My review on the Advocare 24 Day Challenge Weight Loss Bundle (Max3):
I bought the 24-Day Challenge Max 3 Kit with the Chocolate
flavored shakes. I am on Day 17 of the challenge and have not lost any weight. I
also bought the Catalyst and the ThermoPlus pills thinking that would help me
lose weight more, but I don't see how it has helped me in any way?
First off, I have had the worst tummy issues with these products. I thought at first that it was due to the "cleanse" part of the challenge. I expected the gas and the bubbly stomach, but I did not expect the sharp-shooting pains nor the diarrhea that has so far lasted the past 17 days. I thought the tummy issues would have gone away by now since the cleanse part is over (which is only the first 10 days) but my tummy still hurts a lot and I have a bowel movement 4-5x a day! Being regular is nice, but I hate feeling like I need to be near a bathroom "just in case", which in fact has deterred me from running trails since I'm afraid to not have a toilet nearby.
Granted, I warned the rep that I already have a sensitive stomach. I react to pills quite strongly and let her be aware of my issues beforehand. She acknowledged my concerns but reassured me that I am going to feel awesome and will lose a TON of weight, especially with the Catalyst and ThermoPlus pills. Unfortunately, not in my case at all.
After 11 days, thinking that the herbal cleanse pills were the culprit, I still had issues with my tummy and the diarrhea continued. So I talked to my rep at length and she told me that I must not be following the instructions. I indeed have been the whole time! So I finally read the box (DUH on my part) and realized that right there on the box, there is a warning that the cleanse pills contain senna. I researched senna online (on WebMD, in particular) and discovered that some people can have a bad reaction to senna being that it is a natural laxative. Not once did she ever mention senna. It's MY fault for not checking in the first place but I was just surprised that after talking to her for days and days about my symptoms, that there was never any mentioned of possible side effects. Everything I was experiencing were stated right there on the WebMD site. It also stated the effects of long-term use of products containing senna is dangerous. :(
Anyway, since I have already spent over $200 on these products, I have decided to continue using them. I have to, for my own sanity, know if they are at least going to work at some point. I kept hearing such great things about this challenge so I had to try it for myself.
The one thing people talk about the most is how energetic and great they feel because of the Spark drink. I have noticed that I do feel a bit more energetic after drinking it. I used to drink a cup of coffee a day so I felt as if I've had my cup of coffee. It is optional to take Spark more than once a day (up to 3x a day, in fact). I tried taking a 2nd one on Day 12 and I had a REALLY bad reaction to it. I started seeing zig zag lines which really freaked me out. I sat there on my couch feeling like I was on drugs, seeing these zig zag lines (I have NEVER experienced this before!!!). So I looked it up online and discovered that it's called a migraine aura without headache. I called my Dr after feeling like I was going crazy after 30 mins of seeing these zig zag lines and she said that I must be having an allergic reaction to something or my body purely cannot take the ingredients, that it's too strong. Let's just say, I haven't taken 2 Sparks in a day since!!! It tastes good so I don't mind drinking it but now I'm afraid of how it's going to make me feel for the rest of the day. So far, one has been safe for me.
As I mentioned before, I have also been taking the Catalyst and the ThermoPlus pills and haven't noticed a significant difference in how I feel? The pills in general make me feel nauseated all day long and every morning I've had to run to the bathroom and it takes about an hour to flush my system out until I feel better again. Why, do you ask, am I continuing to torture myself? I, for one, don't like to waste money. My husband thinks I'm crazy for continuing to take these products considering how miserable I have been feeling since day one. But like I said, I need to complete the program for me to make a complete judgment on it. So far, it's not looking good for Advocare. :(
I must admit, I like the convenience of having the chocolate protein shake for breakfast in the morning (in the MAX phase). I make it with one cup almond milk (original flavor), 1/2 banana, 1 tbsp almond butter and 7 cubes of ice. Yum. You're supposed to just add it with water but I have felt like it wasn't "enough" to last me until the next meal. Even with a snack in between, I just didn't feel content so I added the almond milk, banana and almond butter to help me feel fuller. Also, after comparing the ingredients of this meal replacement shake with other protein powders, the other protein powders contain more protein, less sugar and costs less in general.
