At one Body By Vi website they say “A sluggish metabolism can occur when you cut food intake, yo-yo diet, lack exercise, and even happens with aging.” Well that's true, but can Vi Slim Metab-Awake tablets help you lose weight? ViSlim is a metabolism booster and weight loss supplement made by Body By Vi which has several weight management supplements and even a Body By Vi 90 Day Challenge to help people lose weight and get healthy. Vi Slim is supposed to “awaken your metabolism and help you burn fat naturally.” While technically your metabolism is always working and your body is always burning fat (your burring a LOT of fat right now actually), let's leave this grand claims alone and just focus on the facts. I've previously reviewed the Body By Vi weight loss shake and the 90 day challenge but in this review, I want to specifically look at the ingredients in the Vi Slim Metab-Awake supplement. Does the Vi Slim supplement help you lose weight faster? Does Vi Slim have any side effects? Let's check it out.
ViSalus websites
If you search for information on Body By Vi products be aware that you may or may not be on the actual ViSalus website. ViSalus distributors seem to have all sorts of ViSalus-sounding websites whose names are variations on the Body By Vi name. One of the good things about the distributors Body By Vi websites was that they gave me more information about the Body By Vi products. I say this because when I went to the main ViSalus website – Visalus.com – I couldn't easily view the ingredients of the Body By Vi products.
The ViSalus website does have a “products” page, but in order to dig deeper into the products, I have either to “be a customer” or “be a distributor.” They obviously want to collect my personal information, which I don't like.
Vi Slim Metab-Awake ingredients
Vi Slim – not to be confused with Vi Trim (that's another product they make) – is a 900 mg herbal blend containing:
- Theobroma Coca Extract
- Green Tea Extract
- Coleus Forskohlii Extract (Forslean)
- Yerba Mate Extract
- Evodiamine (Evodiae Fructus, Evothin)
So, what the heck is all this stuff? Here is a basic breakdown of these ingredients:
Theobroma Coca Extract. The tip-off is “Coca”. This is an extract of chocolate that has small amounts of caffeine. Natural caffeine or not – it's still caffeine.
Green tea extract. Green tea also has caffeine
Coleus Forskohlii Extract (Forslean). Another name for this ingredient is “Forskolin”. This ingredient comes from a plant (Plectranthus barbatus) and has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for ages. Even though Coleus Forskohlii can be found in other weight loss supplements – and has even been mentioned on “Dr OZ” – there isn't much proof it works. For example, in one Coleus weight loss study from 2005, it didn't help women lose weight.
Considering all the attention coleus forskohlii gets from the supplement industry, I'd like to see some more research on this stuff.
Whether coleus forskohlii works or not is debatable, but even if it does help people lose weight, those who are not “healthy” need to be cautious of this herb.
Coleus forskohlii can cause vasodilation (expanding) of blood vessels. This can cause a decrease in blood pressure. Do not use Forskohlii if you use any medications – especially blood thinners or drugs used to treat heart disease or high blood pressure.
While I have no proof, I would also be cautious if taking Viagra or other drugs or supplements used for “male enhancement. If you are not “healthy”, you should speak to your doctor before using this herb.
Some Body By Vi distributors say that coleus forskohlii can help you preserve lean body mass but I can't find any good proof to substantiate this claim.
Yerba Mate Extract. This herb contains caffeine
Evodiamine. This is also a stimulant. One of the extracts in Evodamine (also called Evodia) is synepherine. In other supplements, this stuff is called “bitter orange.” Synepherine is chemically similar to ephedra. Synepherine can raise your heart rate and blood pressure.
They say Vi Slim Metabo Awake is “ephedra free” but it does contain something that “looks” like ephedra. Since it has no ephedra, distributors say Vi Slim does not cause “jitters.” I can't testify to this since I have not tried the product. I will await to hear from what users of Vi Slim tell me.
Speak to your doctor or pharmacist before using Vi Slim Metab Awake. I would be very cautious of this ingredient if you take ANY medications – especially those used for heart disease or high blood pressure.
For more info on Evodiamine see my review of Apidexin where I show you the studies on it.
All total, 2 tablets of the Vi Slim metabolism booster has 900 mg. But how much of that is caffeine? I honestly don't know but since 3 out of the 5 ingredients in the Vi Slim weight loss supplement have caffeine, I'm guessing it's a lot.
At one Body By Vi distributor website, they say that the Vi Slim Mebabo Awake weight loss supplement can help people burn an extra 85-125 calories per day which, they say, can lead to losing 10-15 pounds of fat per year. Where are these numbers coming from? As far as I can tell there is NO published scientific proof on ANY Body By Vi weight loss supplement.
How much does it cost?
Since the main ViSalus website wanted to collect my personal information, I had to search online for a price for the Vi Slim metabolism booster. At one Body By Vi Ambassadors website I saw that the price was $40 for a 30 day supply. I think that's a lot of money for a product that is basically a lot of caffeine and ingredients that enhance the effects of caffeine.
