rock climbed for a couple years: top roped 5.12+/led 5.11+. I am an avid follower of Pavel and his kettlebell training (I do Turkish get ups with 88 pounds). I have done mindpumps MAPS split program (their hardest classic bodybuilding split program/6 days a week). I can do 2I kiteboard. Would consider myself an expert skier. I don’t say these things to brag. All of it has come through obsessive work. I track. I log workouts. I have done keto. Adjusted macros. Intermittent fast. The whole works. Am I a qualified nutrititionist? No, I do this for fun. So I started isagenix on a recommendation from my gf. Strong-armed into it if you will. After three months of consistently using the product I absolutely love it. Unlike the qualified nutrititonist you are, I started with the macros I know my body needs. 180 grams of protein or about 1 gram of protein per pound of body fat. Then using my Apple Watch over the course of six months I know I average about 2000 resting calories and 1000 active calories. Sooo I knew the 1500 calories from the isagenix plan wasn’t going to work. Alright what next? Well I wanted to gain lean muscle right? So I needed to eat about 3300-3500 calories a day. So I needed about 2000 more calories than what isagenix provided. So I talked to my girlfriend who was like, yea you are going to need to have more non-isagenix meals. So I flexed the plan to fit my nutritional profiles and guess what?! In the first month I gained 5 pounds. Went from 185-190. My stubborn belly fat (most people wouldn’t have considered it fat) went away. I feel great. Strength continued to increase. Hangovers never felt better while using ionix supreme. Recovery times shortened, skin cleared up and I feel absolutely amazing. Love the products. The key is the community . Sounds like you were talking to someone who doesn’t know what they are doing. Funny thing is that you are a nutritionist and should know basic macros/initial side effects of drastically reducing carb intake (keto flu)/etc. So yea, love the products, feel great.
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Susan
21/11/2019 04:27:24 am
Agree with this website. Wasted $300, did nothing for me except give me bad acne and I was always hangry. I only tried it because I had a friend nagging me. Why are people stupid? It's not a sustainable lifestyle. Living the rest of your life drinking shakes, how sad? I prefer a Smoothie to a shake, at least I know what I'm putting in. All the extra snacks, the energy shots, look at the list of ingredients. Why would you put that in your body?
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Skeptical
27/4/2020 10:54:36 pm
Look at the ingredients, and you will see numerous preservatives, most of which have been implicated in the development of neurodegenerative diseases.
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Alyssa C LeVasseur
2/5/2020 03:14:04 pm
Ive used them for awhile and the products do work. If you just jump into it and start with a complete clense, yes you will crash because your not doing it right. You have to start slow and yes you can eat food with it!
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Paul
6/11/2020 06:16:18 am
So much contradiction in your “review”
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Jeff Silverman
12/12/2021 05:09:17 pm
I know someone who got seriously involved with
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Ginette
3/8/2022 03:09:57 pm
I’m sorry for those who had a negative experience. I have had the opposite experience and have been using Isagenix for 2 1/2 years. It has been life changing for me. But everyone is different and you have to find what works for you! I love food. I eat a lot of it. I aim to eat 1800 calories per day and if I have two shakes that is about 500. I maximize my food by eating a lot of fruit and vegetables and protein. I love the taste of the shakes and really feel they have given me a boost in energy. Cleanse days were challenging initially but I was eating like garbage before so I think it was a big change and some withdrawal from eating too much and sugar. It’s a great system for me!
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