The MAX phase requires you to take 4 sets of pills (30 minutes before breakfast, 30 minutes before lunch and 2 sets during lunch). There's a LOT of pills to take. I mean, a LOT. Too many, if you ask me. However, with the Max 3 pills, I have found that it has helped curtail my cravings and pangs of hunger. I rarely feel the need to snack (even though I make myself). I still eat a complete meal when it's meal time to make sure I am doing everything right. I just never feel as hungry as I have before. I was usually feeling STARVED all day long and craved for sugar. Now I don't ever crave for sugar...which for me is great! Since sugar is my "danger zone".
To give a little background on me, I have been eating clean for the past 6 weeks. I decided to cut out sugar, dairy, grains (except for brown rice and oatmeal on a rare basis), alcohol and have gone Paleo for the most part. I thought it would be best to put full effort into eating well first before trying these products so that my body could detox from all the crap I had eaten over the holidays. Plus, I didn't want to confuse the symptoms or side effects with anything else. I also work out 7 hours a week, mostly interval training with personal trainers at my gym.
I am 5'7" and weigh 158 lbs. I normally weigh 135 lbs. I usually gain a ton of weight during the holidays and have almost always lost the weight before the next summer purely from eating clean and working out regularly. But as I have gotten older (I am 37 next week), it has gotten tougher and tougher to lose the weight so that is why I thought I'd try Advocare in the first place.
I feel that the inches I have lost so far is something I could have accomplished on my own (clean eating and exercising regularly). I have done it many times before and I am right on track with the results I have accomplished within the same time frame, according to my past journals. So that's why I don't feel the Advocare has really "helped" me in any way. Aside from feeling miserable while on this program, I feel that it really didn't add anything to my current status (eating well, working out almost every day, getting good sleep, drinking 1/2 my weight in water in ounces, etc). I know I am sensitive to vitamins and minerals anyway so I am kicking myself for wasting so much money on products that I feel have been a complete BUST. I could have achieved my goals (like I have done many times before) without shelling out $200+.
I will update my review in a few days after I have completed all 24 days! Hope I have better news. :)
First off, I have had the worst tummy issues with these products. I thought at first that it was due to the "cleanse" part of the challenge. I expected the gas and the bubbly stomach, but I did not expect the sharp-shooting pains nor the diarrhea that has so far lasted the past 17 days. I thought the tummy issues would have gone away by now since the cleanse part is over (which is only the first 10 days) but my tummy still hurts a lot and I have a bowel movement 4-5x a day! Being regular is nice, but I hate feeling like I need to be near a bathroom "just in case", which in fact has deterred me from running trails since I'm afraid to not have a toilet nearby.
Granted, I warned the rep that I already have a sensitive stomach. I react to pills quite strongly and let her be aware of my issues beforehand. She acknowledged my concerns but reassured me that I am going to feel awesome and will lose a TON of weight, especially with the Catalyst and ThermoPlus pills. Unfortunately, not in my case at all.
After 11 days, thinking that the herbal cleanse pills were the culprit, I still had issues with my tummy and the diarrhea continued. So I talked to my rep at length and she told me that I must not be following the instructions. I indeed have been the whole time! So I finally read the box (DUH on my part) and realized that right there on the box, there is a warning that the cleanse pills contain senna. I researched senna online (on WebMD, in particular) and discovered that some people can have a bad reaction to senna being that it is a natural laxative. Not once did she ever mention senna. It's MY fault for not checking in the first place but I was just surprised that after talking to her for days and days about my symptoms, that there was never any mentioned of possible side effects. Everything I was experiencing were stated right there on the WebMD site. It also stated the effects of long-term use of products containing senna is dangerous. :(
Anyway, since I have already spent over $200 on these products, I have decided to continue using them. I have to, for my own sanity, know if they are at least going to work at some point. I kept hearing such great things about this challenge so I had to try it for myself.