Here is the Metabo Awake product on Amazon for those who want to compare prices and read comments from others who have used it
What do you think?
I am on day 2 of the transformation kit. I can say I am gassy, but not hungry. I can’t wait to see results. I started off at 282 so now I am gonna wait to see how much I weigh in 88 more days.
I am into month 2 of transformation and am a distributor and I have lost 10 lbs and a lot of inches! I am just doing the shakes as smoothies and the health add in. I tried the Vi Slim and I can’t take it, I have anxiety attacks on occasion so that made it worse, needless to say the shape kit works! I love it!
I am on day 5 and already lost 4 pounds. I tried the V Slim but it ain’t working either. I am doing insanity also. so hope that works
Eve, remember to start Insanity slowly. give your body time to adapt. Dont try to do it all at once. Read this for more info why Im recommending this http://www.joe-cannon.com/rhabdomyolysis-personal-trainers-exercise-review-symptoms-negatives-eccentric-fitness-bootcamp/
I took the shakes for a number of months and was also using the Vi Slim pills. At first everything was wonderful, I lost 30 lbs and 20 total inches in 3 months. Then the side effects kicked in.
If I added any caffeine to my diet then I ended up with heart palpitations, and a high pulse rate. Then once I decided to stop all of these products I felt horrible. I was nauseous constantly, had major migraines and spent most of my time napping due to feeling so bad.
In the beginning I recommended this product to everyone but now I have to say I couldn’t honestly recommend it. Everyone has different reactions but I can say I would never purchase from this company again.
Erica, Sorry you had those side effects. I’ve always felt that the Vi Slim Metab Awake product was not needed.
I have been on just the shakes for 2 weeks. Lost weight.. But i do feel like there is a stimulant in the shake mix?? Do u know if there is.? I have taken ephedra in the past which i hate that feeling. And i do feel that way now…….
Anonymous, Ive never heard that the Vi shakes have any stimulants in them. If you ever find out differently I hope you will let me know
hi I have been on Vi for a month and a half. I luv the shakes. I am not taking other stuff. What has happened with me is I am losing weight. More inches than pounds. I have learned discipline. And I am eating better, sleeping better, and my skin is pretty at 50. The model chic at the Clinique counter told me my skin was pretty as well. And she was a looker. It’s not just the shakes. it’s a combination of watching what I eat, learning to eat right, learning it’s ok to fail, getting rest, and drinking the shakes. They fill me up. No side effects at all.
I have read so much and tried everything in the 40years(iam60) of weight issues. It would be nice if everyone ate a healthier diet, but face is we don’t. I use ViSalus, I don’t sell it. I lost 20 lbs in a month. Yes I have high blood pressure, a fib, sleep apnea, fibromyalgia, degenerative arthritis. Do I trust physicians? Not much.
Remember pharmaceutical reps are pushing to them just like Vi promoters have been accused here. I have been prescribed meds that have harmed me in dangerous ways and then taken off the market due to deaths. If a prescription didn’t work I was out the money, if the Vi doesn’t work you can get your hard earned money back. Remember there is no magic bullet, it’s a lifetime of choices.
There are far better ways to get healthy than being in a pyramid scheme. I use the term “get healthy” instead of “lose weight” and “diet”, because those two terms are usually lack health benefits, especially if there is artificial ingredients involved.
I am not saying that trimming the weight and inches are a bad thing, but the methods are usually not in the best interest of personal health. I also take Thyroid medication and 50K mg of vitamin D for my condition. However, the key to being healthier was through Eastern Medical Qi Gong, which works on the principal of total body mobility and controlling energy through your body.
Also, reducing High Fructose Corn Syrup, and only using natural sugar whenever possible, significantly made a difference. So basically, if you do not intake artificial ingredients as part of your eating habits, then you will not need other artificial ingredients to compensate.
Also, exercise of any kind, 15 minutes in the first part f the morning, 15 minutes in mid-day, will make a difference in raising your metabolic rate, and maintaining it high throughout the day. Just my 2 cents.
Hi, i have been doing the visalus 2x a day as well as 2 metab awake pills 2 times a day now my joints in my elbows knees hurt could this be a side effect i am thinking more from the pills?? Have you heard of this side effect elsewhere??
Thanks for your time
Lorraine
Lorraine, hard to say but try stopping them and see if your elbows and knees feel better. Ive never heard of this before, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to what is happening to you. stop the products and see if you feel better. please let me know if you do.
I did the shakes for a month. i all of a sudden have high blood pressure . i haven’t ever had high blood pressure. i stopped using it and my blood pressure has come back to normal so i know it was visalis.
I am on day 2 of the 90 day Challenge, and for the last 9 hours, I have been shaking, jittery, irritable, dizzy, and my heart rate feels like it is through the roof. I am also burning up. I took the Vi Slim and Vi Trim around 9 am this morning. It is now 8pm. I am so glad I found this site. Was told not to take the Vi Slim until I get used to the other products, and that I am probably detoxing. This feeling is ridiculous!
