I clicked on a banner ad for http://formula-4-a-healthy-u.org/ and 'won' a free consultation with a weight loss coach but I had to fill in a form which some very in-dept questions about my health and habits in the form, which I answered as well as saying why I deserved this free consultation. I then received an email saying a coach would ring me at a specific time on a specific day.
The coach, Helen Smith, did ring me when she said she would. We went over my history - years of anti-depressants to combat chronic depression, weight gain, hypoglycaemia and inability to motivate myself I usually follow a high protein, low carb/low fat diet and have 4-6 small meals a day, 1-2 of which are usually protein shakes. I was struggling with the motivation demon again, which is why I answered the banner ad in the first place.
Helen was a very nice person but knew absolutely nothing about supplements other than the ones she sells. She also wasn't aware of commonly used protein powders, such as Musashi or EAS, nor did she understand the use of l-carnitine for fat loss or l-glutamine to control sugar levels or any of the supplementation commonly used in the natural treatment of depression and hypoglycaemia. In fact, Helen knew absolutely nothing about anything other than her own products.
She assured me that her 'diet' was a high protein low fat/low carb style of eating (also known in Australia as the Magazine Editor's Diet). This was a bald-faced lie. Her products are actually shake type meal replacements from Herbalife and are actually a Very Low Calorie Diet - an absolute disaster for someone like me with my medical problems.
I told her there was absolutely no way I could drink shakes instead of having meals. She insisted that her products were used by diabetics (she did send me a one page word document that said that diabetics must drink half the shake every 2-3 hours instead of a whole shake every 4-5 hours).
After half an hour of conversation she also said her products were Herbalife. I told her I did not like the company and if she tried to recruit me I would hang up on her. She assured me she would not do so and suggested I try the products and see how I go. I told her that I would use them as small meals, like I use other protein shakes and she said they'd be perfect.
The shakes arrived in good time, Helen did follow up well on the phone. Unfortunately 3 days of using the shakes resulted in me having terrible headaches from not eating enough (hypoglycaemia caused by the very low calorie diet) and after 2 weeks I put weight on. Not really the desired result. I wrote to Helen asking for a refund, I returned the shakes (I kept the soy protein powder because that product is good, although overpriced) and she refunded the credit card promptly.
I have no problem with the level of Helen Smith's service. The issue I have is that she is ignorant and should not be advising anyone on their health and weight loss matters without a lot more education herself. She lied about the type of diet that she offers, her web site does not state anywhere that she sells Herbalife products, and a small banner on the front page is for a 'work from home' scheme.
What is the real ripoff is that this poor woman is trying to earn a living with absolutely no idea that she is selling below average products and giving what could be potentially dangerous and misleading medical related advice.
I'm lucky. I have had three years of training as a medical herbalist and food therapist and I'm very aware of the body/mind connection with diet and depression and weight loss. Most people do not have this advantage. These uncrupulous bastards are selling these 'turnkey work from home' schemes to untraining, ignorant people like poor Helen Smith who then sell inferior Herbalife products to people desperate to shed weight and get healthy and get their life back.
I have filed this report to let people know that Herbalife is doing yet another version of their unscrupulous multi-level marketing.
Anon
Internet
Australia
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