The one thing people talk about the most is how energetic and great they feel because of the Spark drink. I have noticed that I do feel a bit more energetic after drinking it. I used to drink a cup of coffee a day so I felt as if I've had my cup of coffee. It is optional to take Spark more than once a day (up to 3x a day, in fact). I tried taking a 2nd one on Day 12 and I had a REALLY bad reaction to it. I started seeing zig zag lines which really freaked me out. I sat there on my couch feeling like I was on drugs, seeing these zig zag lines (I have NEVER experienced this before!!!). So I looked it up online and discovered that it's called a migraine aura without headache. I called my Dr after feeling like I was going crazy after 30 mins of seeing these zig zag lines and she said that I must be having an allergic reaction to something or my body purely cannot take the ingredients, that it's too strong. Let's just say, I haven't taken 2 Sparks in a day since!!! It tastes good so I don't mind drinking it but now I'm afraid of how it's going to make me feel for the rest of the day. So far, one has been safe for me.
As I mentioned before, I have also been taking the Catalyst and the ThermoPlus pills and haven't noticed a significant difference in how I feel? The pills in general make me feel nauseated all day long and every morning I've had to run to the bathroom and it takes about an hour to flush my system out until I feel better again. Why, do you ask, am I continuing to torture myself? I, for one, don't like to waste money. My husband thinks I'm crazy for continuing to take these products considering how miserable I have been feeling since day one. But like I said, I need to complete the program for me to make a complete judgment on it. So far, it's not looking good for Advocare. :(
I must admit, I like the convenience of having the chocolate protein shake for breakfast in the morning (in the MAX phase). I make it with one cup almond milk (original flavor), 1/2 banana, 1 tbsp almond butter and 7 cubes of ice. Yum. You're supposed to just add it with water but I have felt like it wasn't "enough" to last me until the next meal. Even with a snack in between, I just didn't feel content so I added the almond milk, banana and almond butter to help me feel fuller. Also, after comparing the ingredients of this meal replacement shake with other protein powders, the other protein powders contain more protein, less sugar and costs less in general.
The MAX phase requires you to take 4 sets of pills (30 minutes before breakfast, 30 minutes before lunch and 2 sets during lunch). There's a LOT of pills to take. I mean, a LOT. Too many, if you ask me. However, with the Max 3 pills, I have found that it has helped curtail my cravings and pangs of hunger. I rarely feel the need to snack (even though I make myself). I still eat a complete meal when it's meal time to make sure I am doing everything right. I just never feel as hungry as I have before. I was usually feeling STARVED all day long and craved for sugar. Now I don't ever crave for sugar...which for me is great! Since sugar is my "danger zone".
To give a little background on me, I have been eating clean for the past 6 weeks. I decided to cut out sugar, dairy, grains (except for brown rice and oatmeal on a rare basis), alcohol and have gone Paleo for the most part. I thought it would be best to put full effort into eating well first before trying these products so that my body could detox from all the crap I had eaten over the holidays. Plus, I didn't want to confuse the symptoms or side effects with anything else. I also work out 7 hours a week, mostly interval training with personal trainers at my gym.
I am 5'7" and weigh 158 lbs. I normally weigh 135 lbs. I usually gain a ton of weight during the holidays and have almost always lost the weight before the next summer purely from eating clean and working out regularly. But as I have gotten older (I am 37 next week), it has gotten tougher and tougher to lose the weight so that is why I thought I'd try Advocare in the first place.
I feel that the inches I have lost so far is something I could have accomplished on my own (clean eating and exercising regularly). I have done it many times before and I am right on track with the results I have accomplished within the same time frame, according to my past journals. So that's why I don't feel the Advocare has really "helped" me in any way. Aside from feeling miserable while on this program, I feel that it really didn't add anything to my current status (eating well, working out almost every day, getting good sleep, drinking 1/2 my weight in water in ounces, etc). I know I am sensitive to vitamins and minerals anyway so I am kicking myself for wasting so much money on products that I feel have been a complete BUST. I could have achieved my goals (like I have done many times before) without shelling out $200+.
I will update my review in a few days after I have completed all 24 days! Hope I have better news. :)
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