Michelle, the person who said you were “detoxing” doesn’t know what they are talking about. Vi Slim is just a stimulant and I recommend you not use it anymore based on your side effects. I looked up Vi Trim and saw it has Garcinia gambogia, which has been linked to liver failure in some people. This stuff is in a LOT of weight loss products. See my review of Healthe Trim for more on this ingredient and liver problems.
I think the Vi shake is likely safe – it didnt have anything “weird” in it but as for those other products you are taking, I say throw them away today.
Hey Joe- I know a couple of people who are taking this 90 day challenge. In my own opinion i think their crazy !
My own journey has taken me from 270 lbs to 233 in almost 5 months, no shakes, no supplements (except for a one a day multi vitamin for women) healthy eating habits for the most part and moderate exercising. I also don’t go to the gym.
This seems ,to me, like it’s just a pyramid scam, I came across the list of ingredients for the shake and I can’t pronounce most of what’s listed nor do i even know what they are ! For the past 4 months and 3 weeks, I’ve discovered and learned that if i don’t know what it is and if i can’t pronounce it, then i really don’t need to consume it and I’m better off with out it.
Maybe they lose weight on it, but what happens when they stop taking the shakes ? I’m 99% sure they gain most of the weight back, or probably more then what they’ve lost in the first place.
My family and extended family have tried the vishake products and no one really benefited from the shake system. The Vislim Dietary Supplements actually gave me severe headaches, nausea, raised my levels of anemia, gave me irregular heartbeat, etc and i only took 2 a day a few days a week. I would not recommend these products.
As a nurse I have seen devastating effects of many supplements like this on the market. High blood pressure (a precursor to heart disease, stroke) and hepatitis are just among the few serious health conditions that over the counter supplements can cause.
Never take any supplement unless you are doing it under the care of a physician…do not use doctors or nurses who are part of the business that is selling such products…they don’t get a paycheck unless people are using their products.
Just like anything else…long-term unbiased research is needed to determine the safety of using these products.
Why not stick to Whole Food Based Nutrition instead on isolated and fragmented nutrients?
Thinking about trying both products, shakes and pills. However I am on Wellbutrin and Topomax. Those alone were supposed to help me lose weight. I did at the beginning, however gained it all back.
Need to lose about 15lbs. Not sure what the pills will do since I am already taking two other meds. More work out is really not an option, can’t do much besides walking, have back injury.
Should I just do the shakes and skip the pills? Has anyone tried CLA and Raspberry Ketone Powder instead. I have heard that this should work too. Not sure what would be safer to use. Thanks for the input.
jenn, if you enter those other supplements into the search box, youll see what ive sain in the past about them. i have a full review on raspberry ketones.
for vi slim, Id say the shake would be the safer of the options for you
Great! learned something about thyroid med and vitamin D. Love the shakes, but not losing any weight after after 6 days of 2 shakes/day 🙁
I am currently on the Transformation Kit. In 6 days I lost 2 inches off my waist and 1 off my hips. I have been a heart patient since I was 17 so I have been limited on exercises I can actually do. Therefore, I have gained some weight. I also have a rare low blood pressure disease. Im not supposed to have caffeine or at least limit it because it causes my heart rate to sky rocket.
In this first week, the pill supplements have not caused me to feel even the slightest bit jittery. I wish I could say these made my diseases better but they have not. However, they have not made them worse either.
Thank you Joe apprecite that.
Hello. I am wanting to try this. I just need to loose about 15 pounds but for me that is a lot of weight gain. My husband needs it more and is going to try it. BUT I have Severe Anxiety and Panic attacks.I dont do caffeine very well at all. I can drink a Pepsi but that is about it. If I just do the shake so you think it will work for me. My husband will have to do more he needs to loose about 40 pounds. Thanks.
J, given what you say I’d just use the shake. I still believe the Vi Shake is just a low calorie meal replacement shake. I see no need for the Vi Slim Awake stimulant supplement.
I also have panic attacks Joe, I recently purchased the shakes which I love, and the Vi-Trim which they say has no caffine. I can drink diet coke with caffine but if i have too many of them I can feel a panic attack coming on…lets see over the next few days if this Vi-Trim has any effects..thanks for your great feedback!
thanks Silvia, Ill have to take a look at Vi-Trim also. never heard of it.
What are the actual ingredient lists and nutritional facts of the shakes and the slim products? I have been looking and still unable to find a product information like listing with percentages etc…
L Drost, let me look and see if I have any here still. If I do Ill add in the percents etc.
I won’t use this product because I cannot find a list of ingredients, plain and simple. I’ve taken food studies courses at the grad-school level and can pronounce many ingredients many people cannot and know where these come from and what they do (and don’t do). In short, I’m not convinced Vi products are real food. Any “ingredient” list that contains TM needs to be carefully examined before popping it into your mouth. Nutrition comes from food, not from questionable trademarks.
Lara, thats a great point about “any ingredient that contains TM!” I will be “stealing” that idea and passing it along to others 🙂